It is finally time. It has been a long time coming. Professional ice hockey returns to the Reno/Tahoe area this week with the first ever Tahoe Knight Monsters games. It was announced in 2023 that Lake Tahoe would be getting an ECHL team. That team would be named the Tahoe Knight Monsters. They are the first ever professional sports team in Lake Tahoe. They are the twenty eighth ECHL team. They are one of two expansion teams joining the ECHL this season. The other team being the Bloomington Bison. Before their was professional hockey in the Reno/Tahoe area there was the 1960 winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley which has been remained to Palisades Tahoe. The 1960 Winter Olympics was the first time that the United State won the gold medal in ice hockey. Herb Brooks was on the 1960 gold medal team and would go on to coach the 1980 miracle on ice team. The Tahoe Knight Monsters are the fifth attempt at pro ice hockey in the Reno/Tahoe area. There was the Reno Aces who were an independent team from 1970 to 1974. The Reno Broncos who played in the South West Hockey League from 1975 to 1976. The Reno Gamblers played in the Pacific Southwest Hockey League from 1980 to 1981. The Reno Renegades played in the West Coast Hockey League from 1995 to 1997. They are probably the most famous defunct ice hockey team from the Reno/Tahoe area. They were the affiliate of the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL and the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. They were most notable for having Manon Rheaume as a goalie. Manon Rheaume went on to become the first women in the NHL. The Reno Renegades became the Reno Rage before folding after the 1997-98 season. After many attempts to bring pro ice hockey back to the region, the Tahoe Knight Monsters are here. Lake Tahoe also hosted the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe that featured several NHL teams including the Vegas Golden Knights
The Tahoe Knight Monsters name and colors come from a few different sources. At one point fans could submit names for the team. A lot of people wanted the name to knight related or Tahoe Tessie related. There are a lot of Vegas Golden Knights fans in this region so a knight related name makes sense. Tahoe Tessie is the mythical creature that lives in Lake Tahoe. They combined that sort of to come up with the Knight Monsters. A lot of people don’t like the name. A lot people also say “Tahoe Monster Knights” or “Tahoe Lake Monsters” confusing the team name up. The colors are basically the same as the Vegas Golden Knights except red is replaced with teal. It is speculated that they went with teal because there are a lot of San Jose Sharks fans in this region too. It seems like they are trying to appeal to both Vegas Golden Knights fans and San Jose Sharks fans. Their primary logo is a lake dragon with the team name in front of it and mountains behind it. They have an alternate dragon head logo. They have a couple of alternate shield logos. They have an alternate logo with the dragon eye looking through Lake Tahoe. Overall they are all solid logos. I ranked the Tahoe Knight Monsters logo as my top ECHL logo. There is also an inaugural season logo but it has only been shown off once but it will be on the ice.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters will play their home games at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. The Tahoe Blue Event Center opened in 2023. The arena can fit 4,200 for ice hockey. The Arena is named after Tahoe Blue Vodka. The arena is located in Stateline Nevada. The Tahoe Knight Monsters will be practicing at Reno Ice. It does look like players and opposing teams will stay and train in Reno Nevada and travel up to Lake Tahoe for the games. The Tahoe Knight Monsters have also done something incredible by adding roulette wheels to the ice design.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters are affiliated with the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League and the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League. The Vegas Golden Knights were an NHL expansion team in 2017. Ice hockey in Nevada blew up in popularity after they started playing in the NHL. The Vegas Golden Knights are in Las Vegas which is seven hours away from Lake Tahoe. The Vegas Golden Knights did win the Stanley Cup in 2023. They have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs every season except for the 2021-22 season. The Henderson Silver Knights are from Henderson Nevada. They play in the AHL which is tier two of pro hockey in North America. Henderson is a part of the Las Vegas metro area. The Silver Knights have been around since 2020. They made the playoffs their first two seasons but not their last two seasons. The Vegas Golden Knights are keeping their franchise entirely in the state. The Vegas Golden Knights have previously been affiliated with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, the Quad City Mallards of the ECHL, the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL, and the Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL. I think an affiliation between Vegas, Henderson, and Tahoe is great. It is really good for the growth of the sport in Nevada.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters will be playing the ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division. The Tahoe Knight Monsters are the westmost team in the ECHL. There are eight teams in the ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division. It is the only ECHL division with more than seven teams. In the ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division are the Allen Americans, Idaho Steelheads, Kansas City Mavericks, Rapid City Rush, Tahoe Knight Monsters, Tulsa Oilers, Utah Grizzlies, and Wichita Thunder. The Top four teams in each ECHL division will make the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
The Allen Americans were founded in 2009 and originally played in the Central Hockey League. The Central Hockey League merged with the ECHL in 2014. The Allen Americans play in the 6,275 capacity Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen Texas. The Americans are affiliated with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL and Utah Hockey Club of the NHL. They have won two CHL titles and two Kelly Cups (ECHL title). Since joining the ECHL, the Americans have only missed the playoffs once. Last year they lost in the first round of the playoffs. The Allen Americans had a record of 33-35-4 with 70 points last season. They came in third in the Mountain Division. They were eliminated in the Division Semifinals of the Kelly Cup. The Americans have a new coach and a new affiliate this season.
