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Worcester Railers

Worcester Railers
CityWorcester, Massachusetts
LeagueECHL
ConferenceEastern
DivisionNorth
Founded2017
Home arenaDCU Center
ColorsSteel blue, gray, white
     
Owner(s)Worcester Pro Hockey, LLC (Cliff Rucker, Owner)
General managerNick Tuzzolino
Head coachBob Deraney
MediaTelegram & Gazette
WORC-FM
Charter TV3
AffiliatesNew York Islanders (NHL)
Bridgeport Islanders (AHL)
Websiterailershc.com
Franchise history
2017–presentWorcester Railers
Current season

The Worcester Railers (also called Worcester Railers HC) are a professional ice hockey team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. The team began play in the 2017–18 ECHL season, and is a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the ECHL. The team plays their home games at the DCU Center and are the ECHL affiliate of the New York Islanders.[1] The team filled the void left by the AHL's Worcester Sharks, who relocated to San Jose, California, in 2015 to become the San Jose Barracuda.

History

On January 26, 2015, it was reported that the Worcester Sharks would move to San Jose and share SAP Center at San Jose with their parent club, the San Jose Sharks. These reports were confirmed with the Sharks' official announcement on January 29.[2] Worcester did not initially receive an ECHL team to replace the relocated AHL team, unlike the other markets with relocated AHL teams in 2015, such as Manchester, New Hampshire; Norfolk, Virginia; and Glens Falls, New York.

On February 8, 2016, the ECHL announced that Worcester would be home to an expansion team, set to begin play for the 2017–18 season. The team is owned by Cliff Rucker, with Toby O'Brien initially serving as president and general manager (although O'Brien would leave in May 2016 for an NHL job and replaced by former Worcester Sharks executive, Mike Myers, as president). The team is the ECHL's first franchise in Massachusetts and second in New England after the Manchester Monarchs. Early reports indicated that ownership group was considering Whitehawks, Railers, and Blast as the name of the team.[3] The team unveiled their name and logo on April 3.[4] On September 12, 2016, Jamie Russell was announced as the team's first head coach and general manager.[5] He had served as head coach of the Elmira Jackals from 2014 to 2016. The team announced their first affiliation with the New York Islanders (NHL) and Bridgeport Islanders (AHL) at the end of the 2016–17 season.[6]

The Railers played their first game on October 14, 2017, defeating the Monarchs 4–3 at the DCU Center in front of a crowd of 12,135. The first goal scored in franchise history was by forward Wade Murphy. The Railers qualified for the playoffs in their first season, losing to the Adirondack Thunder in the first round. They finished last in the competitive North Division in the 2018–19 season. The Railers then started the 2019–20 season with four wins in their first 15 games and fired head coach Jamie Russell. He was replaced by David Cunniff, who had been serving as an assistant with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL.[7]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Railers voluntarily suspended operations for the 2020–21 ECHL season.[8]

June 18, 2024 sees assistant coach Bob Deraney promoted to head coach for the 2024-2025 season and Savannah Ghost Pirates assistant coach and director of player development Nick Tuzzolino hired to be the organization's first ever general manager and associate head coach.[9]

Season-by-season records

Regular season Playoffs
Season GP W L OTL SOL Pts GF GA Standing Year 1st round 2nd round 3rd round Kelly Cup
2017–18 72 37 27 4 4 82 194 193 4th, North 2018 L, 2–4, ADK — — —
2018–19 72 32 29 7 4 75 196 226 7th, North 2019 did not qualify
2019–20 61 21 36 4 0 46 161 230 6th, North 2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Opted out of participating due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 did not participate
2021–22 71 32 32 5 2 71 227 245 5th, North 2022 did not qualify
2022–23 72 34 34 4 0 72 227 242 5th, North 2023 did not qualify
2023–24 72 32 32 5 3 72 210 238 5th, North 2024 did not qualify †

† Points percentage was used to determine playoff seedings.

References

  1. ^ "Worcester Railers to partner with NY Islanders".
  2. ^ "Sharks Moving AHL Franchise to SAP Center". San Jose Sharks. January 29, 2015. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  3. ^ Nicodemus, Aaron (February 14, 2016). "On Business: Hockey team names for land of the worm, home of the brave". Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Introducing the Worcester Railers professional hockey team". Worcester Magazine. April 3, 2016. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  5. ^ "Worcester Railers name Jamie Russell coach and GM". Telegram & Gazette. September 12, 2016.
  6. ^ "Worcester Railers to Announce Affiliation with New York Islanders – Woo Hockey". Woo Hockey. April 27, 2017. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  7. ^ "Worcester Railers Make Coaching Change, Hire David Cunniff as General Manager and Head Coach". OurSports Central. November 27, 2019. Archived from the original on November 27, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  8. ^ "NORTH DIVISION ELECTS SUSPENSION OF PLAY FOR 2020-21 SEASON". ECHL. November 18, 2020. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  9. ^ "Worcester announces coaching staff". ECHL. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
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