A Glance at the 2025-26 Season…

Last season:

• Record: 35-30-5-2 (.535), 77 pts
• Team Finish: Fifth place in North Division
• Playoffs: Did not make playoffs
• Record vs Division: 32-27-5-2
• Record vs Conference: 33-29-5-2
• Goals For Per Game: 2.77 (23rd in ECHL)
• Goals Against Per Game: 2.96 (14th in ECHL)
• Power Play: 41 goals in 267 opportunities (15.4%), 26th in ECHL
• Penalty Kill: 177 penalties killed out of 226 times shorthanded (77.6%), 26rd in the ECHL

Scoring Leaders:

1. Anthony Repaci (23-31-54)
2. Anthony Callin (18-28-46)
3. Drew Callin (25-18-43)
4. Matt DeMelis (19-23-42)
5. Michael Suda (5-34-39)

2026-27 Season Preview

With the 2025-26 season marking the fifth consecutive season of coming points short of a Kelly Cup Playoff spot, the 2026-27 season begins the same way as seasons past with the same goal of getting into the playoffs.

Back behind the bench for the second full season behind the bench, Nick Tuzzolino returns as head coach and general manager for the Railers, as-is his assistant coach Chris Rumble.  

There have been a couple new changes this off-season. The New York Islanders affiliation is no-more, after being affiliated with the Isles organization, the Railers have teamed up with the St. Louis Blues and the Springfield Thunderbirds on a five-year deal through the 2030-31 season. The proximity factor is a huge plus for Worcester when players are assigned here. There were plenty of reasons why fans disliked the Islanders affiliation, but with the former Bridgeport Sound Tigers moving to Hamilton, Ontario for this season, proximity to their AHL affiliate was another important one. So far, the Railers have been assigned Parker Gahagen, Ryan Wheeler, and Tyson Fawcett from the Springfield Thunderbirds. The Railers seem to have a working agreement with the Hartford Wolf Pack as well, with defensemen Cooper Moore and Anthony Kerher being assigned to start the season.

The Railers have more returning faces than in previous years with 16 skaters and two goaltenders returning from the 2025-26 season. Captain Anthony Repaci returns for his sixth season with the team, Riley Piercey his fourth. Cole Donhauser, Lincoln Hatten, Matt DeMelis, Riley Ginnell, and Cam McDonald are back for their third seasons with the team. Freshmen standouts Michael Suda, DeClan McDonnell, MacAuley Carson return for their second full season. Jordan Kaplan is back after signing here at the beginning last season, being traded away to Cincinnati, and making his way back to Worcester after being traded from Wheeling late in the season. Defensemen Connor Federkow, Vincent Corcoran, and Gabe Blanchard round out the returning players from last season.

One of the Unknowns for this season will be scoring. Drew and Anthony Callin have both departed, with Anthony joining the Savannah Ghost Pirates and Drew not playing following a PTO with the Providence Bruins at the end of last season. 

Newcomers this season include Tyson Fawcett and Ryan Wheeler, who notably played against Worcester in recent seasons for the Adirondack Thunder. Leominster native Steve Moses signed with the team after spending the majority of his professional career in the KHL, posting 145 points (75-70-145) in 220 games. Matt Hobbs joins the team after spending his last six seasons in the SPHL, posting 96 points (38-58-96), most of which have come with the Evansville Thunderbolts.

Parker Gahagen signed with the Springfield Thunderbirds this off-season after being assigned to Worcester from the Islanders organization last season. He spent the most time in net for Worcester with a 20-11-4-1 record and two shutouts. William Lavallière returns after a brief stint with the club late last season after appearing in two games. Chase Clark was signed after a successful tryout during training camp for his first pro season after posting a 28-34-5 record, 2.84 goals allowed average, and a 0.905 save percentage across the last four seasons of his collegiate career.

Announced on Friday before opening night, Anthony Repaci is captain, while Cam McDonald and Riley Piercey are alternate captains for home games and Declan McDonnell and Tyson Fawcett are alternates for away games.

Schedule Breakdown

The season kicks off with back-to-back games at the DCU Center on Saturday, October 17 against the Maine Mariners and on Sunday against the Trois-Rivieres Lions. 