The Idaho Steelheads were founded in 1997 in the West Coast Hockey League. The West Coast Hockey League was absorbed by the ECHL in 2003. The Steelheads are the last remaining WCHL team in the ECHL. The Steelheads play in the 5,002 capacity Idaho Central Arena. The Steelheads are affiliated with the Texas Stars of the AHL and the Dallas Stars of the NHL. The Steelheads have only missed the playoffs once since 2003. The Steelheads have won two Kelly Cups. The Idaho Steelheads had a record of 48-20-4 with 100 points last season. They came in second in the Mountain Division. They were eliminated in the Division Finals. This is their coaches fifth season.
The Kansas City Mavericks were founded in 2009 in the CHL. The Kansas City Mavericks play in the 5,800 capacity Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence Missouri. Their original name was the Missouri Mavericks. They are affiliated with the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the AHL and the Seattle Kraken of the NHL. They have only made the playoffs four times since joining the ECHL. The Kansas City Mavericks had a record of 54-12-6 with 114 points. They came in first in the Mountain Division. They had the best record in the ECHL last season. They were eliminated in the Kelly Cup Finals last season. This will be their coaches fifth season.
The Rapid City Rush were founded in 2008 in the CHL. The Rapid City Rush play in the 7,500 capacity The Monument in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Rush are affiliated with the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL and the Calgary Flames of the NHL. They did win one CHL title. They have only made the playoffs twice since joining the ECHL. The Rapid City Rush had a record of 30-38-4 with 64 points. They finished sixth in the Mountain Division. They did not qualify for the Playoffs. They missed the playoffs by five points (2+ wins). This will be their fourth season with their coach.
The Tulsa Oilers were founded in 1992 in the CHL. The Tulsa Oilers play in the 17,096 capacity BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They are affiliated with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL and the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL. They did win one CHL title. The Oilers have only made the playoffs four times since joining the ECHL. The Tulsa Oilers had a record of 30-33-9 with 69 points last season. They came in fourth in the Mountain Division. They were eliminated in the Division Semifinals. This will be their eighth season with their coach.
The Utah Grizzlies were founded in 1994 in the IHL. They joined the ECHL in 2005. The Utah Grizzlies play in the 10,100 capacity Maverick Center in West Valley City, Utah. The Grizzlies are affiliated with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL and the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL. The Utah Grizzlies did win an IHL title. They have only missed the playoffs three times since joining the ECHL. The Utah Grizzlies had a record of 31-36-5 with 67 points last season. They came in fifth in the Mountain Division. They did not make the playoffs. They missed the playoffs by 2 points (1 win). This will be their fourth season with their current coach.
