A sports team winning a championship in their inaugural season is no mean feat.
The Newfoundland Growlers did just that in 2018-19 as they hoisted the Kelly Cup on June 14, 2019.
Toronto’s ECHL affiliate looked set to make a strong challenge to retain their championship the following season.
The Growlers owned a 42-17-1 record before the 2019-20 season was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With Newfoundland having to suspended operations for this shortened and contracted ECHL campaign, it felt like an apt time to take a look at where those players who lifted the Kelly Cup are now.
*With Newfoundland having utilised a plethora of players during their first season, I’ve narrowed the field down to those I felt were applicable for this article*
Goaltenders:
Eamon McAdam
The Pennsylvanian native split the 2018-19 season between the Toronto Marlies and the ECHL.
He posted a winning record of 10-5-2 for Newfoundland through the regular season with a .911 save percentage.
McAdam signed with the Jacksonville Iceman in December and through eight games has a 4-2-2 record with a .915 save percentage. A month later the goaltender penned an AHL deal with Lehigh but is yet to earn any ice-time with the Phantoms
Michael Garteig
Michael Garteig was the rock behind Newfoundland’s success if you excuse the pun.
He won 23 of 43 games during the regular season with a consistent if unspectacular save percentage of .909.
It was in the playoffs where the BC native excelled.
Garteig played all 23 games, posting three shutouts and registering a .928 save percentage.
After spending last season in Finland with Taparra (which included four CHL appearances!) Garteig moved on to Germany with DEL outfit ERC Ingolstadt.
The 29-year-old has a 15-9-0 record at the time of writing with a .910 save percentage.
Defensemen:
Adam Pardy
The veteran defenseman might well have retired but for the return of hockey in Newfoundland.
A native of Bonavista, Pardy decided to put on the skates for one last hurrah.
He played in 41 regular-season games and 22 in in the post-season, providing the solidity and veteran leadership he was brought in to produce.
Pardy retired directly following the championship win and was reported to remain a part of the Growlers organisation in a capacity not officially announced.
Garrett Johnston
Johnston had an interesting journey to Newfoundland and in turn, winning a championship. He turned professional with SPHL outfit Birmingham Bulls before being taken on loan by the growlers just before the turn of the year.
The Manitoba native would suit up for 39 regular-season games and be an ever-present in the play-offs.
Johnston signed with Utah Grizzlies for this season and has played 33 games, recording three points at the time of writing.
Kristians Rubins
The Latvian defenseman was a real success story on a team and personal level.
Rubins impressed Toronto enough to earn an SPC in his first professional season.
The rookie blue-line suited up for 56 regular-season games and in seventeen post-season encounters.
Rubins has remained an ever-present on the Toronto Marlies and earned himself a two-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Alex Gudbranson
The experienced defenseman wore an ‘A’ for Newfoundland during their championship campaign.
Gudbranson suited up for 55 games during the regular season and was another ever-present on route to hoisting the Kelly Cup.
The Ontario native played just three games in 2019-20 and isn’t currently signed with any team for this current campaign.
Sam Jardine
Jardine spent the majority of the 2018-19 campaign with the Toronto Marlies and suited up on just ten occasions during the regular season for Newfoundland.
The offensive-minded defenseman was another player to be ever-present on the blue line through the play-offs, recording eight points (1-7-8).
The Alberta native spent the 2019-20 season in the UK with the Cardiff Devils before following Andrew Lord (Cardiff’s Head Coach) to Greeneville.
Jardine has enjoyed a degree of success on a personal level with 33 points (2-31-33) in 43 games at the time of writing.
Evan Neugold
In the same vein as Garrett Johnston, Evan Neugold found his way to Newfoundland via the SPHL, albeit with a couple of loan spells in the ECHL along the way.
A multi-purpose player who can also play forward, Neugold suited up for 62 regular-season appearances. His post-season was limited to seven games but the Connecticut native played his part.
Neugold played twelve games for the Florida Everblades this season before being traded to Kansas City mavericks for whom he hasn’t suited up with as yet.
James Melindy
The man who hoisted the Kelly Cup.
James Melindy returned home to Newfoundland and was appointed the team’s captain.
Melindy played 55 regular-season games and was one of four defensemen to suit up for every play-off tilt.
The 27-year-old opted not to head outside of his home and instead has been focussing on the family welding inspection business and his dream of becoming a firefighter.
Forwards:
Zach O’Brien
The MVP.
Zach O’Brien posted career single-season high numbers, scoring 28 goals and posting forty assists in just 53 outings.
Having led the Growlers in scoring through the regular season, O’Brien did so again in the playoffs.
His sixteen goals and 29 points went a long way to helping Newfoundland lift the Kelly Cup and was duly named the Kelly Cup’s most valuable player.
The Newfoundland native has just finished his first season in Germany.
O’Brien led DEL 2 team EV Landshut in goals (40), assists (43) and points (83) but that wasn’t enough to hoist the team into a playoff spot. There won’t be any return home hockey-wise soon as the forward has re-signed with Landshut for the 2021-22 campaign.
Brady Ferguson
The Texas native couldn’t have been much farther from home when winning his first professional championship.
Signed to an AHL deal by Toronto, Ferguson spent little time with the Marlies but took out his frustration on the ECHL.
