WORCESTER—Unofficially, but mathematically, next year has already arrived for the Railers.
They head to Greensboro, NC, this weekend having been eliminated from the North Division playoff race. Worcester heads south in sixth place behind Adirondack and Trois-Rivieres, in that order. The Railers have six games left, including three strike makeup games after they come back from playing the Gargoyles.
Worcester has 65 points with six games left . If it wins all six remaining games, Worcester finishes with 77 points. Adirondack has 77 points with seven games to play. Trois-Rivieres has 71 with five left. However, the Thunder and Lions meet four times along the way. All Adirondack needs is one point in those games to eliminate Worcester. If Trois-Rivieres get seven points, for instance, it finishes with 78 and the Railers are out.
One team or the other will get enough points to clinch fourth place. So, for Worcester anyway, the Kelly Cup race is over for 2025-26.
Railers GM-coach Nick Tuzzolino has no sense that the season’s final two weeks will be the equivalent of exhibition games. There is 2026-27 to think about.
“There is definitely a core of plyers that I want to make sure are here, and new core of players I want to make sure are here as well,” he said. “I think it’s all about finishing on a high note, and I think it’s about finishing with a winning record.
“Our division’s been really good all year and that is what it is, and we have a chance to have the same record as last year. Finishing above .500 shows that you didn’t achieve what you wanted in terms of making the playoffs but at least you had a winning season.”
Planning a roster for next season is not the only issue as the season finishes. There is still the matter of the Railers’ affiliation for next season and the time beyond that.
The Bridgeport Islanders of the AHL are relocating to Hamilton, Ontario. Their most recent three-year agreement with the Railers expires at the end of this season. Bridgeport is the only AHL partner Worcester has known, although the Railers have worked partially with other teams in that league.
The Islanders have supplied Worcester with enough talent to keep it respectable but not enough to help it get into the playoffs except for the Railers’ first year in town. Worcester has played only six playoff games in total.
The teams are talking about an extension, but the Railers are also talking to other organizations.
“We’re not there yet,” Tuzzolino said. “With Bridgeport moving to Hamilton its up for discussion, but were not there yet and we’ll see where it goes.”
This willl be Worcester’s first visit to Geensboro. The teams split a two-game set at the DCU Center in November. The Gargoyles are in eighth place in the division and are returning from an eight-game road trip that did not go well.
They are 0-5-1 in their last six games and have been shut out three times in that span including the last two in a row. Defenseman Noah Delmas is the only former Railer with Greensboro. Both teams have scored 169 goals heading into the weekend.
The Railers Booster Club announced its annual array of seasonal awards. They included Drew Callin as the Most Valuable Player and Best Offensive Player, Parker Gahagen as the Best Defensive Player, MacAuley Carson as the Seven Hills 7th Player, Lincoln Hatten as the Tough Guy, Michael Suda as Rookie of the Year, Anthony Repaci as Fan Favorite and ECHL Community Service Award.
Callin also won the Best Single Game Performance Award with his four-point game at Wheeling on New Year’s Eve. He had a hat trick to go along with an assist.
Players of the Month were Hatten for October and November, Callin for December, Jesse Pulkkinen for January, Drew Callin for February and Carson for March.
