The 2007–08 ECHL season was the 20th

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

. Two teams suspended operations at the end of the 2006–07 season, the

Long Beach Ice Dogs The Long Beach Ice Dogs were an American professional ice hockey team based in Long Beach, California at the Long Beach Sports Arena. They played until the end of the 2006–07 ECHL season. History The Ice Dogs trace their origins to the San Di ...

and the

Toledo Storm The Toledo Storm were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the ECHL from 1991 to 2007. The Storm played their home games at the venerable Toledo Sports Arena along the eastern banks of the Maumee River in Toledo, Ohio. The team colors ...

. Toledo's suspension was granted after Toledo Arena Sports, Inc. acquired the Storm and requested a suspension of the team for two years in order to allow a new arena to be built in downtown Toledo to open in 2009 in time for the team to return to play. The league officially welcomed back the

Mississippi Sea Wolves The Mississippi Sea Wolves are a professional hockey team based in Biloxi, Mississippi, and play in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. The Sea Wolves are members of the FPHL. They are a revival of a team by the same name that played in the ECHL, ma ...

, who had to suspend operations for two seasons (2005–07) because of damage to the

Mississippi Coast Coliseum Mississippi Coast Coliseum is an 11,500-seat reserved seating, 15,000 festival seating, multi-purpose arena in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was built in 1977. It hosted the WCW Beach Blast in 1993 and the Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tourname ...

caused by Hurricane Katrina. The

Elmira Jackals The Elmira Jackals were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Elmira, New York. They were members of the United Hockey League from 2000 to 2007 and the ECHL from 2007 to 2017. The Jackals played their home games at First Arena. On ...

also joined the ECHL after being in the

United Hockey League The United Hockey League (UHL), originally known as the Colonial Hockey League from 1991 to 1997 and last known as the International Hockey League from 2007 to 2010, was a low-level minor professional ice hockey league, with teams in the Unite ...

for their previous existence. Another established team, the Trenton, New Jersey franchise, entered its ninth season with a new name. The team, now owned by the NHL New Jersey Devils, adopted the Devils nickname. Before the start of the season, the league announced that it would hand out a new award to honor on-ice referees for their dedication and contribution to the league, through the Ryan Birmingham Memorial Award. The award is given in honor of Ryan Birmingham, a former ECHL referee who died in an automobile accident, while driving from

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

Snellville, Georgia Snellville is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States, east of Atlanta. The population was 18,242 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 20,077. It is a developed suburb of Atlanta and a part of the Atlanta metro ...

in May 2007. Birmingham died at the age of 24. The Cincinnati Cyclones finished first overall in the regular season, winning the

Brabham Cup The Henry Brabham Cup is the trophy awarded annually by the ECHL to the team that finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season. The Brabham Cup has been awarded 33 times to 16 different franchises since its debut in 1989. ...

, and became the third team in ECHL history to win the Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup in the same year by defeating the Las Vegas Wranglers four games to two.

League realignment

The ECHL announced the alignment of the 25 teams of the ECHL.

American Conference

North Division

* Cincinnati Cyclones * Dayton Bombers *

Johnstown Chiefs The Johnstown Chiefs were a minor league ice hockey team located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that played in the ECHL. The team was founded in 1987 in the All-American Hockey League, and moved to the East Coast Hockey League (now "ECHL") when th ...

Reading Royals The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the North Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Santander Arena located in downtown R ...

* Trenton Devils *

Wheeling Nailers The Wheeling Nailers are a professional ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey Lea ...

South Division

Augusta Lynx The Augusta Lynx were a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Augusta, Georgia. The Lynx played their home games at the James Brown Arena. The Lynx, who played in the ECHL, had affiliations with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL ...

Charlotte Checkers The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affi ...

Columbia Inferno The Columbia Inferno were an ECHL team based in Columbia, South Carolina. Beginning in 2008, the team went on voluntary suspension awaiting construction of a new arena in suburban Lexington County, South Carolina. However, the ECHL dropped Columb ...

Florida Everblades The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliated with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (N ...

Gwinnett Gladiators The Atlanta Gladiators are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Duluth, Georgia. The Gladiators play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at Gas South Arena, approximately northeast o ...

* Pensacola Ice Pilots *

South Carolina Stingrays The South Carolina Stingrays are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Stingrays play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at the North Charleston Co ...

* Texas Wildcatters

National Conference

Pacific Division

Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Bakersfield, California. The team is owned by and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home ...

Fresno Falcons The Fresno Falcons were a minor league hockey team. They were charter members of several long standing leagues in the western United States including the Pacific Southwest Hockey League and the West Coast Hockey League. In their final years, the ...