The Wichita Thunder were founded in 1992 in the CHL. They play in the 13,450 capacity Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita Kansas. They are affiliated with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL and the San Jose Sharks of the AHL. The Thunder have won two CHL titles. They have only made the playoffs twice since joining the ECHL. The Wichita Thunder had a record of 27-35-10 with 64 points last season. They came in last in the mountain division. They did not qualify for the playoffs. They missed the playoffs by 5 points (2+ wins). This is their sixth season with their coach.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters will have three jerseys this season. They will have a black jersey, a white jersey, and a gold jersey. Those are their primary jerseys. They might have specialty jerseys throughout the season for promotions. The primary jerseys are made by Athletic Knit. Athletic Knit are the jersey provider for all of the ECHL teams. The Black Jersey is black, teal, and gold. On the front is one of the alternate shield logos. On the shoulders are the dragon head logo. The white jersey is white, black, teal, and gold. On the front is the Tahoe Knight Monsters primary logo. On the shoulders is the alternate Lake Tahoe Logo. The gold jersey is gold, black, teal, and white. On the front is the dragon head logo. On the shoulders is one of the shield logos. ECHL teams wear their white jerseys at home for the first half of the season and then they wear their dark jerseys at home for the second half of the season. Games before January 24th will see the home team wear their white jerseys. Games after that date will see home teams wear their dark jerseys. This does not include speciality jerseys.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters will play 72 regular season games this season. All of the ECHL teams have a 72 game regular season schedule. That will be 36 home games and 36 away games. They did not play any preseason games. Their first games are coming up this week. The Knight Monsters were original scheduled to start their season on October 18th but that has changed. The regular season will come to an end on April 12th. The Tahoe Knight Monsters play the Allen Americans five times. The Knight Monsters will play the Idaho Steelheads twelve times. The Knight Monsters play the Utah Grizzlies ten times. The Knight Monsters play the Tulsa Oilers ten times. The Knight Monsters play the Kansas City Mavericks six times. The Knight Monsters play the Rapid City Rush six times. The Knight Monsters play the Wichita Thunder six times. The Tahoe Knight Monsters only play six teams that are not in their division. The Jacksonville Icemen, the Fort Wayne Komets, and the Adirondack Thunder, the Maine Mariners, the Florida Everblades, and the Iowa Heartlanders will be their non-divisional opponents. The Kelly Cup Playoffs start in April.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters are calling their promotional night “Premium Knights”. October 24th is Opening Knight. October 25th is Nevada Day. October 31st (Halloween) is Monster Mash. November 1st is Wizard Knight. November 2nd is DC Comics. October 15th is Country Knight. November 16th is Faith and Family Knight. November 22nd and 23rd are Cancer Awareness. December 14th is Teddy Bear Toss. December 15th is Winter Wonderland. December 28th and 29th are Margaritaville. January 24th, 25th, and 26th are Military Appreciation. February 6th, 7th, and 8th are Affiliation Knights. March first and second are Retro Weekend. March 8th is Star Wars. March 9th is Bluey. March 26th is Marvel. March 29th and 30th are First Responders Knights. April 9th is Literal Knight. April 12th is Fan Appreciation.
Alex Loh will be the Tahoe Knight Monsters coach this season. According to hockeydb.com Alex Loh did not play professional hockey. He stepped into the assistant coaching role for the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL for the 2015-16 season. The Adirondack Thunder were the Calgary Flames affiliate at that time. He was the Head coach for the Adirondack Thunder from the 2018-19 season to the 2021-22 season. During that time the Adirondack Thunder were affiliated with the New Jersey Devils. Alex Loh became an assistant coach for the Savannah Ghost Pirates for the 2022-23 season. Alex Loh started the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach for the Savannah Ghost Pirates before taking over head coaching duties in February. The Savannah Ghost Pirates did not make the playoffs in either of the season with Alex Loh on the coaching staff. The Adirondack Thunder made the playoffs four out of the six years he was on their coaching staff. The Savannah Ghost Pirates record was 30-34-7 last season.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters currently have twenty three players and three goalies. Eight players from the training camp roster are no longer with the team. The Henderson Silver Knights have assigned four players and one goalie to the Knight Monsters. The Vegas Golden Knights have assigned one goalie and one player to the Tahoe Knight Monsters.
Justin Robbins is the first goalie I am going to talk about. He played five seasons in the NCAA from 2019 to 2024. He played for Arizona State University and Sacred Heart University. This will be his first professional season. He will likely be a third or fourth string goalie and won’t see much playing time.
Isaiah Saville was drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2019. Last season he played with the Henderson Silver Knights. This will be his fifth professional season. He has been assigned to the Tahoe Knight Monsters by the Vegas Golden Knights. He had a goals against average of 3.27 with a save percentage of 0.893 in 22 games last season in the AHL. He is not currently listed on the Tahoe Knight Monsters website but he is listed on the opening night roster. Saville will likely be the Tahoe Knight Monsters primary goaltender this season unless he gets recalled.
Jesper Vikman was assigned to the Tahoe Knight Monsters by the Henderson Silver Knights. He has been recalled by the Henderson Silver Knights. Last season he spend time with both the Henderson Silver Knights and Savannah Ghost Pirates. He was drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020. He may split his season again playing some games in Tahoe and some games in Henderson. He had a goals against average of 3.48 with a save percentage of 0.891 in 19 games last season with the Henderson Silver Knights. He had a goals against average of 3.01 with a save percentage of 0.899 in 15 games last season with the Savannah Ghost Pirates. I do not expect him to play much in Tahoe. Henderson has already recalled him. He might spend majority of this season if not all of it with Henderson.
