American Hockey League#All-Star Game

The AHL traces its origins directly to two predecessor professional leagues: the Canadian-American Hockey League (the "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, the departure of the Boston Bruin Cubs after the 1935–36 season reduced it down to just four member clubs: the Springfield Indians, Philadelphia Ramblers, Providence Reds, and New Haven Eagles for the first time in its history. At the same time, the then-rival IHL lost half of its eight members after the 1935–36 season, leaving it with just four member teams: the Buffalo Bisons, Syracuse Stars, Pittsburgh Hornets, and Cleveland Falcons.

With both leagues down to the bare minimum number of teams to be viable, the governors of both leagues recognized the need for action to assure their member clubs' long-term survival. Their solution was to play an interlocking schedule. While the Can-Am was based in the Northeast and the IHL in the Great Lakes, their footprints were close enough for this to be a viable option. The two leagues' eight surviving clubs began joint play in November 1936 as a new two-division "circuit of mutual convenience" known as the International-American Hockey League. The four Can-Am teams became the I-AHL East Division, with the IHL quartet playing as the West Division. The IHL also contributed its former championship trophy, the F.G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy, which would go to the regular-season winners of the merged league's West Division until 1952. The Oke Trophy is now awarded to the regular-season winners of the AHL's North Division.

A little more than a month into that first season, the balance and symmetry of the new combined circuit suffered a setback when its membership unexpectedly fell to seven teams. The West's Buffalo Bisons were forced to cease operations on December 6, 1936, after playing just 11 games, because of what proved to be insurmountable financial problems and lack of access to a suitable arena; the Bisons' original arena, Peace Bridge Arena, had collapsed the previous season (a new Buffalo Bisons team would return to the league in 1940 after a new arena was constructed for them). The makeshift new I-AHL played out the rest of its first season (as well as all of the next) with just seven teams.

At the end of the 1936–37 season, a modified three-round playoff format was devised and a new championship trophy, the Calder Cup, was established. The Syracuse Stars defeated the Philadelphia Ramblers in the final, three-games-to-one, to win the first-ever Calder Cup championship. The Calder Cup continues on today as the AHL's playoff championship trophy.

File:"Hershey in Hockey League" (from The Philadelphia Record, 6-29-1938).jpg article in The Philadelphia Record announcing the formation of the Hershey Bears in Hershey, Pennsylvania]]

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 Can-Am League, was elected the I-AHL's first president. The former IHL president, John D. Chick of Windsor, Ontario, 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 Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL) champion Hershey Bears.[http://hockeyscoop.net/hpa/#clip "Hershey In Hockey League: Admitted to Circuit as American-International Loops Unite"] The Philadelphia Record, June 29, 1938 The Bears remain the only one of these eight original I-AHL/AHL franchises to have been represented in the league without interruption since the 1938–39 season. The newly merged circuit also increased its regular-season schedule for each team by six games from 48 to 54.

File:AHL 50 Jahre.png

After the 1939–40 season the I-AHL renamed itself the American Hockey League. It 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 professional ice hockey began to rise sharply with NHL expansion and relocation (the NHL placed teams in Pittsburgh and Buffalo, forcing two long-time AHL clubs, the Pittsburgh Hornets and Buffalo Bisons, to fold) and especially the 1972 formation of the World Hockey Association (WHA), which forced the relocation and subsequent folding of the Cleveland Barons, Baltimore Clippers, and Quebec Aces. The number of major-league teams competing for players rose 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.

This did not seem to affect the AHL at first, as it expanded to 12 teams by 1970. However, to help compensate for the rise in player salaries, many NHL clubs cut 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, half of the AHL's teams folded from 1974 to 1977. The league bottomed out in the summer of 1977, with news that the Rhode Island (formerly Providence) Reds – the last remaining uninterrupted franchise from the 1936–37 season, and the oldest continuously operating minor league franchise in North America – had decided to cease operations after 51 years in Rhode Island.

