The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

league in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

that serves as the primary developmental league of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and 6 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. As of the

2024–25 AHL season The 2024–25 AHL season was the 89th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 11, 2024, and ended on April 20, 2025. The 2025 Calder Cup playoffs will follow the conclusion of the regular season. With the deactiv ...

, all 32 NHL teams held affiliations with an AHL team. Historically, when an NHL team does not have an AHL affiliate, its players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL franchises. The league offices are located in

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

, and its current president is Scott Howson. A player must be at least 18 years old and not belong to a

junior ice hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...

team to be eligible. The league limits the number of experienced professional players in a team's lineup during any given game; only five skaters can have accumulated more than 260 games played at the professional level (goaltenders are exempt from this rule). 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 (AHL). 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 it ...

, 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 following the 2024–25 season are the

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

, winning their 1st Calder Cup in franchise history.

History

Predecessor leagues

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

Canadian-American Hockey League Canadian Americans () are American citizens or in some uses residents whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadian, or citizens of either country who hold dual citizenship. Today, many Canadian Americans hold both US and Canadian citizenship. T ...

(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 two separate minor professional ice hockey franchises, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The original Indians were founding members of the American Hockey Leagu ...

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. Histor ...

Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a 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 Reds. The t ...

, 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. Histor ...

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, 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.

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—eac ...

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 spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

, 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 North 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, Canada. 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 Pittsbur ...

, 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 (; 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) from 1946 to 1949, and the National Basketb ...

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

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

, 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 The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart ...

(EAHL) champion

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

. 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 () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

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

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 i ...

, 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 (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

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 50th season of operation in 2024–25. 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. The Flyers' new AHL franchise became the immediately successful Maine Mariners, which brought the new AHL city of

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

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 c ...

-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 stri ...

, 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 an American 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 lea ...

(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 mi ...

. 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 is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

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 ...

, and

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

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

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

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 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

as the Lake Erie Monsters, now known as the

Cleveland Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team based in Cleveland. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Monsters play home games at Rocket Mortgage F ...

). The Chicago Wolves (

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

), Houston Aeros (

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

), 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 60 ...

), and Grand Rapids Griffins (

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

) 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 St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North Ame ...

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 NHL sea ...

moved to Winnipeg as the second incarnation of the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...

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

Iowa Wild The Iowa Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wild play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena. The ...

. 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 and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, 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, Engl ...

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

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

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

, 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 Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

as the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre. The fran ...

and the Hamilton Bulldogs 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 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 Arizona Co ...

franchise was purchased by the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

and relocated to become the

Tucson Roadrunners The Tucson Roadrunners are a professional ice hockey team based in Tucson, Arizona. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Utah Mammoth. They play their home games at the Tucson Convention Cente ...

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

Springfield Thunderbirds The Springfield Thunderbirds are a professional ice hockey team based in Springfield, Massachusetts. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues. The Thunderbirds play their home games at th ...

, 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 ...

franchise under a new ownership group. The

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

-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 Can ...

, and became the

Laval Rocket The Laval Rocket () are a professional ice hockey team based in Laval, Quebec. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) and Trois-Rivières Lions of the ECHL. The Rocket play ...

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 (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

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. Its population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 55,071 (Census Metropolitan Area population 1 ...

, to become the

Belleville Senators The Belleville Senators (colloquially known as the B-Sens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Belleville, Ontario. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ottawa Senators. The Senators pl ...

while the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a 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 Conference. The club w ...

' 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. During the 2017–18 and 2 ...

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

Colorado Eagles The Colorado Eagles are a professional 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 Hockey League and ...

as the NHL's

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

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 (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The t ...

, 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 team based in the Coachella Valley. They are members of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Firebirds began play in the 2022–23 AH ...

based in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, 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 Rivers ...

, following the construction of a new arena. The original plans for the new arena was eventually cancelled and the team postponed their launch by a 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 so ...

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 Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...

for the 2020–21 season as the

Henderson Silver Knights The Henderson Silver Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in Henderson, Nevada. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Lee ...

and was moved to the Pacific Division. For the 2021–22 season, the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

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. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated with the National Hockey League's (NHL) New Jersey D ...

