2022 Kelly Cup playoffs

2022 Kelly Cup playoffs
Tournament details
DatesApril 20 – June 11
Teams16
Final positions
ChampionsFlorida Everblades
Runner-upToledo Walleye
Tournament statistics
Scoring leader(s)Brandon Hawkins (Toledo) (33 points)
MVPCam Johnson (Florida)
← 2021
2023 →

The 2022 Kelly Cup playoffs of the ECHL hockey league began on April 20, 2022, following the conclusion of the 2021–22 ECHL regular season and ended on June 11 with the Florida Everblades winning their second Kelly Cup over the Toledo Walleye in five games.

Playoff format

The league announced its playoff format on January 21, 2022. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams in each division qualify for the 2022 Kelly Cup playoffs and are seeded one through four based on the highest points percentage earned in the season. Then the first two rounds of the playoffs are held within the division with the first seed facing the fourth seed and the second seed facing the third. The division champions then play each other in a conference championship. The Kelly Cup finals pit the Eastern Conference champion against the Western Conference champion. All four rounds are a best-of-seven format.[1]

Playoff seeds

After the regular season, 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The Toledo Walleye were the first team to qualify during the regular season on March 26,[2] with the Reading Royals qualifying shortly after on March 29.[3] Due to the imbalanced scheduling during the pandemic, teams were seeded by points percentage.

Final seeds and points percentages:[4]

Playoff bracket

Division Semifinals Division Finals Conference Finals Kelly Cup Finals
            
N1 Reading 4
N4 Maine 2
N1 Reading 3
N2 Newfoundland 4
N2 Newfoundland 4
N3 Trois-Rivières 3
N2 Newfoundland 1
North Division
S1 Florida 4
S1 Florida 4
S4 Greenville 2
S1 Florida 4
S3 Jacksonville 0
S2 Atlanta 0
S3 Jacksonville 4
S1 Florida 4
C1 Toledo 1
C1 Toledo 4
C4 Cincinnati 3
C1 Toledo 4
C3 Wheeling 0
C2 Fort Wayne 3
C3 Wheeling 4
C1 Toledo 4
South Division
M1 Utah 1
M1 Utah 4
M4 Tulsa 3
M1 Utah 4
M2 Rapid City 2
M2 Rapid City 4
M3 Allen 1


Division semifinals

North Division

(1) Reading Royals vs. (4) Maine Mariners

April 20 Maine Mariners 2–3 Reading Royals Santander Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 13:06 – pp – Kenny Hausinger (1)
No scoring Second period 10:31 – Brayden Low (1)
19:10 – Brayden Low (2)
Zach Malatesta (1) – 17:20
Nick Master (1) – 19:15 		Third period No scoring
Stefanos Lekkas 33 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Logan Flodell 28 saves / 30 shots
April 22 Maine Mariners 0–3 Reading Royals Santander Arena Recap
April 28 Reading Royals 4–5 Maine Mariners Cross Insurance Arena Recap
April 29 Reading Royals 0–4 Maine Mariners Cross Insurance Arena Recap
April 30 Reading Royals 3–2 Maine Mariners Cross Insurance Arena Recap
May 2 Maine Mariners 1–2 Reading Royals Santander Arena Recap
Reading won series 4–2


