Way-Too-Early Prediction For ECHL MVP

The 2024-25 ECHL season is four weeks in. There’s still a lot of hockey left, but some players are beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

A lot can happen between now and the rest of the season to reshuffle the deck: injuries, call-ups, slumps, etc. Still, it’s never too early to project who might walk away with the league’s Most Valuable Player award. Why not? Once the season is over, we can look back on this and either laugh or pat ourselves on the back for being genius prognosticators.

So let’s have some fun and look at a number of candidates who could be putting an MVP trophy on their shelf following the season. They are listed in no particular order, with a final prediction at the end.

Brandon Hawkins: Toledo Walleye

Hawkins captured ECHL MVP honors last season with a league-leading 40 goals, 93 points, 34 power-play points and 346 shots on goal.

The Macomb, Mich. Native is in his fourth season with the Walleye and is already primed for winning back-to-back MVP awards. He currently leads the league in points (17), assists (10) and shots on goal (56). He’s also in a three-way tie for second in goals with seven.

Hawkins entered this season second all-time in Walleye history and fifth in Toledo hockey history in goals (114), points (238) and power-play goals (40).

In last Saturday’s victory over the Cincinnati Cyclones, Hawkins set a new franchise record with 21 game-winning goals. He followed that up with a hat trick on Sunday in a win over Kalamazoo.

Michal Stinil: Wichita Thunder

Last season, Stinil led the Thunder with 32 goals and finished second in points with 67. He’s recorded 30-plus goals the past two seasons and is well on his way to doing the same in 2024-25.

The 25-year-old native of Decin, Czechia is in his fourth season with Wichita. He comes into this week’s action tied for first in the ECHL in goals (8), second in points (16), and shots (37). He’s also tied for seventh in plus/minus with teammate Peter Bates at +9.

The 5-foot-11, 194-pound forward was invited to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda training camp in October. He played one full season at American International College, scoring seven points (2-5-7) in 17 games during the 2020-21 season.

Hank Crone: Idaho Steelheads

Crone was the 2022-23 ECHL MVP winner while with the Allen Americans, becoming the first rookie to lead the league in scoring since 2011-12. He’s currently on pace to pick up another trophy with the Steelheads this season.

The 5-foot-9, 160-pound Dallas native is currently tied for second in points (16), goals (7) and assists (9). He has a point in all 10 games he’s played this season, a goal in five and an assist in eight games. His +10 rating ranks third in the league.

It’s worth noting Crone’s teammate, Ty Pelton-Byce, could also make this list. He’s tied for second in points with 16, while his six goals and eight assists are tied for third. He also leads the league in power-play goals with four.

Flip a coin; it’s a winner either way.

Sasha Pastujov: Tulsa Oilers

The 6-foot, 180-pound forward was selected in the third round (66^th overall) by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2021 NHL Entry Level Draft. He’s currently in the second year of his ELC with the Ducks and was reassigned to the Oilers from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls prior to the start of the 2024-25 season.

The Bradenton, Fla. native is currently tied for first with Stinil in goals (8), ranks third in shots on goal (45) and is fifth in scoring (13 points).

In his rookie season, Pastujov totaled 23 points (10-13-23) in 46 games with the Gulls. Before turning pro, he played for Sarnia and Guelph in the OHL, recording 174 points in 125 games.

Anthony Repaci: Worcester Railers

The Railers captain is on quite a roll lately. He scored five goals over two games last weekend, including a hat trick, capturing ECHL Player of the Week honors in the process.

Coming into this week’s action, Repaci is tied for third in goals (7) and has 10 points through nine games. He has totaled 173 points (84-89-173) in 217 career ECHL games with Worcester and the Orlando Solar Bears. If he stays hot, he could sneak away with the MVP trophy.

Predicted MVP Winner: Michal Stinil

Through the first 10 games of the season, Wichita has been involved in close outcomes, going 4-1-0 in one-goal games. Heading into this week, the Thunder are 6-4-0 but only one point separates them from first place.

Stinil is clearly making a difference. Whether he will keep up this pace the rest of the way is a question that can only be answered come April.