Quad City Mallards changing leagues

It's early October, and the Quad City Mallards are jumping from one league to another. Ah, there's nothing like minor league hockey.

The ECHL, formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League, voted Tuesday to accept the seven franchises of the Central Hockey League. They are the Mallards, Allen Americans, Brampton Beast, Missouri Mavericks, Rapid City Rush, Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder.

According to the Mallards, the ECHL will consist of 28 teams in 20 states and a Canadian province, beginning regular-season play October 17 and running through mid-April.

Schedules for all clubs will be constructed and released imminently.

'The ECHL is very pleased to welcome these new members to the League,” said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna in a press release. 'These additions strengthen our base in the center of the country and give the ECHL, for the first time, a true national presence. It expands our ability to act as a development league and more closely aligns our number of teams with both the American Hockey League and the National Hockey League.

'There will be logistical challenges in the short term, however, in the long term, it is certainly in the best interest of the ECHL, the new Members and minor-league hockey in general.”

This is the 27th season of ECHL play, which is considered Double-A level. The league boasts 528 graduates to the NHL, with 28 NHL clubs having ECHL affiliates.

The Central Hockey League had existed since 1992 and had undergone significant change in reccent seasons, with the closing of several franchises.