(2) Newfoundland Growlers vs. (3) Trois-Rivières Lions

April 22 Trois-Rivières Lions 4–7 Newfoundland Growlers Mary Brown's Centre Recap  
Shawn St-Amant (1) – 14:04
Julien Nantel (1) – pp – 16:46 		First period 13:35 – Matt Hellickson (1)
Peter Abbandonato (1) – 19:25 Second period 2:31 – pp – Gordie Green (1)
7:12 – Tyler Boland (1)
14:49 – Orrin Centazzo (1)
Olivier Archambault (1) – pp – 7:48 Third period 2:25 – Zach O'Brien (1)
8:33 – pp – Orrin Centazzo (2)
19:59 – en – Matt Hellickson (2)
Philippe Desrosiers 35 saves / 41 shots Goalie stats Keith Petruzzelli 35 saves / 39 shots
April 23 Trois-Rivières Lions 2–6 Newfoundland Growlers Mary Brown's Centre Recap  
Shawn St-Amant (2) – 10:57 First period 12:20 – Isaac Johnson (1)
18:48 – Ryan Chyzowski (1)
No scoring Second period 11:12 – Gordie Green (2)
11:45 – Marc Johnstone (1)
Anthony Nellis (1) – 12:37 Third period 4:06 – Orrin Centazzo (3)
16:30 – Tyler Boland (2)
Philippe Desrosiers 24 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Keith Petruzzelli 24 saves / 26 shots
April 26 Newfoundland Growlers 2–3 Trois-Rivières Lions Colisée Vidéotron Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Tyler Boland (3) – 1:40 Second period 8:39 – Anthony Nellis (2)
19:20 – Anthony Nellis (3)
Zach O'Brien (2) – 18:00 Third period 19:37 – Anthony Nellis (4)
Keith Petruzzelli 26 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Philippe Desrosiers 30 saves / 32 shots
April 28 Newfoundland Growlers 5–2 Trois-Rivières Lions Colisée Vidéotron Recap  
Ryan Chyzowski (2) – 6:10 First period No scoring
Marc Johnstone (2) – 7:47
Noel Hoefenmayer (1) – 11:46
Derian Plouffe (1) – 11:57 		Second period No scoring
Todd Skirving (1) – pp-en – 17:58 Third period 1:44 – Justin Ducharme (1)
19:26 – pp – Hayden Shaw (1)
Keith Petruzzelli 31 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Philippe Desrosiers 26 saves / 30 shots
April 30 Newfoundland Growlers 2–3 Trois-Rivières Lions Colisée Vidéotron Recap  
Tyler Boland (4) – 3:07 First period 7:18 – Alexis D'Aoust (1)
Tyler Boland (5) – 16:19 Second period 16:43 – Cedric Montminy (1)
No scoring Third period 9:16 – Alexis D'Aoust (2)
Keith Petruzzelli 27 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Philippe Desrosiers 35 saves / 37 shots
May 2 Trois-Rivières Lions 7–4 Newfoundland Growlers Mary Brown's Centre Recap  
Cedric Montminy (2) – 1:00 First period 5:05 – Gordie Green (3)
Peter Abbandonato (2) – 4:06
Brenden Locke (1) – 4:30
Olivier Galipeau (1) – 19:29 		Second period 9:23 – sh – Derian Plouffe (2)
14:43 – pp – Jeremy McKenna (1)
Anthony Nellis (1) – 1:27
Brenden Locke (2) – 9:42
Josh Brook (1) – en – 19:27 		Third period 16:26 – pp – Tyler Boland (6)
Philippe Desrosiers 33 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Keith Petruzzelli 21 saves / 27 shots
May 3 Trois-Rivières Lions 2–5 Newfoundland Growlers Mary Brown's Centre Recap  
No scoring First period 15:01 – Tyler Boland (7)
Anthony Nellis (6) – 11:49 Second period 5:24 – Noel Hoefenmayer (2)
Hayden Shaw (2) – pp – 11:02 Third period 2:32 – Tyler Boland (8)
14:15 – Ben Finkelstein (1)
18:29 – en – Orrin Centazzo (4)
Philippe Desrosiers 22 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Keith Petruzzelli 26 saves / 28 shots
Newfoundland won series 4–3


South Division

(1) Florida Everblades vs. (4) Greenville Swamp Rabbits

April 22 Greenville Swamp Rabbits 3–4 OT Florida Everblades Hertz Arena Recap  
Christian Kåsastul (1) – 8:59
Nikita Pavlychev (1) – 9:39
Ayden MacDonald (1) – 14:52 		First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 15:01 – pp – Stefan Leblanc (1)
No scoring Third period 18:40 – pp – Blake Winiecki (1)
19:25 – Matteo Gennaro (1)
No scoring First overtime period 2:05 – John McCarron (1)
John Lethemon 25 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Parker Gahagen 34 saves / 38 shots
April 23 Greenville Swamp Rabbits 5–3 Florida Everblades Hertz Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 9:31 – Chris McKay (1)
Alec Rauhauser – pp – 4:48
Ben Freeman (1) – pp – 6:51
Kevin McKernan (1) – 9:16
Joe Gatenby (1) – sh – 14:12 		Second period 16:02 – Xavier Bouchard (1)
18:48 – Alex Aleardi (1)
Ben Freeman (2) – sh – en – 18:46 Third period No scoring
John Lethemon 37 saves / 40 shots Goalie stats Parker Gahagen 19 saves / 23 shots
April 27 Florida Everblades 4–3 OT Greenville Swamp Rabbits Bon Secours Wellness Arena Recap  
Levko Koper (1) – sh – 18:11 First period 14:33 – sh – Alex Ierullo (1)
Matteo Gennaro (2) – pp – 16:41 Second period 17:37 – pp – Nikita Pavlychev (2)
Jake Jaremko (1) – 2:13 Third period 9:30 – pp – Anthony Rinaldi (1)
Alex Aleardi (2) – pp – 7:41 First overtime period No scoring
Cam Johnson 29 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats John Lethemon 30 saves / 34 shots
April 29 Florida Everblades 2–1 Greenville Swamp Rabbits Bon Secours Wellness Arena Recap
April 30 Florida Everblades 3–4 2OT Greenville Swamp Rabbits Bon Secours Wellness Arena Recap
May 2 Greenville Swamp Rabbits 1–5 Florida Everblades Hertz Arena Recap
Florida won series 4–2