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 a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, starting the 2022–23 season. For the 2023–24 season, the Chicago Wolves operated as the league's only unaffiliated team, making them the first team to operate without an NHL partner since the inaugural season of the

Worcester IceCats The Worcester IceCats were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the Worcester Centrum (Renamed to the DCU Center in 2004). In 2005 the team was renamed the Peoria Rivermen and ...

during the 1994–95 season. Consequently, the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

became the only NHL team currently without an AHL affiliate. However, the Hurricanes loaned some players to the Wolves, such as Vasili Ponomaryov, Domenick Fensore, Ronan Seeley and

Antti Raanta Antti Raanta (born 12 May 1989) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender who currently plays for Lukko in the Finnish Liiga. He last played with Genève-Servette Hockey Club, Genève-Servette HC of the National League (ice hockey), Nationa ...

. On May 2, 2024, the Hurricanes and Wolves committed to a three-year affiliation beginning with the 2024–25 season.

Teams

List of teams

Notes

Timeline

Gold star = Won Calder Cup 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 Define $Down = shift:(,-7) Define $t = textcolor Define $champ = text:"*" $t:gold2 fontsize:XL shift:(-1,-10) Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(1,0.6,0.5) id:gold2 value:rgb(1,0.75,0.0) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Former value:rgb(0.8,0.8,0.8) # 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 id:Suspended value:rgb(0.75,0.6,0.9) # suspended 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:

bar:2 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1973 $Down text: Cleveland Falcons/Barons bar:2 color:former from:08/01/1973 till:05/01/1974 shift:-50 text:

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

bar:2 color:former from:08/01/1974 till:05/01/1975 text: Syracuse Eagles bar:2 at:06/01/1939 $champ bar:2 at:06/01/1941 $champ bar:2 at:06/01/1945 $champ bar:2 at:06/01/1948 $champ bar:2 at:06/01/1951 $champ bar:2 at:06/01/1953 $champ bar:2 at:06/01/1954 $champ bar:2 at:06/01/1957 $champ bar:2 at:06/01/1964 $champ bar:3 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1943 text: New Haven Eagles/Ramblers 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 bar:5 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1956 $Down text:

bar:5 color:former from:08/01/1961 till:05/01/1967 bar:5 at:06/01/1952 $champ bar:5 at:06/01/1955 $champ bar:5 at:06/01/1967 $champ bar:6 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1977 $Down text: Providence/Rhode Island Reds bar:6 color:former from:08/01/1977 till:05/01/1997 text: Binghamton Dusters/Whalers/Rangers bar:6 color:current from:08/01/1997 till:end $Down text: Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale bar:6 at:06/01/1938 $champ bar:6 at:06/01/1940 $champ bar:6 at:06/01/1949 $champ bar:6 at:06/01/1956 $champ bar:6 at:06/01/2000 $champ bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1942 text:

bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1946 till:05/01/1951 bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1951 till:05/01/1954 shift:-5 text:

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1954 till:05/01/1994 shift:55 $Down text: Springfield Indians/Kings bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1994 till:05/01/2005 text:

bar:7 color:former from:08/01/2005 till:05/01/2013 text: Peoria bar:7 color:former from:08/01/2013 till:05/01/2021 text: Utica bar:7 color:current from:08/01/2021 till:end text:

bar:7 at:06/01/1960 $champ bar:7 at:06/01/1961 $champ bar:7 at:06/01/1962 $champ bar:7 at:06/01/1971 $champ bar:7 at:06/01/1975 $champ bar:7 at:06/01/1990 $champ bar:7 at:06/01/1991 $champ bar:8 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1940 $Down text:

bar:8 color:former from:08/01/1940 till:05/01/1970 $Down text:

bar:8 at:06/01/1937 $champ bar:8 at:06/01/1943 $champ bar:8 at:06/01/1944 $champ bar:8 at:06/01/1946 $champ bar:8 at:06/01/1963 $champ bar:8 at:06/01/1970 $champ bar:9 color:current from:08/01/1938 till:end $Down text:

bar:9 at:06/01/1947 $champ bar:9 at:06/01/1958 $champ bar:9 at:06/01/1959 $champ bar:9 at:06/01/1969 $champ bar:9 at:06/01/1974 $champ bar:9 at:06/01/1980 $champ bar:9 at:06/01/1988 $champ bar:9 at:06/01/1997 $champ bar:9 at:06/01/2006 $champ bar:9 at:06/01/2009 $champ bar:9 at:06/01/2010 $champ bar:9 at:06/01/2023 $champ bar:9 at:06/01/2024 $champ bar:10 color:former from:08/01/1939 till:05/01/1952 $Down 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. T ...

bar:10 at:06/01/1942 $champ bar:10 at:06/01/1950 $champ bar:11 color:former from:08/01/1941 till:05/01/1943 shift:-30 text: Wash. Lions 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:10 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 whi ...

bar:12 color:former from:08/01/1944 till:05/01/1953 text: St. Louis Flyers 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. History The Rockets played for three seasons in American Hockey League from 1946 to 1949. Previously another Rocket ...

