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ECHL

ECHL Mountain Division Preview: Will Idaho Steelheads Repeat Historic Run?

ECHL Mountain Division Preview: Will Idaho Steelheads Repeat Historic Run?

The Idaho Steelheads set ECHL records last season, but will have to contend with improved Mountain Division opponents that will make it tougher.

Oct 16, 2023
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Six Mountain Division teams spent last season chasing one – the Idaho Steelheads, who had the best regular season in the history of the ECHL, going 58-11-3 with the top-ranked offense and top-ranked defense in the 28-team league.

By the postseason, though, nothing was easy for the Steelheads. The Utah Grizzlies stole two games, and the Allen Americans’ high-powered offense gave the Steelheads some fits in the second round, but Idaho still made it through and didn’t fall until the Kelly Cup finals against the Florida Everblades, ECHL champions for the second straight season.

ALSO READ: South Division Preview | Central Division Preview | North Division Preview

So will the Mountain Division have a little more drama this season? It sure seems like it.

While the Steelheads have a bevy of returning talent, including an embarrassment of riches on the blue line, division rivals have locked in some important pieces, too, and it seems unlikely the Steelheads can finish 42 points ahead of the rest of the pack again.

The Americans again should score plenty of goals, the Grizzlies’ blue-collar play should make them more of a regular-season factor and don’t discount teams that missed the playoffs, such as the Rapid City Rush and Tulsa Oilers.

Here’s a team-by-team look at the Mountain Division ahead of the season opener.

Allen Americans

Last season: 37-32-3, 2nd in division, lost in division finals

Coach: Chad Costello, 2nd season

NHL affiliation: Ottawa Senators

AHL affiliate: Belleville Senators

Of note: As a player, Costello was a high-scoring, three-time ECHL MVP who won two Kelly Cups, so it’s not surprising that, as a coach, his Americans adopted a similar identity of free-wheeling hockey with a high-level of success … The ECHL’s leading scorer and MVP last season, Hank Crone, has moved up to the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, but the Americans locked in valuable key pieces, namely: forward Colton Hargrove, who had 39 goals (second in ECHL) and 85 points (sixth) in 64 games; forward Liam Finlay, who had 33 goals and 70 points in 54 games; forward Colby McAuley, who had 11 goals and 34 points in 38 games; defenseman Kris Myllari, who had eight goals and 31 points in 72 games; and defenseman Eric Williams, who skated 16 games after being acquired from Norfolk … Mikael Robidoux, perhaps the most divisive figure in the ECHL, is also back. The ECHL has suspended the forward myriad times for myriad infractions – including striking a fan with his stick – and his ECHL totals over the last two seasons with Kansas City and Allen are nine goals, 22 points, 448 penalty minutes and a minus-11 rating in 84 games … Goaltender Chase Perry was effective last season with a 14-7-1 record, a 3.02 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage and one shutout in 22 appearances.  

2023 Allen Americans vs Idaho Steelheads


Idaho Steelheads

Last season: 58-11-3, 1st in division, lost in Kelly Cup finals

Coach: Everett Sheen, 4th season

NHL affiliation: Dallas Stars

AHL affiliate: Texas Stars

Of note: The Steelheads annihilated the ECHL record book during the regular season in terms of wins, and they did it with the league’s top offense (4.03 goals per game) and, more importantly when it comes to their style of play, the top defense (2.13 goals against per game). They truly had an embarrassment of riches on the blue line, including Owen Headrick, Matt Register, Patrick Kudla and Cody Haiskanen. Only Headrick is gone from that group, now in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves … Defenseman Nick Canade was a solid piece on the blue line and he’s back after tallying 15 points in 46 games … It would be a tall order for the Steelheads to score in bunches like last season, but Mark Rassell was a huge pickup for his offensive upside and grit around the net … Forward Shawn McBride spent last season in Italy and had 16 goals and 36 points in just 36 games. He played for Idaho in 2021-22 and had 12 goals and 35 points in 69 games … Goaltender Kaden Fulcher split last season between the Reading Royals and AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. In 58 games over four ECHL seasons, he’s got a 29-21-6 record, a 2.92 goals-against average, a .900 save percentage and three shutouts with the Royals and Toledo Walleye. 

Kansas City Mavericks

Last season: 34-30-8, 3rd in division, lost in division semifinals

Coach: Tad O'Had, 4th season

NHL affiliation: Seattle Kraken

AHL affiliate: Coachella Valley Firebirds

2023 Kansas City Mavericks vs Wichita Thunder


Of note: O’Had has been a just-over-.500 coach with the Mavericks, accruing a 97-94-25 record, and he’s missed the playoffs twice. Last season, the Mavericks fell in six games to the Allen Americans in the first round of the postseason. It’s fair to say this is an important season for O’Had … Defenseman Theo Calvas, who had seven goals, 16 points and a team-best plus-19 rating in 69 games, is back to anchor a defense that added Marc-Olivier Duquette, who has played for Fort Wayne, Wheeling and Maine, and Nate Knoepke, who made progress over 58 games as a rookie … Goaltender Jaxon Castor, who played two games last season for the Florida Everblades, spent four seasons manning the net at St. Cloud State. Last season, he was 14-8-1 with a 2.02 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage and four shutouts … Bradley Schoonbaert is an exciting rookie forward who had 10 goals and 25 points in just 25 games last season for the University of Calgary … Forward Jake Jaremko, who played 20 games last season with the Mavericks, will contribute in myriad ways, including power play and the penalty kill. He had 17 goals and 50 points in 71 games for the Everblades in 2021-22. 

