ECHL announces format for 2021 Kelly Cup Playoffs

The ECHL announced on Thursday the format for the 2021 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The top four teams in both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, based on points percentage at the conclusion of the regular season, will earn postseason berths. All three rounds in the 2021 Kelly Cup Playoffs will be best-of-five series, with the higher-seeded team having the option of playing the first two or the final three games at home, unless a mutual alternative series format is determined.

The Conference Semifinals in both conferences will see the first-place team meet the fourth-place finisher and the second-place team taking on the third-place team. The two winners in each Conference will meet in the Conference Finals, with those winners advancing to the 2021 Kelly Cup Finals.

The 2020-21 ECHL regular season is scheduled to end on Saturday, June 5, with the 2021 Kelly Cup Playoffs beginning on Monday, June 7. The Kelly Cup Finals are scheduled to end no later than Saturday, July 3.

About the ECHL

Began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 26 teams in 19 states and two Canadian provinces for its 33rd season in 2020-21. There have been 685 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including seven who have made their NHL debuts in the 2020-21 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 25 of the 31 NHL teams in 2020-21, marking the 24th consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.