The schedule will see 61 games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Worcester will face the Maine Mariners fourteen times throughout the season and nine of those games will be played in Portland. The Railers will face division teams Norfolk nine times, Adirondack eight times, Trenton and Trois-Rivieres seven times, Greensboro six times, and Reading five times. Outside the division, the Railers will face Allen, Orlando, South Carolina, and Tulsa three times each, with two game sets against Bloomington and Wheeling. 56 of 72 games will be played within the division. 

The opening stretch of games is heavy on road trips with 10 of the first 16 games being played away from the DCU Center. This includes a 3-in-3 weekends in Greensboro and in Tulsa, a game in Adirondack, and three games in Maine. The DCU Center will see eight home games in December, the most of any month which includes four home games heading into the Christmas break. Railers will play fourteen games in the month of January, which includes five road games on the road to start the new year.

Per usual, the season’s longest road stretch will run in late February, where the Railers will play seven straight games on the road. It begins in Maine, continues to Orlando, and wraps up in Trois-Rivieres. Fans will go 20 days between home games from February 13 to March 5.

Following the longest road stretch comes the Railers’ longest road scratch with six games at home from March 5 to 16. South Carolina will come to town for a 3-in-3 weekend, followed by a Maine-Trenton-Maine series the following week. 

Worcester finishes their schedule with 10 of its final 17 games at home, and four of its last six. That provides a late opportunity to pick up some much needed points for a playoff spot, which history shows as a crucial stretch of games to sneak into a playoff spot. 

The full schedule can be found on the Schedule tab of this guide.

New Heart of the Commonwealth Alternate Jersey

This summer, the Railers unveiled their new cream-colored “Heart of the Commonwealth” alternate jerseys, which will be worn on select Sundays during the upcoming season. The design plays homage to the city of Worcester’s identity. The “W” crest makes its return after being on the orange alternate jersey three seasons ago. Heart and laurel imagery drawn from Worcester’s city seal appears just above the W on the collar, while the seal itself appears on the shoulders.

Several smaller details pay tribute to Worcester’s place in the Commonwealth. The secondary logo incorporates “Route 9 Red,” recognizing the roadway that connects Worcester with communities across Massachusetts, while the jersey’s red striping takes inspiration from vintage candlepin bowling pins—a nod to the sport’s Worcester origins. “Heart of the Commonwealth” is sewn into the collar.

The team has announced the following dates that these jerseys will be worn:

• Autism Acceptance – Sunday, November 8th
• Country Night – Sunday, November 22nd
• Superhero Day – Sunday, December 6th
• Decades Day – Sunday, December 13th
• Dino Day – Sunday, January 17th
• TRAX’s Birthday – Sunday, January 31st
• Princesses & Pirates Day – Sunday, March 7th
• Fan Appreciation Weekend – Saturday, April 10th
• Fan Appreciation Weekend – Sunday, April 11th

You can read more about the jersey announcement here.

Railers Specialty Jerseys for 2026-27

• Railers Fight Cancer – Saturday, November 7th
• IceCats – Friday, January 15th & Saturday, January 16th
• Sharks/Mental Health – Saturday, January 30th
• Pink in the Rink – Saturday, February 13th
• Monkey Wrenches – Friday, March 12th & Saturday, March 13th
• Military Appreciation – Friday, April 2nd

Changes for the ECHL in 2026-27:

• New Mexico Goatheads join as an expansion team, playing in Rio Rancho and entering the Mountain Division. Expansion Membership approved for New Mexico.
• The Utah Grizzlies relocate to New Jersey as the Trenton Ironhawks, joining the North Division. 
• The Iowa Heartlanders suspend operations for the season while evaluating their future. With New Mexico joining, the league remains at 30 active teams. 
• Wheeling moves from the North Division to the Central Division, shifting into the Western Conference. Trenton takes its place in Worcester’s division.
• Two referees will dress in 75% of regular-season games, up from 50% over the previous two seasons. Each team gets 27 home games with two referees.
• Seven-day injured reserve replaces 14-day injured reserve. Teams may place an unlimited number of players on it, allowing injured players to become eligible to return sooner.

