The American Hockey League (AHL) is a

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the league has an affiliation agreement with one NHL team. When NHL teams do not have an AHL affiliate, players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL teams. Twenty-six AHL teams are located in the United States and the remaining six are in Canada. The league offices are located in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

, and its current president is

Scott Howson Donald Scott Howson (born April 9, 1960) is a Canadian ice hockey executive and former player. He was formerly the general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played 18 games in the NHL with the New York I ...

. In general, a player must be at least 18 years of age to play in the AHL or not currently be beholden to a

junior ice hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

team. The league limits the number of experienced professional players on a team's active roster during any given game; only five skaters can have accumulated four full seasons of play or more at the professional level (goaltenders are exempt from this rule and can stay in the AHL indefinitely without being subject to this cap). The AHL allows for

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

contracts. The annual playoff champion is awarded the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...

, named for

Frank Calder Frank Sellick Calder (November 17, 1877 – February 4, 1943) was a British-born Canadian ice hockey executive, journalist, and athlete. Calder was the first president of the National Hockey League (NHL), from 1917 until his death in 1943. He ...

, the first President (1917–1943) of the NHL. The defending champions are the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...

in 2022, who are the first team to win the Calder Cup since the

Charlotte Checkers The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affi ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

History

Predecessor leagues

The AHL traces its origins directly to two predecessor professional leagues: the

Canadian-American Hockey League Canadian Americans is a term that can be applied to American citizens whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadian, or citizens of either country that hold dual citizenship. The term ''Canadian'' can mean a nationality or an ethnicity. Canadians ...

(the "Can-Am" League), founded in 1926, and the first International Hockey League, established in 1929. Although the Can-Am League never operated with more than six teams, the departure of the Boston Bruin Cubs after the 1935–36 season reduced it down to just four member clubs – the

Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existen ...

Philadelphia Ramblers The Philadelphia Ramblers were a minor professional ice hockey team based in the Philadelphia Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Ramblers played for six seasons during the infancy of the American Hockey League from 1935 to 1941. History T ...

Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a ice hockey, hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) between 1926 and 1936 and the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Re ...

, and

New Haven Eagles The New Haven Eagles were a professional ice hockey team that played in New Haven, Connecticut. The Eagles were one of five inaugural franchises in the Canadian American Hockey League, and a founding member of the American Hockey League. History ...

– for the first time in its history. At the same time, the then-rival IHL lost half of its eight members after the 1935–36 season, also leaving it with just four member teams: the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

, Syracuse Stars,

Pittsburgh Hornets The Pittsburgh Hornets were a minor-league professional men's ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Contrary to popular belief, the Pittsburgh Hornets did not evolve from the International Hockey League's Pittsburgh Shamrocks. The ...

, and

Cleveland Falcons The Cleveland Falcons were a professional ice hockey team in Cleveland, Ohio, that played home games in the Elysium Arena. The team was founded in 1929, as the Cleveland Indians as a member of the International Hockey League, where they played fo ...

1936–1938

With both leagues down to the bare minimum number of teams to be viable, the governors of both leagues recognized the need for action to assure their member clubs' long-term survival. Their solution was to play an interlocking schedule. While the Can-Am was based in the

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

and the IHL in the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

, their footprints were close enough for this to be a viable option. The two leagues' eight surviving clubs began joint play in November 1936 as a new two-division "circuit of mutual convenience" known as the International-American Hockey League. The four Can-Am teams became the I-AHL East Division, with the IHL quartet playing as the West Division. The IHL also contributed its former championship trophy, the F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy, which would go to the regular-season winners of the merged league's West Division until 1952. The Oke Trophy is now awarded to the regular-season winners of the AHL's Northeast Division. A little more than a month into that first season, the balance and symmetry of the new combined circuit suffered a setback when its membership unexpectedly fell to seven teams. The West's Buffalo Bisons were forced to cease operations on December 6, 1936, after playing just 11 games, because of what proved to be insurmountable financial problems and lack of access to a suitable arena; the Bisons' original arena,

Peace Bridge Arena Peace Bridge Arena was the main sports arena located in Fort Erie, Ontario. Built in 1928, it held 5,000 people. It was located near the Peace Bridge connecting Fort Erie with Buffalo, New York. Both the Chicago Black Hawks and Pittsburgh Pira ...

, had collapsed the previous season (a new

team would return to the league in 1940 after a new arena was constructed for them). The makeshift new I-AHL played out the rest of its first season (as well as all of the next) with just seven teams. At the end of the 1936–37 season, a modified three-round playoff format was devised and a new championship trophy, the

, was established. The Syracuse Stars defeated the Philadelphia Ramblers in the final, three-games-to-one, to win the first-ever Calder Cup championship. The Calder Cup continues on today as the AHL's playoff championship trophy.

Formal consolidation of the I-AHL

After two seasons of interlocking play, the governors of the two leagues' seven active teams met in New York City on June 28, 1938, and agreed that it was time to formally consolidate.

Maurice Podoloff Maurice Podoloff ( yi, מוריס פודולוף; August 18, 1890 – November 24, 1985) was an American lawyer and a basketball and ice hockey administrator. He served as the president of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) between 1946� ...

of New Haven, the former head of the Can-Am League, was elected the I-AHL's first president. The former IHL president, John Chick of

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

, became vice-president in charge of officials. The new I-AHL also added an eighth franchise at the 1938 meeting to fill the void in its membership left by the loss of Buffalo two years earlier with the admission of the then two-time defending Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL) champion

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the c ...

. The Bears remain the only one of these eight original I-AHL/AHL franchises to have been represented in the league without interruption since the 1938–39 season. The newly merged circuit also increased its regular-season schedule for each team by six games from 48 to 54.

Contraction, resurrection, and expansion

After the 1939–40 season the I-AHL renamed itself the American Hockey League. It generally enjoyed both consistent success on the ice and relative financial stability over its first three decades of operation. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, however, the cost of doing business in professional ice hockey began to rise sharply with NHL expansion and relocation (the NHL placed teams in Pittsburgh and Buffalo, forcing two long-time AHL clubs, the Pittsburgh Hornets and Buffalo Bisons, to fold) and especially the 1972 formation of the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

(WHA), which forced the relocation and subsequent folding of the

Cleveland Barons The name Cleveland Barons has been used by three professional hockey teams and one junior team. *Cleveland Barons (NHL), the National Hockey League team that played between 1976 and 1978 *Cleveland Barons (1937–1973), the original American Hockey ...