* Las Vegas Wranglers *

Stockton Thunder The Stockton Thunder were a minor league professional ice hockey team that was based in Stockton, California, and a member of the ECHL. The Stockton Arena was their home ice, with a capacity of 9,737. The team was an affiliate team of the New Yo ...

West Division

* Alaska Aces *

Idaho Steelheads The Idaho Steelheads are an American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Boise, Idaho, and a member of the ECHL. The Steelheads play in the Mountain Division of the ECHL's Western Conference since the 2016–17 season. In 1996, th ...

* Phoenix RoadRunners *

Utah Grizzlies The Utah Grizzlies are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. Franchise history The current Utah Grizzlies franchise started in 1981 as the Nashville South Star ...

Victoria Salmon Kings The Victoria Salmon Kings were a professional ice hockey team based in Victoria, British Columbia, and members of the ECHL. The team debuted in the 2004–05 season and folded after the 2010–11 season. The Chilliwack Bruins of the major juni ...

Playoff format

The ECHL realigned the playoff format for the two conferences.

National Conference

The top eight teams will advance to the playoffs, with the two division champions being the first and second seeds. The other six teams will be seeded by points. Teams will not be re-seeded. All games are best of seven games.

American Conference

In the North Division, the top five teams will advance to the playoffs, with the division champion being the first seed. The other teams will be seeded by points. The fourth seed and the fifth seed will play a best-of-three series in the Division Quarterfinals. The winner will advance to the best-of-seven Division Semifinals to meet the division leader. The second seed and the third seed will play a best-of-seven Division Semifinals. The winners will advance to the best-of-seven Division Finals. The winner will advance to the American Conference Finals. In the South Division, the top eight teams will advance to the playoffs, with the division champion being the first seed. The other teams will be seeded by points. Teams will be re-seeded according to the same criteria with division leader seeded first and remaining teams seeded in order of regular-season points. All games are best of five games. The winner of the Division Finals will advance to the American Conference Finals. In the best-of-seven American Conference Finals the North Division Winner will face the South Division Winner

Kelly Cup finals

The Kelly Cup finals will be a best-of-seven series between the two conference champions.

Regular season

Final standings

''Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L= Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SOL = Shootout losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points; Green shade = Clinched playoff spot; Blue shade = Clinched division; (z) = Clinched home-ice advantage'' ;American Conference ;National Conference Final league standings

Scoring leaders

''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes'' Data referenced from ECHL website

Leading goaltenders

''Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SOL = Shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average'' Data referenced from ECHL website

Kelly Cup playoffs

*No. is short for North Division *So. is short for South Division *Na. is short for National Conference Playoff tables referenced from ECHL website

League realignment

American Conference

North Division

South Division

National Conference

Pacific Division

West Division

Playoff format

National Conference

American Conference

Kelly Cup finals

Regular season

Final standings

Scoring leaders

Leading goaltenders

Kelly Cup playoffs

First round

American Conference

= (No. 4) Johnstown Chiefs vs. (No. 5) Dayton Bombers

= (So. 1) Texas Wildcatters vs. (So. 8) Mississippi Sea Wolves

= (So. 2) South Carolina Stingrays vs. (So. 7) Augusta Lynx

= (So. 3) Gwinnett Gladiators vs. (So. 6) Charlotte Checkers

= (So. 4) Florida Everblades vs. (So. 5) Columbia Inferno

Conference quarterfinals

American Conference

= (No. 1) Cincinnati Cyclones vs. (No. 4) Johnstown Chiefs

= (No. 2) Elmira Jackals vs. (No.3) Reading Royals

= (So. 1) Texas Wildcatters vs. (So. 5) Columbia Inferno

= (So. 2) South Carolina Stingrays vs. (So. 3) Gwinnett Gladiators

National Conference

= (1) Las Vegas Wranglers vs. (8) Stockton Thunder

= (2) Victoria Salmon Kings vs. (7) Bakersfield Condors

= (3) Fresno Falcons vs. (6) Utah Grizzlies

= (4) Idaho Steelheads vs. (5) Alaska Aces

Conference semifinals

American Conference

= (No. 1) Cincinnati Cyclones vs. (No. 3) Reading Royals

= (So. 2) South Carolina Stingrays vs. (So. 5) Columbia Inferno

National Conference

= (1) Las Vegas Wranglers vs. (5) Alaska Aces

= (2) Victoria Salmon Kings vs. (6) Utah Grizzlies

Conference finals

American Conference

= (No. 1) Cincinnati Cyclones vs. (So. 2) South Carolina Stingrays

National Conference

= (1) Las Vegas Wranglers vs. (6) Utah Grizzlies

2008 Kelly Cup finals

(No.1) Cincinnati Cyclones vs. (Na.1) Las Vegas Wranglers

ECHL awards

References

See also