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Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...

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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 to 1975–76. Their cross-state rivals in the AHL were the Virginia Wings. The ...

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Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

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Nova Scotia Voyageurs The Nova Scotia Voyageurs were a professional ice hockey team, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the American Hockey League, from 1971 to 1984. Originally chartered as the Omaha Knights of the Central Professional Hockey Leagu ...

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Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...

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Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

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Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

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Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

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:

bar:17 at:06/01/1972 $champ bar:17 at:06/01/1976 $champ bar:17 at:06/01/1977 $champ bar:17 at:06/01/1985 $champ bar:17 at:06/01/2007 $champ bar:18 color:former from:08/01/1971 till:05/01/1974 text:

Boston Braves The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...

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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 ...

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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 Sword ...

bar:19 at:06/01/1973 $champ bar:20 color:former from:08/01/1971 till:05/01/1975 shift:-55 text: Tidewater/Virginia Wings bar:20 color:former from:08/01/1979 till:05/01/1999 $Down 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 Nati ...

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bar:20 at:06/01/1981 $champ bar:20 at:06/01/1986 $champ bar:20 at:06/01/1989 $champ bar:20 at:06/01/1992 $champ bar:21 color:former from:08/01/1972 till:05/01/1993 text: New Haven Nighthawks/Senators bar:21 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/1996 text: PEI Senators 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 con ...

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bar:21 at:06/01/2011 $champ bar:23 color:former from:08/01/1977 till:02/10/1978 text:

bar:24 color:former from:08/01/1977 till:05/01/1987 $Down text: Maine Mariners bar:24 color:former from:08/01/1987 till:05/01/1993 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 Natio ...

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Saint John Flames The Saint John Flames were a Canadian ice hockey team in the American Hockey League from 1993 to 2003 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Calgary Flames bought and relocated the Utica Devils, to be their AHL affiliate. History The Saint ...

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 Group is a Swedish-Swiss multinational electrical engineering corporation. Incorporated in Switzerland as ABB Ltd., and headquartered in Zurich, it is dual-listed on the Nasdaq Nordic exchange in Stockholm, Sweden, and the SIX Swiss Excha ...

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 The Stockton Heat were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2015 to 2022. The team was based in Stockton, California, and was affiliated with the National Hockey League (NHL) Calgary Flames. The Hea ...

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Calgary Wranglers The Calgary Wranglers are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. They are members of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the home of their Na ...

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Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

bar:25 color:former from:08/01/1979 till:05/01/1980 text: Syracuse Firebirds bar:26 color:former from:08/01/1978 till:05/01/1982 shift:-70 text:

bar:26 color:former from:08/01/1982 till:05/01/1986 text: St. Cath. bar:26 color:former from:08/01/1986 till:05/01/1991 text: Newmarket bar:26 color:former from:08/01/1991 till:05/01/2005 shift:10 text: St. John's Maple Leafs 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 are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...

bar:26 at:06/01/1982 $champ bar:26 at:06/01/2018 $champ bar:27 color:former from:08/01/1981 till:05/01/1982 shift:-55 text: Erie Blades 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 ...

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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 of ...

bar:28 color:former from:08/01/1988 till:05/01/1993 text: Halifax bar:28 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/1996 shift:-5 text:

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

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Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (sometimes known as the WBS Penguins) are a professional ice hockey team based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Pengui ...

bar:29 color:former from:08/01/1982 till:05/01/1984 text: Sherbrooke Jets bar:30 color:former from:08/01/1982 till:05/01/1987 text: Moncton Alpines/Golden Flames bar:31 color:former from:08/01/1984 till:05/01/1988 shift:-20 text:

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

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Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

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bar:31 color:former from:08/01/2003 till:05/01/2004 shift:-10 text: Tor. bar:31 color:former from:08/01/2004 till:05/01/2005 text: Edm. bar:31 color:former from:08/01/2010 till:05/01/2015 text: OKC bar:31 color:current from:08/01/2015 till:end shift:-1 text:

Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team based in Bakersfield, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home games at Dignity Healt ...

bar:31 at:06/01/1993 $champ bar:32 color:former from:08/01/1987 till:05/01/1992 shift:-20 text: Maine Mariners bar:32 color:current from:08/01/1992 till:end $Down text:

Providence Bruins The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Providence, Rhode Island. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Hi ...

bar:32 at:06/01/1999 $champ bar:33 color:former from:08/01/1990 till:05/01/1993 shift:-45 text: C.D. Islanders bar:33 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/2010 $Down text:

Albany River Rats The Albany River Rats were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center. History Before the formation of the franchise Without a viable indoor arena with ...

