ECHL: South Division Weekly Recap | Week 3

ECHL South Division (October 28 – November 3, 2024)

It looks like the Savannah Ghost Pirates and the Florida Everblades are neck and neck at the top of the standings, both with impressive records and win percentages. The Ghost Pirates have a slight edge in the goal differential and are on a strong 4-game winning streak right now. The South Carolina Stingrays are also doing well, just a point behind and on a 3-game winning streak.

The Orlando Solar Bears and Atlanta Gladiators seem to be struggling a bit more, with the Gladiators on a tough 5-game losing streak. The Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Jacksonville Icemen are also facing challenges of their own, both on 2-game losing streaks.

South Division Standings

1. Savannah Ghost Pirates: Leading the league with a record of 5-1-0-0, the Ghost Pirates have accumulated 10 points and boast a high win percentage of 0.833. They have scored 23 goals while allowing only 10, and are currently on a 4-game winning streak.
2. Florida Everblades: Also with a 5-1-0-0 record and 10 points, the Everblades have a win percentage of 0.833. They have scored 20 goals and conceded only 12. They have 60 penalty minutes.
3. South Carolina Stingrays: With a record of 4-1-1-0, the Stingrays have 9 points and a win percentage of 0.750. They have scored 19 goals and allowed 11. They are on a 3-game winning streak and have 58 penalty minutes.
4. Orlando Solar Bears: The Solar Bears have a 3-2-1-0 record, earning seven points with a win percentage of 0.583. They have scored 18 goals and conceded 19. They are on a 1-game winning streak and have accumulated 125 penalty minutes.
5. Atlanta Gladiators: With a 2-3-2-0 record, the Gladiators have six points and a win percentage of 0.429. They have scored 11 goals and allowed 19. They are currently on a 5-game losing streak and have 53 penalty minutes.
6. Greenville Swamp Rabbits: The Swamp Rabbits have a 1-2-1-0 record, earning 3 points with a win percentage of 0.375. They have scored nine goals and conceded 17. They are on a 2-game losing streak and have 31 penalty minutes.
7. Jacksonville Icemen: Also with a 1-2-1-0 record and three points, the Icemen have a win percentage of 0.375. They have scored eight goals and allowed 14. They are on a 2-game losing streak and have 90 penalty minutes.

Overall League Standings

Rankings for each South Division team within the entire league:

1. Savannah Ghost Pirates: 3rd overall
2. Florida Everblades: 4th overall
3. South Carolina Stingrays: 7th overall
4. Orlando Solar Bears: 15th overall
5. Atlanta Gladiators: 21st overall
6. Greenville Swamp Rabbits: 25th overall
7. Jacksonville Icemen: 26th overall

ECHL Career Milestones

Aaron Luchuk Achieves Career Milestone

Aaron Luchuk, forward for the Orlando Solar Bears, hit the 100+ milestone over the weekend. Luchuk has now accumulated an impressive total of 101 goals and 141 assists, bringing his career points to 242. Luchuk reached his 100th career goal during the game against the Jacksonville Icemen on November 2, 2024. In this game, Luchuk scored twice, with his milestone goal coming at 3:02 of the third period, assisted by J. Mazza and D. Angeli. This remarkable achievement only further underscores his consistent scoring ability and playmaking skills, solidifying his reputation as one of the league’s premier players.

Milestone Watch

Eric Neiley, the Team Captain of the Atlanta Gladiators, is on the verge of a significant milestone, needing just one more point to reach 200 points in his career with the team. Prior to the start of this season, he has played 265 games, ranking second in goals (103), eighth in assists (95), and was fifth in points (198). Eric Neiley’s total of 220 points in the ECHL is quite impressive and places him among the more productive players in the league. While exact rankings can fluctuate throughout the season, his consistent scoring over the years highlights his significant contribution to his team. To give you a broader context, top ECHL players often accumulate points in the range of 200-300 over several seasons. Neiley’s performance, especially considering his leadership roles and consistent scoring, makes him a standout player in the league.

October 30, 2024

• Florida Everblades 4, Atlanta Gladiators 3 (OT)
  • Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
• Orlando Solar Bears 1, Savannah Ghost Pirates 4
  • Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia

November 1, 2024

• Florida Everblades 0, South Carolina Stingrays 3
  • Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
• Savannah Ghost Pirates 5, Greenville Swamp Rabbits 2
  • Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina

November 2, 2024

• Florida Everblades 4, South Carolina Stingrays 3 (OT)
  • Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
• Atlanta Gladiators 2, Savannah Ghost Pirates 4
  • Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
• Jacksonville Icemen 1, Orlando Solar Bears 5
  • Location: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida

November 3, 2024

• Atlanta Gladiators 1, South Carolina Stingrays 2 (OT)
  • Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina

Atlanta Gladiators

• Points Leader: Cody Sylvester has played seven games, scoring three goals and three assists for a total of six points.
• The team has a strong record of 2-0-1 when leading after two periods.
• Upcoming games: at Orlando (Wednesday), Jacksonville (Friday), and Greenville (Saturday and Sunday).

Florida Everblades

• Points Leader: Colton Hargrove leads the team with seven points (3g, 4a).
• The Everblades have outshot their opponents 64-48 in the second period.
• They will host Orlando on Friday and Saturday.

