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The 2020–21 ECHL season was the 33rd season of the ECHL. Due to the ongoing restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the regular season was pushed back to December 11, 2020.[1]
| 2020–21 ECHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | ECHL |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | December 11, 2020 – June 6, 2021 |
| Regular season | |
| Brabham Cup | Florida Everblades |
| Season MVP | Anthony Beauregard (Wichita) |
| Top scorer | Aaron Luchuk (Orlando) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | South Carolina Stingrays |
| Eastern runners-up | Greenville Swamp Rabbits |
| Western champions | Fort Wayne Komets |
| Western runners-up | Allen Americans |
| Playoffs MVP | Stephen Harper (Fort Wayne) |
| Kelly Cup | |
| Champions | Fort Wayne Komets |
| Runners-up | South Carolina Stingrays |
The Fort Wayne Komets were the Kelly Cup champions, defeating the South Carolina Stingrays in four games.[2]
Due to the uncertainty of being able to host games in some locations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, several member teams had not been able to confirm participation in the 2020–21 season and the season start was postponed. In October 2020, thirteen teams confirmed plans to begin to play in December 2020 with others hoping to return in January 2021.[1] All teams had a deadline to voluntarily opt out of the 2020–21 season by November 30,[3] but two teams had been granted extensions: the Fort Wayne Komets and Toledo Walleye.[4] The Komets and Walleye were then approved to postpone their start to February.[5] The league announced its schedule through February 11, 2021.[6]
By December 7, 2020, the other eleven teams had opted out from participating in the season and voluntarily suspended operations: the Adirondack Thunder, Atlanta Gladiators, Brampton Beast, Cincinnati Cyclones, Idaho Steelheads, Kalamazoo Wings, Maine Mariners, Newfoundland Growlers, Norfolk Admirals, Reading Royals, and Worcester Railers.[7][8][9][10] On January 5, 2021, the league announced that Toledo had opted out of the season as well, but that Fort Wayne had finalized plans to start playing on February 12.[11] The league announced a conference-based alignment and its schedule through April 4.[12] The league announced a remainder of the schedule on February 10.[13] Due to COVID-19 related postponements and teams' arenas availability, several games throughout the season were rescheduled or cancelled.
During the season, the Brampton Beast announced the team had ceased operations entirely on February 18, 2021.[14]
Affiliation changes
| ECHL team | New affiliates | Former affiliates |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Wayne Komets | Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) | Chicago Wolves (AHL) |
| Greenville Swamp Rabbits[15] | Florida Panthers (NHL) | Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) |
| Tulsa Oilers | Anaheim Ducks (NHL) San Diego Gulls (AHL) |
St. Louis Blues (NHL) Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) |
All-star game
During the previous season, the league had awarded the Jacksonville Icemen the 2021 All-Star Game,[16] but the Jacksonville-hosted event was deferred to 2022.[17]
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Due to the imbalanced schedule during the pandemic, teams are ranked on points percentage.[12]
Final standings[18]
| Eastern Conference | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | Pts% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z — Florida Everblades (NSH) | 69 | 42 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 233 | 193 | 92 | .667 |
| x — Greenville Swamp Rabbits (FLA) | 72 | 38 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 210 | 204 | 91 | .632 |
| x — Indy Fuel (CHI) | 69 | 37 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 204 | 199 | 82 | .594 |
| x — South Carolina Stingrays (WSH) | 70 | 34 | 23 | 10 | 3 | 216 | 212 | 81 | .579 |
| Orlando Solar Bears (TBL) | 72 | 36 | 29 | 6 | 1 | 218 | 232 | 79 | .549 |
| Jacksonville Icemen (WPG) | 71 | 34 | 30 | 3 | 4 | 205 | 212 | 75 | .528 |
| Wheeling Nailers (PIT) | 68 | 22 | 39 | 6 | 1 | 196 | 241 | 51 | .375 |
| Western Conference | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | Pts% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y — Allen Americans (MIN) | 72 | 45 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 236 | 196 | 94 | .653 |
| x — Wichita Thunder (EDM) | 71 | 41 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 218 | 190 | 90 | .634 |
| x — Fort Wayne Komets (VGK) | 51 | 29 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 170 | 136 | 63 | .618 |
| x — Utah Grizzlies (COL) | 72 | 35 | 26 | 5 | 6 | 207 | 219 | 81 | .563 |
| Tulsa Oilers (ANA) | 72 | 30 | 28 | 11 | 3 | 180 | 203 | 74 | .514 |
| Kansas City Mavericks (CGY) | 72 | 31 | 31 | 8 | 2 | 205 | 226 | 72 | .500 |
| Rapid City Rush (ARI) | 71 | 32 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 197 | 232 | 68 | .479 |
x – clinched playoff spot; y – clinched regular season conference title; z – Brabham Cup (regular season) champion
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For the 2021 Kelly Cup playoffs, the top four teams from each conference at the end of the regular season qualified for the postseason. The playoff format is a three-round best-of-five tournament for each series. The postseason began on June 7.[19]
Bracket
Final results.[20]
| Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Kelly Cup Finals | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Florida Everblades | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | South Carolina Stingrays | 3 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | South Carolina Stingrays | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | Greenville Swamp Rabbits | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Greenville Swamp Rabbits | 3 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Indy Fuel | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | South Carolina Stingrays | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Fort Wayne Komets | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Allen Americans | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Utah Grizzlies | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Allen Americans | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W3 | Fort Wayne Komets | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Wichita Thunder | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Fort Wayne Komets | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Patrick Kelly Cup | Fort Wayne Komets |
| Henry Brabham Cup | Florida Everblades |
| Gingher Memorial Trophy | South Carolina Stingrays |
| Bruce Taylor Trophy | Fort Wayne Komets |
| John Brophy Award | Bruce Ramsay, Wichita[21] |
| Most Valuable Player | Anthony Beauregard, Wichita[22] |
| Kelly Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player | Stephen Harper, Fort Wayne[23] |
| Goaltender of the Year | Jake Hildebrand, Florida[24] |
| Rookie of the Year | Matthew Boucher, Utah[25] |
| Defenseman of the Year | Les Lancaster, Allen[26] |
| Leading Scorer | Aaron Luchuk, Orlando[27] |
| Plus Performer Award | John McCarron, Florida[28] |
| Sportsmanship Award | Aaron Luchuk, Orlando[29] |
| Community Service Award |
All-ECHL teams
First Team
Second Team
- Evan Buitenhuis (G) – Wichita[30]
- Matt Register (D) – Allen[30]
- Dean Stewart (D) – Wichita[30]
- Tyler Coulter (F) – Rapid City[30]
- Peter Quenneville (F) – Rapid City[30]
- Cole Ully (F) – South Carolina[30]
All-Rookie
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