ECHL Teams to Be Featured in EA Sports ‘NHL 17′ Video Game – IceMen Presumably Not Included

For the first time in the history of the franchise, EA Sports will give hockey-loving gamers the chance to work their way up from the ranks of the minor leagues all the way to "The Show" thanks to the inclusion of all 27 ECHL teams in their upcoming NHL 17 game. However, it appears one team of local interest isn't one of them.

The ECHL posted the news of their inclusion to their website on Tuesday saying,

The inclusion of the ECHL will feature the League’s 27 Clubs authentic home, road, and third jerseys, bringing ECHL fans the chance to play their way in the most exciting EA SPORTS NHL® game to date.

Curious as to whether or not the former Evansville, and soon-to-be Owensboro, IceMen were part of that 27 team roster, I went to the "Teams" page of the ECHL website to see if they were still listed after announcing they would sit out the upcoming season to give themselves time to either upgrade the existing Owensboro Sports Center, or build an entirely new arena.

While their Evansville logo is included along the top of the page, when you select "2016-17 Regular Season" from the pull-down menu, they're not listed among the teams in the adjacent pull-down. A quick head count of the teams that are listed results in a total of 27, so common sense tells me they won't be part of NHL 17.

I've searched the depths of the internet to find a complete list of ECHL teams that will be included to confirm my belief, but have come up empty. So while there is no concrete evidence the team won't be included, simple mathematics seems to imply they will not.

NHL 17 is expected to be released this September, however no exact date has been announced as of this writing.