On Tuesday, the ECHL terminated the membership of the Newfoundland Growlers. 
The termination was the result of the franchise’s ownership group, Deacon Sports and Entertainment (DSE), to meet obligations to the league. The action was effective immediately.
The ECHL released a statement on Tuesday that said the termination was “effective immediately, for failure to fulfill its obligations under the ECHL Bylaws,”.
The ownership group of the Growlers also own the Trois Rivières Lions of the ECHL, and the ECHL has mandated the sale of both teams. The Lions were sold by the deadline, and will complete the ECHL season.
“We are saddened to lose ECHL hockey in the Newfoundland market,” said ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin in a statement. “We’d like to thank the Growlers fans and partners for their support of the team throughout their existence, and are hopeful that hockey can return to the region for their dedicated and passionate fanbase.”
Dean MacDonald, chair of the ownership group confirmed the termination of the Growlers, and the save of the Lions.
The Growlers had six game remaining on their schedule, all have been cancelled.
This past weekend, the Growlers and Lions were the subject of discussion on Hockey Night in Canada.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman put the topic on the air.
“There’s been a lengthy behind-the-scenes battle over payments to cities and some of the NHL teams, and they’ve put a deadline,” Friedman said on SportsNet. “If it isn’t solved by Tuesday, then there’s going to be a board meeting and they’re going to suspend operations of the team.”
The ECHL statement vaguely elaborated on the issues, citing obligations and requirements, but not revealing the shortfalls.
“All ECHL Contracted Players on the Newfoundland roster are Unrestricted Free Agents, however no ECHL Member may sign more than two (2) Players from the free agent pool of Newfoundland Players. Any Player from this pool who signs and finishes the Season with a new ECHL Member for the balance of the 2023-24 Season shall be ineligible for that Member’s Protected List and shall become an Unrestricted Free Agent at the conclusion of the 2023-24 Season,” the league said in its statement.
It has been reported that DSE owes the city of Trois Rivières an estimated $1 million over their use of the Colisée Vidéotron.
By ECHL and affiliate agreements, players on the roster on AHL/NHL deals and on the roster after 11:59 p.m. EST on March 20th are not eligible to play in the ECHL for the remainder of the season.
The Growlers were an affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, and Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
That affiliation has 12 players who are no longer eligible to play in the ECHL for the rest of the season, including F: Jackson Berezowski, Brock Caufield, Grant Cruikshank, Isaac Johnson, Neil Shea, Tate Singleton, Keenan Suthers, Tyler Weiss D: Nolan Dillingham, Nathan Staios (FLA), Jonny Tychonick G: Dryden McKay, Slava Peksa
All other players were declared unrestricted free agents.
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