Allen vs. Tulsa Series Preview, Americans Sign Defenseman Ty Prefontaine – Player Profile, Allen’s Best Special Teams and More

The Allen Americans begin a three-game series against last-place Tulsa tonight. The teams play again in Allen on Friday and then travel to Tulsa for game three on Saturday. Don’t let Tulsa’s last spot fool you. The Americans have played against Tulsa three times this season and have not yet won a game. Here are the results of the three matches:

• November 7: 4-1 loss at Tulsa
• November 9: 4–3 overtime loss at Tulsa (Brayden Watts scored all 3 goals)
• November 15: 4-2 loss at Allen

– The common denominator in the three losses was Vyacheslav Buteyets, Tulsa’s NHL-contracted goaltender, who won all three games against Allen and stopped 87 of 92 shots for a .946 save percentage. Buteyets was recalled to the San Diego Gulls after the game against Allen on November 15. Tulsa lost nine straight games after being recalled. Buteyets was away from Tulsa for a month and is one of the rare players to have played in the ECHL, AHL and NHL this season. He made his NHL debut with the Anaheim Ducks on December 3, but had a rough night (9.00 GAA, .769 save percentage). Buteyets was just assigned to Tulsa on Saturday and won his first start, beating Tahoe 3-2. He has won his last five starts for Tulsa, and you can expect the Americans to see a lot of him in this series.

– Here are some comparison stats between Allen and Tulsa:

• Allen is 6-4-0-0 over the last 10 games, Tulsa is 2-8-0-0.
• Allen is 5-4-1-0 at home, Tulsa is 4-5-0-0 on the road.
• Allen’s goal difference is -3 (67-70), while Tulsa’s is -22 (58-80).
• Allen’s team plus/minus is -24, while Tulsa’s is -91.
• Allen’s team save percentage is .914, while Tulsa’s is .900.

– Here’s the more traditional statistical comparison between the two teams.

• Average goals scored: Allen (3.0) – Tulsa (2.6)
• Goals Allowed Average: Allen (3.2) – Tulsa (3.6)
• Shots for average: Allen (31.7) – Tulsa (32.6)
• Shots against average: Allen (37.2) – Tulsa (36.5)
• Power Play Percentage: Allen (13.8%) – Tulsa (20.0%)
• Penalty Death Rate: Allen (89.0%) – Tulsa (78.8%)

– Special teams are always a big key to any series, but the contrast between Allen and Tulsa is striking when you look at the stats above. Allen has the ECHL’s #1 penalty kill; Tulsa’s ranked No. 24. The power play stats are the opposite. Tulsa is ranked No. 8, while Allen is ranked No. 25. In their three head-to-head games, Allen was 0-13 on the power play, Tulsa was 1-9. Both teams will have power play opportunities in this series. Allen ranks sixth in penalty minutes (325) and has taken 105 minor penalties. Tulsa ranks seventh in penalty minutes (314) and has committed 97 minor penalties. In fact, Tulsa has more major five-minute penalties than Allen (12-9).

– Both teams are below average when they score first. They have identical records, scoring first in only 9 of 22 matches (41%). Allen’s first-scoring record is 6-1-2-0 (.778). Tulsa’s first-scoring record is 6-3-0-0 (.667). That said, scoring first will be another key in this series. The odds say that the team that scores first will win two out of three matches.

– This series will probably come down to goaltending. I assume that Marco Costantini and Vyacheslav Buteyets will play two, if not all three matches. Two excellent goalies with nearly identical save percentages, .926 and .930. Marco has won four games in a row with save percentages of .929, 917, 1.000 and .978. Buteyets has won five straight games with save percentages of .933, .971, .920, .939 and .941. It could be quite a show tonight.

– Allen signed defenseman Ty Prefontaine yesterday. – He is a 26-year-old, 6-foot-4, left-shot defenseman from Saskatoon, SASK. He played his junior hockey in the Western Hockey League and just graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a double degree in education and kinesiology.

In 255 WHL games, Ty had 70 points (10G, 60A) and 193 penalty minutes. During his college career, he played 108 games, tallying 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) and 134 penalty minutes.

What kind of player is Prefontaine? He captained his junior team (Lethbridge Hurricanes) in his final WHL season (2019-2020) and led the team in plus/minus with a +43. The next highest was +28. He had 28 points (3G, 25A) and 45 penalty minutes. In his last full season in college (2024-25), he wore an “A” and was second on the team in plus/minus at +19. Steve Martinson’s quote to me: “Prefontaine is big, strong and tough. To me, he’s like the prototypical shutdown defender.”

Prefontaine is a rookie as a professional, but he has played five years of junior hockey and five years of college hockey. He is four years older than Sedley and Anania. This signing reminds me of Allen’s 2016 championship team, when two veteran college guys who had played in the OHL (Jordan Rowley and Thomas Carr) signed late in the regular season and were key players in shutting down Wheeling’s top line. Ty could ultimately be the same type of player, a shutdown defender against the opponent’s top line.

Here’s an interview with Ty from last season talking about his hockey and his education. You get a good insight into what the Allen-Americans are getting with Ty Prefontaine.

– Prefontaine will not be in Allen’s lineup tonight. Martinson’s roster does not include any additional players, Murray is on loan to the AHL and Ty is not in the lineup. If there are no other changes today, Allen could still have a full contingent of 18 skaters tonight.

-Tulsa is struggling with injuries this season. As of yesterday, the Oilers had nine players on 14-day injured reserve, including four NHL/AHL contracted players. Tulsa should have at least five more contracted players in the lineup tonight.

– Tonight’s match will be a one referee match. Tyler Spott (#32) will be the referee. The linesmen are Aaron Schacht (#51) and Michael Miggins (#47).

OTHER NOTES

– There are 10 games on the ECHL schedule tonight. Six Mountain Division teams will be in action. Here is today’s ECHL with all the previews: https://echl.com/news/2025/12/echl-today-dec-17

– The Allen Americans currently have the #1 penalty kill percentage in the ECHL. I went back to see if the Americans have ever finished a season as the No. 1 team, either on the power play or on penalty kill. It only happened once. Here are the seasons in which the Americans finished in the top five since joining the ECHL in 2014-15:

• 2022-23: #4 PP – #5 PK
• 2020-21: #2 PP
• 2016-17: #3 PP – #5 PK
• 2015-16: #1 PP – #3 PK

FYI, in 2016, heading into their second Kelly Cup, Allen also had the #1 power play in the playoffs at 27.2%. The Americans scored 80 goals in 24 playoff games, and 35% of them (28) were scored on the power play.