Greenville Swamp Rabbits

• Points Leader: Colton Hargrove leads the team with seven points, having scored three goals and four assists in seven games.
• Bryce Brodzinski scored his first professional goal on Friday against Savannah.
• Greenville has been shorthanded only 10 times, the fewest in the league.
• Upcoming games: at South Carolina (Friday), hosting Atlanta (Saturday), and visiting the Gladiators (Sunday).

Jacksonville Icemen

• Points Leader: Logan Cockerill has played four games, scoring three goals and two assists for a total of five points.
• The Icemen have scored half of their goals in the second period.
• They will host Atlanta on Friday and South Carolina on Saturday.

Orlando Solar Bears

• Points Leader #1: Tyler Bird has played six games, scoring five goals and one assist for a total of six points.
• Points Leader #2: Aaron Luchuk also has six games, scoring three goals and three assists for a total of six points.
• Alex Frye leads the league with two shorthanded goals.
• The team is 2-0-1 when scoring first.
• Upcoming games: hosting Savannah (Monday) and Atlanta (Wednesday), and visiting Florida (Friday and Saturday).

Savannah Ghost Pirates

• Points Leader: Reece Vitelli has played six games, scoring one goal and eight assists for a total of nine points.
• Point Streak: Reece Vitelli is on a four-game point streak with one goal and 7 assists.
• The team is perfect on the penalty kill, going 17-for-17.
• Upcoming games: traveling to Orlando (Monday) and hosting Idaho (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).

South Carolina Stingrays

• Points Leader: Austin Magera has played six games, scoring one goal and seven assists for a total of eight points.
• Seth Eisele has had a stellar start to the season, playing three games with two wins, a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.33, and a .955 (SV%) of .955 over 181 minutes.
• The Stingrays have outscored their opponents 17-8 at home.
• They will host Greenville on Friday and travel to Jacksonville on Saturday.

Exciting Matchups

Transactions

Atlanta Gladiators (ATL)

• Filip Forsmark (F): Released from SPC on 2024-11-01.
• Randy Hernández (F): Traded from Orlando on 2024-11-01.

Orlando Solar Bears (ORL)

• Robbie Stucker (D): Traded to Reading on 2024-11-03.
• Tyson Feist (D): Loaned from Syracuse (AHL) on 2024-11-02.
• Michael Simpson (G): Returned on loan from Belleville (AHL) on 2024-10-29.

Greenville Swamp Rabbits (GRN)

• Jacob Ingham (G): Loaned from Ontario (AHL) on 2024-11-01.
• Reed Morison (F): Released from SPC on 2024-11-01.

South Carolina Stingrays (SC)

• Jayden Lee (D): Recalled from loan by Hershey (AHL) on 2024-11-02.
• Alexander Suzdalev (F): Reassigned by Washington (NHL) from Hershey (AHL) on 2024-10-31.

Florida Everblades (FLA)

• Kade Landry (D): Signed to SPC on 2024-11-02.

Players to Watch

Goaltenders

Here are the top five Goaltenders in the ECHL South Division for the 2024-25 season so far:

1. Evan Cormier (Savannah Ghost Pirates): 3 GP, 1.67 GAA, 0.942 SV%
2. Keith Kinkaid (Savannah Ghost Pirates): 3 GP, 1.68 GAA, 0.935 SV%
3. Drew DeRidder (Atlanta Gladiators): 4 GP, 1.92 GAA, 0.937 SV%
4. Cam Johnson (Florida Everblades): 4 GP, 2.22 GAA, 0.907 SV%
5. Seth Eisele (South Carolina Stingrays): 3 GP, 1.33 GAA, 0.955 SV%

Defensemen

Here are the top five Defensemen in the ECHL South Division for the 2024-25 season so far:

1. Dennis Cesana (Savannah Ghost Pirates): 6 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 PTS, 2 PIM, 0.83 PT/G, 18 SOG
2. Kris Myllari (Florida Everblades): 5 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 PTS, 2 PIM, 1.00 PT/G, 11 SOG
3. Will Riedell (Savannah Ghost Pirates): 6 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 PTS, 4 PIM, 0.83 PT/G, 13 SOG
4. Robert Calisti (Jacksonville Icemen): 4 GP, 0 G, 5 A, 5 PTS, 4 PIM, 1.25 PT/G, 4 SOG
5. Blake Thompson (South Carolina Stingrays): 6 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 PTS, 2 PIM, 0.67 PT/G, 10 SOG

Forwards

Here are the top five Forwards in the ECHL South Division for the 2024-25 season:

1. Reece Vitelli (Savannah Ghost Pirates): 6 GP, 1 G, 8 A, 9 PTS, 4 PIM, 1.50 PT/G, 15 SOG
2. Riley Hughes (Savannah Ghost Pirates): 5 GP, 4 G, 4 A, 8 PTS, 6 PIM, 1.60 PT/G, 17 SOG
3. Tyler Bird (Orlando Solar Bears): 6 GP, 5 G, 1 A, 6 PTS, 4 PIM, 1.00 PT/G, 14 SOG
4. Aaron Luchuk (Orlando Solar Bears): 6 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 6 PTS, 4 PIM, 1.00 PT/G, 15 SOG
5. Cody Sylvester (Atlanta Gladiators): 7 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 6 PTS, 2 PIM, 0.86 PT/G, 14 SOG

Players With First Pro Goals