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American Hockey League
2022–23 AHL season
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Sport Ice hockey
Founded 1936
No. of teams 32
Country(ies) Flag of the United States United States
Flag of Canada Canada
Most recent champion(s) Hershey Bears (12th title)
Official website www.theahl.com

The American Hockey League (AHL) is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based primarily in the United States that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League (NHL). During the 2019-20 season, all of the 31 NHL teams have primary affiliation agreements with one of the AHL's active member clubs of which 27 are located in the United States and the remaining four are in Canada. The league offices are located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and its current president is David Andrews.

The annual playoff champion is awarded the Calder Cup, named for Frank Calder, the first President (1917–1943) of the NHL. The current champions are the Charlotte Checkers.

Formation and Growth of the AHL[]

Predecessor Leagues (1926–1936)[]

The AHL traces its origins directly to two predecessor professional leagues: the Canadian-American Hockey League (aka "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, for the first time in its history it dropped after the 1935–36 season to just four member cities: Springfield, Philadelphia, Providence and New Haven. At the same time the then rival International Hockey League lost half of its eight members after the 1935–36 season leaving it as well with just four clubs located in Buffalo, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland.

A "Circuit of Mutual Convenience" (1936–38)[]

With both leagues down to the barest minimum in membership needed to operate, the governors of each recognized the necessity to take proactive steps to assure the long-term survival of their member clubs. To that end they all decided the logical solution to their common problem was for the two leagues to play an interlocking schedule with each other. Styled as the International-American Hockey League, the two older leagues' eight surviving clubs thus began joint play in November 1936, as a new two division "circuit of mutual convenience" with the four Can-Am teams constituting the I-AHL East Division and the IHL's quartet playing as the West Division. In addition, the IHL also contributed its former championship silver, the F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy, which would go to the regular season winners of the West Division in the new I-AHL until 1952. (The Oke Trophy is now awarded to the regular season winners of the AHL's current seven-team East Division.)

A little more than a month into that first season, however, the balance and symmetry of the new combined circuit suffered an early setback when its membership unexpectedly fell to seven as the West's Buffalo Bisons were forced to cease operations on December 6, 1936, after playing just eleven games because of what proved to be insurmountable financial problems and lack of access to a suitable arena. The makeshift new I-AHL thus played out the rest of its first season (as well as all of the next) with just seven teams.

A modified three-round playoff format was devised and a new championship trophy, the Calder Cup, was established which was awarded for the first time at the end of the 1936–37 season play-offs to the Syracuse Stars who defeated the Philadelphia Ramblers in the finals, three-games-to-one. Now second only to the Stanley Cup in both age and prestige among North American hockey's championship awards, the Calder Cup continues on today as the AHL's play-off trophy.

Formal Consolidation of the I-AHL (June 28, 1938)[]

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 of New Haven, the former head of the C-AHL which had also been operating as the combined league's Eastern Division, was elected the I-AHL's first president. Former IHL president John Chick of Windsor, Ontario, and head of the I-AHL's Western Division, 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 EAHL champion Hershey Bears. (Almost seven decades later, Hershey remains the only one of these eight original I-AHL/AHL cities to have been represented in the league without interruption since the 1938–39 season.) Beginning with 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 (1967–2001)[]

The AHL (as it was renamed after the 1939–40 season) 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 pro hockey began to rise precipitously with the frequent expansions of the NHL in 1967, 1970, 1972, and 1974, and especially the advent in 1972 of the twelve-team World Hockey Association (WHA), increased the number of major league teams competing for players 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. To help compensate for this increased expense many NHL clubs cut way 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 within a period of just three years from 1974 to 1977 half of the AHL's teams folded dropping the league from twelve clubs to just six. Making the AHL's situation even bleaker as the 1977–78 season approached was the news that the Providence Reds—the last surviving uninterrupted franchise from 1936–37—had decided to cease operations.

The AHL appeared in serious danger of folding altogether in another year or two if this dangerous downward trend were not reversed. As these clouds appeared their darkest, however, two events in the Fall of 1977 helped reverse the trend and began the league back to the great health it enjoys today. The first of these was the decision of the Philadelphia Flyers to return to the league as a team owner. The second was the unexpected collapse of the North American Hockey League 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 both the regular season and Calder Cup play-off titles in each of that club's first two seasons of operation. The folding of the NAHL meanwhile left two of its member cities which wanted to continue to operate teams—Philadelphia and Binghamton—suddenly without a league to play in. Binghamton solved its problem by acquiring and moving the Reds' franchise from Providence and joined the league as the Binghamton Dusters (aka Broome Dusters). The Philadelphia Firebirds acquired an expansion franchise as did the new Hampton (VA) Gulls, to boost 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 league continued to grow steadily over the years reaching 20 clubs by the 2000–01 season.