The AHL appeared in serious danger of folding altogether if this downward trend was not reversed. However, two events in the fall of 1977 helped reverse the trend. The first of these was the decision of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers to return to the league as a team owner, and 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 playoff titles in each of that club's first two seasons of operation. The folding of the NAHL, meanwhile, suddenly left two of its stronger teams, the Philadelphia Firebirds and Binghamton, New York-based Broome Dusters, without a league to play in. The owners of the Dusters solved their problem by buying the Reds franchise and moving it to Binghamton as the Binghamton Dusters, while the Firebirds crossed over to the AHL from the NAHL. The Dusters and Firebirds, together with the Hampton Gulls (who had joined the league from the Southern Hockey League), boosted 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. With franchise stability improving after the demise of the WHA in 1979, the league continued to grow steadily over the years, reaching 20 clubs by the 2000–01 season.

{{Location map+|USA|width=335|float=right

|alt=American Hockey League 2022–23

|caption=Locations of teams in the AHL as of the 2024–25 season. Dot colors correspond to the divisional alignment.

|places=

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 49.0306 |long= -122.287 |mark = Red pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Abbotsford Canucks}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 35.3721 |long= -119.013 |mark = Red pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Bakersfield Condors}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.1732 |long= -73.1870 |mark = Blue pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Bridgeport Islanders}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 44.1886 |long= -77.3827 |mark = Green pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Belleville Senators}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 51.0376 |long= -114.052 |mark = Red pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Calgary Wranglers}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 35.2269 |long= -80.8433 |mark = Blue pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Charlotte Checkers}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 42.0052 |long= -87.8877 |mark = Yellow pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Chicago Wolves}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.4963 |long= -81.6880 |mark = Green pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Cleveland Monsters}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 33.8169 |long= -116.387 |mark = Red pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Coachella Valley Firebirds}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 40.4438 |long= -104.989 |mark = Red pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Colorado Eagles}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 42.9622 |long= -85.6719 |mark = Yellow pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Grand Rapids Griffins}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.7625 |long= -72.6741 |mark = Blue pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Hartford Wolf Pack}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 36.0292 |long= -115.025 |mark = Red pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Henderson Silver Knights}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 40.2863 |long= -76.6691 |mark = Blue pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Hershey Bears}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.5926 |long= -93.6211 |mark = Yellow pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Iowa Wild}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 45.5558 |long= -73.7218 |mark = Green pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Laval Rocket}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 40.6025 |long= -75.4727 |mark = Blue pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Lehigh Valley Phantoms}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 49.8928 |long= -97.1436 |mark = Yellow pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Manitoba Moose}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 43.0422 |long= -87.9169 |mark = Yellow pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Milwaukee Admirals}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 34.0729 |long= -117.566 |mark = Red pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Ontario Reign}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.8236 |long= -71.4183 |mark = Blue pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Providence Bruins}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 43.1536 |long= -77.6107 |mark = Green pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Rochester Americans}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 42.2702 |long= -89.0960 |mark = Yellow pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Rockford IceHogs}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 32.7552 |long= -117.212 |mark = Red pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=San Diego Gulls}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 37.3327 |long= -121.901 |mark = Red pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=San Jose Barracuda}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 42.1022 |long= -72.5869 |mark = Blue pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Springfield Thunderbirds}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 43.0447 |long= -76.1483 |mark = Green pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Syracuse Crunch}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 30.5414 |long= -97.8202 |mark = Yellow pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Texas Stars}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 43.6356 |long= -79.4150 |mark = Green pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Toronto Marlies}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 32.2183 |long= -110.974 |mark = Red pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Tucson Roadrunners}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 43.1049 |long= -75.2335 |mark = Green pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Utica Comets}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.2404 |long= -75.8485 |mark = Blue pog.svg |marksize=8 |link=Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins}}

}}

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, 2022), 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.

{{multiple image

| direction = vertical

| align = right

| width =335

| image1 = American Hockey League 2014-15 map zoomed.svg

| caption1 = Team locations and divisional alignment in the 2014–15 season prior to the franchise relocations

| image2 = American Hockey League 2015-16 map zoomed.svg

| caption2 = Team locations and divisions after the 2015–16 relocation and realignment

}}

Beginning with the 2015–16 season, twelve franchises have since relocated due to NHL parent clubs' influence on their development teams and players. Of the twelve relocated franchises, nine were relocated because they were directly owned by NHL teams and the NHL parent club wished to make call-ups from the AHL more practical by having closer affiliates.

