It’s the final week of the 2025-26 ECHL season, and we already know some first round matchups in a few divisions. The season will close out Sunday April 19^th, with a few key positioning races still in the air. The top 4 teams in each division qualify for the Kelly Cup Playoffs, here’s a rundown of where things stand going into the final days of the season:

North Division:

The Wheeling Nailers have clinched the North Division, and will start the playoffs hosting either Reading or Adirondack. Wheeling currently sits at 98 points with 2 games remaining, with a clear lead over the Maine Mariners, who will finish the season in second place in the North Division, and host the higher seeded team between Reading and Adirondack. The Only one point separated the Royals and Thunder, with the Thunder holding an extra game in hand. Trois Rivières, Worcester, Norfolk and Greensboro have been eliminated.

South Division:

In the South Division, the matchups have been set, though home ice for one eventual series is still left to be deterimined. The Florida Everblades are the South Division champions, currently sitting on 104 points. They will host the Savannah Ghost Pirates in their first playoff appearance in their team’s history. The Ghost Pirates locked up 4^th place in the division. While that matchup is set, the remaining teams – Atlanta Gladiators and South Carolina Stingrays – are just 1 point apart, ATL with one remaining game, SCS has 2. The higher placing team at the end of the season will have home ice advantage over the other for the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Jacksonville Icemen, Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Orlando Solar Bears have been eliminated. 

Central Division:

The Central Division has all eyes on it, as 4 teams are still in contention for the remaining 2 spots in the division. The Fort Wayne Komets and Toledo Walleye are the current 1 and 2 teams, separated by only 2 points with a handful of games remaining. Both teams will hold home ice advantage in their first round series, but their opponents are still to be seen. The Indy Fuel (76 pts, 2 gms remaining), Bloomington Bison (75 pts, 3 gms remaining), Cincinati Cyclones (75 pts, 2 gms remaining) and Kalamazoo Wings (74 pts, 3 gms remaining) are in a mad dash to the finish – fighting for the 3 & 4 seeds. The Iowa Heartlanders, who announced their suspension from the 2026-27 season, are eliminated from contention. 

West Division:

The Kansas City Mavericks (114 pts) have won the Brabham Cup as the league points winner for the ‘25/’26 season – and will see a first round series against the Tahoe Knight Monsters (74 pts) who have the 4^th position locked up. The other West Division series is also determined, though home ice advantage is up for grabs. The Idaho Steelheads currently have 91 points after completing their schedule. They’ll play the Allen Americans in the first round, after Allen completes their final 2 games – 2 wins for the Americans would push them to 2^nd place and a home ice advantage on the Steelheads. Rapid City, Wichita and Tulsa have been eliminated – as have the Utah Grizzlies. The future IRONHAWKS wrapped up their season schedule and finished 30-32-9-1 with 70 points – good for 5^th in the West Division. The IRONHAWKS will play in the North Division in the 2026-27 season.

Keep up with the league standings at echl.com! The ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs are scheduled to start April 22nd - watch all the action on FloSports!