Toledo takes ECHL Best Ice for third year

PRINCETON, N.J. – The ECHL announced that the Toledo Walleye are the 2017-18 recipient of the league’s Best Ice Award. It is the third consecutive year that Toledo has received the award.

“Jesus Rivera and his team raised the bar for consistently producing the highest quality ice surfaces for the Walleye and visiting teams to play on,” said Toledo Walleye Head Coach Dan Watson. “The Huntington Center hosts concerts along with hockey during our season. Jesus and his crew take great pride in being able to turn the arena from a rink to a concert and back to a rink in record time, and in award-winning style. We know that every time the players step out onto the ice at the Huntington Center, it is ready to go to produce a great product. We are fortunate to have them on our team.”

The winners are determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, focusing on those arenas and staffs that provide the best playing surfaces in the league, including the quality of the ice, temperature of the building and surrounding dasher board system.

“Our game is predicated on having a playing surface of the utmost integrity so that our players can perform at their highest level and our fans enjoy quality entertainment,” said ECHL Vice President of Hockey Operations Joe Ernst. “This award recognizes the hard-working crews in our league who pride themselves on ensuring that the athletes in the ECHL will have the best ice to perform on.”

ECHL Best Ice Award

• 2017-18 - Toledo Walleye
• 2016-17 - Toledo Walleye
• 2015-16 - Colorado Eagles and Toledo Walleye