[1] The economic crisis forced the ECHL to allow one-year extensions on voluntary suspensions for two teams in South Carolina, one in Columbia and one in Myrtle Beach.
[2] The Dayton Bombers and the Mississippi Sea Wolves announced that they would be suspending operations for the 2009–10 season and had to present new business plans to the league in June 2009.
Dayton owner Costa Papista cited declining support as the reason for the team being forced to suspend operations.
[3] Papista stated that it is hard to sell hockey at the Bombers primary arena, the Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University in Fairborn as the seating capacity is upwards of 9,500 and has proposed building a $30 million, 5,500-seat arena in downtown Dayton that would house professional hockey in Dayton.
"[3] However, two Fort Wayne, Indiana-based businessmen gained approval from the International Hockey League to revive the Dayton Gems franchise.
Mississippi became the latest team on the Interstate 10 corridor to cease operations, after the Baton Rouge Kingfish, Louisiana IceGators, Mobile Mysticks, and Pensacola Ice Pilots.
[9] With the new SPHL franchise in place, the Sea Wolves former owners relinquished their team's membership in the ECHL at the Annual Board of Governors' Meeting.
[10] The Wings joined the American Conference's North Division, renewing old rivalries from the original IHL with Toledo and Cincinnati.
The Pacific and West Divisions of the National Conference will remain the same with the exception of the Phoenix Roadrunners and the Fresno Falcons who folded midway through the 2008-09 season.
[11] Following the Annual Board of Governors' Meeting in June, the ECHL announced that it would establish a third division in the American Conference consisting of the Elmira, Johnstown, Reading and Trenton franchises.
[6] The league received updates from the inactive Columbia Inferno and Reno, Nevada franchises who were granted a one-year extension to their voluntary suspensions.
Columbia advised the Board that construction is scheduled to begin later in the Summer on the Lexington County Events Center and that the Inferno plan to return to the ice for the 2010-11 season.
[14] GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (in minutes) Statistics current as of: April 5, 2010 F Mark Derlago (Idaho Steelheads) F Tyler Donati (Elmira Jackals) F Ryan Kinasewich (Utah Grizzlies) D Eric Regan (Bakersfield Condors) D J.C. Sawyer (Toledo Walleye) G Todd Ford (South Carolina Stingrays) F Justin Donati (Elmira Jackals) F Adam Miller (Las Vegas Wranglers) F Tyler Spurgeon (Idaho Steelheads) D Mitch Ganzak (Wheeling Nailers) D Jimmy Sharrow (Victoria Salmon Kings) G Richard Bachman (Idaho Steelheads)