Baltimore Clippers The Baltimore Clippers were a minor league professional ice hockey team from in Baltimore, Maryland, playing in the Baltimore Civic Center. The Clippers were members of the American Hockey League from 1962 to 1976, and then played one season in ...

, and

Quebec Aces The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. History The Aces were founded in 1928 by Anglo-Canadian Pulp and Paper Mills, the name Aces stan ...

. The number of major-league teams competing for players rose from six to thirty in just seven years. Player salaries at all levels shot up dramatically with the increased demand and competition for their services. This did not seem to affect the AHL at first, as it expanded to 12 teams by 1970. However, to help compensate for the rise in player salaries, many NHL clubs cut back on the number of players they kept under contract for development, and players under AHL contracts could now also demand much higher paychecks to remain with their clubs. As a result, half of the AHL's teams folded from 1974 to 1977. The league bottomed out in the summer of 1977, with news that the Rhode Island (formerly Providence) Reds – the last remaining uninterrupted franchise from the 1936–37 season, and the oldest continuously operating minor league franchise in North America – had decided to cease operations after 51 years in Rhode Island. The AHL appeared in serious danger of folding altogether if this downward trend was not reversed. However, two events in the fall of 1977 helped reverse the trend. The first of these was the decision of the NHL's

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

to return to the league as a team owner, and the second was the unexpected collapse of the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

just weeks before the start of the 1977–78 season. AHL 50 Jahre

The Flyers' new AHL franchise became the immediately successful Maine Mariners, which brought the new AHL city of

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

both the regular-season and Calder Cup playoff titles in each of that club's first two seasons of operation. The folding of the NAHL, meanwhile, suddenly left two of its stronger teams, the

Philadelphia Firebirds The Philadelphia Firebirds were a minor league professional ice hockey team that played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1974 to 1979, and later the franchise moved to Syracuse, New York, and played one final season as the Syracuse Firebirds. ...

and

Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

-based

Broome Dusters The Broome Dusters were an ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, United States at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. The team logo was designed by Johnny Hart, artist of the comic strip ...

, without a league to play in. The owners of the Dusters solved their problem by buying the Reds franchise and moving it to Binghamton as the

Binghamton Dusters The Binghamton Dusters were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. The team logo was designed by Johnny Hart, artist of the comic strip " B.C." an ...

, while the Firebirds crossed over to the AHL from the NAHL. The Dusters and Firebirds, together with the

Hampton Gulls The Hampton Gulls were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Hampton, Virginia, from 1974 to 1978 at the Hampton Coliseum. The Gulls played three seasons in the Southern Hockey League, beginning in 1974. When that league folded in ...

(who had joined the league from the Southern Hockey League), boosted the AHL to nine member clubs as the 1977–78 season opened. Hampton folded on February 10, 1978, but was replaced the next year by the

New Brunswick Hawks The New Brunswick Hawks were a professional ice hockey team based in Moncton, New Brunswick. Home games were played at the Moncton Coliseum. They were a member of the American Hockey League (AHL) between 1978 and 1982. The Hawks operated as a min ...

. With franchise stability improving after the demise of the WHA in 1979, the league continued to grow steadily over the years, reaching 20 clubs by the 2000–01 season.

Absorption of the IHL

In 2001–02, the AHL's membership jumped dramatically to 27 teams, mostly by the absorption of six teams—

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, and

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

—from the International Hockey League. The IHL had established itself as the second top-level minor league circuit in North America, but folded in 2001 due to financial problems. One oddity caused by the AHL's 2001 expansion was that the league had two teams with the same nickname: the Milwaukee Admirals and the

Norfolk Admirals Norfolk Admirals has been the name of two professional ice hockey franchises: * Norfolk Admirals (AHL), a team which played in the American Hockey League from 2000 to 2015 *Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) The Norfolk Admirals are a professional ice hock ...

. The latter team transferred to the league from the mid-level

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

in 2000. This situation lasted until the end of the 2014–15 season when the Norfolk team moved to San Diego and was replaced by another ECHL team with the same name. The Utah Grizzlies suspended operations after the 2004–05 season (the franchise was sold in 2006 and returned to the ice in Cleveland in

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

as the Lake Erie Monsters, now known as the

Cleveland Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...

). The Chicago Wolves (

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

), Houston Aeros (

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

), Milwaukee Admirals (

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

), and Grand Rapids Griffins (

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

) have all won Calder Cup titles since joining the AHL from the IHL. Chicago and Milwaukee have also made multiple trips to the Calder Cup Finals, and Houston made their second Finals appearance in 2011. The Manitoba Moose moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011 and were renamed the

St. John's IceCaps The St. John's IceCaps were a professional ice hockey team based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. They were members of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team was originally aff ...

after the NHL's

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 seaso ...

moved to Winnipeg as the second incarnation of the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

. In 2013, Houston moved to Des Moines, Iowa to become the

Iowa Wild The Iowa Wild are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, that began play for the 2013–14 season. The team plays at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, as the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild. The team was f ...

. This left Chicago, Grand Rapids and Milwaukee as the only ex-IHL teams still in their original cities until the 2015 relocations when the IceCaps moved back to Winnipeg as the Manitoba Moose.

