American Hockey League

American Hockey League

Current season, competition or edition: 2023–24 AHL season
Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	1936 (IHL/C-AHL Interlocking schedules); 1938 (IHL/C-AHL formally merged)
President	Scott Howson
No. of teams	32
Countries	United States (26 teams) Canada (6 teams)
Most recent champion(s)	Hershey Bears (12th title)
Most titles	Hershey Bears (12)
TV partner(s)	Canada (English): Sportsnet/Sportsnet One Canada (French): TVA Sports Europe: Premier Sports United States (English): NHL Network United States (Spanish): ESPN Deportes
Official website	www.theahl.com

The American Hockey League or AHL, is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada. It is considered the farm league of the National Hockey League. The major championship in the AHL that the two winning teams of their conferences play for is the Calder Cup. The oldest current team in the AHL is the Hershey Bears which began play in 1938.

Teams

Bridgeport

Charlotte

Hartford

Hershey

Lehigh Valley

Providence

Springfield

WB/Scranton

Belleville

Cleveland

Laval

Rochester

Syracuse

Toronto

Utica

Chicago

Grand Rapids

Iowa

Manitoba

Milwaukee

Rockford

Texas

Abbotsford

Bakersfield

Calgary

Coachella Valley

Colorado

Henderson

Ontario

San Diego

San Jose

Tucson

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Locations of teams in the AHL as of the 2023–24 season. Dot colors correspond to the divisional alignment

List of teams

Division	Team	City	Arena	Founded	Joined	Head coach	NHL affiliate
Eastern Conference
Atlantic	Bridgeport Islanders	Bridgeport, Connecticut	Webster Bank Arena	2001		Rick Kowalsky	New York Islanders
	Charlotte Checkers	Charlotte, North Carolina	Bojangles' Coliseum	1990		Geordie Kinnear	Florida Panthers
	Hartford Wolf Pack	Hartford, Connecticut	XL Center	1926	1936	Steve Smith	New York Rangers
	Hershey Bears	Hershey, Pennsylvania	Giant Center	1938		Todd Nelson	Washington Capitals
	Lehigh Valley Phantoms	Allentown, Pennsylvania	PPL Center	1996		Ian Laperriere	Philadelphia Flyers
	Providence Bruins	Providence, Rhode Island	Dunkin' Donuts Center	1987		Ryan Mougenel	Boston Bruins
	Springfield Thunderbirds	Springfield, Massachusetts	MassMutual Center	1975	1981	Daniel Tkaczuk	St. Louis Blues
	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania	Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza	1981		J. D. Forrest	Pittsburgh Penguins
North	Belleville Senators	Belleville, Ontario	CAA Arena	1972		David Bell	Ottawa Senators
	Cleveland Monsters	Cleveland, Ohio	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse	1994	2001	Trent Vogelhuber	Columbus Blue Jackets
	Laval Rocket	Laval, Quebec	Place Bell	1969		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		Joël Bouchard	Tampa Bay Lightning
	Toronto Marlies	Toronto, Ontario	Coca-Cola Coliseum	1978		John Gruden	Toronto Maple Leafs
	Utica Comets	Utica, New York	Adirondack Bank Center	1998		Kevin Dineen	New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
Central	Chicago Wolves	Rosemont, Illinois	Allstate Arena	1994	2001	Bob Nardella	Unaffiliated
	Grand Rapids Griffins	Grand Rapids, Michigan	Van Andel Arena	1996	2001	Dan Watson	Detroit Red Wings
	Iowa Wild	Des Moines, Iowa	Wells Fargo Arena	1994	2001	Brett McLean	Minnesota Wild
	Manitoba Moose	Winnipeg, Manitoba	Canada Life Centre	1994	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		Anders Sorensen	Chicago Blackhawks
	Texas Stars	Cedar Park, Texas	H-E-B Center at Cedar Park	1999		Neil Graham	Dallas Stars
Pacific	Abbotsford Canucks	Abbotsford, British Columbia	Abbotsford Centre	1932	1936	Jeremy Colliton	Vancouver Canucks
	Bakersfield Condors	Bakersfield, California	Mechanics Bank Arena	1984		Colin Chaulk	Edmonton Oilers
	Calgary Wranglers	Calgary, Alberta	Scotiabank Saddledome	1977		Trent Cull	Calgary Flames
	Coachella Valley Firebirds	Thousand Palms, California	Acrisure Arena	2022		Dan Bylsma	Seattle Kraken
	Colorado Eagles	Loveland, Colorado	Budweiser Events Center	2003	2018	Aaron Schneekloth	Colorado Avalanche
	Henderson Silver Knights	Paradise, Nevada Henderson, Nevada	Orleans Arena Dollar Loan Center	1971		Ryan Craig	Vegas Golden Knights
	Ontario Reign	Ontario, California	Toyota Arena	2001		Marco Sturm	Los Angeles Kings
	San Diego Gulls	San Diego, California	Pechanga Arena	2000		Matt McIlvane	Anaheim Ducks
	San Jose Barracuda	San Jose, California	SAP Center	1996		John McCarthy	San Jose Sharks
	Tucson Roadrunners	Tucson, Arizona	Tucson Convention Center	1994		Steve Potvin	Arizona Coyotes