Absorption IHL teams (2001–02)[]

In 2001–02, the AHL's membership jumped dramatically to 27 teams, mostly by the absorption of six teams—Milwaukee, Chicago, Houston, Utah, Manitoba, and Grand Rapids—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 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 as the Lake Erie Monsters, now known as the Cleveland Monsters). The Chicago Wolves (2002, 2008), Houston Aeros (2003), Milwaukee Admirals (2004), and Grand Rapids Griffins (2013, 2017) have all won Calder Cup titles since joining the AHL from the IHL. Chicago and Milwaukee have also made multiple trips to the Calder Cup Finals, and Houston made their second Finals appearance in 2011.

The Manitoba Moose moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011 and were renamed the St. John's IceCaps after the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg as the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets. In 2013, Houston moved to Des Moines, Iowa to become the Iowa Wild. 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.

In January 2015, the AHL announced the relocation of five existing AHL franchises—Adirondack, Manchester, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, and Worcester—to California as the basis for a new "Pacific Division" becoming Stockton, Ontario, San Diego, Bakersfield, and San Jose respectively.[1] 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[2] with the St. John's IceCaps going back to Winnipeg as the Manitoba Moose 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 franchise was purchased by the Arizona Coyotes and relocated to become the Tucson Roadrunners and join the one-year-old Pacific Division. The Falcons were subsequently replaced by the Springfield Thunderbirds, the relocated Portland Pirates franchise under a new ownership group. The Montreal Canadiens-owned IceCaps relocated to the Montreal suburb of Laval, Quebec, and became the Laval Rocket in 2017.[3] The Binghamton Senators were also purchased by the Ottawa Senators and were relocated to Belleville, Ontario, to become the Belleville Senators[4] while the New Jersey Devils' owned Albany Devils were relocated to become the Binghamton Devils.[5]

For the 2018–19 season, a 31st team joined the league with the Colorado Eagles as the NHL's Colorado Avalanche affiliate.[6] With the NHL planning to expand to 32 teams in 2021 with the Seattle Kraken, the Seattle ownership group was approved for a 2021 AHL expansion team, later announced to be the Coachella Valley Firebirds based in Palm Springs, California, following the construction of a new arena.[7][8] The original plans for the new arena was eventually cancelled and the team postponed their launch by year while new arena plans were developed.[9]

In February 2020, the San Antonio Rampage franchise was bought and relocated by the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights for the 2020–21 season[10] as the Henderson Silver Knights and was moved to the Pacific Division. For the 2021–22 season, the Vancouver Canucks relocated their franchise from Utica to Abbotsford while the Utica Comets agreed to relocate and operate the franchise that was operating as the Binghamton Devils.[11] On May 23, 2022, it was announced that the Stockton Heat would be relocating to Calgary, Alberta, starting the 2022-23 season.[12]

Teams[]

