Breaking News: ECHL Board Of Governors Announce Fate Of Newfoundland Growlers and Trois-Rivieres Lions

The ECHL Board of Governors has announced that the Newfoundland Growlers have folded and will not finish the rest of the regular season. Players on Newfoundland were told earlier today that they would become free agents. This is going to give teams that are in a Kelly Cup Race a chance to make some massive additions to their team prior to the playoffs. Regardless of what happens to the players, they will be paid through the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs, and their health insurance will stay intact until the end of June.

Related Story: ECHL: Two Franchises in Jeopardy?

It appears that the Trois-Rivieres Lions will survive and continue under new ownership, as a last-minute buyer came in to keep the Lions alive. It is unknown who the buyer is at this moment. With Newfoundland out of the picture, the playoff race in the North Division now sits at a three-team race for the final playoff spot between the Maine Mariners, Trois-Rivieres Lions, and Worcester Railers.

The final six games Newfoundland was supposed to play will be canceled and playoff seeding will be based on point percentage. Teams are only allowed to sign a maximum of two players from Newfoundland. Any NHL/AHL contracts that were on Newfoundlands roster after March 20th are ineligible for the Kelly Cup Playoffs.


Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Armand Klisivitch

Inside The Rink ECHL Manager | Senior Editor Credentialed Reporter for the Adirondack Thunder & Worcester Railers.

One thought on “Breaking News: ECHL Board Of Governors Announce Fate Of Newfoundland Growlers and Trois-Rivieres Lions”

  1. I am not suprised. This is not a very good league anymore. Div 3 college players getting paid less then a MacDonalds employee. Decent players go to Europe.

Leave a Reply

ECHL: Jed Pietila Reels in Another Season with Toledo

Defenseman Jed Pietila is officially back in Walleye blue. The team announced the re-signing of Jed Pietila, bringing the blueliner back for the 2025-26 season after a strong first full year in the pros. 2024-25 Season Recap Pietila appeared in 59 games with the Toledo Walleye during the 2024-25 regular season, picking up two goals […]

Read More

ECHL: Allen Americans Sign Thomas Caron

The Allen Americans have announced that they’ve signed forward Thomas Caron for the 2025-26 season. Caron, 28, played in 31 games with the Idaho Steelheads, putting up eight goals and 18 assists for 26 points. In January, he would be traded to the Indy Fuel before being suspended by the team just two days later. […]

Read More

ECHL: Cole Fraser Joins Worcester Railers

The Worcester Railers have announced that they’ve signed defenseman Cole Fraser for the 2025-26 season. Fraser, 25, played in 35 games last season with the Allen Americans, where he put up two goals and two assists for four points along with 88 PIMS. The addition of Fraser will add some toughness to the Railers’ blueline […]

Read More