Notes

Timeline

AHL teams of the past and present

• Buffalo Bisons (1) (1936; folded)
• Cleveland Falcons (1936–37; renamed the Cleveland Barons)
• New Haven Eagles (1936–43; folded during World War II resurrected 1945)
• Philadelphia Ramblers (1936–41, renamed Philadelphia Rockets)
• Pittsburgh Hornets (1936–56; went on hiatus to wait for new arena, returned 1961)
• Providence Reds (1936–76; renamed Rhode Island Reds)
• Springfield Indians (1936–42; suspended during World War II; returned 1946)
• Syracuse Stars (1936–40; became Buffalo Bisons)
• Cleveland Barons (1937–1973; became Jacksonville Barons)
• Hershey Bears (1938–present)
• Indianapolis Capitals (1939–52; folded)
• Buffalo Bisons (2) (1940–70; folded)
• Philadelphia Rockets (1941–42; folded)
• Washington Lions (1941–43; folded)
• St. Louis Flyers (1944–53; folded)
• New Haven Eagles (1945–46, renamed New Haven Ramblers)
• Springfield Indians (1946–51; became Syracuse Warriors)
• Philadelphia Rockets (1946–49; folded)
• New Haven Ramblers (1946–50, renamed New Haven Eagles)
• Washington Lions (1947–49; became Cincinnati Mohawks)
• Cincinnati Mohawks (1949–52; transferred to IHL)
• New Haven Eagles (1950–51, folded)
• Syracuse Warriors (1951–54; became Springfield Indians)
• Springfield Indians (1954–67; renamed Springfield Kings)
• Rochester Americans (1956–present)
• Quebec Aces (1959–71; became Richmond Robins)
• Pittsburgh Hornets (1961–67; folded)
• Baltimore Clippers (1962–76; folded)
• Springfield Kings (1967–74; renamed Springfield Indians)
• Montreal Voyageurs (1969–71; became Nova Scotia Voyageurs)
• Nova Scotia Voyageurs (1971–84; became Sherbrooke Canadiens)
• Boston Braves (1971–74; suspended, became Moncton Hawks)
• Cincinnati Swords (1971–74; folded)
• Richmond Robins (1971–76; folded)
• Tidewater Wings (1971–72; played in Norfolk; renamed Virginia Wings)
• Virginia Wings (1972–75; played in Norfolk; became Adirondack Red Wings)
• Jacksonville Barons (1973–74; folded, franchise purchased and became Syracuse Eagles)
• New Haven Nighthawks (1972–92; became New Haven Senators)
• Springfield Indians (1974–94; became Worcester IceCats)
• Syracuse Eagles (1974–75; folded)
• Rhode Island Reds (1976–77; became Binghamton Dusters)
• Hampton Gulls (1977–78; folded midseason)
• Binghamton Dusters (1977–80; renamed Binghamton Whalers)
• Maine Mariners (1977–92; original franchise became Utica Devils; expansion franchise became Providence Bruins)
• Philadelphia Firebirds (1977–79; became Syracuse Firebirds)
• New Brunswick Hawks (1978–82; became St. Catharines Saints)
• Adirondack Red Wings (1979–99; became San Antonio Rampage)
• Syracuse Firebirds (1979–80; folded)
• Binghamton Whalers (1980–90; renamed Binghamton Rangers)
• Erie Blades (1981–82; merged into Baltimore Skipjacks)
• Fredericton Express (1981–88; became Halifax Citadels)
• Baltimore Skipjacks (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 (1984–88; became Cape Breton Oilers)
• Sherbrooke Canadiens (1984–90; became Fredericton Canadiens)
• Moncton Golden Flames (1984–87; folded)
• Newmarket Saints (1986–91; became St. John's Maple Leafs)
• Moncton Hawks (1987–94; folded)
• Utica Devils (1987–93; became Saint John Flames)
• Cape Breton Oilers (1988–96; became Hamilton Bulldogs)
• Halifax Citadels (1988–93; became Cornwall Aces)
• Binghamton Rangers (1990–97; became Hartford Wolf Pack)
• Capital District Islanders (1990–93; became Albany River Rats)
• Fredericton Canadiens (1990–99; became Quebec Citadelles)
• St. John's Maple Leafs (1991–2005; became Toronto Marlies)
• Providence Bruins (1992–present)
• Hamilton Canucks (1992–94; became Syracuse Crunch)
• New Haven Senators (1992–93; became Prince Edward Island Senators)
• Albany River Rats (1993–2010; became Charlotte Checkers)
• Portland Pirates (1993–2016, became Springfield Thunderbirds)
• Prince Edward Island Senators (1993–96; became Binghamton Senators)