Division Team City Arena Founded Joined Head coach NHL affiliate
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Bridgeport Islanders Bridgeport, Connecticut Total Mortgage Arena 2001 Brent Thompson New York Islanders
Charlotte Checkers Charlotte, North Carolina Bojangles Coliseum 1990[c 1] Geordie Kinnear Florida Panthers
Hartford Wolf Pack Hartford, Connecticut XL Center 1926[c 1] 1936 Kris Knoblauch New York Rangers
Hershey Bears Hershey, Pennsylvania Giant Center 1938 Todd Nelson Washington Capitals
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Allentown, Pennsylvania PPL Center 1996[c 1] Ian Laperriere Philadelphia Flyers
Providence Bruins Providence, Rhode Island Amica Mutual Pavilion 1987[c 1] Ryan Mougenel Boston Bruins
Springfield Thunderbirds Springfield, Massachusetts MassMutual Center 1975[c 1] 1981 Drew Bannister St. Louis Blues
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza 1981[c 1] J. D. Forrest Pittsburgh Penguins
North Belleville Senators Belleville, Ontario CAA Arena 1972[c 1] Troy Mann Ottawa Senators
Cleveland Monsters Cleveland, Ohio Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 1994[c 1] 2001 Trent Vogelhuber Columbus Blue Jackets
Laval Rocket Laval, Quebec Place Bell 1969[c 1] Jean-François Houle Montreal Canadiens
Rochester Americans Rochester, New York Blue Cross Arena 1956 Seth Appert Buffalo Sabres
Syracuse Crunch Syracuse, New York Upstate Medical University Arena 1992[c 1] Benoit Groulx Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Marlies Toronto, Ontario Coca-Cola Coliseum 1978[c 1] Greg Moore Toronto Maple Leafs
Utica Comets Utica, New York Adirondack Bank Center 1998[c 1] Kevin Dineen New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
Central Chicago Wolves Rosemont, Illinois Allstate Arena 1994 2001 Brock Sheahan Carolina Hurricanes
Grand Rapids Griffins Grand Rapids, Michigan Van Andel Arena 1996 2001 Ben Simon Detroit Red Wings
Iowa Wild Des Moines, Iowa Wells Fargo Arena 1994[c 1] 2001 Tim Army Minnesota Wild
Manitoba Moose Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada Life Centre 1994[c 1] 2001 Mark Morrison Winnipeg Jets
Milwaukee Admirals Milwaukee, Wisconsin UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena 1970 2001 Karl Taylor Nashville Predators
Rockford IceHogs Rockford, Illinois BMO Harris Bank Center 1995[c 1] Anders Sorensen Chicago Blackhawks
Texas Stars Cedar Park, Texas H-E-B Center at Cedar Park 1999[c 1] Neil Graham Dallas Stars
Pacific Abbotsford Canucks Abbotsford, British Columbia Abbotsford Centre 1932[c 1] 1936 Trent Cull Vancouver Canucks
Bakersfield Condors Bakersfield, California Mechanics Bank Arena 1984[c 1] Colin Chaulk Edmonton Oilers
Calgary Wranglers Calgary, Alberta Scotiabank Saddledome 1977[c 1] Mitch Love Calgary Flames
Coachella Valley Firebirds Thousand Palms, California Acrisure Arena 2022 Dan Bylsma Seattle Kraken
Colorado Eagles Loveland, Colorado Budweiser Events Center 2003 2018 Greg Cronin Colorado Avalanche
Henderson Silver Knights Henderson, Nevada Dollar Loan Center 1971[c 1] Manny Viveiros Vegas Golden Knights
Ontario Reign Ontario, California Toyota Arena 2001[c 1] Marco Sturm Los Angeles Kings
San Diego Gulls San Diego, California Pechanga Arena 2000[c 1] Roy Sommer Anaheim Ducks
San Jose Barracuda San Jose, California Tech CU Arena 1996[c 1] John McCarthy San Jose Sharks
Tucson Roadrunners Tucson, Arizona Tucson Convention Center 1994[c 1] Steve Potvin Arizona Coyotes
Notes

Timeline (List)[]

