What league is the strongest behind ECHL?

royals119

Registered User
Jun 12, 2006
1,457
1,139
West Lawn, PA
I don't think players leaving the ECHL for European leagues means the ECHL isn't a decent league.. would you rather have a big schedule and play in the ECHL or go to Europe, get more money, travel for a little while and then get a job once your career ends. The European leagues are probably quite a lot of fun compared to the ECHL.
Each have their advantages and disadvantages. Players leave Europe to come to the ECHL quite frequently too. I've talked to players who came back who said they weren't paid what was promised, the living arrangements were terrible, no-one on their team and coaching staff could communicate with them, the "free car" was actually an old beater with team and sponsor ads stuck all over it, etc. Lots of other players have a great experience and enjoy their time there too.

Obviously there are unhappy players in the ECHL too, and teams probably exaggerate the facilities and apartments here too.
 

PH Hockey Fan

Registered User
Jan 14, 2015
19
0
The FHL seems like a joke. Doesn't like every team play in like a rec rink, lol

Not all FHL rinks are rec type rinks. Some are like St. Clair Shores. That rink should never be considered for any level of Junior or Pro hockey. McMorran is a great old barn to watch hockey. Lots of hockey history in Port Huron. I know the FHL haters hate to hear this, but I enjoy watching the FHL much more than the NAHL team we had here a few years ago. It may not be the best hockey around, but when you are at the game with the buddys and having a couple of beers, the hockey is very entertaining. I am hopeful that the FHL can pick up a few more hockey markets that have true, viable hockey arenas.
 

GarbageGoal

Courage
Dec 1, 2005
22,353
2,377
RI
Guys max out their veteran limits in the NA leagues and have to go somewhere, so it's usually Europe where they are probably offered a lot more than in the SPHL, FHL, etc...
 

Sports Enthusiast

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Sep 19, 2010
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Middle of nowhere
The leading scorers in the SPHL were all either depth players at smaller D1 colleges or high scorers at D3 colleges. Heck, there are forwards there that contribute offensively that played club hockey. The NCAA is the better league.

The biggest difference between the ECHL and AHL is skating ability.

The skating is definitely different for sure but a lot of the top guys in the AHL are just stashed there because they have no other options at the moment and the big clubs don't have room for them or want them to get used to the pro scene. The bottom guys would dominate at the ECHL level though because they'd get more playing time obviously. Those guys probably would get on a lot of first or second team lines versus being on the bottom 6 or in a few cases 3. The AHL is more focused on the young talent that will eventually graduate up where as in the ECHL you really don't know what you have and you play more to win. These guys on ECHL rosters are often overlooked or aren't really looked at, at all in the first place.
 

Sports Enthusiast

Not Here To Be Liked
Sep 19, 2010
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Middle of nowhere
Each have their advantages and disadvantages. Players leave Europe to come to the ECHL quite frequently too. I've talked to players who came back who said they weren't paid what was promised, the living arrangements were terrible, no-one on their team and coaching staff could communicate with them, the "free car" was actually an old beater with team and sponsor ads stuck all over it, etc. Lots of other players have a great experience and enjoy their time there too.

Obviously there are unhappy players in the ECHL too, and teams probably exaggerate the facilities and apartments here too.

To the bottom part I bet that happens in the AHL as well. Especially to those guys in their older 20's or early 30's that make up the vets. Hell I'd even suspect if a guy is on a team for 2-3 years and is just hitting his mid 30's he becomes difficult.
 

Dale Best Goalie

In Prust We Trust
Sep 12, 2017
288
241
Pittsburgh
Any FHL or SPHL fans can answer my question here. Are there lots of fights in the FHL? And does the level of play compare to the ECHL? Living here in Glens Falls, the nearest FHL team is Danbury and at some point I plan on driving down there to catch a game. Closest SPHL team would probably be Roanoke. Maybe at some point ill make the trek down to Virginia to catch a game sometime
I've been to quite a few Danbury games, both Whalers and Titans, and I can usually expect a fight when I go (at least 1 most of the time), but the quality of play isn't great. But it's a cheap and fun way to spend an evening, so I can't complain.
 

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