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Charlotte Checkers The Charlotte Checkers are a 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 affiliate of the ...

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Hamilton Canucks The Hamilton Canucks were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They played in Hamilton, Ontario, at Copps Coliseum. They were the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). The te ...

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Syracuse Crunch The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team based in Syracuse, New York. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning. They play in they home games at the Upstate Medical Univer ...

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Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

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Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

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Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

bar:37 color:former from:08/01/1995 till:05/01/1997 shift:-30 text: Carolina bar:37 color:former from:08/01/1997 till:05/01/1999 text: Beast of New Haven bar:38 color:former from:08/01/1996 till:05/01/2009 $Down text:

Philadelphia Phantoms The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and played most of its home games at the Spectrum (arena), Spectrum ...

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Lehigh Valley Phantoms The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are a professional ice hockey team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The team competes in the American Hockey League (AHL) and serves as the primary development team for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey Le ...

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Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

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Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

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Worcester Sharks The Worcester Sharks were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2006 to 2015. Affiliated with the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks and located in Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachu ...

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San Jose Barracuda The San Jose Barracuda are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s San Jose Sharks. The team has played its home games at Tech CU Are ...

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Louisville Panthers The Louisville Panthers were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Louisville, Kentucky. Their home venue was Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The mascot was a light brown "panther" named Paws. They were a ...

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Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

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Texas Stars The Texas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Cedar Park, Texas. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars. They play their homes games at the H-E-B Center. History In ...

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San Diego Gulls The San Diego Gulls are a professional ice hockey team based in San Diego. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Anaheim Ducks. The team plays its home games at Pechanga Arena. History On Jan ...

bar:42 at:06/01/2012 $champ bar:43 color:current from:08/01/2001 till:end text: Bridgeport Sound Tigers/Islanders bar:44 color:current from:08/01/2001 till:end $Down text:

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena ...

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Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

bar:45 at:06/01/2013 $champ bar:45 at:06/01/2017 $champ bar:46 color:former from:08/01/2001 till:05/01/2013 $Down text: Houston Aeros bar:46 color:current from:08/01/2013 till:end text:

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Manchester Monarchs Manchester Monarchs may refer to: *Manchester Monarchs (AHL) (2001–2015) *Manchester Monarchs (ECHL) The Manchester Monarchs were a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL which began play in the 2015–16 ECHL season, 2015–16 season. Bas ...

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Ontario Reign The Ontario Reign are a professional ice hockey team based in Ontario, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Arena. The fra ...

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Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team based in Milwaukee. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Nashville Predators. They play their homes games at the UW–Milwaukee Panther ...

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Utah Grizzlies The Utah Grizzlies are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. Franchise history The current Utah Grizzlies franchise started in 1981 as the Nashville South Stars i ...

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Coachella Valley The Coachella Valley ( ) is an arid rift valley in the Colorado Desert of Southern California in Riverside County. The valley has been referred to as Greater Palm Springs and occasionally the Palm Springs Area due to the historic promine ...

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:10 start:01/01/1940

All-time team list

Still-active teams in bold. *

(1) (1936; folded) * Cleveland Falcons (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) * Cleveland Barons (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 New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

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

(1949–52; transferred to IHL) *

(1950–51, folded) * 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) * Montreal Voyageurs (1969–71; became Nova Scotia Voyageurs) *

(1971–84; became Sherbrooke Canadiens) *

(1971–74; suspended, became Moncton Hawks) *

(1971–74; folded) *

(1971–76; folded) * Tidewater Wings (1971–72; played in Norfolk; renamed Virginia Wings) *

Virginia Wings The Virginia Wings were a professional ice hockey team based in Norfolk, Virginia of the greater Hampton Roads area. They were an affiliated farm team of the Detroit Red Wings, and a member of the American Hockey League for three seasons from 19 ...

(1972–75; played in Norfolk; became Adirondack Red Wings) * Jacksonville Barons (1973–74; folded, franchise purchased and became Syracuse Eagles) *

New Haven Nighthawks The New Haven Nighthawks were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1972 to 1992. They had affiliations with the New York Islanders (1972–1973), Minnesota North Stars (1972–1977), New York Rangers (19 ...