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.{{cite web |publisher=AHL |date=January 29, 2015 |title=AHL approves formation of Pacific Division |url=http://theahl.com/ahl-approves-formation-of-pacific-division-p196033 |access-date=January 31, 2015 |archive-date=April 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418144228/http://theahl.com/ahl-approves-formation-of-pacific-division-p196033 |url-status=dead }} 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{{cite web |publisher=AHL |date=March 12, 2015 |title=AHL announces franchise transactions |url=http://theahl.com/ahl-announces-franchise-transactions-p196769 |access-date=March 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704053008/http://theahl.com/ahl-announces-franchise-transactions-p196769 |url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite web | url=http://www.cbncompass.ca/Sports/IceCaps/2015-03-12/article-4074843/Montreal-Canadiens-farm-team-relocating-to-St.%E2%80%88John%26rsquo%3Bs-next-season/1 | title=Montreal Canadiens' farm team relocating to St. John's next season | publisher=The Compass | date=March 12, 2015 | access-date=March 13, 2015}} The Binghamton Senators were also purchased by the Ottawa Senators and were relocated to Belleville, Ontario, to become the Belleville Senators{{cite web |url=https://www.nhl.com/senators/news/ottawa-senators-owner-eugene-melnyk-purchases-ahl-team-and-partners-with-city-of-belleville/c-282137476 |title=Sens Owner Purchases AHL Team Partners W/ Belleville |publisher=Ottawa Senators |date=September 26, 2016}} while the New Jersey Devils' owned Albany Devils were relocated to become the Binghamton Devils.{{cite web|url=http://binghamtonsenators.com/news/?article_id=2322|title=New Jersey Devils to Relocate AHL Affiliate to Binghamton N.Y. for 2017-18 Season|website=Binghamtonsenators.com|access-date=December 11, 2017|archive-date=February 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219061412/http://binghamtonsenators.com/news/?article_id=2322|url-status=dead}}

File:Lehigh Valley Phantoms Hartford Wolf Pack December 14 2019 1 (cropped).jpg host the Hartford Wolf Pack at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, December 2019]]

For the 2018–19 season, a 31st team joined the league with the Colorado Eagles as the NHL's Colorado Avalanche affiliate.{{cite web |url=https://theahl.com/ahl-awards-expansion-membership-to-colorado-eagles |title=AHL awards expansion membership to Colorado Eagles |publisher=AHL |date=October 10, 2017}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/hockey/nhl-seattle-chooses-palm-springs-as-site-for-new-ahl-farm-team/ |title=NHL Seattle chooses Palm Springs as site for new AHL farm team |website=The Seattle Times |date=June 26, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://theahl.com/ahl-expansion-palm-springs |title=AHL expanding to Palm Springs in 2021-22 |website=American Hockey League |date=September 30, 2019}} The original plans for the new arena was eventually cancelled and the team postponed their launch by a year while new arena plans were developed.{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29900182/seattle-kraken-delays-ahl-franchise-1-year |title=Seattle Kraken delays AHL franchise by 1 year |website=ESPN |date=September 16, 2020}}

In February 2020, the San Antonio Rampage franchise was bought and relocated by the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights for the 2020–21 season{{cite web |url=https://www.sacurrent.com/ArtSlut/archives/2020/02/06/san-antonio-rampage-sold-and-will-relocate-after-2019-2020-season |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207152031/https://www.sacurrent.com/ArtSlut/archives/2020/02/06/san-antonio-rampage-sold-and-will-relocate-after-2019-2020-season |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 7, 2020 |title=San Antonio Rampage Sold and Will Relocate After 2019-2020 Season |website=San Antonio Current |date=February 6, 2020 }} 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.{{cite web |url=https://theahl.com/board-of-governors-approves-franchise-relocations |title=Board of Governors Approves Franchise Relocations |website=AHL |date=May 6, 2021}} On May 23, 2022, it was announced that the Stockton Heat would be relocating to Calgary, Alberta, starting the 2022–23 season.{{Cite web |date=2022-05-23 |title=American Hockey League approves Stockton Heat move to Calgary |url=https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/american-hockey-league-approves-stockton-heat-move-to-calgary-1.5915214 |access-date=2022-05-23 |website=Calgary |language=en}}

