SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League opens its historic ninetieth season of play tonight, kicking off Opening Weekend offered by FloHockey with eight video games on the Friday schedule.
All 32 golf equipment will play 72 video games throughout a 2025-26 common season that may run via April 19. From there, 23 groups will qualify for postseason play, with 5 rounds of playoffs resulting in the crowning of the 2026 Calder Cup champion. The postseason discipline will embody six of eight groups from the Atlantic Division, 5 of seven in each the North and Central Divisions, and 7 of 10 within the Pacific.
Through the 2024-25 season, 87.0 p.c of all NHL gamers have been graduates of the American Hockey League, together with Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets; Artwork Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning; three-time Stanley Cup champion Carter Verhaeghe of the Florida Panthers; and 2024-25 top-10 scorers Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak and Kyle Connor. Final season, a total of 891 AHL alumni performed within the Nationwide Hockey League together with 330 who skated in each leagues final yr alone.
There have been additionally 245 former first- and second-round NHL draft picks who performed within the AHL final season, together with standouts comparable to 2024-25 AHL Prime Prospects Group members Dalibor Dvorsky, Bradly Nadeau, Scott Morrow, Konsta Helenius and Logan Mailloux, in addition to Artyom Levshunov, David Reinbacher, Nate Danielson, Simon Nemec, David Jiříček, Kevin Korchinski, Marco Kasper, Matthew Savoie, Conor Geekie, Denton Mateychuk, Frank Nazar, Noah Östlund, Joakim Kemell, Lian Bichsel, Liam Öhgren, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Owen Pickering, Filip Bystedt, Jiří Kulich, Maveric Lamoureux, Brad Lambert and Calder Cup champions Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Danila Klimovich, Aatu Räty and Jett Woo.
In 2025-26, 21 of the NHL’s 32 head coaches have been AHL bench bosses earlier of their careers. Marco Sturm takes over the bench for the Boston Bruins following three seasons on the helm of the AHL’s Ontario Reign, and Jeff Blashill turns into the sixth lively NHL head coach to have gained the Calder Cup as he begins main the Chicago Blackhawks.
Across the AHL, 9 head teaching adjustments have been made for the reason that finish of final season.
Calgary’s Brett Sutter, Colorado’s Mark Letestu, Lehigh Valley’s John Snowden, Ontario’s Andrew Lord, Rockford’s Jared Nightingale and Texas’ Toby Petersen will all be seeking to duplicate what Abbotsford’s Manny Malhotra completed in 2024-25 – win the Calder Cup of their first season as an AHL head coach. They’re joined as newcomers by Bridgeport’s Rocky Thompson, Hershey’s Derek King and Iowa’s Greg Cronin.
The Rockford IceHogs will host the 2026 AHL All-Star Traditional offered by BMO. The AHL All-Star Expertise Competitors will happen on Tuesday, February 10, adopted by the AHL Corridor of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, February 11 and the three-on-three, round-robin 2026 AHL All-Star Problem that night.
Since 1995, greater than 94 p.c of All-Star Traditional individuals have gone on to compete within the Nationwide Hockey League, together with Drake Batherson, Jordan Binnington, Michael Carcone, John Carlson, Brandt Clarke, Thatcher Demko, Lukas Dostal, Ryker Evans, Thomas Harley, Connor Hellebuyck, Joel Hofer, Tristan Jarry, Jordan Kyrou, Jonathan Marchessault, Jacob Markstrom, J.T. Miller, Brandon Montour, William Nylander, Kyle Palmieri, Mikko Rantanen, Dylan Strome, Tyler Toffoli, Linus Ullmark, Vitek Vanecek, Dustin Wolf and Mats Zuccarello.
AHLTV on FloHockey (flohockey.tv) options stay streaming of each AHL recreation in excessive definition on desktop, laptop computer, pill and cell units, in addition to via the FloSports app and linked units comparable to Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fireplace TV and Chromecast.
FloHockey subscriptions are priced at $29.99 USD ($39.99 CAD) per thirty days when billed month-to-month, or save 58 p.c with a full-year subscription. And FloHockey consists of entry to not simply each regular-season and Calder Cup Playoff contest for all 32 American Hockey League groups but in addition greater than 21,000 hockey contests on FloHockey together with all different stay occasion streams and replays throughout FloSports. FloHockey helps these occasions with a robust AHL content strategy that options award-winning editorial and video content material all year long.
The AHL’s positioning in social media additionally continues to develop, and the league’s feeds on Instagram (theahl), Fb (fb.com/theahl), X (@TheAHL), Threads (@TheAHL) and Bluesky (@theahl.com) stay nice sources for breaking AHL information, particular gives, behind-the-scenes insights and fan interplay. The AHL communications division additionally maintains information feeds on X (@AHLPR) and Bluesky (@ahlpr.bsky.social).
The AHL’s digital properties are anchored by the league’s official web site, theahl.com, which is absolutely suitable with desktop, cell and pill units alike. As well as, the official AHL cell app is accessible totally free for iPhone and Android units.
The 2025-26 AHL Information & File Guide shall be out there for viewing and obtain within the coming days at theahl.com/mediaguide. The AHL Rule Guide will be discovered at theahl.com/rules.
In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League serves as the highest improvement league for the gamers, coaches, managers, executives, broadcasters and employees of all 32 Nationwide Hockey League groups. Almost 90 p.c of at this time’s NHL gamers are American Hockey League graduates, and greater than 100 honored members of the Hockey Corridor of Fame frolicked within the AHL of their careers.
