2025-2026 The AHL season is approaching quickly, with opening day scheduled for Friday, October 10, with excitement rising in the Flosports office.
Before training camp, most of them may change due to uncertainty around the NHL roster, but there are a few things to be aware of during the offseason. If your favorite prospects haven’t become their NHL team this season, rest assured that the AHL is the best place to watch the next generation of NHL stars.
We ask FloHockey content creator and AHL expert Lizz Child on why people should watch AHL in 2025. That’s what she has to say.
2025 Abbotsford Canucks vs Henderson Silver Knights
Leeds’s AHL Team Watched in 2025 – 26
Among the 32 teams in the AHL, here is what Lizz said to be aware of.
Bridgeport Islander
The Islanders will enter their 25th season and as a franchise they bring back a retro look. After missing the playoffs in the past three seasons, the Islanders made some coaching changes, hiring assistant coaches David Cunniff and Chad Kolarik to support new head coach Rocky Thomspon.
Not only did the Islanders have some new faces on the bench, but they also signed several players with the New York Islanders twice a year deal. Matthew Highmore, Ethan Bear and Cole McWard are all signed to join Chris Terry, Max Dorrington, Cam Berg, Ross Mitton Hunter Drew and Luke Rowe’s AHL roster players.
All players have reached a one-year deal.
The Islanders will be a new look team, are these changes enough to get them back to the Calder Cup playoffs?
Abbotsford Canucks
Just won their first Calder Cup trophy, Abbotsford Canucks will take on a daunting task if they were to repeat it. During the offseason, the Carnac organization exchanged Calder Cup final MVP goalkeeper Silovs for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
How good would the Canucks be without Silovs and can they make it to the Calder Cup final again?
Hershey Bear
After winning the Calder Cup in the 2023 and 2024 back-to-back seasons, the Bears lost to Charlotte’s pawn in the second round of the playoffs. During the offseason, the Bears hired Derek King as the new head coach after Todd Nelson left Pittsburgh Penguins as assistant coach.
With the legendary history of the Bears, King’s expectations were obvious, bringing the team back to the Calder Cup final and winning.
The Bears have signed Andrew Cristall from the WHL, hoping to improve their offense over the past three seasons.
With these new factors, the Bears are the team to watch this season.
Grand Rapids Griffins
After the Detroit Red Wings achieved a major success in the NHL draft, Griffins will offer them several top prospects this season. Griffins lost to the Texas star in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs, but since they may pile up into a roster, could this be their year?
Texas stars
The Texas Stars team is a just-playing Calder Cup team that lost to Abbotsford in six games in 2025. Now, they have a new head coach at Toby Petersen, who was part of the 2014 star’s only Calder Cup winning team.
Peterson is at the helm, and several stars will return, can the stars return to the Calder Cup final and win?
Ontario rule
Ontario ruled as Andrew Lord’s first year head coach, and although this was his first year in the AHL, he had extensive experience on other levels. He was named ECHL coach of the year, where he led the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to an overall record of 155-94-39.
With Lord’s winning experience, the rulers hope to surpass the preliminaries after losing in 2025.
Outdoor games are back
The AHL Outdoor Classic is back after missing the 2024-2025 season. It will be part of the Iowa Field and Milwaukee Admiral as part of Minnesota Hockey Day and reside from the United League of Legends complex in Hastings.
In its 20th year of the event, this year’s tournament is expected to have 80,000 fans, which will be a super popular event for everyone involved and one of Lizz’s favorite events of the year.
Teddy bear throw
Everyone’s favorite game, especially Lizz’s, each team has their own teddy bear toss. Don’t like seeing teddy bears thrown on the ice for people on the ice, all bears donated all bears to charity after the game.
Hershey Bears set new records regularly every year and set a world record for them in 2025, donating for the most teddy bears ever thrown away from teddy bears. While Flo hasn’t been able to compete in one of Hershey’s Teddy Bear Toss, it’s on Lizz’s hockey game list.
CBA Age Rules Changes
If the CBA rules are changed for players under 19, allowing them to play in the AHL, it could be a game changer. This will allow the highest prospect and predict that NHL Finals draft pick Sam Dickinson will be able to play in the AHL to gain experience against NHL players.
This season you can be a player on the NHL roster
Some of the top prospects Lizz has covered in the AHL over the years could be the NHL lineup this year. Who is this?
Jonathan Lekkerimaki -Vancouver Canucks
Lekkerimaki was ranked 15th by the Vancouver Canucks in 2022, but has not yet played a full season for Vancouver.
Michael Dipietro – Boston Brown Bear
Dipietro was selected 64th by the Vancouver Canucks but did not play with them throughout the season, with only three games in the past. Now part of the Boston Bruins organization, he can play his first full season in his first NHL season this year.
Players want to watch
Jacob Fowler – Laval Rockets
Fowler, a goalkeeper with the Laval Rocket, played for Boston College before signing a three-year contract with the Montreal Canadaens before being assigned to Laval. This year, he may be the starting goalkeeper for the Rockets in his first full professional season.
