Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

ECHL adopts new playoff format

The ECHL Board of Governors concluded its annual meetings this weekend and unanimously approved a new playoff format for the 2010 Kelly Cup playoffs.

The Board decided to shorten the first round of the playoffs by making the conference quarterfinals a best-of-five game series, while keeping the remaining rounds best-of-seven series.

This five-game series will be a 2-3 format with the higher seed choosing if it wishes to host games 1-2 or games 3-5. Teams that are less than 350 miles apart may choose to play a 2-2-1 format.

Since the American Conference has 12 teams in three divisions and the National Conference only has eight teams in two divisions, the Board also adopted a new system to determine playoff berths and seeding. (The ECHL used a similar system last year after losing two squads in the middle of the season due to financial troubles).

Basically, the division winners will all receive automatic postseason spots. In the National Conference, the top overall seed will get a bye and the next five best teams (based on points) will make the playoffs -- in other words, the ECHL had no other option besides allowing every team in the National Conference a playoff berth. So seven National Conference teams and eight American Conference teams make the playoffs.

The Las Vegas Wranglers compete in the Pacific Division of the National Conference with the Bakersfield Condors, Ontario Reign and Stockton Thunder.

Here is the new postseason format in the ECHL's words:

In the National Conference, postseason berths will be awarded to the first-place team in each division and the next five teams in the conference, based on points. The division winner with the best record in the conference will receive a bye in the first round. The other division winner will be seeded second and meet the team that finishes seventh in the conference in the first round. The other first round matchups will be the third-place finisher in the conference against the sixth-place finisher in the conference and the fourth-place finisher in the conference against the fifth-place finisher in the conference. The conference semifinals will have the first-place finisher meeting the winner of the fourth-place and fifth-place matchup and the winner of the second-place finisher and seventh-place finisher against the winner of the third-place finisher against the sixth-place finisher.

In the American Conference, postseason berths will be awarded to the first-place team in each division and the next five teams in the conference, based on points. The division winners will be seeded first, second and third and will play the eighth-place finisher, the seventh-place finisher and the sixth-place finisher, respectively, while the fourth-place finisher and the fifth-place finisher will meet. The conference semifinals will have the winner of the first-place and eighth-place matchup will meet the winner of the fourth-place and fifth-place game while the winner of the second-place and seventh-place game will face the winner of the third-place and sixth-place matchup.

The Board also voted to cap the ECHL membership at 24 teams with a priority to find new teams in the West. The ownership group in Reno is still struggling to put a team in the league.

Finally, the Board also approved the elimination of the injured reserve in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Teams will have a maximum roster of 23 players for the postseason with 20 active players and up to three inactive players.

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