ECHL Announces 2013 Playoff Format, Introduce Reserve List Spots

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PRINCETON, N.J. – The ECHL Board of Governors held its Pre-Season Meeting last week in Atlanta, Georgia. The following items were approved by the Board.

Format for 2013 Kelly Cup Playoffs

The top eight teams in both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference will advance to the 2013 Kelly Cup Playoffs. All four rounds of the playoffs will be played in a best-of-seven format.

In the Eastern 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 meeting 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.

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

3-day and 7-day Injured Reserve replaced by two Reserve List spots

The 3-day and 7-day Injured Reserve slots have been replaced by two Reserve List spots. There is no minimum stay on these lists, but a team is limited to no more than 20 Players on its active roster at any time. The 21-day Injured Reserve list remains. There is no limit to the number of players a team may have on the 21-day Injured Reserve.