One Win Away

The ECHL's Florida Everblades are on the verge of one of the biggest upsets in Kelly Cup Final history as they sit one game away from capturing their second-straight ECHL championship. Florida came into these playoffs in fourth-place in the South Division with a 38-25-9 record, and it seemed like they had a Herculean task in front of them if they were going to pull off the repeat. A month and a half later, the South Division-leading South Carolina Stingrays, the second-place Jacksonville Icemen, and the North Division-leading Newfoundland Growlers are all wondering where these Everblades were in the regular season. And it seems the ECHL-leading Idaho Steelheads are asking the same question.

There have been incredible performances across the board by a number of Everblades players in these Kelly Cup Playoffs, but goaltender Cam Johnson has been otherworldly for Florida in every series. Sean Josling is leading the way in points, Oliver Chau has been very good, Logan Lambdin is finding the twine regularly, and veteran John McCarron is leading by example. In short, these Everblades have put everything together at the right time, and they now sit with a 3-0 series lead over the Steelheads after an incredible 1-0 victory in Game Three tonight.

The Everblades have four U SPORTS players on their roster who sit one game from immortality with one additional player on their reserve list. In the ECHL, playoff rosters are 24 players at a maximum that's broken down into a 20-man active roster and four players designated as reserve, so all five of these players would earn the right to be called "champion" if the Everblades can close out the series. Based on how they're playing, it's less likely "if" and more likely "when" with regards to hoisting the Kelly Cup.

Today, let's look at the five former U SPORTS players who are helping the Everblades in their quest to repeat as Kelly Cup champions!

Of the five U SPORTS players on the Everblades' roster, former Alberta Golden Bears winger Levko Koper has the second-longest tenure with the franchise. Koper graduated from the University of Alberta in 2016 and was bouncing around the ECHL, the AHL, the DEL, the Austrian Erste League, and the Slovakian Extraleague before landing in Estero, Florida with the Everblades in 2019. Since then, he's helped the team win the 2021-22 Kelly Cup while scoring 46 goals and 82 assists in the last four seasons. Koper is the only former U SPORTS forward on the Everblades' active roster right now, playing on their third line's left wing where he's recorded three goals and nine assists in 21 playoff games this spring.

Andrew Fyten spent three seasons with the Mount Royal Cougars in Canada West after five-season, three-team WHL career. Fyten joined the Everblades after his third season with the Cougars, resulting in him playing in just 21 regular season games. That being said, he still scored five goals and added five assists after a 17-point season in Canadian university hockey. Fyten is one of the 11 forwards who was designated as a regular for Florida in the playoffs, and he's appeared in 12 games without registering a point this spring.

Olivier Leblanc spent three seasons with the UNB Reds in the AUS from 2017-20 where the defender was regarded for his great passing, vision, and rugged play in his own zone. That earned him a handful of opportunities in the AHL before he landed with Kalamazoo in the ECHL this season. A late-season trade with the Everblades brought Leblanc to Estero, and he's been part of the reserves since May 19. He played just ten games with the Everblades this season following the trade and after returning from the AHL's Cleveland Monsters in April where he was a black ace for them during their push to make the playoffs. He has yet to appear in the playoffs.

There's no doubt that Kyle Neuber might be Florida's resident tough guy, but the former Guelph Gryphons forward was a solid player in his three years in the OUA. The former AHL player joined the Gryphons in 2013 and played there until 2016, scoring 20 goals and 26 assists in those three seasons. He joined the Allen Americans in 2015-16 after leaving Guelph, but has spent the last five seasons skating in Estero. The big man hasn't disappointed with his tough play either, posting no less than 95 PIMs in each of his five seasons while topping out at 139 PIMs this season. While he may only have 18 goals and 13 assists in his five seasons with Florida, he's not there for his scoring talents. Thus far, Neuber has played two playoff games, resgistering no points and 16 PIMs, in this year's Kelly Cup Playoffs as he attempts to win his second Kelly Cup with Florida in consecutive seasons.

The final U SPORTS player actually has the shortest U SPORTS career to speak of among the five players, yet he has gotten into a few playoff games for the Everblades despite starting the playoffs on the reserve list. Kody McDonald had the rare opportunity to play in six different WHL seasons in his career before jumping at an opportunity to suit up with the OUA's Carleton Ravens in 2019-20 where he scored five goals and added seven helpers in 24 games. After the 2020-21 season was wiped off the books by the pandemic, McDonald signed with the Everblades where he's played parts of last two seasons, netting eight goals and 13 assists in 56 games. McDonald has played in six games this postseason, recording no points and four PIMs.

These five men have a shot at being Kelly Cup champions on Friday at home when the Everblades host the Idaho Steelheads in Game Four. A sweep if the ECHL's best team in the regular season by the fourth-place team in the South Division is a Florida-over-Boston upset, but the fact that it's happening in the Kelly Cup Final makes it all the more special.

For these five players who have had varying degrees of success at the U SPORTS level, they stand one game from sharing the 2022-23 title of Kelly Cup Champion as members of the Florida Everblades. Here's to their good luck on Friday in trying to capture that accolade!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!