(1972–92; became New Haven Senators) *

(1974–94; became Worcester IceCats) * Syracuse Eagles (1974–75; folded) * 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) * Syracuse Firebirds (1979–80; folded) *

Binghamton Whalers The Binghamton Whalers were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, playing in Binghamton, New York, USA, at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. History The Whalers were generally a successful team, making the playoffs seven ti ...

(1980–90; renamed Binghamton Rangers) * Erie Blades (1981–82; merged into Baltimore Skipjacks) *

(1981–88; became Halifax Citadels) *

(1982–93; became Portland Pirates) * Moncton Alpines (1982–84; renamed Moncton Golden Flames) * Sherbrooke Jets (1982–84; folded) * St. Catharines Saints (1982–86; became Newmarket Saints) *

Nova Scotia Oilers The Nova Scotia Oilers were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in City of Halifax, Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1984 to 1988. The Oilers played their home games at the Halifax Metro Centre, and were the AHL affili ...

(1984–88; became Cape Breton Oilers) *

Sherbrooke Canadiens The Sherbrooke Canadiens were a professional ice hockey team in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. They played their home games at the Palais des Sports. They were a member of the American Hockey League from 1984 to 1990, and were a farm team of the M ...

(1984–90; became Fredericton Canadiens) *

Moncton Golden Flames The Moncton Golden Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Moncton, New Brunswick, playing home games at the Moncton Coliseum. The team operated in the American Hockey League between 1984–85 AHL season, 1984 and 1986–87 AHL season, ...

(1984–87; folded) *

Newmarket Saints The Newmarket Saints were a minor league hockey team in Newmarket, Ontario. It played in the American Hockey League from 1986 to 1991 as the farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Ray Twinney Complex. After the 1985–86 season, the Toront ...

(1986–91; became St. John's Maple Leafs) *

(1987–94; folded) *

(1987–93; became Saint John Flames) *

Cape Breton Oilers The Cape Breton Oilers were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team was the top minor league affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Oilers' organization relocated the team from Hal ...

(1988–96; became Hamilton Bulldogs) *

Halifax Citadels The Halifax Citadels were a professional ice hockey team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They played in the American Hockey League between 1988 and 1993. They were created by the relocation of the Fredericton Express and filled a void left by th ...

(1988–93; became Cornwall Aces) *

Binghamton Rangers The Binghamton Rangers were a former United States, American professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. History The market was previously serv ...

(1990–97; became Hartford Wolf Pack) *

Capital District Islanders The Capital District Islanders were a team in the American Hockey League based in Troy, New York, which is located within a region popularly called the Capital District. The Islanders were the principal minor league affiliate of the National Hoc ...

(1990–93; became Albany River Rats) *

Fredericton Canadiens The Fredericton Canadiens, or the 'Baby Habs', were a professional ice hockey team in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The Canadiens played their home games at the Aitken Centre. They were a member of the American Hockey League from 1990 to 1999, and ...

(1990–99; became Quebec Citadelles) * St. John's Maple Leafs (1991–2005; became Toronto Marlies) *

(1992–present) *

(1992–94; became Syracuse Crunch) *

New Haven Senators The New Haven Senators were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League during the 1992–93 AHL season. The team played their home games at the New Haven Coliseum. The Senators were known as the New Haven Nighthawks. ...

(1992–93; became Prince Edward Island Senators) *

(1993–2010; became Charlotte Checkers) *

(1993–2016, became Springfield Thunderbirds) *

Prince Edward Island Senators The Prince Edward Island Senators were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1993 to 1996. Originally located in New Haven, Connecticut, for 21 seasons, including one as the affiliate of the National ...

(1993–96; became Binghamton Senators) *

(1993–2003; became Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights) *

Cornwall Aces The Cornwall Aces were the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Quebec Nordiques from 1993 to 1995 and the relocated Colorado Avalanche in 1995–96. They were based in the eastern Ontario city of Cornwall and p ...

(1993–96; dormant until 1999 and became Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) *

(1994–2016; became Tucson Roadrunners) *

(1994–present) *

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

(1996–2009; became Adirondack Phantoms) * Hamilton Bulldogs (1996–2015; became second version of the St. John's IceCaps) *

Kentucky Thoroughblades The Kentucky Thoroughblades were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, who existed from 1996 to 2001. The Thoroughblades were based in Lexington, Kentucky, playing home games at Rupp Arena. The Thoroughblades were ...