Relocations and western shift

Beginning with the 2015–16 season, twelve franchises have since relocated due to NHL parent clubs' influence on their development teams and players. Of the twelve relocated franchises, nine were relocated because they were directly owned by NHL teams and the NHL parent club wished to make call-ups from the AHL more practical by having closer affiliates. In January 2015, the AHL announced the relocation of five existing AHL franchises— Adirondack,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, and

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

—to California as the basis for a new "Pacific Division" becoming Stockton,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

, and San Jose respectively. The relocated teams were all affiliated and owned or purchased by teams in the NHL's Pacific Division. The franchise movements continued with two more relocations involving Canadian teams with the

going back to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

as the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and a member of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets o ...

and the

Hamilton Bulldogs The Hamilton Bulldogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League that began to play in the 2015–16 OHL season, 2015–16 season. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the Bulldogs play their home games at FirstOntario Cent ...

becoming another iteration of the IceCaps to fulfill the arena contract in St. John's. In the following seasons, more NHL organizations influenced league membership. In 2016, the

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a former ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ar ...

franchise was purchased by the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

and relocated to become the

Tucson Roadrunners The Tucson Roadrunners are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play for the 2016–17 season. Based in Tucson, Arizona, and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Arizona Coyotes, the team plays i ...

and join the one-year-old Pacific Division. The Falcons were subsequently replaced by the

Springfield Thunderbirds The Springfield Thunderbirds are a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League that began play for the 2016–17 season. They are the affiliate of the National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; fren ...

, the relocated

Portland Pirates The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks fr ...

franchise under a new ownership group. The

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

-owned IceCaps relocated to the Montreal suburb of

Laval, Quebec Laval (; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is in the southwest of the province, north of Montreal. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third-largest city in the province after Montreal and Quebec City, and the thirteenth largest city in C ...

, and became the

Laval Rocket The Laval Rocket (french: Rocket de Laval) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) as an affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Montreal Canadiens. Based in Laval, Quebec, Canada, the Rocket play th ...

in 2017. The

Binghamton Senators The Binghamton Senators were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2002 to 2017. Nicknamed the B-Sens, they played in Binghamton, New York, at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. The B-Sens w ...

were also purchased by the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

and were relocated to

Belleville, Ontario Belleville is a city in Ontario, Canada situated on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, located at the mouth of the Moira River and on the Bay of Quinte. Belleville is between Ottawa and Toronto, along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Its population ...

, to become the

Belleville Senators The Belleville Senators are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2017–18 season as the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League team, the Ottawa Senators. Based in Bellevill ...

while the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

' owned

Albany Devils The Albany Devils were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The top affiliate of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), the A-Devils played their home games at the Times Union Center in Albany, ...

were relocated to become the

Binghamton Devils The Binghamton Devils were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2017 to 2021 as the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s New Jersey Devils. Based in Binghamton, New Y ...

. For the 2018–19 season, a 31st team joined the league with the

Colorado Eagles The Colorado Eagles are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League. The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hoc ...

as the NHL's

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...

affiliate. With the NHL planning to expand to 32 teams in 2021 with the

Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...

, the Seattle ownership group was approved for a 2021 AHL expansion team, later announced to be the

Coachella Valley Firebirds The Coachella Valley Firebirds are a professional ice hockey expansion team based in Thousand Palms, California, that began play in the 2022–23 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team is an owned-and-operated affiliate of the Seattle Kra ...

based in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

, following the construction of a new arena. The original plans for the new arena was eventually cancelled and the team postponed their launch by year while new arena plans were developed. In February 2020, the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was sold ...

franchise was bought and relocated by the NHL's

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expan ...

for the 2020–21 season as the

Henderson Silver Knights The Henderson Silver Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in Henderson, Nevada, that began play in the 2020–21 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team plays its home games at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada. The tea ...

and was moved to the Pacific Division. For the 2021–22 season, the Vancouver Canucks relocated their franchise from Utica to Abbotsford while the

Utica Comets The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York, with home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated wit ...

agreed to relocate and operate the franchise that was operating as the

. On May 23, 2022, it was announced that the Stockton Heat would be relocating to

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, starting the 2022-23 season.

Teams

Teams as of the 2022–23 season

;Notes

Timeline

DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:01/01/1936 till:07/01/2025 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:40 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(1,0.6,0.5) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Former value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a former league member id:Current value:rgb(0.4,0.80,0.67) # Use this color to denote a team that is a current league member PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:12/06/1936 text:

(1936) bar:2 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1973 text: Cleveland Falcons/Barons (1936–73) bar:2 color:former from:08/01/1973 till:05/01/1974 shift:-80 text:

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

(73–74) bar:2 color:former from:08/01/1974 till:05/01/1975 text: Syracuse Eagles (1974–75) bar:3 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1943 text: New Haven Eagles/Ramblers (1936–43, 1945–51) bar:3 color:former from:08/01/1945 till:05/01/1951 bar:4 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1942 text: Philadelphia Ramblers/Rockets (1936–42) bar:5 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1956 text:

(1936–56, 1961–67) bar:5 color:former from:08/01/1961 till:05/01/1967 bar:6 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1977 text: Providence/Rhode Island Reds (1936–77) bar:6 color:former from:08/01/1977 till:05/01/1997 shift:-10 text: Binghamton Dusters/Whalers/Rangers (1977–97) bar:6 color:current from:08/01/1997 till:end text: Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale (1997–) bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1942 text:

(36–42, 46–51) bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1946 till:05/01/1951 bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1951 till:05/01/1954 text:

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

(51–54) bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1954 till:05/01/1994 shift:55 text: Springfield Indians/Kings (1954–94) bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1994 till:05/01/2005 text:

Worcester IceCats The Worcester IceCats were a US ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the Worcester Centrum. In 2005 the team was renamed the Peoria Rivermen and moved to Peoria, Illinois. History The IceCats ...

(94-05) bar:7 color:former from:08/01/2005 till:05/01/2013 text: Peoria(05-13) bar:7 color:former from:08/01/2013 till:05/01/2021 text: Utica (13–21) bar:7 color:current from:08/01/2021 till:end text:

Abbotsford Canucks The Abbotsford Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and members of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in the 2021–22 season with home games at Abbotsford Centre as the AHL affilia ...

(2021–) bar:8 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1940 text:

(36–40) bar:8 color:former from:08/01/1940 till:05/01/1970 shift:45 text:

(1940–70) bar:9 color:current from:08/01/1938 till:end text:

(1938–) bar:10 color:former from:08/01/1939 till:05/01/1952 text:

Indianapolis Capitals The Indianapolis Capitals were an American Hockey League professional ice hockey team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1939 to 1952. The Capitals were a farm team for the Detroit Red Wings. Indianapolis won the Calder Cup in 1942 and 1950. ...