Team Location Arena Tenure Notes
Buffalo Bisons (IHL) Fort Erie, Ontario Peace Bridge Arena 1936-1936 fold when arena roof collapses and lack of an adequate substitute arena
Cleveland Falcons Cleveland, Ohio Elysium Arena 1936-1937 renamed Cleveland Barons (1937-73)
New Haven Eagles New Haven, Connecticut New Haven Arena 1936-1943 fold; return in 1945
Philadelphia Ramblers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Arena 1936-1941 renamed Philadelphia Rockets
Pittsburgh Hornets Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Duquesne Gardens 1936-1956 went on hiatus waiting on new arena; return in 1961
Providence Reds Providence, Rhode Island Rhode Island Auditorium (1936-1972); Providence Civic Center (1972-1976) 1936-1976 renamed Rhode Island Reds
Springfield Indians West Springfield, Massachusetts Eastern States Coliseum 1936-1942 suspend operations due to arena being commandeered for war effort; return in 1946
Syracuse Stars Syracuse, New York State Fair Coliseum 1936-1940 relocated to Buffalo; renamed Buffalo Bisons (AHL)
Cleveland Barons (1937-73) Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Arena 1936-1973 relocated to Jacksonville, Florida in February 1973; renamed Jacksonville Barons
Hershey Bears Hershey, Pennsylvania Hersheypark Arena (1938-2002); GIANT Center (2002-present) 1938-present
Indianapolis Capitals Indianapolis, Indiana Indiana State Fairground Coliseum 1939-1952 folded
Buffalo Bisons (AHL) Buffalo, New York The Aud 1940-1970 fold when city gets National Hockey League team
Philadelphia Rockets Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Arena 1941-1942 folded
Washington Lions Washington, D.C. Uline Arena 1941-1943 folded
St. Louis Flyers St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis Arena 1944-1953 folded
Springfield Indians West Springfield, Massachusetts Eastern States Coliseum 1946-1951 relocated to Syracuse, New York; renamed Syracuse Warriors
Philadelphia Rockets Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Arena 1946-1949 folded
New Haven Ramblers New Haven, Connecticut New Haven Arena 1946-1950 renamed New Haven Eagles
Washington Lions Washington, D.C. Uline Arena 1947-1950 moved to Cincinnati, Ohio rename Cincinnati Mohawks
Cincinnati Mohawks Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati Gardens 1949-1952 join International Hockey League (1945-2001)
New Haven Eagles New Haven, Connecticut New Haven Arena 1950-1951 folded
Syracuse Warriors Syracuse, New York Onondaga County War Memorial 1951-1954 moved back to West Springfield, Massachusetts; revert to Springfield Indians name
Springfield Indians West Springfield, Massachusetts Eastern States Coliseum 1954-1967 renamed Springfield Kings
Rochester Americans Rochester, New York Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial (known as Rochester Community War Memorial prior to 1998) 1956-present
Quebec Aces Quebec City, Quebec Colisee de Quebec 1959-1971 moved to Richmond, Virginia; renamed Richmond Robins
Pittsburgh Hornets Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Civic Arena 1961-1967 fold when city gets National Hockey League team
Baltimore Clippers Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Civic Center 1962-1976 folded
Springfield Kings West Springfield, Massachusetts (1967-1972); Springfield, Massachusetts (1972-1974) Eastern States Coliseum (1967-1972); Springfield Civic Center (1972-1974) 1967-1974 renamed Springfield Indians
Montreal Voyageurs Montreal, Quebec Montreal Forum 1969-1971 relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia; renamed Nova Scotia Voyageurs
Nova Scotia Voyageurs Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax Forum (1971-1978); Halifax Metro Centre (1978-1984) 1971-1984 relocated to Sherbrooke, Quebec; renamed Sherbrooke Canadiens
Boston Braves Boston, Massachusetts Boston Garden 1971-1974 suspend operations; become New Brunswick Hawks in 1982
Cincinnati Swords Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati Gardens 1971-1974 folded
Richmond Robins Richmond, Virginia Richmond Coliseum 1971-1976 folded
Tidewater Wings Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk Scope 1971-1972 renamed Virginia Wings
Virginia Wings Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk Scope 1972-1975 relocated to Glens Falls, New York; renamed Adirondack Red Wings
Jacksonville Barons Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville Coliseum 1973-1974 folded
New Haven Nighthawks New Haven, Connecticut New Haven Coliseum 1972-1992 renamed New Haven Senators
Springfield Indians Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield Civic Center 1974-1994 relocated to Worcester, Massachusetts; renamed Worcester Ice Cats
Syracuse Eagles Syracuse, New York Onondaga County War Memorial 1974-1975 folded
Rhode Island Reds Providence, Rhode Island Providence Civic Center 1976-1977 relocated to Binghamton, New York; renamed Binghamton Dusters
Hampton Gulls Hampton, Virginia Hampton Coliseum 1977-1978 folded
Binghamton Dusters Binghamton, New York Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena 1977-1980 renamed Binghamton Whalers
Maine Mariners Portland, Maine Cumberland County Civic Center 1977-1992 relocated to Providence, Rhode Island; renamed Providence Bruins
Philadelphia Firebirds Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Civic Center 1977-1979 relocated to Syracuse, New York; renamed Syracuse Firebirds
New Brunswick Hawks Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton Coliseum 1978-1982 renamed Moncton Alpines
Adirondack Red Wings Glens Falls, New York Glens Falls Civic Center 1979-1999 folded
Syracuse Firebirds Syracuse, New York Onondaga County War Memorial 1979-1980 folded
Binghamton Whalers Binghamton, New York Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena 1980-1990 renamed Binghamton Rangers
Erie Blades Erie, Pennsylvania Erie County Field House 1981-1982 merged into Baltimore Skipjacks
Fredericton Express Fredericton, New Brunswick Aitken Centre 1981-1988 relcoated to Halifax, Nova Scotia; renamed Halifax Citadels
Baltimore Skipjacks Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena 1982-1993 relocated to Portland, Maine; renamed Portland Pirates
Moncton Alpines Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton Coliseum 1982-1984 renamed Moncton Golden Flames
Sherbrooke Jets Sherbrooke, Quebec Palais des Sports (Sherbrooke) 1982-1984 folded
St. Catharines Saints St. Catharines, Ontario Garden City Arena 1982-1986 relocated to Newmarket, Ontario; renamed Newmarket Saints
Nova Scotia Oilers Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax Metro Centre 1984-1988 relocated to Sydney, Nova Scotia; renamed Cape Breton Oilers
Sherbrooke Canadiens Sherbrooke, Quebec Palais des Sports (Sherbrooke) 1984-1990 relocated to Fredericton, New Brunswick; renamed Fredericton Canadiens
Moncton Golden Flames Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton Coliseum 1984-1987 folded
Newmarket Saints Newmarket, Ontario Ray Twinney Complex 1986-1991 relocated to St. John's, Newfoundland; renamed St. John's Maple Leafs
Moncton Hawks Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton Coliseum 1987-1994 folded
Utica Devils Utica, New York Utica Memorial Auditorium 1987-1993 relocated to Saint John, New Brunswick; renamed Saint John Flames
Cape Breton Oilers Sydney, Nova Scotia Centre 200 1988-1996 relocated to Hamilton, Ontario; renamed Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)
Halifax Citadels Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax Metro Centre 1988-1993