(1996–2001; became Cleveland Barons) *

Cincinnati Mighty Ducks The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks were a professional ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were members of the American Hockey League, and played their home games at the Cincinnati Gardens. Throughout their existence they were the primary m ...

(1997–2005; became Rockford IceHogs) * Beast of New Haven (1997–99; folded) *

Hartford Wolf Pack The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the PeoplesBank Arena. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. ...

(1997–2010, 2013–present; became Connecticut Whale from 2010 to 2013) *

Lowell Lock Monsters Lowell may refer to: Places United States * Lowell, Arkansas * Lowell, Florida * Lowell, Idaho * Lowell, Indiana * Lowell, Maine * Lowell, Massachusetts ** Lowell National Historical Park ** Lowell (MBTA station) ** Lowell Ordnance Pla ...

(1998–2006; became Lowell Devils) *

(1999–present) *

(1999–2001; became Iowa Stars) *

Quebec Citadelles The Quebec Citadelles (French: ''Citadelles de Québec'') were a Minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada at the Colisée Pepsi. The name refers to the Citadelle of Quebec, a landmark forti ...

(1999–2002; merged with Hamilton Bulldogs) * Norfolk Admirals (2000–15; became the San Diego Gulls) *

Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the franchise. The team started in 200 ...

(2001–2021; became Bridgeport Islanders) *

(2001–present) *

(2001–present) * Houston Aeros (2001–13; became Iowa Wild) *

(2001–15; became the Ontario Reign) *

(2001–present) * Cleveland Barons (2001–06; became Worcester Sharks) *

(2001–11, 2015–present; were the St. John's IceCaps from 2011 to 2015) *

(2001–05; became Lake Erie Monsters) *

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

(2002–20; became Henderson Silver Knights) *

Toronto Roadrunners The Toronto Roadrunners were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Ricoh Coliseum. In their only season the Roadrunners featured players such as Jani Rita, Brad Winchester, Jamie W ...

(2003–04; split from Hamilton Bulldogs, became Edmonton Road Runners) *

Edmonton Road Runners The Edmonton Road Runners were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada at Rexall Place. History After the 2003–04 season the Edmonton Oilers announced that the Toronto Roadrunners would play ...

(2004–05; dormant 2005–2010, became the Oklahoma City Barons) *

Iowa Stars The Iowa Stars, later known as the Iowa Chops, were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The club was based in Des Moines, Iowa at the Wells Fargo Arena. History The Stars were founded by Howard Baldwin, of Hockey Holdi ...

(2005–08; became Iowa Chops) *

Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Omaha, Nebraska, United States at the Omaha Civic Auditorium from 2005–2007. Following the 2006–07 season, the Calgary Flames annou ...

(2005–07; became Quad City Flames) * Peoria Rivermen (2005–13; became Utica Comets) *

(2005–present) * Lowell Devils (2006–10; became Albany Devils) *

(2006–15; became the San Jose Barracuda) *

Lake Erie Monsters A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a depression (geology), basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land an ...

(2007–16; renamed Cleveland Monsters) *

Quad City Flames The Quad City Flames was an American professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 2007 to 2009. They were owned by QC Sports Ventures Inc., an ownership group based out of the Quad Cities. The Flames played at the i ...

(2007–09; became Abbotsford Heat) *

(2007–present) * Iowa Chops (2008–09; became Texas Stars) * Adirondack Phantoms (2009–14; became Lehigh Valley Phantoms) *

(2009–present) *

Abbotsford Heat The Abbotsford Heat were a professional ice hockey team that played five seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) between 2009 and 2014. The team was based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, and played its home games at the 7,046-seat A ...

(2009–14; became Adirondack Flames) *

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

(2010–present) *

Oklahoma City Barons The Oklahoma City Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team's first season was 2010–11 AHL season, 2010–11. They played their home games at the Cox Convention Center, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ...

(2010–15; became the Bakersfield Condors) * 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 The Adirondack Flames were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team was based in Glens Falls, New York, and played at the 4,794 seat Glens Falls Civic Center. They were the top affiliate of the Calgary Flames of ...

(2014–15; became the Stockton Heat) *

(2014–present) *

(2015–present) *

(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 The Bridgeport Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the franchise. The team started in 2001 ...

