The United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) congratulates former Boston Jr. Bruins defenseman Connor Doherty on capturing the 2026 ECHL Kelly Cup championship with the Florida Everblades.
Doherty is a product of the Boston Jr. Bruins organization, where he spent five seasons developing before skating in the USPHL Premier during the 2013-14 campaign. Following his time in the league, Doherty advanced directly to NCAA Division I hockey at Sacred Heart University, where he played four seasons for the Pioneers.
Since turning professional, Doherty has built a lengthy ECHL career with Worcester, Kansas City, Maine, and Florida. During the 2025-26 season, the veteran defenseman appeared in 62 regular-season games for the Everblades, recording 18 points (3G, 15A) and a +32 rating. He continued his strong play in the postseason, adding 10 points (3G, 7A) in 12 playoff games as Florida captured the Kelly Cup.
Florida clinched the championship on Monday night with a dramatic 5-4 double-overtime victory over the Kansas City Mavericks in Game 6 before a standing-room-only crowd of 5,786 fans at Cable Dahmer Arena. The title marked the Everblades’ fifth Kelly Cup championship and fourth in the last five seasons, further cementing the franchise as one of the ECHL’s premier organizations.
The Kelly Cup Finals also featured three additional USPHL and NCDC alumni skating for the Kansas City Mavericks: former Islanders Hockey Club forward Bobo Carpenter, former Boston Jr. Bruins and South Shore Kings forward Casey Carreau, and former Northern Cyclones and South Shore Kings forward Will Gavin.
Kansas City’s bench was also led by General Manager and Head Coach Tad O’Had, who served as the original Head Coach and General Manager of the Florida Jr. Blades from 2010-13. O’Had guided the Mavericks to their second consecutive appearance in the Kelly Cup Finals.
The USPHL and NCDC congratulate Connor Doherty on winning the 2026 Kelly Cup Championship and commend all of the league’s alumni and coaches who were represented on professional hockey’s championship stage.
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