relocated to Cornwall, Ontario; renamed Cornwall Aces

Binghamton Rangers Binghamton, New York Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena 1990-1997 relocated to Hartford, Connecticut; renamed Hartford Wolfpack
Capital District Islanders Troy, New York Houston Field House 1990-1993 relocated to Albany, New York; renamed Albany River Rats
Fredericton Canadiens Fredericton, New Brunswick Aitken Centre 1990-1999 relocated to Quebec City, Quebec; renamed Quebec Citadelles
St. John's Maple Leafs St. John's, Newfoundland Memorial Stadium (St. John's) (1991-2001); Mile One Stadium (2001-2005) 1991-2005 relocated to Toronto, Ontario; renamed Toronto Marlies
Providence Bruins Providence, Rhode Island Dunkin' Donuts Center (known as Providence Civic Center 1992-2001) 1992-present
Hamilton Canucks Hamilton, Ohio Copps Coliseum 1992-1994 relocated to Syracuse, New York; renamed Syracuse Crunch
New Haven Senators New Haven, Connecticut New Haven Coliseum 1992-1993 relocated to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; renamed Prince Edward Island Senators
Albany River Rats Albany, New York Times Union Center (known as Knickerbocker Arena (1993-1997) and Pepsi Arena (1997-2007)) 1993-2010 relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina; renamed Charlotte Checkers (2010-)
Portland Pirates Portland, Maine (1993-2012, 2014-2016) Lewiston, Maine (2012-2014) Cumberland County Civic Center (1993-2012) Androscoggin Bank Colisee (2012-2014) Cross Insurance Arena (2014-2016) 1993-2016 relocated to Springfield, Massachusetts; renamed Springfield Thunderbirds
Prince Edward Island Senators Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Charlottetown Civic Centre 1993-1996 relocated to Binghamton, New York; renamed Binghamton Senators
Saint John Flames Saint John, New Brunswick Harbour Station 1993-2003 relocated to Omaha, Nebraska; renamed Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights
Cornwall Aces Cornwall, Ontario Ed Lumley Arena 1993-1996 relocated to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; renamed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Springfield Falcons Springfield, Massachusetts MassMutual Center (known as Springfield Civic Center 1994-2005) 1994-2016 relocated to Tucson, Arizona; renamed Tucson Roadrunners
Worcester IceCats Worcester, Massachusetts DCU Center (known as Centrum, 1994-2004) 1994-2015 relocated to Peoria, Illinois; renamed Peoria Rivermen (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch Syracuse, New York War Memorial at Oncenter 1994-present
Baltimore Bandits Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena 1995-1997 relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio; renamed Cincinnati Mighty Ducks
Carolina Monarchs Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro Coliseum 1995-1997 relocated to New Haven, Connecticut; renamed Beast of New Haven
Philadelphia Phantoms Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wachovia Spectrum (primary) and Wachovia Center 3-6 games per season 1996-2009 relocated to Glens Falls, New York; renamed Adirondack Phantoms
Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) Hamilton, Ontario First Ontario Centre 1996-2015 relocated to St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador; renamed St. John's IceCaps
Kentucky Thoroughblades Lexington, Kentucky Rupp Arena 1996-2001 relocated to Cleveland, Ohio; renamed Cleveland Barons (2001-2006)
Cincinnati Mighty Ducks Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati Gardens 1997-2005 renamed Cincinnati RailRaiders; but suspend operations before playing under this name. franchise revived in 2007 in Rockford, Illinois as Rockford IceHogs
Beast of New Haven New Haven, Connecticut New Haven Coliseum 1997-1999 folded
Hartford Wolf Pack Hartford, Connecticut XL Center (known as Harford Civic Center unitl 2007) 1997-2010 renamed Connecticut Whale (AHL) during season
Lowell Lock Monsters Lowell, Massachusetts Tsongas Arena 1998-2006 renamed Lowell Devils
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (originally Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center (1998–2000), First Union Arena at Casey Plaza (2000–2003), and Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza (2003–2010)) 1999-present
Louisville Panthers Louisville, Kentucky Freedom Hall 1999-2001 suspend operations; revived as Des Moines, Iowa based Iowa Stars
Quebec Citadelles Quebec City, Quebec Colisee de Quebec 1999-2002 merged into Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk Scope 2000-2015 relocated to San Diego, California; renamed San Diego Gulls
Bridgeport Sound Tigers Bridgeport, Connecticut Webster Bank Arena (known as Arena at Harbor Yard (2001-2011)) 2001-present
Chicago Wolves Rosemont, Illinois Allstate Arena 2001-present
Grand Rapids Griffins Grand Rapids, Michigan Van Andel Arena 2001-present
Houston Aeros (1994–2013) Houston, Texas Compaq Center (2001-2003); Toyota Center (Houston) (2003-2013) 2001-2013 relocated to Des Moines, Iowa; renamed Iowa Wild
Manchester Monarchs (AHL) Manchester, New Hampshire Verizon Wireless Arena 2001-2015 relocated to Ontario, California; renamed Ontario Reign (AHL)