• Saint John Flames (1993–2003; became Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights)
• Cornwall Aces (1993–96; dormant until 1999 and became Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)
• Springfield Falcons (1994–2016; became Tucson Roadrunners)
• Syracuse Crunch (1994–present)
• Worcester IceCats (1994–2005; became Peoria Rivermen)
• Baltimore Bandits (1995–97; became Cincinnati Mighty Ducks)
• Carolina Monarchs (1995–97; became Beast of New Haven)
• Philadelphia Phantoms (1996–2009; became Adirondack Phantoms)
• Hamilton Bulldogs (1996–2015; became second version of the St. John's IceCaps)
• Kentucky Thoroughblades (1996–2001; became Cleveland Barons)
• Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (1997–2005; became Rockford IceHogs)
• Beast of New Haven (1997–99; folded)
• Hartford Wolf Pack (1997–2010, 2013–present; became Connecticut Whale from 2010–13)
• Lowell Lock Monsters (1998–2006; became Lowell Devils)
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (1999–present)
• Louisville Panthers (1999–2001; became Iowa Stars)
• Quebec Citadelles (1999–2002; merged with Hamilton Bulldogs)
• Norfolk Admirals (2000–15; became the San Diego Gulls)
• Bridgeport Sound Tigers (2001–2021; became Bridgeport Islanders)
• Chicago Wolves (2001–present)
• Grand Rapids Griffins (2001–present)
• Houston Aeros (2001–13; became Iowa Wild)
• Manchester Monarchs (2001–15; became the Ontario Reign)
• Milwaukee Admirals (2001–present)
• Cleveland Barons (2001–06; became Worcester Sharks)
• Manitoba Moose (2001–11, 2015–present; were the St. John's IceCaps from 2011–2015)
• Utah Grizzlies (2001–05; became Lake Erie Monsters)
• Binghamton Senators (2002–17; became the Belleville Senators in 2017)
• San Antonio Rampage (2002–20; became Henderson Silver Knights)
• Toronto Roadrunners (2003–04; split from Hamilton Bulldogs, became Edmonton Road Runners)
• Edmonton Road Runners (2004–05; dormant 2005–2010, became the Oklahoma City Barons)
• Iowa Stars (2005–08; became Iowa Chops)
• Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (2005–07; became Quad City Flames)
• Peoria Rivermen (2005–13; became Utica Comets)
• Toronto Marlies (2005–present)
• Lowell Devils (2006–10; became Albany Devils)
• Worcester Sharks (2006–15; became the San Jose Barracuda)
• Lake Erie Monsters (2007–16; renamed Cleveland Monsters)
• Quad City Flames (2007–09; became Abbotsford Heat)
• Rockford IceHogs (2007–present)
• Iowa Chops (2008–09; became Texas Stars)
• Adirondack Phantoms (2009–14; became Lehigh Valley Phantoms)
• Texas Stars (2009–present)
• Abbotsford Heat (2009–14; became Adirondack Flames)
• Albany Devils (2010–17; became the Binghamton Devils in 2017)
• Charlotte Checkers (2010–present)
• Oklahoma City Barons (2010–15; became the Bakersfield Condors)
• Connecticut Whale (2010–13; reverted to Hartford Wolf Pack)
• St. John's IceCaps (2011–17; original franchise became the Manitoba Moose in 2015, second franchise became the Laval Rocket in 2017)
• Iowa Wild (2013–present)
• Utica Comets (2013–present; original franchise relocated to Abbotsford in 2021)
• Adirondack Flames (2014–15; became the Stockton Heat)
• Lehigh Valley Phantoms (2014–present)
• Bakersfield Condors (2015–present)
• Ontario Reign (2015–present)
• San Diego Gulls (2015–present)
• San Jose Barracuda (2015–present)
• Stockton Heat (2015–22; became the Calgary Wranglers)
• Cleveland Monsters (2016–present)
• Springfield Thunderbirds (2016–present)
• Tucson Roadrunners (2016–present)
• Belleville Senators (2017–present)
• Binghamton Devils (2017–21; became second version of the Utica Comets)
• Laval Rocket (2017–present)
• Colorado Eagles (2018–present)
• Henderson Silver Knights (2020–present)
• Abbotsford Canucks (2021–present)
• Bridgeport Islanders (2021–present)
• Calgary Wranglers (2022–present)
• Coachella Valley Firebirds (2022–present)

Other websites

• Official AHL website