The ECHL concluded its Annual Board of Governors Meeting held at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 12 and 13.  Tuesday the league announced the Conference and Divisional alignments for the 2017-18 season.

The league will continue to be divided into two conferences, the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference for its 30th anniversary season.  Each conference will contain two divisions, with the Central and the Mountain divisions in the Western Conference and the North and South divisions making up the Eastern Conference.

Locally, the Cincinnati Cyclones will change conferences this season and move from the South division of the Eastern Conference to the Western conference.  The Cyclones become divisional rivals with regional foes Indy Fuel and Fort Wayne Komets, along with Kalamazoo Wings, Kansas City Mavericks (formerly Missouri Mavericks), Quad City Mallards and Toledo Walleye.  Each team will skate a 72-game schedule.  Central division foes will square off 47 times during the year.

The ECHL 2017-18 alignment will be as follows:

Western Conference

Central Division

Cincinnati Cyclones, Fort Wayne Komets, Indy Fuel, Kalamazoo Wings, Kansas City Mavericks, Quad City Mallards, Toledo Walleye

Mountain Division

Allen Americans, Colorado Eagles, Idaho Steelheads, Rapid City Rush, Tulsa Oilers, Utah Grizzlies, Wichita Thunder 

Eastern Conference

North Division

Adirondack Thunder, Brampton Beast, Manchester Monarchs, Reading Royals, Wheeling Nailers, Worcester Railers

South Division

Atlanta Gladiators, Florida Everblades, Greenville Swamp Rabbits, Jacksonville IceMen, Norfolk Admirals, Orlando Solar Bears, South Carolina Stingrays

The first two rounds of the Kelly Cup Playoffs will once again be played entirely within the division, with the division winner playing the fourth-place finisher and the second-place team meeting the third-place team in the Division Semifinals. The winners of each series will meet in the Division Finals, leading to the Conference Finals and Kelly Cup Finals.  The Colorado Eagles are the defending Kelly Cup champions.