2016-17 ECHL season
| 2016–17 ECHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | ECHL |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 14, 2016 – April 9, 2017 |
| Number of teams | 27 |
| Regular season | |
| Brabham Cup | Toledo Walleye |
| Season MVP | Chad Costello (Allen) |
| Top scorer | Chad Costello (Allen) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | South Carolina Stingrays |
| Eastern runners-up | Manchester Monarchs |
| Western champions | Colorado Eagles |
| Western runners-up | Toledo Walleye |
| Playoffs MVP | Matt Register |
| Kelly Cup | |
| Champions | Colorado Eagles |
| Runners-up | South Carolina Stingrays |
The 2016–17 ECHL season was the 29th season of the ECHL. The regular season schedule ran from October 14, 2016 to April 9, 2017, with the Kelly Cup playoffs following. Twenty-seven teams in 21 states and one Canadian province each played a 72-game schedule.
The ECHL returned to a four division alignment for the 2016–17 season with the removal of the East and Midwest Divisions. Two teams, the Kalamazoo Wings and Toledo Walleye, were moved from the Eastern to the Western Conference and the Cincinnati Cyclones were moved to the Eastern Conference. The West Division was also renamed the Mountain Division while adding the Allen Americans and Missouri Mavericks. The Central Division added the Fort Wayne Komets, Indy Fuel, Kalamazoo Wings, Quad City Mallards, and Toledo Walleye. The South Division added Cincinnati and the Norfolk Admirals. The North Division added the former East Division, except Norfolk.
Due to the season schedule being set in May 2016 and the realignment announced after the July Board of Governors meetings, the new alignment had several divisional scheduling oddities. One of the most egregious examples being Cincinnati having more games against Western Conference teams than in their own Eastern Conference and would not even play inter-divisional members Florida, Norfolk, and Orlando during the regular season.
The annual ECHL Board of Governors meeting was held at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, in July 2016. The ECHL Board of Governors unanimously re-elected Cincinnati Cyclones' president Ray Harris as chairman for a second season. The Board also approved of the rule change for no timeouts allowed following an icing penalty, a rule that had also been approved by the American Hockey League.
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