Manitoba Moose Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg Arena (2001-2004) MTS Centre (2004-2011) 2001-2011 relocated to St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador when city gets National Hockey League team; renamed St. John's IceCaps
Milwaukee Admirals Milwaukee, Wisconsin BMO Harris Bank Center (known as Bradley Center (2001-2012) (2001-2016); UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena (2016-present) 2001-present
Cleveland Barons (2001-2006) Cleveland, Ohio Gund Arena 2001-2006 relocated to Worcester, Massachusetts; renamed Worcester Sharks
Utah Grizzlies (1995-2005) Salt Lake City, Utah E Center 2001-2005 suspended operations; return as Cleveland, Ohio based Lake Erie Monsters for 2007-08 season
Binghamton Senators Binghamton, New York Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena (known as Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena 2002-2014) 2002-2017 relocated to Belleville, Ontario; renamed Belleville Senators
San Antonio Rampage San Antonio, Texas AT&T Center 2002-present
Toronto Roadrunners Toronto, Ontario Ricoh Coliseum 2003-2004 relocated to Edmonton, Alberta; renamed Edmonton Road Runners
Edmonton Road Runners Edmonton, Alberta Rexall Place 2004-2005 suspended operations; revived in 2010 as Oklahoma City Barons
Iowa Stars Des Moines, Iowa| Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines) 2005-2008 renamed Iowa Chops
Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights Omaha, Nebraska Omaha Civic Auditorium 2005-2007 relocated to Moline, Illinois; renamed Quad City Flames
Peoria Rivermen (AHL) Peoria, Illinois Peoria Civic Center 2005-present
Toronto Marlies Toronto, Ontario Coca-Cola Coliseum (known as Ricoh Colisuem 2005-2018) 2005-present
Lowell Devils Lowell, Massachusetts Tsongas Arena 2006-2010 relocated to Albany, New York; renamed Albany Devils
Worcester Sharks Worcester, Massachusetts DCU Center 2006-2015 relocated to San Jose, California; renamed San Jose Barracuda
Lake Erie Monsters Cleveland, Ohio Quicken Loans Arena 2007-2016 renamed Cleveland Monsters
Quad City Flames Moline, Illinois I wireless Center 2007-2009 relocated to Abbotsford, British Columbia; renamed Abbotsford Heat
Rockford IceHogs Rockford, Illinois BMO Harris Bank Center 2007-present
Iowa Chops Des Moines, Iowa Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines) 2008-2009 suspend operations; then relocated to Cedar Park, Texas and renamed Texas Stars
Adirondack Phantoms Glens Falls, New York Glens Falls Civic Center 2009-2014 relocated to Allentown, Pennsylvania; renamed Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Texas Stars Cedar Park, Texas H-E-B Center at Cedar Park (formerly Cedar Park Center 2009-2016) 2009-present
Abbotsford Heat Abbotsford, British Columbia Abbotsford Centre 2009-2014 relocated to Glens Falls, New York; renamed Adirondack Flames
Albany Devils Albany, New York Times Union Center 2010-2017 relocated to Binghamton, New York; renamed Binghamton Devils
Charlotte Checkers Charlotte, North Carolina Time Warner Cable Arena (2010-2014); Bojangles' Coliseum (2014-Present) 2010-present
Oklahoma City Barons Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Cox Convention Center 2010-2015 relocated to Bakersfield, California; renamed Bakersfield Condors (AHL)
Connecticut Whale Hartford, Connecticut XL Center 2010-2013 revert to Hartford Wolf Pack name
St. John's IceCaps St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador Mile One Centre 2011-2017 relocated to Laval, Quebec; renamed Laval Rocket
Hartford Wolf Pack Hartford, Connecticut XL Center 2013-present
Utica Comets Utica, New York Adirondack Bank Center at Utica Memorial Auditorium (known as Utica Memorial Auditorium (2013-2017) 2013-present
Iowa Wild Des Moines, Iowa Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines) 2013-present
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Allentown, Pennsylvania PPL Center 2014-present
Adirondack Flames Glens Falls, New York Glens Falls Civic Center 2014-2015 relocated to Stockton, California; renamed Stockton Heat
Stockton Heat Stockton, California Stockton Arena 2015-present
Ontario Reign (AHL) Ontario, California Toyota Arena (known as Citizens Business Bank Arena 2015-2019) 2015-present
San Diego Gulls San Diego, California Pechanga Arena (known as Valley View Casino Center 2015-2018) 2015-present
Bakersfield Condors (AHL) Bakersfield, California Rabobank Arena 2015-present
San Jose Barracuda San Jose, California SAP Center 2015-present
Manitoba Moose Winnipeg, Manitoba Bell MTS Place (known as MTS Center 2015-2017) 2015-present
Springfield Thunderbirds Springfield, Massachusetts MassMutual Center 2016-present
Tucson Roadrunners Tucson, Arizona Tucson Convention Center 2016-present
Cleveland Monsters Cleveland, Ohio Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (known as Quicken Loans Arena 2016-2019) 2016-present
Laval Rocket Laval, Quebec Place Bell 2017-present
Belleville Senators Belleville, Ontario CAA Arena (known as Yardman Arena 2017-2018) 2017-present
Binghamton Devils Binghamton, New York Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena 2017-present
Colorado Eagles Loveland, Colorado Budweiser Events Center 2018-present
Coachella Valley Firebirds Palm Springs, California Acrisure Arena 2022-present