(2021–present) *

(2022–present) *

(2022–present)

Presidents

All-Star Game

The American Hockey League first held an All-Star Game in the 1941–42 season as a fundraiser for

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

and

Canadian Red Cross The Canadian Red Cross Society ()World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Players from the Eastern Division faced off against players from the Western Division at Cleveland Arena. The event was not played again until the 1954–55 season, and was then held annually until the 1959–60 season. These six annual games pitted a team of all-stars against the defending Calder Cup champions (with the exception of the 1959-60 event, which featured the Springfield Indians). The modern AHL All-Star Game was reinstituted for the 1994–95 season and a skills competition was introduced in 1995–96, with the two-day event being dubbed the AHL All-Star Classic. The 1995 and 1996 games featured players from teams based in Canada taking on players from teams based in the United States. Beginning in 1997, Canadian-born players faced players born outside Canada (known as the "World" team in 1997 and "PlanetUSA" from 1998 to 2010). The format was revamped again in 2011 to pit the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference. In 2014, a team of AHL all-stars hosted the

Swedish Hockey League The Swedish Hockey League (SHL; ) is a professional ice hockey league in Sweden and the highest level of the ice hockey in Sweden, Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, and while Li ...

club

Färjestad BK Färjestad Bollklubb (; abbreviated as FBK) is a Swedish professional ice hockey team based in Karlstad. Färjestad has had 21 Swedish Championship final appearances, winning ten times since the Swedish Hockey League (SHL; formerly Elitserie ...

. Since 2016, the all-star game has been replaced by the AHL All-Star Challenge, a three-on-three round-robin tournament among teams from the league's four divisions; the top two teams advance to the final game, with the winner declared the challenge champions. The AHL All-Star Classic was postponed in 2021 and 2022 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The

, who had been selected to host, ultimately hosted the event in 2023.

Outdoor games

2012 AHL Winter Classic CBP Philadelphia

Since the 2009–10 season, at least one team in the AHL has hosted an outdoor ice hockey game each year. The

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 Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

, and packing a record 21,508 fans in for the Mirabito Outdoor Classic against the

. The contest, which was also televised to an international audience on NHL Network, was won by the Crunch, 2–1. The Connecticut Whale hosted the Whale Bowl, the AHL's second outdoor game held on February 19, 2011, as part of a 10-day Whalers Hockey Fest at

Rentschler Field Rentschler Field was an airport in East Hartford, Connecticut in use from 1933 to 1999. Originally a military facility, later a private corporate airport, it was decommissioned in 1999, after which the football stadium of the same name was bui ...

East Hartford, Connecticut East Hartford is a New England town, town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,045 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River, directly across from ...

. Attendance for Connecticut's game against the

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

, 4–3, in overtime before 45,653 fans at

Citizens Bank Park Citizens Bank Park is a baseball stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the city's South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Home to Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies, the stadium opened April 3, 2004. It is named after Citizens Financi ...

, as the final event of the week-long activities associated with the

2012 NHL Winter Classic The 2012 NHL Winter Classic (known via corporate sponsorship as the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic) was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 2, 2012, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvani ...

, which also included a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

on Jan 2 and an alumni game between retired players (including eight honored members of the

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

) 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 Hamilton Bulldogs, was held at

Ivor Wynne Stadium Ivor Wynne Stadium (formerly Civic Stadium) was a Canadian football stadium located at the corner of Balsam and Beechwood avenues, two blocks west of Gage Avenue North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The stadium was the home of the Hamilton Tiger ...

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, 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 The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

and

alumni. Two outdoor games were announced for the 2012–13 AHL season, but a meeting between the

and Toronto Marlies at

Comerica Park Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium (Detroit), Tiger Stadium. History Construction Founded in 1894, t ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

as part of the festivities surrounding the

NHL Winter Classic The NHL Winter Classic () is an annual outdoor ice hockey game played during the National Hockey League's (NHL) regular season on or around New Year's Day. It is generally held in a football or baseball stadium in the United States in an area w ...

was not held because of the cancellation of the NHL Winter Classic. On January 20, 2013, the Hershey Bears and

met outdoors at

Hersheypark Stadium Hersheypark Stadium is a stadium located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on the grounds of Hersheypark. It opened on May 18, 1939. It is used as a sporting facility, concert venue and location for various other large functions (including a birthday ga ...

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey ...

with the Penguins earning 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, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, on December 13, 2013. The Americans took a 5–4 decision in a shootout against the

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

defeated the

, 3–2, at

Raley Field Sutter Health Park is a ballpark in West Sacramento, California, directly adjacent to downtown Sacramento. It is the home of the Sacramento River Cats of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the temporary home of the Athletics of Major League ...

