The 2026 Kelly Cup playoffs were for the ECHL hockey league as they started on April 23, 2026, following the conclusion of the 2025–26 ECHL regular season. The postseason then concluded on June 15, with the Florida Everblades winning their league record fifth overall Kelly Cup championship over the Kansas City Mavericks in six games.
Playoff format The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs based on the highest point total earned in the regular season. The entire first two rounds of the playoffs are held within the division, with the first seed facing the fourth seed and the second seed facing the third. The division champions then play each other in a conference championship. The Kelly Cup finals pit the Eastern Conference champion against the Western Conference champion. All four rounds are a best-of-seven format. The Kansas City Mavericks secured the top record by clinching the Brabham Cup, and are scheduled to have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs if they keep advancing. In total, nine of the 16 playoff teams are repeats from the previous season, which includes Toledo, who is on a 10-season playoff streak.
Playoff seeds After the regular season, 16 teams qualified for the playoffs.
Final seeds and points:
Eastern Conference North Division Wheeling Nailers – Division champions – 98 points Maine Mariners – 93 points Adirondack Thunder – 85 points Reading Royals – 82 points
South Division Florida Everblades – Division champions – 108 points South Carolina Stingrays – 94 points Atlanta Gladiators – 93 points Savannah Ghost Pirates – 74 points
Western Conference Central Division Fort Wayne Komets – Division champions – 100 points Toledo Walleye – 98 points Bloomington Bison – 79 points Indy Fuel – 79 points
Mountain Division Kansas City Mavericks – Brabham Cup winners, Division champions – 115 points Allen Americans – 92 points Idaho Steelheads – 91 points Tahoe Knight Monsters – 77 points
Playoff bracket Source:
Division semifinals Note: All times listed are in EDT (UTC−4).
North Division (1) Wheeling Nailers vs. (4) Reading Royals
(2) Maine Mariners vs. (3) Adirondack Thunder
South Division (1) Florida Everblades vs. (4) Savannah Ghost Pirates
(2) South Carolina Stingrays vs. (3) Atlanta Gladiators
Central Division (1) Fort Wayne Komets vs. (4) Indy Fuel
(2) Toledo Walleye vs. (3) Bloomington Bison
Mountain Division (1) Kansas City Mavericks vs. (4) Tahoe Knight Monsters
(2) Allen Americans vs. (3) Idaho Steelheads
Division finals
North Division (1) Wheeling Nailers vs. (2) Maine Mariners
South Division (1) Florida Everblades vs. (2) South Carolina Stingrays
Central Division (1) Fort Wayne Komets vs. (2) Toledo Walleye
Mountain Division (1) Kansas City Mavericks vs. (2) Allen Americans
Conference finals Eastern Conference (S1) Florida Everblades vs. (N1) Wheeling Nailers
Western Conference (M1) Kansas City Mavericks vs. (C1) Fort Wayne Komets
Kelly Cup finals (M1) Kansas City Mavericks vs. (S1) Florida Everblades
References