In 49 regular-season games, the then-rookie hit the twine thirty times and recorded 58 points.
In the playoffs, he was only just behind O’Brien in his impact, netting seven goals and producing seventeen assists through the post-season.
Ferguson was Newfoundland’s leading scorer last year before the pandemic curtailed the 2019-20 campaign.
The 26-year-old opted to head overseas signing a two-year deal with Rögle BK of the SHL.
Ferguson recorded eighteen points this year and now amid the play-offs, the Texas native registered four assists in a sweep of Frölunda in the first round.
Both team and player are very happy with their arrangement and Ferguson signed a one-year extension in early April.
Marcus Power
You could almost copy and paste Zach O’Brien’s journey in this segment.
Marcus Power is another proud Newfoundlander who has excelled with the Growlers.
The centreman posted 57 points in 58 regular-season games and added a further fifteen in post-season action.
Power was racking up points at the same rate last year before the opportunity to defend the championship was taken away from Newfoundland.
Did I already mention O’Brien? Ah yes, that’s because Power joined his team-mate in Germany at EV Landshut, posting 69 points in 47 games.
The 27-year-old forward has also re-signed and doubtless will be hoping that he and O’Brien can help propel their new team to the playoffs next season.
Giorgio Estephan
Not only one of the best names in hockey, but Giorgio Estephan also raised his level of play when Newfoundland required it most.
After posting 53 points in 69 regular-season outings, Estephan went on a tear during the playoffs.
He was one of three forward to produce over a point-per-game pace, hitting the net nine times and accruing fifteen assists.
The 24yo started this season in the ECHL with Kansas City Mavericks, registering at a point per game pace. Now with the Stockton Heat (Calgary affiliate) the centreman has played sixteen games and recorded seven points (2-5-7).
Scott Pooley
Scott Pooley loves hitting the twine.
He did so on 31 occasions during the regular season and a further nine times in the playoffs, adding eight assists to finish with seventeen points.
The 27yo signed on for a third successive season with the Toronto Marlies in April 2020.
In this current campaign, the right-winger has featured in sixteen games, scoring twice and recording three assists.
Josh Kestner
The Alabama native spent just one season in Newfoundland but what a year.
In 61 games he posted 22 goals and registered 49 points. Arguably he was another player to thrive in post-season play.
Nine goals and seven assists for sixteen points in 21 games.
Kestner opted to remain in the ECHL, signing with Toledo Walleye for 2019-20.
The 27yo helped himself to 73 points in 58 before the campaign was cut short.
Finland is where the right-winger is currently plying his trade and is enjoying a successful first stint in Europe with TPS.
Kestner led his new team in scoring through the regular season with 49 points (24G/25A) and has four points (2G/”a) through five playoff outings.
TPS begins a semi-final series against HIFK on April 29.
Matt Bradley
Bradley was a rookie in the championship season with Newfoundland.
His stats don’t necessarily leap off the page like his peers but 15 goals and 45 points was a better than average performance for a rookie in 66 regular-season outings.
The 24yo is playing in Greenville with his former Growlers team-mate Sam Jardine and both are enjoying a successful campaign.
The centreman has 31 points in fifty games for the Swamp Rabbits.
J.J. Piccinich
J.J. Piccinich is back to where he began his professional career. Currently, with the Orlando Solar Bears, Piccinich has 24 points in 48 games.
The right-winger spent just the one season in Newfoundland before signing an AHL deal with San Antoni Rampage.
Despite the nature of the contract, the 24yo played just four games up in the American League, spending the remainder of his time with the Tulsa Oilers.
Hudson Elynuik
Hudson Elynuik split the championship campaign between Toronto and Newfoundland, returning to the rock to contribute six goals and fifteen points in just 16 games.
The towering centreman has graduated full-time to the AHL with Toronto having played 53 games last year and 13 during this current campaign.
Derian Plouffe
The Niagara University graduate was another rookie to win a championship with Newfoundland but his stay lasted just a single season.
Plouffe spent last year with Indy Fuel and re-signed with the ECHL for the current campaign before being released on February 3rd after just eight games.
Todd Skirving
The Thunder Bay, Ontario native threw himself into the way of life in Newfoundland and has become a much-loved player and person amongst the community.
After playing for three different ECHL clubs as a rookie, Skirving fitted like a glove in Newfoundland after penning an ECHL deal.
It’s a well-worn cliché but Skiriving is a heart-and-soul player who would do anything to help the team succeed, even when his game time was limited during the championship season.
The 28yo suited up for the Growlers last season and with no season this year was weighing up a job in the ‘real world’ before taking up an offer to become an assistant coach with Cranbrook Bucks, a junior team playing in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).
Semyon Der-Arguchintsev
Last but not least the young man know as SDA.
After finishing a season early with the Petes knocked out of the play-offs, SDA received his first taste of professional hockey with the Growlers.
In three regular-season outings the highly skilled forward recorded a goal and an assist but would he be trusted with time in the playoffs? Yes.
The 20yo suited up for nine post-season games before injury ruled him out for the rest of the championship run.
After finishing his junior career, the centreman headed to Russia to play in the KHL before recently returning to Canada to join the Toronto Marlies.
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