West Sacramento, California West Sacramento (also known as West Sac) is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. The city is separated from Sacramento, California, Sacramento by the Sacramento River, which also separates Sacramento County, California, Sacramento a ...

. For the second consecutive season, the AHL played an outdoor game in California as the Bakersfield Condors hosted the Condorstown Outdoor Classic against the

on January 7, 2017, at

Bakersfield College Bakersfield College (BC) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Bakersfield, California. BC serves about 31,000 students each semester or 46,500 annually, and offers associate degrees, certifica ...

's Memorial Stadium. Despite sometimes heavy rain during the first period, the game went on as scheduled and the Condors defeated the Reign 3–2 in overtime. Hersheypark Stadium hosted its second outdoor game in 2018. Cleveland's

FirstEnergy Stadium Huntington Bank Field is a stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. It is the home field of the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL), and serves as a venue for other events such as college and high school football, soccer, hockey, and con ...

became the first

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

venue to host an AHL outdoor game in 2023, and

Truist Field Truist Field is a baseball stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The Uptown-area stadium hosts the Charlotte Knights, a Triple-A Minor League Baseball team in the International League. It is also the third sports building to be ...

in Charlotte hosted the Queen City Outdoor Classic in 2024.

International games

Teams from the AHL have competed against non-North American teams, in both international tournaments and one-off matchups. The first recorded games between an AHL team and international competition took place in 1969, when the Montreal Voyageurs hosted the Canadian National Team in Winnipeg. Several club teams from the Soviet Union toured the United States and Canada during the 1970s and 1980s and played exhibitions against AHL clubs, including the Soviet Wings (1974–75),

HC Spartak Moscow HC Spartak Moscow (, ) is a professional ice hockey club based in Moscow, Russia. It is a member of the Bobrov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The club played in the Tarasov Division of the KHL during the 2013–14 season. Howe ...

(1976, 1986), Moscow Khimik (1976),

HC Dynamo Moscow HC Dynamo Moscow () is a professional ice hockey club based in Moscow, Russia. It is a member of the Tarasov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Dynamo has won the Gagarin Cup twice, in 2011–12 KHL season, 2011–12 and 2012–13 ...

(1977–78),

Traktor Chelyabinsk Traktor Chelyabinsk, also known as Traktor, or HC Traktor Chelyabinsk, () is a professional ice hockey club based in Chelyabinsk, Russia. It is a member of the Kharlamov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). From 1967 to 2009, the te ...

(1978–79) and Sokil Kyiv (1989). Prior to the

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

in Lake Placid, New York, the

hosted exhibition games against the national teams from the

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Team USA also played exhibitions against AHL teams leading up to the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. The

participated in the

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and

editions of the

Spengler Cup The Spengler Cup is an annual invitational ice hockey tournament held in Davos, Switzerland. First held in 1923, the Spengler Cup is often cited as the oldest invitational ice hockey tournament in the world. The event is hosted by the Swiss team ...

, held in

Davos Davos (, ; or ; ; Old ) is an Alpine resort town and municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of (). Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. The Spengler Cup is an annual invitational tournament featuring teams from leagues around Europe and the world. The participation of the AHL in future Spengler Cups has been discussed by both the tournament organizers and league leadership. In 2014, Swedish club

met the

as part of a visit to Canada that included its participation in the 2014 AHL All-Star Classic. In February 2018, the

hosted and defeated the DEL's

Eisbären Berlin The Eisbären Berlin (; English: ''Berlin Polar Bears'') is a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey, and is also ...

, 6–3, in a friendly matchup organized by

Anschutz Entertainment Group Anschutz Entertainment Group, Inc. (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports ...

, the owner of both teams.

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 The Les Cunningham Award is given annually to American Hockey League's "Most Valuable Player" of the regular season, as voted on by AHL media and players. The award was first presented in the 1947–48 season, is named after Les Cunningham, a five ...

– Most valuable player ''( 1947–48)'' * John B. Sollenberger Trophy – Top point scorer ''( 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)'' * 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)'' * 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

Notes

References

External links

*
Historic standings and statistics
– at Internet Hockey Database {{Authority control American Hockey League, Minor league ice 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

List of teams

Timeline

All-time team list

Presidents

All-Star Game

Outdoor games

International games

AHL Hall of Fame

Trophies and awards

Individual awards

Team awards

Other awards

See also

Notes

References

External links