(1939–52) bar:11 color:former from:08/01/1941 till:05/01/1943 shift:-30 text: Wash. Lions (41–43, 47–49) bar:11 color:former from:08/01/1947 till:05/01/1949 bar:11 color:former from:08/01/1949 till:05/01/1952 shift:15 text:

Cincinnati Mohawks The Cincinnati Mohawks was the name of two professional ice hockey teams in Cincinnati, Ohio who played their home games at the Cincinnati Gardens. The first Mohawks' club were members of the American Hockey League (AHL) between 1949 and 1952 whil ...

(1949–52) bar:12 color:former from:08/01/1944 till:05/01/1953 text: St. Louis Flyers (1944–53) bar:13 color:former from:08/01/1946 till:05/01/1949 text:

Philadelphia Rockets The Philadelphia Rockets were a minor professional ice hockey team based in the Philadelphia Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Rockets played for three seasons in American Hockey League from 1946 to 1949. Previously another Rockets team exi ...

(1946–49) bar:14 color:current from:08/01/1956 till:end text:

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

(1956–) bar:15 color:former from:08/01/1959 till:05/01/1971 text:

(1959–71) bar:15 color:former from:08/01/1971 till:05/01/1976 text:

Richmond Robins The Richmond Robins were a professional ice hockey team based in Richmond, Virginia. They were a member of the American Hockey League for five seasons from 1971–72 AHL season, 1971–72 to 1975–76 AHL season, 1975–76. Their cross-state rivals ...

(1971–76) bar:16 color:former from:08/01/1962 till:05/01/1976 text:

(1962–76) bar:17 color:former from:08/01/1969 till:05/01/1971 shift:-55 text:

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

(69–71) bar:17 color:former from:08/01/1971 till:05/01/1984 shift:0 text:

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

(71–84) bar:17 color:former from:08/01/1984 till:05/01/1990 shift:-45 text:

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional count ...

(84–90) bar:17 color:former from:08/01/1990 till:05/01/1999 shift:-15 text:

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

(90–99) bar:17 color:former from:08/01/1999 till:05/01/2002 shift:-20 text:

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

(99-02) bar:17 color:former from:08/01/2002 till:05/01/2015 shift:20 text:

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

(2002–15) bar:17 color:former from:08/01/2015 till:05/01/2017 shift:-25 text: St. John's bar:17 color:current from:08/01/2017 till:end text:

(2017–) bar:18 color:former from:08/01/1971 till:05/01/1974 text: Boston Braves (1971–74) bar:18 color:former from:08/01/1987 till:05/01/1994 text:

Moncton Hawks The Moncton Hawks were a professional ice hockey team based in Moncton, New Brunswick. They played in the American Hockey League between 1987 and 1994, operating as a minor league affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets. Home games were played at the Mon ...

(1987–94) bar:19 color:former from:08/01/1971 till:05/01/1974 text:

Cincinnati Swords The Cincinnati Swords were an American Hockey League team that played at the Cincinnati Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio from 1971 to 1974. They were owned by and the affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. History The Swords ...

(1971–74) bar:20 color:former from:08/01/1971 till:05/01/1975 shift:-55 text: Tidewater/Virginia Wings(71–75) bar:20 color:former from:08/01/1979 till:05/01/1999 shift: 10 text:

Adirondack Red Wings The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, United States at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the Natio ...

(1979–99) bar:20 color:former from:08/01/2002 till:05/01/2020 text:

(2002–2020) bar:20 color:current from:08/01/2020 till:end shift:-20 text:

(2020–) bar:21 color:former from:08/01/1972 till:05/01/1993 text: New Haven Nighthawks/Senators (1972–93) bar:21 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/1996 text:

PEI Senators The Prince Edward Island Senators were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1993–94 AHL season, 1993 to 1995–96 AHL season, 1996. Originally located in New Haven, Connecticut, for 21 seasons, inc ...

(93–96) bar:21 color:former from:08/01/2002 till:05/01/2017 shift:10 text:

Binghamton Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

(2002–17) bar:21 color:current from:08/01/2017 till:end shift:-20 text:

(2017–) bar:23 color:former from:08/01/1977 till:02/10/1978 text:

(1977–78) bar:24 color:former from:08/01/1977 till:05/01/1987 shift:-45 text: Maine Mariners (1977–87) bar:24 color:former from:08/01/1987 till:05/01/1993 shift:-25 text:

Utica Devils The Utica Devils were a professional ice hockey team of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team was based in Utica, New York, and played its home games at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. History The Utica Devils were AHL affiliate of the Nationa ...

(87–93) bar:24 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/2003 text: Saint John (1993–03) bar:24 color:former from:08/01/2005 till:05/01/2007 shift:-5 text: OMA bar:24 color:former from:08/01/2007 till:05/01/2009 shift:0 text: QC bar:24 color:former from:08/01/2009 till:05/01/2014 shift:0 text:

ABB ABB Ltd. is a Swedish- Swiss multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. The company was formed in 1988 when Sweden's Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) and Switzerland's Brown, Boveri & Cie merged to crea ...

bar:24 color:former from:08/01/2014 till:05/01/2015 shift:-10 text: ADK bar:24 color:former from:08/01/2015 till:05/01/2022 shift:5 text: Stockton Heat bar:24 color:current from:08/01/2022 till:end shift:5 text:

Calgary Wranglers The Calgary Wranglers are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, that began play in the 2022–23 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team plays at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the home of their NHL affiliate team, the Calgary ...

(2022–) bar:25 color:former from:08/01/1977 till:05/01/1979 shift:-70 text:

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

(77–79) bar:25 color:former from:08/01/1979 till:05/01/1980 text: Syracuse Firebirds (1979–80) bar:26 color:former from:08/01/1978 till:05/01/1982 shift:-141 text:

(78–82) bar:26 color:former from:08/01/1982 till:05/01/1986 shift:-40 text: St. Catharines (82–86) bar:26 color:former from:08/01/1986 till:05/01/1991 shift:25 text: Newmarket (86–91) bar:26 color:former from:08/01/1991 till:05/01/2005 shift:65 text: St. John's (1991–2005) bar:26 color:current from:08/01/2005 till:end shift:20 text:

Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies is owned by Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, a c ...