Jordan Papirny was assigned to the Tahoe Knight Monsters by the Henderson Silver Knights. He spent last season going back and fourth between the Henderson Silver Knights and Savannah Ghost Pirates. He had a goals against average of 3.42 with a save percentage of 0.882 in 9 games with the Henderson Silver Knights last season. He had a goals against average of 3.47 with a save percentage of 0.881 in 19 games last season with the Savannah Ghost Pirates. He will likely be the main backup goalie for the Tahoe Knight Monsters this season.
Defender Artur Cholach was drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021. He has been assigned to the Tahoe Knight Monsters by the Vegas Golden Knights. He has played in the OHL and the USHL. He scored 4 with 11 assists for 15 total points in 54 games with the Sioux Falls Stampede last season in the USHL. This will be his first professional season.
This will be defender Brandon Tabakin second pro season. He played six games with the Newfoundland Growlers last season before playing for Arizona State University. He scored 2 goals with 8 assists for 10 points in 36 games at Arizona State University last season.
Defender Brennan Kapcheck is entering his fifth pro season. He played for the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL and Zvolen HKm of the Slovakian Extraleague. He had 13 assists for 13 total points in 34 games with the Newfoundland Growlers last season.
Defender Elijah Vilio played for the Savannah Ghost Pirates last season. He also played for the Dundee Stars in the Elite Ice Hockey League. He scored 1 goals with 5 assists and 6 total points in 10 games with the Savannah Ghost Pirates last season. He scored 1 goal with 13 assists and 14 total points last season with the Dundee Stars. This will be his fourth pro season.
This will be defender Jake Johnson third pro season. He played for the Fort Wayne Komets last season. He scored 3 goals with 16 assists and got 19 points last season.
This will be defender Nathaniel Kallen sixth pro season. Last season he played with the Gladgow Clan of the EIHL. He scored 5 goals with 18 assists for 23 points in 39 games last season.
This will be the fourth season of pro hockey for defender Ryan Orgel. Last season he played with the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL and the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. He scored 5 goals with nine assists totaling in 14 points in 40 games with the Adirondack Thunder last season. He played one game with the Syracuse Crunch last season.
Defender Samuel Mayer has been assigned to the Tahoe Knight Monsters by the Henderson Silver Knights. This will be his first year of pro hockey. He spent last season in the OHL with the Ottawa 67’s. He scored 9 goals with 15 assists totaling in 24 points in 32 games last season.
Forward Adam Pitters joins the Tahoe Knight Monsters after being on a tryout during training camp. He played with Long Island University in the NCAA and the Fayetteville Marksmen of the SPHL last season. He scored 4 goals with 5 assists and 9 points in 31 games with Long Island University last season. He scored 2 goals with 8 assists and 10 points with the Fayetteville Marksmen last season.
Forward Adam Robbins joins the Tahoe Knight Monsters for his first season of pro hockey. He played for Princeton University in the NCAA last season. He scored 11 goals with 18 assists and 29 points in 30 games last season.
This is forward Anthony Collins thirtieth pro season. Last season he played with the Savannah Ghost Pirates. He scored 3 goals with 8 assists and 11 points in 59 games last season.
Forward Bear Hughes was drafted in 2020 by the Washington Capitals. He has been assigned to the Tahoe Knight Monsters by the Henderson Silver Knights. This will be his third year of pro hockey. Last season he played with the Savannah Ghost Pirates and the Henderson Silver Knights. He scored 2 goals with 2 assists in five games with the Ghost Pirates last season. He played one game for the Henderson Silver Knights last season.
Forward Blake Christensen is joining the Tahoe Knight Monsters after not playing last season. This will be his fourth season of pro hockey. During the 2022-23 season he played for played for the Worcester Railers and in Europe. I do not know why he did not play last season. He scored 8 goals with 15 assists totaling in 23 points for the Worcester Railers during the 2022-23 season.
Forward Cal Kiefiuk played with Providence College pf the NCAA and the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL last season. He scored 2 goals with 8 assists and 10 points in 25 games with Providence College last season. He did not get a point in 3 games with the Wheeling Nailers last season.
This will be forward Chris Dodero third pro season. He spent the last two season in Europe. He scored 10 goals with 12 assists totaling 22 points in 28 games last season with the Rosenheim Star Bulls in DEL-2.
Forward Jake McGrew was drafted in 2017 by the San Jose Sharks. This will be his fifth pro season. He spent the last two seasons playing in the Sweden 1st Division. Last season he played for AIK and Vasterviks IK. He totaled 7 goals with 7 assists and 14 points in 50 games last season.