Rapid City Rush

Last season: 33-34-5, 6th in division, missed playoffs

Coach: Scott Burt, 3rd season

NHL affiliation: Calgary Flames

AHL affiliate: Calgary Wranglers

Of note: Logan Nelson has gone from a solid journeyman forward to a reliable staple of the Rush lineup. He had 21 goals and 57 points in 65 games last season and has signed on for a fourth season with Rapid City. Nelson has played for eight ECHL teams … Right wing Keltie Jeri-Leon proved with the Maine Mariners he could be a competent offensive player – he had 27 goals and 54 points in 95 games between 2021 and 2023 – and he should be poised to break out for the Rush … He’ll be joined by another former Maine player, Conner Bleackley, a two-time NHL draft pick (in the first round of 2014 to the Colorado Avalanche and fifth round in 2016 to the St. Louis Blues), who had 15 goals and 38 points in 98 games over the last two seasons. He played for the Idaho Steelheads in 2019-20, when Burt was an assistant coach … Keanu Yamamoto is back after a big rookie season in which he totaled 18 goals and 45 points in 71 games, and also back are Jimmy Soper and Alex Aleardi, top-line caliber players. Aleardi had 30 goals and 65 points in 72 games last season … Equipment manager Joe Wieszczek has joined the staff of the NHL’s Florida Panthers. 

2023 Rapid City Rush vs Iowa Heartlanders


Tulsa Oilers

Last season: 22-1-9, 7th in division, missed playoffs

Coach: Rob Murray, 7th season

NHL affiliation: Anaheim Ducks

AHL affiliate: San Diego Gulls

Of note: The Oilers acquired Tag Bertuzzi from the Norfolk Admirals in January for Jimmy Soper and Bertuzzi’s impact was immediate. He had a hat trick in his first game and went on to total 16 goals and 33 points in 36 games, finishing with 24 goals and 52 points in the season’s entirety. Bertuzzi, who’s back this season with the Oilers, has a penchant for fast starts – he had four first goals last season – and he’s solid on the power play, where he had 10 goals and two assists for an Oilers team that ranked fourth worst in the league with the man-advantage. He’s longtime NHLer Todd Bertuzzi’s son … Forward Ryan Olsen, who played last season in Frankfurt, Germany, is back in the ECHL where he won a Kelly Cup with the Colorado Eagles in 2018. He’s got a bevy of AHL experience, including 69 games with the San Antonio Rampage in 2018-19, when he had 17 goals and 34 points … Goaltender Julian Junca had spent his entire career in France before signing with the Oilers. Last season, he was 17-16-0 with a 2.64 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage and three shutouts. He also was part of France’s national team at the most recent IIHF Men’s World Championship … Forward Jimmy Lodge was a third-round NHL draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 2013 … Murray, 56, coached the Alaska Aces to the Kelly Cup in 2014. 

2023 Tulsa Oilers vs Utah Grizzlies


NOTE: Sunday's game between the Tulsa Oilers and Utah Grizzlies will be available live and free on FloHockey's social channels including YouTube and Facebook. 

Utah Grizzlies

Last season: 35-33-4, 4th in division, lost in division semifinals

Coach: Ryan Kinasewich, 3rd season

NHL affiliation: Colorado Avalanche

AHL affiliate: Colorado Eagles

Of note: The Grizzlies had the lowest winning percentage, .514, of any ECHL qualifier for the 2023 postseason. Then, the Grizzlies showed a ton of mettle against the record-setting Idaho Steelheads, winning the first two games on the road before dropping the next four games, all of which went to overtime … Forward Jordan Martel was an excellent pickup last season, accruing 18 goals and 44 points in 45 games after he went from Fort Wayne to Utah for Neil Robinson. Martel has re-signed with the Grizzlies … Forward Tyler Penner played in all 72 games each of the last two seasons for the Grizzlies … Forward Dylan Fitze skated 72 games last season for the Grizzlies and had 17 goals and 38 points … Defenseman Keoni Texeira had six goals and 19 points in 50 games last season for the Indy Fuel as the team’s captain … Forward Cody Caron had two goals, 10 points and 118 penalty minutes in 55 games last season for the Cincinnati Cyclones … Christian Horn, who finished his playing career with the Grizzlies in 2021, has been hired as an assistant coach. Last season, he was an assistant with the Cardiff Devils in the United Kingdom. 

Wichita Thunder

Last season: 33-32-7, 5th in division, missed playoffs

Coach: Bruce Ramsay, 5th season

NHL affiliation: San Jose Sharks

AHL affiliate: San Jose Barracuda

2023 Wichita Thunder vs Kansas City Mavericks


Of note: The Thunder re-signed forward Brayden Watts, who had 23 goals and 63 points in 50 games and was selected team MVP. Jay Dickman is also back after a season of 26 goals and 61 points in 67 games … Lleyton Moore is an exciting rookie defenseman who had eight goals 48 points last season in the Ontario Hockey League for Kitchener and Oshawa, who he captained. He had 21 goals and 143 points in 226 career OHL games … Ramsay was the ECHL’s Coach of the Year in 2020-21 … John Gurskis, a former Wichita player, has been Ramsay’s assistant the whole time in Wichita. They were teammates in the United Hockey League … Ryan Finnegan, a forward, is a native of Tecumseh, Kansas, who played last season for Lindenwood University – its first season in NCAA Division I – and had six goals and 20 points in 29 games … Goaltender Trevor Gorsuch has played for eight ECHL teams.