(2) Atlanta Gladiators vs. (3) Jacksonville Icemen

April 21 Atlanta Gladiators 2–3 Jacksonville Icemen VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena Recap  
10:41 – Shin Sang-hoon (1) First period Ian McKinnon (1) – 17:39
17:22 – Derek Nesbitt (1) Second period No scoring
1:07 – Brendan Harris (1)
4:24 – Brendan Harris (2) 		Third period No scoring
Chris Nell 27 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats François Brassard 24 saves / 26 shots
April 22 Atlanta Gladiators 4–5 OT Jacksonville Icemen VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena Recap
April 27 Atlanta Gladiators 1–2 Jacksonville Icemen VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena Recap
April 28 Atlanta Gladiators 0–5 Jacksonville Icemen VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena Recap
Jacksonville won series 4–0


Central Division

(1) Toledo Walleye vs. (4) Cincinnati Cyclones

April 22 Cincinnati Cyclones 2–3 OT Toledo Walleye Huntington Center Recap  
Zack Andrusiak (1) – 14:20 First period 4:36 – John Albert (1)
14:55 – pp – John Albert (2)
Lukas Cragg (1) – 16:31 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 14:55 – John Albert (3)
Michael Houser 32 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Billy Christopoulos 34 saves / 36 shots
April 23 Cincinnati Cyclones 3–2 Toledo Walleye Huntington Center Recap
April 25 Toledo Walleye 5–6 OT Cincinnati Cyclones Heritage Bank Center Recap
April 27 Toledo Walleye 4–1 Cincinnati Cyclones Heritage Bank Center Recap
April 28 Toledo Walleye 0–2 Cincinnati Cyclones Heritage Bank Center Recap
April 30 Cincinnati Cyclones 0–3 Toledo Walleye Huntington Center Recap
May 3 Cincinnati Cyclones 2–4 Toledo Walleye Huntington Center Recap
Toledo won series 4–3


(2) Fort Wayne Komets vs. (3) Wheeling Nailers

April 22 Wheeling Nailers 1–0 Fort Wayne Komets Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Recap  
Patrick Watling (1) – 19:55 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Louis-Philip Guindon 34 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Samuel Harvey 22 saves / 23 shots
April 23 Wheeling Nailers 4–2 Fort Wayne Komets Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Recap
April 27 Fort Wayne Komets 4–1 Wheeling Nailers WesBanco Arena Recap
April 29 Fort Wayne Komets 4–3 OT Wheeling Nailers WesBanco Arena Recap
April 30 Fort Wayne Komets 2–3 Wheeling Nailers WesBanco Arena Recap
May 2 Wheeling Nailers 3–4 OT Fort Wayne Komets Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Recap
May 3 Wheeling Nailers 3–2 OT Fort Wayne Komets Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Recap
Wheeling won series 4–3


Mountain Division

(1) Utah Grizzlies vs. (4) Tulsa Oilers

April 22 Tulsa Oilers 3–6 Utah Grizzlies Maverik Center Recap  
Alex Gilmour (1) – 14:20 First period 3:07 – pp – Dylan Fitze (1)
18:59 – sh – Ben Tardif (1)
Joseph Garreffa (1) – 4:45
Jackson Leef (1) – 9:06 		Second period 14:19 – pp – Charles-Édouard D'Astous (1)
No scoring Third period 9:40 – Zach Tsekos (1)
13:09 – Trey Bradley (1)
17:49 – pp – en – Trey Bradley (2)
Daniel Mannella 30 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Peyton Jones 27 saves / 30 shots
April 23 Tulsa Oilers 5–3 Utah Grizzlies Maverik Center Recap
April 26 Utah Grizzlies 2–1 Tulsa Oilers BOK Center Recap
April 27 Utah Grizzlies 3–4 Tulsa Oilers BOK Center Recap
April 28 Utah Grizzlies 5–1 Tulsa Oilers BOK Center Recap
May 2 Tulsa Oilers 4–2 Utah Grizzlies Maverik Center Recap
May 4 Tulsa Oilers 2–5 Utah Grizzlies Maverik Center Recap
Utah won series 4–3