Forward Logan Nelson was drafted by the Buffalo Sabers in 2012. This will be his eleventh pro hockey season. Last season he played for the Rapid City Rush. He scored 17 goals with 39 assists totaling in 56 points in 58 games last season.
Forward Luke Adam was drafted by the Buffalo Sabers in 2008. This will be his sixteenth pro hockey season. He has spent the last eight seasons in Europe. Last season he played for Banska Bystrica HC 05 and Plzen HC. He scored 5 goals with 10 assists and 15 points in 28 games last season. He has played 90 NHL games during which he scored 15 goals with 11 assists and 26 points.
Forward Patrick Newell will join the Tahoe Knight Monsters for his sixth pro hockey season. Last season he played with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL and Nitra MHC in the Slovak Extraleague. Nitra MHC won the Slovak Extraleague last season. Newell scored 7 goals with 17 assists for 24 total points in 34 games with both teams last season.
Forward Simon Pinard has been sent to the Tahoe Knight Monsters by the Henderson Silver Knights. This will be his second year of pro hockey. Last season he played for the Savannah Ghost Pirates and the Henderson Silver Knights. Pinard scored 24 goals with 24 assists for 48 points in 59 games with the Savannah Ghost Pirates last season. In 13 games he got one assists for one point with the Henderson Silver Knights last season.
Forward Soan Stanick has been sent to the Tahoe Knight Monsters from the Henderson Silver Knights. This is his first pro season. Last season he played for the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL. Stanick scored 30 goals with 54 assists for 84 points in 68 games last season.
Forward Troy Loggins is joining the Tahoe Knight Monsters for his sixth pro hockey season. He spent the last three seasons in Europe. Last season he played for Nove Zamky Mikron HC in the Slovakian Extraleague. Loggins scored 21 goals with 9 assists for 30 points in 38 games last season.
Forward Jett Jones has been sent to the Tahoe Knight Monsters from the Henderson Silver Knights. He was sent to the team while I was writing this. This will be his third pro hockey season. Last season he played with the Savannah Ghost Pirates and the Henderson Silver Knights. Jones scored 2 goals with 4 assists for 6 points in 36 games with the Savannah Ghost Pirates last season. Jones scored 2 goals with 3 assists for 5 points in 31 games with the Henderson Silver Knights last season.
Defender Amedeo Mastrangeli, goaltender Bailey Brkin, forward C.J. Hayes, forward Justin Kelley, defender Trey Phillips, forward Tyler Dill, forward Tyler Ho, forward Shane Bull, and defender Jeff Solow are no longer with the Tahoe Knight Monsters. Most of these players were trying to make the team during training camp. Shane Bull was signed by the Knight Monsters but is now playing for the Pensacola Ice Flyers in the SPHL. It looks like the Knight Monsters released him. Jeff Solow was also signed by the Knight Monsters but appears to also have be released by the team. Solow is not listed on the Tahoe Knight Monsters website, the Tahoe Knight Monsters opening night roster, or the Tahoe Knight Monsters roster on Hockeydb.com or Elite Prospects.
Luke Adam was named the Tahoe Knight Monsters first captain. The NHL drafted veteran hockey player is a great choice for the first captain. He has a lot of high level hockey experience. That will be helpful with a lot of the players having been playing pro hockey for less than five years. Anthony Collins and Logan Nelson have been made alternate captains. Anthony Collins has a lot of experience in the ECHL. He is another solid choice as a leader for the Tahoe Knight Monsters. Logan Nelson also has a lot of ECHL experience. Both Adam and Nelson were drafted by the Buffalo Sabers only four years apart.
Select Tahoe Knight Monsters home games can be watched on KOLO-TV. That is channel 8 on local TV here in Reno/Tahoe. They are an ABC affiliate. For the full list of locally broadcast games click here. It is kind of odd that games will not be on Nevada Sports Net. Nevada Sport Net has been broadcasting Vegas Golden Knights games. All of the Tahoe Knight Monsters home and away games can be watched on Flo Hockey. Flo hockey streams AHL, ECHL, SPHL, College, and Junior games. It is a little pricy at $150 a year or $30 a month. It is worth it in my opinion for anyone watching more than one hockey team. I will watch the Bakersfield Condors and Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL, all of the Tahoe Knight Monsters games I am not at, and the ECHL and AHL playoffs. If someone just watches all of the Tahoe Knight Monsters away games it would be less than $5 dollars a game to watch with a Flo Hockey annual plan. This post is not sponsored by Flo Hockey.
Zac Electrifly 
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