(2005–) bar:27 color:former from:08/01/1981 till:05/01/1982 shift:-80 text:

Erie Blades The Erie Blades name was used by two professional ice hockey teams in Erie, Pennsylvania. Both teams played their home games in the Erie County Field House. After the second Blades team folded, the void was filled by the Erie Golden Blades, a tea ...

(81–82) bar:27 color:former from:08/01/1982 till:05/01/1993 shift:5 text:

Baltimore Skipjacks The Baltimore Skipjacks were a minor league professional ice hockey team from Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The Skipjacks originated in 1979, and played as the Baltimore Clippers in the Eastern Hockey League for two seasons. The team was ...

(82–93) bar:27 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/2016 shift:20 text:

(1993–2016) bar:27 color:current from:08/01/2016 till:07/01/2020 shift:-35 text:

(2016–) bar:27 color:current from:07/01/2021 till:end bar:28 color:former from:08/01/1981 till:05/01/1988 shift:-85 text:

Fredericton Express The Fredericton Express were a professional ice hockey team based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. They played in the American Hockey League between 1981 and 1988. The Express were affiliated with the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks o ...

(81–88) bar:28 color:former from:08/01/1988 till:05/01/1993 shift:-25 text: Halifax (88–93) bar:28 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/1996 shift:-5 text:

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

(93–96) bar:28 color:current from:08/01/1999 till:end shift:15 text:

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are the AHL affiliates of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre ...

(1999–) bar:29 color:former from:08/01/1982 till:05/01/1984 text:Sherbrooke Jets (1982–84) bar:30 color:former from:08/01/1982 till:05/01/1987 text:Moncton Golden Flames, Moncton Alpines/Golden Flames (1982–87) bar:31 color:former from:08/01/1984 till:05/01/1988 shift:-60 text:Nova Scotia Oilers, Nova Scotia (84–88) bar:31 color:former from:08/01/1988 till:05/01/1996 shift:-5 text:Cape Breton Oilers, Cape Breton (88–96) bar:31 color:former from:08/01/1996 till:05/01/2003 text:Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL), HAM (96–03) bar:31 color:former from:08/01/2003 till:05/01/2004 shift:-10 text:Toronto Roadrunners, TOR bar:31 color:former from:08/01/2004 till:05/01/2005 text:Edmonton Road Runners, EDM bar:31 color:former from:08/01/2010 till:05/01/2015 shift:-25 text:Oklahoma City Barons, OKC (2010–15) bar:31 color:current from:08/01/2015 till:end shift:-1 text:Bakersfield Condors(2015–) bar:32 color:former from:08/01/1987 till:05/01/1992 shift:-50 text: Maine Mariners (1987–92) bar:32 color:current from:08/01/1992 till:end shift:20 text:Providence Bruins (1992–) bar:33 color:former from:08/01/1990 till:05/01/1993 shift:-65 text:Capital District Islanders, C.D. Islanders(90–93) bar:33 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/2010 text:Albany River Rats(93–10) bar:33 color:current from:08/01/2010 till:07/01/2020 text:

(2010–) bar:33 color:current from:07/01/2021 till:end bar:34 color:former from:08/01/1992 till:05/01/1994 shift:-65 text:Hamilton Canucks(92–94) bar:34 color:current from:08/01/1994 till:end shift:35 text:Syracuse Crunch (1994–) bar:35 color:former from:08/01/1994 till:05/01/2016 text:

(1994–2016) bar:35 color:current from:08/01/2016 till:end shift:-20 text:

(2016–) bar:36 color:former from:08/01/1995 till:05/01/1997 shift:-60 text:Baltimore Bandits, Baltimore (95–97) bar:36 color:former from:08/01/1997 till:05/01/2005 text:Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, Cincinnati (97-05) bar:36 color:current from:08/01/2007 till:end text:Rockford IceHogs (2007–) bar:37 color:former from:08/01/1995 till:05/01/1997 shift:-60 text:Carolina Monarchs, Carolina(1995–97) bar:37 color:former from:08/01/1997 till:05/01/1999 text:Beast of New Haven (1997–99) bar:38 color:former from:08/01/1996 till:05/01/2009 text:Philadelphia Phantoms, Philadelphia(96–09) bar:38 color:former from:08/01/2009 till:05/01/2014 shift:-45 text:Adirondack Phantoms, Adirondack(09–14) bar:38 color:current from:08/01/2014 till:end shift:-10 text:Lehigh Valley Phantoms (2014–) bar:39 color:former from:08/01/1996 till:05/01/2001 shift:-55 text:Kentucky Thoroughblades, Kentucky(96–01) bar:39 color:former from:08/01/2001 till:05/01/2006 shift:-30 text:Cleveland Barons (2001–06), Cleveland(01–06) bar:39 color:former from:08/01/2006 till:05/01/2015 shift:0 text:

(2006–15) bar:39 color:current from:08/01/2015 till:end shift:-2 text:San Jose Barracuda(2015–) bar:40 color:former from:08/01/1998 till:05/01/2010 text:Lowell Devils, Lowell (1998–2010) bar:40 color:former from:08/01/2010 till:05/01/2017 shift:-30 text:Albany Devils, Albany (2010–17) bar:40 color:former from:08/01/2017 till:05/01/2021 shift:-20 text:Binghamton Devils, Bing. (17–21) bar:40 color:current from:08/01/2021 till:end shift:0 text:

(2021) bar:41 color:former from:08/01/1999 till:05/01/2001 shift:-60 text:Louisville Panthers(99-01) bar:41 color:former from:08/01/2005 till:05/01/2009 shift:-5 text:Iowa Stars, Iowa(05-09) bar:41 color:current from:08/01/2009 till:end shift:10 text:Texas Stars (2009–) bar:42 color:former from:08/01/2000 till:05/01/2015 text:

(2000–15) bar:42 color:current from:08/01/2015 till:end text:San Diego Gulls(2015–) bar:43 color:current from:08/01/2001 till:end text:Bridgeport Islanders, Bridgeport Sound Tigers/Islanders (2001–) bar:44 color:current from:08/01/2001 till:end text:

(2001–) bar:45 color:current from:08/01/2001 till:end text:Grand Rapids Griffins (2001–) bar:46 color:former from:08/01/2001 till:05/01/2013 text:Houston Aeros (1994–2013), Houston Aeros (2001–13) bar:46 color:current from:08/01/2013 till:end text:

(2013–) bar:47 color:former from:08/01/2001 till:05/01/2015 text:Manchester Monarchs (AHL), Manchester Monarchs (2001–15) bar:47 color:current from:08/01/2015 till:end text:Ontario Reign(2015–) bar:48 color:current from:08/01/2001 till:07/01/2020 text:Milwaukee Admirals (2001–) bar:48 color:current from:07/01/2021 till:end bar:49 color:former from:08/01/2001 till:05/01/2011 shift:-75 text:

(2001–11) bar:49 color:former from:08/01/2011 till:05/01/2015 shift:-50 text:

(2011–15) bar:49 color:current from:08/01/2015 till:end shift:45 text:

(2015–) bar:50 color:former from:08/01/2001 till:05/01/2005 shift:-50 text:Utah Grizzlies (1995–2005), Utah Grizzlies (2001–05) bar:50 color:current from:08/01/2007 till:end text:Cleveland Monsters, Lake Erie/Cleveland Monsters (2007–) bar:51 color:current from:08/01/2018 till:end shift:-20 text:

(2018–) bar:52 color:current from:08/01/2022 till:end shift:-50 text:Coachella Valley Firebirds, Coachella Valley (2022–) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:10 start:01/01/1940

AHL teams of the past and present

Bold teams means they are still active *

(1) (1936; folded) *

(1936–37; renamed the Cleveland Barons) *

(1936–43; folded during World War II resurrected 1945) *

(1936–41, renamed Philadelphia Rockets) *

(1936–56; went on hiatus to wait for new arena, returned 1961) *

(1936–76; renamed Rhode Island Reds) *

(1936–42; suspended during World War II; returned 1946) * Syracuse Stars (1936–40; became Buffalo Bisons) *

(1937–1973; became Jacksonville Barons) *

(1938–present) *

(1939–52; folded) *

(2) (1940–70; folded) *

(1941–42; folded) * Washington Lions (1941–43; folded) * St. Louis Flyers (1944–53; folded) *

(1945–46, renamed New Haven Ramblers) *

(1946–51; became Syracuse Warriors) *

(1946–49; folded) * New Haven Ramblers (1946–50, renamed New Haven Eagles) * Washington Lions (1947–49; became Cincinnati Mohawks) *

(1949–52; transferred to International Hockey League (1945–2001), IHL) *

(1950–51, folded) * Springfield Indians, Syracuse Warriors (1951–54; became Springfield Indians) *

(1954–67; renamed Springfield Kings) *

(1956–present) *

(1959–71; became Richmond Robins) *

(1961–67; folded) *

(1962–76; folded) * Springfield Kings (1967–74; renamed Springfield Indians) * Nova Scotia Voyageurs, Montreal Voyageurs (1969–71; became Nova Scotia Voyageurs) * Nova Scotia Voyageurs (1971–84; became Sherbrooke Canadiens) * Boston Braves (1971–74; suspended, became Moncton Hawks) *

(1971–74; folded) *

(1971–76; folded) * Virginia Wings, Tidewater Wings (1971–72; played in Norfolk; renamed Virginia Wings) * Virginia Wings (1972–75; played in Norfolk; became Adirondack Red Wings) * Cleveland Barons (1937–73), Jacksonville Barons (1973–74; folded, franchise purchased and became Syracuse Eagles) * New Haven Nighthawks (1972–92; became New Haven Senators) *

(1974–94; became Worcester IceCats) * Syracuse Eagles (1974–75; folded) * Providence Reds, Rhode Island Reds (1976–77; became Binghamton Dusters) *

(1977–78; folded midseason) *

(1977–80; renamed Binghamton Whalers) * Maine Mariners (1977–92; original franchise became Utica Devils; expansion franchise became Providence Bruins) *

(1977–79; became Syracuse Firebirds) *

(1978–82; became St. Catharines Saints) *

(1979–99; became San Antonio Rampage) * Philadelphia Firebirds (ice hockey), Syracuse Firebirds (1979–80; folded) * Binghamton Whalers (1980–90; renamed Binghamton Rangers) *

(1981–82; merged into Baltimore Skipjacks) *

(1981–88; became Halifax Citadels) *

(1982–93; became Portland Pirates) * Moncton Golden Flames, Moncton Alpines (1982–84; renamed Moncton Golden Flames) * Sherbrooke Jets (1982–84; folded) * St. Catharines Saints (1982–86; became Newmarket Saints) * Nova Scotia Oilers (1984–88; became Cape Breton Oilers) * Sherbrooke Canadiens (1984–90; became Fredericton Canadiens) * Moncton Golden Flames (1984–87; folded) * Newmarket Saints (1986–91; became St. John's Maple Leafs) *

(1987–94; folded) *

(1987–93; became Saint John Flames) * Cape Breton Oilers (1988–96; became Hamilton Bulldogs) * Halifax Citadels (1988–93; became Cornwall Aces) * Binghamton Rangers (1990–97; became Hartford Wolf Pack) * Capital District Islanders (1990–93; became Albany River Rats) * Fredericton Canadiens (1990–99; became Quebec Citadelles) * St. John's Maple Leafs (1991–2005; became Toronto Marlies) *Providence Bruins (1992–present) * Hamilton Canucks (1992–94; became Syracuse Crunch) * New Haven Senators (1992–93; became Prince Edward Island Senators) * Albany River Rats (1993–2010; became Charlotte Checkers) *

(1993–2016, became Springfield Thunderbirds) * Prince Edward Island Senators (1993–96; became Binghamton Senators) * Saint John Flames (1993–2003; became Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights) * Cornwall Aces (1993–96; dormant until 1999 and became Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) *