(2) Rapid City Rush vs. (3) Allen Americans

April 22 Allen Americans 2–3 Rapid City Rush The Monument Recap  
Chad Costello (1) – 8:21 First period 1:31 – Avery Peterson (1)
Chad Butcher (1) – 7:45 Second period 6:03 – Max Coatta (1)
No scoring Third period 15:34 – Brett Gravelle (1)
Lucas Peressini 39 saves / 42 shots Goalie stats Lukáš Pařík 32 saves / 34 shots
April 23 Allen Americans 4–3 OT Rapid City Rush The Monument Recap
April 26 Rapid City Rush 5–1 Allen Americans Credit Union of Texas Event Center Recap
April 29 Rapid City Rush 4–1 Allen Americans Credit Union of Texas Event Center Recap
April 30 Rapid City Rush 6–3 Allen Americans Credit Union of Texas Event Center Recap
Rapid City won series 4–1


Division finals

North Division

(1) Reading Royals vs. (2) Newfoundland Growlers

May 7 Newfoundland Growlers 3–7 Reading Royals Santander Arena Recap  
no scoring First period 2:13 – Frank DiChiara (3)
5:54 – pp – Frank DiChiara (4)
7:13 – Kevin Conley (1)
16:04 – Dominic Cormier (1)
Gordie Green (4) – 13:21 Second period 0:30 – Trevor Gooch (3)
18:34 – Trevor Gooch (4)
Isaac Johnson (2) – 11:01
Marc Johnstone (3) – 18:15 		Third period 18:43 – en – Trevor Gooch (5)
Keith Petruzzelli (8 saves / 12 shots)
Rylan Parenteau (16 saves / 18 shots)
Empty Net (0 saves / 1 shot) 		Goalie stats Pat Nagle (28 saves / 31 shots)
May 8 Newfoundland Growlers 4–1 Reading Royals Santander Arena Recap  
Benjamin Finkelstein (2) – pp – 11:19 First period no scoring
Zach O'Brien (3) – 1:34
Tyler Boland (9) – pp – 4:45 		Second period no scoring
Derian Plouffe (3) – pp – 19:30 Third period 5:24 – Kevin Conley (2)
Keith Petruzzelli (26 saves / 27 shots) Goalie stats Pat Nagle (32 saves / 35 shots)
Empty Net (0 saves / 1 shot)
May 10 Reading Royals 3–1 Newfoundland Growlers Mary Brown's Centre Recap
May 11 Reading Royals 6–5 Newfoundland Growlers Mary Brown's Centre Recap
May 12 Reading Royals 1–5 Newfoundland Growlers Mary Brown's Centre Recap
May 14 Newfoundland Growlers 4–2 Reading Royals Santander Arena Recap
May 16 Newfoundland Growlers 4–2 Reading Royals Santander Arena Recap
Newfoundland won series 4–3


South Division

(1) Florida Everblades vs. (3) Jacksonville Icemen

May 6 Jacksonville Icemen 0–2 Florida Everblades Hertz Arena Recap
May 7 Jacksonville Icemen 3–5 Florida Everblades Hertz Arena Recap
May 10 Florida Everblades 2–0 Jacksonville Icemen VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena Recap
May 11 Florida Everblades 1–0 OT Jacksonville Icemen VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena Recap
Florida won series 4–0


Central Division

(1) Toledo Walleye vs. (3) Wheeling Nailers

May 6 Wheeling Nailers 1–5 Toledo Walleye Huntington Center Recap
May 7 Wheeling Nailers 2–5 Toledo Walleye Huntington Center Recap
May 10 Toledo Walleye 5–4 Wheeling Nailers WesBanco Arena Recap
May 12 Toledo Walleye 3–1 Wheeling Nailers WesBanco Arena Recap
Toledo won series 4–0