2026-27 Roster

ECHL teams can carry a maximum of 20 Players on the active roster, no more than 18 of whom may be skaters, at any one time. For the first 30 days of the regular season, teams can carry a maximum of 21 Players on the active roster, no more than 19 of whom may be skaters, at any one time.

Teams are permitted to carry up to three (3) Players at a time on the Reserve List, provided at least one is a goaltender, while an unlimited number of Players can be placed on the 7-day Injured Reserve and one (1) Player can be placed on the 3-day Injured Reserve.

This list is as of October 16, 6 PM. Goaltender Gibson Homer (from Kansas City) and forward Connor Sweeney (from Cincinnati) have been claimed on waivers earlier this week and signed forward Michael Abgrall on Friday.

Forwards (15)
Michael Abgrall (WOR)
MacAuley Carson (WOR)
Matt DeMelis (WOR)
Cole Donhauser (WOR)
Dalton Duhart (WOR)
Tyson Fawcett (SPR)
Riley Ginnell (WOR)
Lincoln Hatten (WOR)
Matt Hobbs (WOR)
Jordan Kaplan (WOR)
Declan McDonnell (WOR)
Steve Moses (WOR)
Riley Piercey (WOR)
Anthony Repaci (WOR)
Connor Sweeney (WOR)

Defensemen (10)
Gabe Blanchard (WOR)
Vincent Corcoran (WOR)
Connor Federkow (WOR)
Anthony Keher (HFD)
Cam McDonald (WOR)
Cooper Moore (HFD)
Adam Samuelsson (WOR)
Michael Suda (WOR)
Will van der Veen (WOR)
Ryan Wheeler (SPR)

Goalies (4)
Chase Clark (WOR)
Parker Gahagen (SPR)
Michael Homer (WOR)
William Lavallere (WOR)

ECHL 2026-27 Critical Dates

 October 2026

  1      Players may report to Training Camp for team meetings, registration, physicals, etc.

  2      Training Camp opens, Members may begin on-ice sessions 

14      Season-Opening Rosters due to League Office (3 p.m. ET)

16       ECHL regular season begins       

November 2026

15        Active Rosters cut down from 21 to 20 (by 3 p.m. ET) 

December 2026

20        Christmas Waiver/Trade Freeze begins (5 p.m. ET)

21-25  Christmas Break (no games)

26         Christmas Waiver/Trade Freeze ends (12 p.m. ET)

January 2027

25-28    All-Star Break (no games played)

26-27    Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic (Boise, Idaho)

29    Jersey Reversal Date

February 2027

15     Overseas Deadline (3 p.m. ET) & IIHF Transfer Deadline (6 p.m. ET)

March 2027

TBD    Recall/Assignment Deadline (11:59 p.m. local time)

TBD    ECHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. local time)

April 2027

 9        Last day to place Player on Waivers (5 p.m. ET)

11        Last day of 2026-27 ECHL regular season

12        Submission of Playoff Rosters due (3 p.m. ET)

14        2027 Kelly Cup Playoffs begin

June 2027

  8        Protected Lists due (3 p.m. ET)

20        Future Considerations Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET)

22         Season-Ending Rosters due (3 p.m. ET)

23         First day to sign contracts for 2027-28 Season

July 2027

  7        Qualifying Offers due to Players (11:59 p.m. ET)

22       Qualifying Offer Acceptance Period ends (11:59 p.m. ET)

2026-27 Schedule

A full breakdown of opponents this season:

14x Maine Mariners – (5 home, 9 away)
9x Norfolk Admirals – (3 home, 6 away)
8x Adirondack Thunder – (6 home, 2 away)
7x Trenton Ironhawks – (4 home, 3 away)
7x Trois-Rivieres Lions – (4 home, 3 away)
6x Greensboro Gargoyles – (3 home, 3 away)
5x Reading Royals – (3 home, 2 away)
3x Allen Americans – (3 home)
3x Orlando Solar Bears – (3 away)
3x South Carolina Stingrays – (3 home)
3x Tulsa Oilers – (3 away)
2x Bloomington Bison – (2 away)
2x Wheeling Nailers – (2 away)

A full promotional schedule can be found on the Railers website.

2026-27 NHL/AHL Affiliations