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

Date Arena City Winner Score Runner-up
February 3, 1942 Cleveland Arena Cleveland, Ohio East All-Stars 5–4 West All-Stars
October 27, 1954 Hershey Sports Arena Hershey, Pennsylvania AHL All-Stars 7–3 Cleveland Barons
January 10, 1956 Duquesne Gardens Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania AHL All-Stars 4–4 Pittsburgh Hornets
October 23, 1956 Rhode Island Auditorium Providence, Rhode Island Providence Reds 4–0 AHL All-Stars
October 6, 1957 Rochester Community War Memorial Rochester, New York AHL All-Stars 5–2 Cleveland Barons
January 15, 1959 Hershey Sports Arena Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey Bears 5–2 AHL All-Stars
December 10, 1959 Eastern States Coliseum West Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield Indians 8–3 AHL All-Stars
January 17, 1995 Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island Canada 6–4 USA
January 16, 1996 Hersheypark Arena Hershey, Pennsylvania USA 6–5 Canada
January 16, 1997 Harbour Station Saint John, New Brunswick World 3–2 (SO) Canada
[[February 11, 1998 Onondaga County War Memorial Arena Syracuse, New York Canada 11–10 PlanetUSA
January 25, 1999 First Union Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PlanetUSA 5–4 (SO) Canada
January 17, 2000 Blue Cross Arena Rochester, New York Canada 8–3 PlanetUSA
January 15, 2001 First Union Arena at Casey Plaza Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Canada 11–10 PlanetUSA
February 14, 2002 Mile One Stadium St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Canada 13–11 PlanetUSA
February 3, 2003 Cumberland County Civic Center Portland, Maine Canada 10–7 PlanetUSA
February 9, 2004 Van Andel Arena Grand Rapids, Michigan Canada 9–5 PlanetUSA
February 14, 2005 Verizon Wireless Arena Manchester, New Hampshire PlanetUSA 5–4 Canada
February 1, 2006 MTS Centre Winnipeg, Mantitoba Canada 9–4 PlanetUSA
January 29, 2007 Ricoh Coliseum Toronto, Ontario PlanetUSA 7–6 Canada
January 28, 2008 Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena Binghamton, New York Canada 9–8 (SO) PlanetUSA
January 26, 2009 DCU Center Worcester, Massachusetts PlanetUSA 14–11 Canada
January 19, 2010 Cumberland County Civic Center Portland, Maine Canada 10–9 (SO) PlanetUSA
January 31, 2011 Giant Center Hershey, Pennsylvania East All-Stars 11–8 West All-Stars
January 30, 2012 Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, New Jersey West All-Stars 8–7 (SO) East All-Stars
January 28, 2013 Dunkin' Donuts Center Providence, Rhode Island West All-Stars 7–6 East All-Stars
February 12, 2014 Mile One Centre St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador AHL All-Stars 7–2 Färjestad BK
January 26, 2015 Utica Memorial Auditorium Utica, New York West All-Stars 14–12 East All-Stars
February 1, 2016 Oncenter War Memorial Arena Syracuse, New York Round robin results:
Pacific 0–1 North
Central 2–1 Atlantic (SO)
Central 4–2 North
Pacific 1–2 Atlantic
Central 4–6 Pacific
Atlantic 4–1 North
Central Division 4–0 Atlantic Division
January 30, 2017 PPL Center Allentown, Pennsylvania Round robin results:
Central 1–2 Atlantic
Pacific 3–6 North
Central 2–1 North (SO)
Pacific 1–6 Atlantic
Pacific 3–5 Central
North 0–2 Atlantic
Central Division 1–0 (SO) Atlantic Division
January 29, 2018[1] Utica Memorial Auditorium Utica, New York Round robin results:
Pacific 5–3 North
Central 2–5 Atlantic
Central 2–4 North
Pacific 4–3 Atlantic
Central 3–4 Pacific
Atlantic 3–4 North
North Division 1–0 Pacific Division
January 28, 2019[2] MassMutual Center Springfield, Massachusetts Round robin results:
Central 1–3 Atlantic
Pacific 4–2 North
Central 2–4 North
Pacific 2–5 Atlantic
Central 5–3 Pacific
North 4–1 Atlantic
North Division 1–0 (SO) Atlantic Division
January 27, 2020[3] Toyota Arena Ontario, California Round robin results:
North 5–6 Pacific (SO)
Atlantic 1–3 Central
North 5–6 Central
Atlantic 3–2 Pacific
Atlantic 5–2 North
Central 4–5 Pacific (SO)
Atlantic Division 3–1 Central Division
February 6, 2023[4] Place Bell Laval, Quebec[5] Round robin results:
North 2–2 Pacific (SO)
Atlantic 4–3 Central (SO)
North 2–2 Central (SO)
Atlantic 2–6 Pacific
Atlantic 3–2 North (SO)
Central 2–5 Pacific