Artyom Levshunov – Rockford Icehogs
Levshunov is the second pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and hopes to enter the NHL this season. He has played 18 games for the Chicago Blackhawks and hopes to be a full-time player this season.
AHL Open Weekend Schedule on FloHockey
This is every AHL game that will happen in the first week, and all times are listed in Eastern Time. All games can be streamed on the FloHockey and Flosports apps. Subscribe here to avoid missing any action.
Friday, October 10
- 7:00 PM – Cleveland vs Utica
- 7:05 pm – Toronto and Rochester
- 8:00 PM – Laval vs Manitoba
- 8:00 PM – Grand Rapids vs Texas
- 9:05 pm – Calgary vs Colorado
- 10:00 pm – Tucson vs Ontario
- 10:00 pm – Abbotsford vs Henderson
- 10:00 pm – San Diego vs Coachella Valley
Saturday, October 11
- 3:00 pm – Cleveland vs Utica
- 4:00 PM – Rochester vs Toronto
- 6:00 PM – Bakersfield vs San Jose
- 6:05 pm – Hartford vs Wilkes Barre/Scranton
- 6:05 pm – Charlotte vs Springfield
- 7:00 PM – Providence and Bridgeport
- 7:00 PM – Syracuse vs Hershey
- 7:00 PM – Chicago vs Iowa
- 7:05 pm – Belleville vs Lehigh Valley
- 8:00 PM – Milwaukee vs Rockford
- 8:00 PM – Grand Rapids vs Texas
- 9:00 PM – Abbotsford vs Henderson
- 9:05 pm – Calgary vs Colorado
Sunday, October 12
- 3:00 PM – Belleville vs Bridgeport
- 3:00 PM – Laval vs Manitoba
- 3:05 pm – Charlotte vs Providence
- 3:05 pm – Wilkes-Barry/Scranton vs Lehigh Valley
- 5:00 PM – Syracuse vs Hershey
- 6:00 PM – Rockford vs Iowa
- 6:00 pm – Tucson and Ontario
Top AHL prospects
While we are still waiting for the NHL training camp to end to see the final roster, here are some of the top AHL prospects entering the 2025-26 season.
- Rockford Artyom Levshunov
- Isaac Howard, Bakersfield
- Matt Savoie, Bakersfield
- Jacob Fowler, Laval
- Dvorsky, Springfield
- Andrew Cristall, Hershey
- Ivan Miroshinchenko, Hershey
- Ilyanilla, Hershey
- Axel Sandin Pellikka, Grand Falls
- Nate Danielson, Grand Rapids
- Sebastian Cossa, Grand Rapids
- Emil Hemming, Texas
- Tanner Molendyk of Milwaukee
- Danila Yurov of Iowa
- Liam Ohgren, Iowa
What is the AHL ranking in 2024-25?
Check out the full 2024-25 AHL regular season points below. Click here to view the latest rankings.
Atlantic Master
- Y-Hershi Bear-96
- X -Charlotte Checkers -94
- X-Providence Brown Bear-90
- X -Wilkes -Barre/Scranton Penguin-88
- X- Lehigh Valley Phantoms -80
- X-Springfield Thunderbird-74
- Hartford Wolf Pack -69
- Bridgeport Islander-37
North District
- Y-Laval Rockets-101
- X-Rochester American-92
- X-Syracuse Tightening-86
- X-Toronto Maris-86
- X-Cleveland Monster-81
- Senator Belleville-79
- Comet Utica-70
Central partition
- Y-Admiral Milwaukee-91
- X -Texas Stars -89
- X-Griffin Grand Rapids – 80
- X-Chicago Wolf-78
- X-Lockford Ice Disease-70
- Iowa Wild-62
- Manitoba Moose-56
Pacific Division
- Y-Colorado Eagles-94
- X -Abbotsford Canucks -92
- X-Ontario Rule-90
- X- Coachella Valley Firebirds -84
- X-Calgary Wrangler-81
- X-San Jose Barracuda-81
- X-Tucson Passerby-74
- Bakersfield Condor-74
- San Diego Gull-66
- Henderson Silver Knight-63
x = Champion playoff position
Y = Champion
Who won the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs?
Abbotsford Canucks won the final in the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs against Charlotte Checkers in six games. This is the first Calder Cup in the franchise.
How to watch this season’s AHL Hockey Live
From the preseason to the final of the Calder Cup final, fans can watch the AHL game live on Flohockey.
When will the Calder Cup playoffs begin?
The final game of the 2025-26 AHL regular season is scheduled to be held on Sunday, April 19. The Calder Cup playoffs usually start a few days after the regular season ends.
NHL Floki’s lead coverage
The best and most complete coverage of NHL minor league hockey and NHL drafts can be found on FloHockey. Don’t miss the latest new lead guides, rankings and more from Chris Peters and Flohockey employees.
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