Jeffrey Lutz’s ECHL report (Feb. 4)

Hosmer’s hot streak

Thunder forward Todd Hosmer takes the dissection out of his recent six-game goal streak.

Hosmer, Wichita’s fourth-leading scorer with 24 points, has been sporadically placed into a greater offensive role for the Thunder, whose offense has had a revolving-door component.

The increased production is easy to explain, according to Hosmer – more time dedicated plus more urgency placed upon him equals an uptick in production.

“I’ve just been working hard in practice and doing little things after practice, like maybe shooting 20 pucks, 30 pucks,” Hosmer said. “I’ve found that’s done a lot with my scoring.

“It’s also the teammates I play with, especially this year. We have a lot of talent on our team, and playing with their talent only makes you better.”

Before Jan. 16, the second game of his six-game streak, Hosmer had scored in back-to-back games once, during the season’s first week.

This time, the streak kept going. Hosmer scored in four more games consecutively, bringing his January total to seven goals after he scored eight in October, November and December combined. He has added consistent scoring to an overall game that includes physicality and playmaking.

“Usually you just take it as it comes,” Hosmer said. “When a scoring chance comes, you’re going to try and score. There’s a lot of good goalies out there, too, that can make the save, so you just have to take it as it comes.”

Five of the six games were on the road, where Hosmer has scored 10 of his 15 goals. More than the conditions, though, Hosmer saw changes in his surroundings.

After playing on the third line for much of the season, Hosmer has earned looks on the first and second lines thanks to the departure of Stephen Schultz and promotions of Danick Gauthier and Kenton Miller, who has since returned from the American Hockey League.

Hosmer has seen more regular-shift ice time and more time during power plays, where he has three goals this season.

“Especially during the last month or so I’ve been on the second line a lot and getting some power-play time,” Hosmer said. “Definitely, coach (Kevin McClelland) has put me out there looking for me to put some in the net.”

Around the ECHL

▪ The league lost four western U.S. teams when California-based Stockton, Ontario and Bakersfield announced moves to the Triple-A American Hockey League beginning next season. Those franchises will be filled by teams in Glens Falls, N.Y.; Manchester, N.H.; and Norfolk, Va. The ECHL’s Las Vegas franchise withdrew membership for next season.

▪ The geography shift forced realignment, as the ECHL moves from four divisions to six next season. The Thunder remains in the Central, along with former Central Hockey League rivals and current division opponents Allen, Tulsa and Missouri. Brampton is moving from the Central to the North, and Quad City from the Central to the Midwest.

ECHL alumni

Murray Hood had a brief career that was filled with accolades. He led the ECHL in assists for the Hampton Roads Admirals in 1989, the league’s second year of existence. The following season, Hood had a franchise-record 82 assists and the Admirals won the championship. Hood played in 18 games the following year, but contributed 27 points to another championship season before he was out of the sport for good at age 27.

Days gone by

Hampton Roads, based in Norfolk, became the first team to win three ECHL championships when it captured another title in 1998. The Admirals had the league’s 19th-best record among 25 teams in ’98 but sneaked into the playoffs and won 14 of 20 postseason games. Forward Dennis McEwen was the only player on all three championship teams.

Team profile

The South Carolina Stingrays, who joined the ECHL in 1993, own the league’s longest membership. Like Hampton Roads, South Carolina has three championships, winning in 1997, 2001 and 2009. The Stingrays’ stalwarts were David Seitz and Brett Marietti, who combined for 1,068 points in 1,039 combined games and played together for two champions.

Key statistic

The Thunder is averaging 27.7 penalty minutes in seven games against Quad City. At the end of their two-game weekend series in Moline, Ill., the teams will have played seven times in 35 days with three more meetings scheduled.

He said it

“While we are exiting some strong, traditional ECHL markets in California, the move is in the best, long-term interest of hockey and will allow for better alignment in the development system.”

– ECHL commissioner Brian McKenna on the league’s website

This story was originally published February 4, 2015 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Jeffrey Lutz’s ECHL report (Feb. 4)."