(1994–2016; became Tucson Roadrunners) *Syracuse Crunch (1994–present) *

(1994–2005; became Peoria Rivermen) * Baltimore Bandits (1995–97; became Cincinnati Mighty Ducks) * Carolina Monarchs (1995–97; became Beast of New Haven) * Philadelphia Phantoms (1996–2009; became Adirondack Phantoms) *

(1996–2015; became second version of the St. John's IceCaps) * Kentucky Thoroughblades (1996–2001; became Cleveland Barons) * Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (1997–2005; became Rockford IceHogs) * Beast of New Haven (1997–99; folded) *Hartford Wolf Pack (1997–2010, 2013–present; became Connecticut Whale from 2010–13) * Lowell Devils, Lowell Lock Monsters (1998–2006; became Lowell Devils) *

(1999–present) * Louisville Panthers (1999–2001; became Iowa Stars) * Quebec Citadelles (1999–2002; merged with Hamilton Bulldogs) *

(2000–15; became the San Diego Gulls) *Bridgeport Sound Tigers (2001–2021; became Bridgeport Islanders) *

(2001–present) *Grand Rapids Griffins (2001–present) * Houston Aeros (1994–2013), Houston Aeros (2001–13; became Iowa Wild) * Manchester Monarchs (AHL), Manchester Monarchs (2001–15; became the Ontario Reign) *Milwaukee Admirals (2001–present) * Cleveland Barons (2001–06), Cleveland Barons (2001–06; became Worcester Sharks) *

(2001–11, 2015–present; were the St. John's IceCaps from 2011–2015) * Utah Grizzlies (1995–2005), Utah Grizzlies (2001–05; became Lake Erie Monsters) *

(2002–17; became the Belleville Senators in 2017) *

(2002–20; became Henderson Silver Knights) * Toronto Roadrunners (2003–04; split from Hamilton Bulldogs, became Edmonton Road Runners) * Edmonton Road Runners (2004–05; dormant 2005–2010, became the Oklahoma City Barons) * Iowa Chops, Iowa Stars (2005–08; became Iowa Chops) * Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (2005–07; became Quad City Flames) * Peoria Rivermen (AHL), Peoria Rivermen (2005–13; became Utica Comets) *

(2005–present) * Lowell Devils (2006–10; became Albany Devils) * Worcester Sharks (2006–15; became the San Jose Barracuda) * Lake Erie Monsters (2007–16; became Cleveland Monsters) * Quad City Flames (2007–09; became Abbotsford Heat) *Rockford IceHogs (2007–present) * Iowa Chops (2008–09; became Texas Stars) * Adirondack Phantoms (2009–14; became Lehigh Valley Phantoms) *Texas Stars (2009–present) * Abbotsford Heat (2009–14; became Adirondack Flames) *

(2010–17; became the Binghamton Devils in 2017) *

(2010–present) * Oklahoma City Barons (2010–15; became the Bakersfield Condors) * Hartford Wolf Pack, Connecticut Whale (2010–13; reverted to Hartford Wolf Pack) *

(2011–17; original franchise became the Manitoba Moose in 2015, second franchise became the Laval Rocket in 2017) *

(2013–present) *

(2013–present; original franchise relocated to Abbotsford in 2021) * Adirondack Flames (2014–15; became the Stockton Heat) *Lehigh Valley Phantoms (2014–present) *Bakersfield Condors (2015–present) *Ontario Reign (2015–present) *San Diego Gulls (2015–present) *San Jose Barracuda (2015–present) * Stockton Heat (2015–22; became the Calgary Wranglers) *

(2016–present) *

(2017–present) *

(2017–21; became second version of the Utica Comets) *

(2017–present) *

(2018–present) *

(2020–present) *

(2021–present) *Bridgeport Islanders (2021–present) *

(2022–present) *

(2022–present)

All-Star Game

The American Hockey League first held an All-Star Game in the 1941–42 season. The event was not played again until the 1954–55 season, and was then held annually until the 1959–60 season. In the 1994–95 season, the AHL revived the events again, and has been played every season until the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the events in 2021 and 2022. The skills competition was first introduced for the 1995–96 season. From 1996 to 2010, the game took place between a team of players born outside of Canada and a team of players born within Canada. The All-Star Game was replaced by an all-star challenge between the league's divisions from the 2015–16 season onward. The challenge consists of six round-robin games between the league's divisions; the top two divisions in the challenge's round-robin phase advance to a six-minute championship game. The winning division of the championship game is declared the winner of the all-star challenge.

Outdoor games

2012 AHL Winter Classic CBP Philadelphia

Since the 2009–10 season, at least one team in the AHL has hosted an list of outdoor ice hockey games, outdoor ice hockey game each year. The Syracuse Crunch was the first organization to put on an outdoor game in the AHL on February 20, 2010, building a rink at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, New York, and packing a record 21,508 fans in for the Mirabito Outdoor Classic against the Binghamton Senators. The contest, which was also televised to an international audience on NHL Network (U.S. TV network), NHL Network, was won by the Crunch, 2–1. The Connecticut Whale hosted the Whale Bowl—the AHL's second outdoor game—on February 19, 2011, as part of a 10-day Whalers Hockey Fest at Rentschler Field (stadium), Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn. Attendance for Connecticut's game against the Providence Bruins was announced at 21,673, the largest in AHL history to that point. Providence won, 5–4, in a shootout. On January 6, 2012, the largest crowd in AHL history saw the Adirondack Phantoms defeat the Hershey Bears, 4–3, in overtime before 45,653 fans at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the final event of the week-long activities associated with the 2012 NHL Winter Classic, which also included a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers on Jan 2 and an alumni game between retired players (including eight honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame) of those two clubs on December 31, 2011. The contest was the third outdoor game in AHL history and it more than doubled the league's previous single-game attendance mark. On January 21, 2012, the Steeltown Showdown between Ontario rivals the

and

was held at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ont., with the Marlies winning 7–2 in front of 20,565 fans, the largest crowd ever for an AHL game in Canada. The AHL game was preceded the previous night by a game between Toronto Maple Leafs and