[6]

Pacific Division 1–0 (SO) Atlantic Division

Outdoor games[]

Main article: AHL Outdoor Classic
2012 AHL Winter Classic CBP Philadelphia

An AHL record crowd of 45,653 watched the Adirondack Phantoms defeat the Hershey Bears, 4–3 in overtime at the 2012 AHL Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Hartford Wolf Pack December 14 2019 1 (cropped)

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms host the Hartford Wolf Pack at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, December 2019

Since the 2009–10 season, at least one team in the AHL has hosted an outdoor ice hockey game each year. The Syracuse Crunch was the first organization to put on an outdoor game in the AHL on February 20, 2010, building a rink at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, New York, and packing a record 21,508 fans in for the Mirabito Outdoor Classic against the Binghamton Senators. The contest, which was also televised to an international audience on NHL Network, 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 in East Hartford, Connecticut. Attendance for Connecticut's game against the Providence Bruins was announced at 21,673, the largest in AHL history to that point. Providence won, 5–4, in a shootout.

On January 6, 2012, the largest crowd in AHL history saw the Adirondack Phantoms defeat the Hershey Bears, 4–3, in overtime before 45,653 fans at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, as the final event of the week-long activities associated with the 2012 NHL Winter Classic, which also included a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers on Jan 2 and an alumni game between retired players (including eight honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame) of those two clubs on December 31, 2011. The contest was the third outdoor game in AHL history and it more than doubled the league's previous single-game attendance mark.

On January 21, 2012, the Steeltown Showdown between Ontario rivals, the Toronto Marlies and Hamilton Bulldogs, was held at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, with the Marlies winning 7–2 in front of 20,565 fans, the largest crowd ever for an AHL game in Canada. The AHL game was preceded the previous night by a game between Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens alumni.

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

The Rochester Americans hosted an outdoor game in 2013–14, the Frozen Frontier, which was held at Frontier Field in Rochester, New York, on December 13, 2013. The Americans took a 5–4 decision in a shootout against the Lake Erie Monsters before a standing-room crowd of 11,015 fans. A year after their originally scheduled date, the Griffins and Marlies played at Comerica Park on December 30, 2013, and Toronto prevailed in a shootout, 4–3, becoming the first AHL team ever with two outdoor wins. Attendance in Detroit was 20,337.

As part of the recent addition of the Pacific Division, the AHL played its first outdoor hockey game in California during the 2015–16 season, called the Golden State Hockey Rush. On December 18, 2015, the Stockton Heat hosted the Bakersfield Condors at Raley Field in West Sacramento, California. Stockton defeated Bakersfield 3–2 in front of 9,357 fans.[7]

For the second consecutive season, the AHL played an outdoor game in California. The Bakersfield Condors were named as hosts for their second outdoor game against the Ontario Reign to be held on January 7, 2017, at Bakersfield College's Memorial Stadium and was called the Condorstown Outdoor Classic.[8] Despite sometimes heavy rain during the first period, the game went on as scheduled and the Condors defeated the Reign 3–2 in overtime.

Although technically not an outdoor game, the Syracuse Crunch defeated the Utica Comets 2–1 on November 22, 2014 at the Carrier Dome, normally a college football stadium.

AHL Hall of Fame[]

Main article: 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.[9]


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[]

Team awards[]

Trophy predates American Hockey League, established 1926–27 in the Canadian Professional Hockey League.

Other awards[]

Sources:

See also[]

References[]

External links[]


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