Mountain Division

(1) Utah Grizzlies vs. (2) Rapid City Rush

May 6 Rapid City Rush 1–5 Utah Grizzlies Maverik Center Recap
May 7 Rapid City Rush 4–5 Utah Grizzlies Maverik Center Recap
May 9 Utah Grizzlies 6–2 Rapid City Rush The Monument Recap
May 10 Utah Grizzlies 5–6 OT Rapid City Rush The Monument Recap
May 11 Utah Grizzlies 0–3 Rapid City Rush The Monument Recap
May 16 Rapid City Rush 1–5 Utah Grizzlies Maverik Center Recap
Utah won series 4–2


Conference finals

Eastern Conference

(N2) Newfoundland Growlers vs. (S1) Florida Everblades

May 20 Florida Everblades 4–3 OT Newfoundland Growlers Mary Brown's Centre Recap
May 22 Florida Everblades 2–0 Newfoundland Growlers Mary Brown's Centre Recap
May 25 Newfoundland Growlers 3–4 Florida Everblades Hertz Arena Recap
May 27 Newfoundland Growlers 4–1 Florida Everblades Hertz Arena Recap
May 28 Newfoundland Growlers 5–6 OT Florida Everblades Hertz Arena Recap
Florida won series 4–1


Western Conference

(C1) Toledo Walleye vs. (M1) Utah Grizzlies

May 20 Utah Grizzlies 5–4 OT Toledo Walleye Huntington Center Recap
May 21 Utah Grizzlies 2–5 Toledo Walleye Huntington Center Recap
May 24 Toledo Walleye 5–4 Utah Grizzlies Maverik Center Recap
May 27 Toledo Walleye 5–4 OT Utah Grizzlies Maverik Center Recap
May 28 Toledo Walleye 5–1 Utah Grizzlies Maverik Center Recap
Toledo won series 4–1


Kelly Cup finals

(C1) Toledo Walleye vs. (S1) Florida Everblades

June 3 Florida Everblades 3–2 Toledo Walleye Huntington Center Recap
June 4 Florida Everblades 3–1 Toledo Walleye Huntington Center Recap
June 8 Toledo Walleye 4–1 Florida Everblades Hertz Arena Recap
June 10 Toledo Walleye 2–3 OT Florida Everblades Hertz Arena Recap
June 11 Toledo Walleye 2–4 Florida Everblades Hertz Arena Recap
Florida won series 4–1


Statistical leaders

Skaters

These are the top ten skaters based on points.[5]

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Brandon Hawkins Toledo Walleye 21 15 18 33 +12 22
Charle-Edouard D'Astous Utah Grizzlies 18 19 11 30 +5 44
Benjamin Tardif Utah Grizzlies 18 5 25 30 +2 18
T. J. Hensick Toledo Walleye 21 10 18 28 +4 6
Tyler Boland Newfoundland Growlers 19 16 9 25 +7 4
Ben Finkelstein Newfoundland Growlers 18 5 20 25 +3 12
Trey Bradley Utah Grizzlies 18 6 13 19 +1 6
Zach Solow Florida Everblades 19 9 9 18 +3 6
Zach O'Brien Newfoundland Growlers 13 4 14 18 −1 0
Noah Hoefenmayer Newfoundland Growlers 19 4 14 18 +8 14

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes

Goaltending

This is a combined table of the top five goaltenders based on goals against average and the top five goaltenders based on save percentage, with at least 300 minutes played. The table is sorted by GAA, and the criteria for inclusion are bolded.[6]

Player Team GP W L OTL SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
Cam Johnson Florida Everblades 18 15 2 1 522 36 1.90 0.931 4 1,134
Samuel Harvey Fort Wayne Komets 7 3 3 1 208 18 2.46 0.913 0 438
Billy Christopoulos Toledo Walleye 21 13 5 3 626 54 2.48 0.914 1 1,305
Michael Houser Cincinnati Cyclones 5 2 2 1 194 14 2.59 0.928 1 324
Trent Miner Utah Grizzlies 13 7 6 0 439 35 2.80 0.920 0 749

GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (in minutes)

See also

References

  1. ^ "ECHL Announces Qualification Rules, Format For 2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs". ECHL. January 21, 2022.
  2. ^ "Walleye Clinch Playoff Berth With 4-2 Victory Over Americans". Toledo Walleye. March 27, 2022.
  3. ^ "Reading Royals Clinch Berth in 2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs". Reading Royals. March 29, 2022.
  4. ^ "ECHL Standings - Division". ECHL. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  5. ^ "Skater Statistics". ECHL. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  6. ^ "Goaltender Statistics". ECHL. Retrieved June 6, 2022.