alumni. Two outdoor games were announced for the 2012–13 AHL season, but a meeting between the Grand Rapids Griffins and Toronto Marlies at Comerica Park in Detroit as part of the festivities surrounding the 2013 NHL Winter Classic, NHL Winter Classic was not held because of the cancellation of the NHL Winter Classic. On January 20, 2013, the Hershey Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins met outdoors at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pa. The Penguins earned a 2–1 overtime victory in front of 17,311 fans. The

hosted an outdoor game in 2013–14, the Frozen Frontier, which was held at Frontier Field in Rochester on December 13, 2013. The Americans took a 5–4 decision in a shootout against the Lake Erie Monsters before a standing-room crowd of 11,015 fans. A year after their originally scheduled date, the Griffins and Marlies played at Comerica Park on December 30, 2013, and Toronto prevailed in a shootout, 4–3, becoming the first AHL team ever with two outdoor wins. Attendance in Detroit was 20,337. As part of the recent addition of the Pacific Division, the AHL played its first outdoor hockey game in California during the 2015–16 season called the Golden State Hockey Rush. On December 18, 2015, the Stockton Heat hosted the Bakersfield Condors at Raley Field in West Sacramento, California. Stockton defeated Bakersfield 3–2 in front of 9,357 fans. For the second consecutive season, the AHL played an outdoor game in California. The Bakersfield Condors were named as hosts for their second outdoor game against the Ontario Reign to be held on January 7, 2017, at Bakersfield College's Memorial Stadium (Bakersfield), Memorial Stadium and was called the Condorstown Outdoor Classic. Despite sometimes heavy rain during the first period, the game went on as scheduled and the Condors defeated the Reign 3–2 in overtime. Although technically not an outdoor game, the Syracuse Crunch defeated the

2–1 on November 22, 2014 at the Carrier Dome, normally a college football stadium.

AHL Hall of Fame

The formation of an American Hockey League Hall of Fame was announced by the league on December 15, 2005, created to recognize, honor and celebrate individuals for their outstanding achievements and contributions specifically in the AHL.

Trophies and awards

The following is a list of awards of the American Hockey League. The season the award was first handed out is listed in parentheses.

Individual awards

* Les Cunningham Award – Most valuable player ''(1947–48 AHL season, 1947–48)'' * John B. Sollenberger Trophy – Top point scorer ''(1947–48 AHL season, 1947–48)'' * Willie Marshall Award – Top goal scorer ''(2003–04 AHL season, 2003–04)'' * Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award – Rookie of the year ''(1947–48 AHL season, 1947–48)'' * Eddie Shore Award – Defenceman of the year ''(1958–59 AHL season, 1958–59)'' * Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award – Best Goaltender ''(1983–84 AHL season, 1983–84)'' * Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award – Lowest Goals against average ''(1947–48 AHL season, 1947–48)'' * Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award – Coach of the year ''(1967–68 AHL season, 1967–68)'' * Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award – Sportsmanship / Perseverance ''(1977–78 AHL season, 1977–78)'' * Yanick Dupre Memorial Award – Community Service Award ''(1997–98 AHL season, 1997–98)'' * Jack A. Butterfield Trophy – MVP of the playoffs ''(1983–84 AHL season, 1983–84)''

Team awards

– Playoffs champions ''(1936–37 AHL season, 1936–37)'' * Richard F. Canning Trophy – Eastern Conference playoff champions ''(1989–90 AHL season, 1989–90)'' * Robert W. Clarke Trophy – Western Conference playoff champions ''(1989–90 AHL season, 1989–90)'' * Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy – Regular season champions, League ''(1997–98 AHL season, 1997–98)'' * Frank Mathers Trophy – Regular Season champions, Eastern Conference ''(1995–96 AHL season, 1995–96)'' * Norman R. "Bud" Poile Trophy – Regular Season champions, Western Conference ''(2001–02 AHL season, 2001–02)'' * Emile Francis Trophy – Regular Season champions, Atlantic Division ''(2001–02 AHL season, 2001–02)'' * F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy – Regular Season champions, North Division ''(1936–37 AHL season, 1936–37)''^† * Sam Pollock Trophy – Regular Season champions, Central Division ''(1995–96 AHL season, 1995–96)'' * John D. Chick Trophy – Regular Season champions, Pacific Division ''(1961–62 AHL season, 1961–62)'' ^† Trophy predates American Hockey League, established 1926–27 in the Canadian Professional Hockey League.

Other awards

* James C. Hendy Memorial Award – Executive of the Year ''(1961–62 AHL season, 1961–62)'' * Thomas Ebright Memorial Award – Outstanding career contributions ''(1997–98 AHL season, 1997–98)'' * James H. Ellery Memorial Awards – Outstanding media coverage ''(1964–65 AHL season, 1964–65)'' * Ken McKenzie Award – Marketing Executive of the Year ''(1978–79 AHL season, 1978–79)'' * Michael Condon Memorial Award – Outstanding service, On-ice official ''(2001–02 AHL season, 2001–02)'' * President's Awards – two annual awards given out by the AHL. The first award is presented to an AHL organization and recognizes "excellence in all areas off the ice." The second is given to a player as recognition of outstanding accomplishments in that year ''(2008–09 AHL season, 2008–09)'' Sources:
AHL Hall of Fame

hockeydb.com

References

External links

Official AHL website

– at Internet Hockey Database {{Authority control American Hockey League, Minor league hockey Articles which contain graphical timelines 1936 establishments in North America Sports leagues established in 1936 Professional ice hockey leagues in the United States Professional ice hockey leagues in Canada Multi-national professional sports leagues Second tier ice hockey leagues Multi-national ice hockey leagues in North America

History

Predecessor leagues

1936–1938

Formal consolidation of the I-AHL

Contraction, resurrection, and expansion

Absorption of the IHL

Relocations and western shift

Teams

Teams as of the 2022–23 season

Timeline

AHL teams of the past and present

All-Star Game

Outdoor games

AHL Hall of Fame

Trophies and awards

Individual awards

Team awards

Other awards

See also

References

External links