SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League opens its 89th season of play tonight, with eight video games on the schedule to kick issues off.
All 32 golf equipment will play 72 video games throughout a 2024-25 common season that may run via April 20. From there, 23 groups will qualify for postseason play, with 5 rounds of playoffs resulting in the crowning of the 2025 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 2023-24 season, 87.0 % of all NHL gamers had been graduates of the American Hockey League, together with Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets; Artwork Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning; 54-goal scorer Zach Hyman of the Edmonton Oilers; and 100-point scorers David Pastrnak, Leon Draisaitl, Mikko Rantanen and J.T. Miller. Final season, a complete of 890 AHL alumni performed within the Nationwide Hockey League, together with 349 who skated in each leagues final yr alone.
There have been additionally 251 former first- and second-round NHL draft picks who performed within the AHL final season, together with standouts resembling Shane Wright, David Jiricek, Marco Kasper, Jiri Kulich, Brad Lambert, Simon Edvinsson, Brandt Clarke, Dylan Guenther, Matt Coronato, Isak Rosen, Brennan Othmann, Jesper Wallstedt, Logan Mailloux, Yaroslav Askarov, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Calder Cup champions Hendrix Lapierre, Ivan Miroshnichenko and Vincent Iorio.
In 2024-25, 22 NHL groups are being led by former AHL head coaches, together with Paul Maurice of the 2024 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and Kris Knoblauch of the Western Convention champion Edmonton Oilers. Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper, New Jersey’s Sheldon Keefe, San Jose’s Ryan Warsofsky, Colorado’s Jared Bednar, Washington’s Spencer Carbery and Seattle’s Dan Bylsma are additionally among the many present NHL coaches who hung out within the American Hockey League earlier than making the bounce.
Across the AHL, eight head teaching modifications have been made because the finish of final season.
Abbotsford’s Manny Malhotra, Chicago’s Cam Abbott, Hartford’s Grant Potulny, Rochester’s Mike Leone, Springfield’s Steve Konowalchuk and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Kirk MacDonald all make their debuts as AHL head coaches this fall. They’re joined as newcomers by Derek Laxdal, who takes over for Dan Bylsma behind the bench for Coachella Valley, and Pascal Vincent, the brand new head coach of the Laval Rocket.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds will host the 2025 AHL All-Star Basic offered by Highlight 29 On line casino at Acrisure Area. The AHL All-Star Expertise Competitors will happen on Sunday, February 2, adopted by the AHL Corridor of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony on Monday, February 3 and the three-on-three, round-robin 2025 AHL All-Star Problem that night.
Since 1995, greater than 94 % of All-Star Basic members have gone on to compete within the Nationwide Hockey League, together with Cam Atkinson, Drake Batherson, Jordan Binnington, Oliver Bjorkstrand, John Carlson, Thatcher Demko, Lukas Dostal, Connor Hellebuyck, Tristan Jarry, Jordan Kyrou, Jonathan Marchessault, Jacob Markstrom, J.T. Miller, Brandon Montour, William Nylander, Kyle Palmieri, Mikko Rantanen, Logan Stankoven, Dylan Strome, Tyler Toffoli, Vitek Vanecek, Dustin Wolf and Mats Zuccarello.
AHLTV on FloHockey (flohockey.television) options dwell streaming of each AHL sport in excessive definition on desktop, laptop computer, pill and cell gadgets, in addition to via the FloSports app and related gadgets resembling Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fireplace TV and Chromecast.
FloHockey subscriptions are priced at $29.99 USD ($39.99 CAD) per 30 days when billed month-to-month, or $150 USD ($203.88 CAD) for an annual subscription – a financial savings of 58 %, and consists of entry to not simply each regular-season and Calder Cup Playoff contest for all 32 American Hockey League groups but additionally greater than 21,000 hockey contests on FloHockey together with all different dwell occasion streams and replays throughout FloSports. FloHockey will assist these occasions with a sturdy AHL content material technique that may characteristic 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) and Threads (@TheAHL) stay nice sources for breaking AHL information, particular presents, behind-the-scenes insights and fan interplay. The AHL communications division additionally maintains information feeds on X (@AHLPR) and Threads (@ahl_pr).
The AHL’s digital properties are anchored by the league’s official web site, theahl.com, which is totally suitable with desktop, cell and pill gadgets alike. As well as, the official AHL cell app is offered at no cost for iPhone and Android gadgets.
The 2024-25 AHL Information & Document Guide is offered for viewing and obtain at theahl.com/mediaguide. The AHL Rule Guide could be discovered at theahl.com/guidelines.
In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League serves as the highest growth league for the gamers, coaches, managers, executives, broadcasters and workers of all 32 Nationwide Hockey League groups. Almost 90 % of at the moment’s NHL gamers are American Hockey League graduates, and greater than 100 honored members of the Hockey Corridor of Fame hung out within the AHL of their careers.
