ECHL Pipeline Runs Deep as 36 Alums, 21 Coaches Hit Cup Rosters

The ECHL has quietly become one of hockey’s best keep-the-lights-on stories, and this year’s Stanley Cup rosters show just how deep that pipeline runs. A league known for long bus rides and shorter margins is sending a surprising number of former players and coaches onto the sport’s biggest stage. That kind of reach says a lot about how NHL organizations mine every level of the game for competence, experience, and guys who know how to survive April and May.