For the 2023–24 season, the Chicago Wolves operated as the league's only unaffiliated team, making them the first team to operate without an NHL partner since the inaugural season of the Worcester IceCats during the 1994–95 season.{{cite news |title=Blues announce affiliation with Worcester |date=1995-05-23 |work=United Press International |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/05/23/Blues-announce-affiliation-with-Worcester/9760801201600/ |access-date=2024-05-04}} Consequently, the Carolina Hurricanes became the only NHL team currently without an AHL affiliate.{{Cite web |date=2022-05-23 |title=What Lack of AHL Affiliate Means for Carolina Hurricanes

|url=https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/analysis/what-lack-of-ahl-affiliate-means-for-carolina-hurricanes |access-date=2022-01-10 |website=The Hockey News |language=en}} However, the Hurricanes loaned some players to the Wolves, such as Vasili Ponomaryov, Domenick Fensore, Ronan Seeley and Antti Raanta. On May 2, 2024, the Hurricanes and Wolves committed to a three-year affiliation beginning with the 2024–25 season.{{Cite web |last=Kuc |first=Chris |date=2024-05-02 |title=Together again: Wolves and Canes forge new partnership |url=https://www.chicagowolves.com/2024/05/02/together-again-wolves-and-canes-forge-new-partnership/ |access-date=2024-07-18 |website=Chicago Wolves |language=en}}

{{Location map+|USA|width=1000|float=left

|alt=AHL 2024–25.

|caption=Teams in the AHL as of the 2024–25 season. Dot colors correspond to the divisional alignment.

{{hlist

| 8px Atlantic Division

| 8px North Division

| 8px Central Division

| 8px Pacific Division

}}

|places=

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.1792 |long= -73.1895 |mark = blue pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = right |label= Bridgeport}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 35.2271 |long= -80.8431 |mark = blue pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = right |label= Charlotte}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.7658 |long= -72.6734 |mark = blue pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = left |label= Hartford}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 40.2848 |long= -76.6493 |mark = blue pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = left |label= Hershey}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 40.6027 |long= -75.4698 |mark = blue pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = right |label= Lehigh Valley}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.8240 |long= -71.4128 |mark = blue pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = right |label= Providence}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 42.1021 |long= -72.5858 |mark = blue pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = top |label= Springfield}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.2463 |long= -75.8812 |mark = blue pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = left |label= WB/Scranton}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 44.1640 |long= -77.3826 |mark = green pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = top |label= Belleville}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.4993 |long= -81.6944 |mark = green pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = bottom |label= Cleveland}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 45.5837 |long= -73.7501 |mark = green pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = right |label= Laval}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 43.1566 |long= -77.6088 |mark = green pog.svg |label_size=65 |position = bottom |label= Rochester}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 43.0479 |long= -76.1475 |mark = green pog.svg |label_size=65 |position = top |label= Syracuse}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 43.6519 |long= -79.3817 |mark = green pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = left |label= Toronto}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 43.1020 |long= -75.2300 |mark = green pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = right |label= Utica}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.9919 |long= -87.8633 |mark = yellow pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = bottom |label= Chicago}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 42.9634 |long= -85.8631 |mark = yellow pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = right |label= Grand Rapids}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.5868 |long= -93.6249 |mark = yellow pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = left |label= Iowa}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 49.8951 |long= -97.1384 |mark = yellow pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = left |label= Manitoba}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 43.0389 |long= -87.9065 |mark = yellow pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = top |label= Milwaukee}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 42.2668 |long= -89.0884 |mark = yellow pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = left |label= Rockford}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 30.5049 |long= -97.8198 |mark = yellow pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = left |label= Texas}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 49.0630 |long= -122.2514 |mark = red pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = right |label= Abbotsford}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 35.3733 |long= -119.0187 |mark = red pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = left |label= Bakersfield}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 51.0473 |long= -114.0580 |mark = red pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = bottom |label= Calgary}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 33.7289 |long= -116.3825 |mark = red pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = right |label= Coachella Valley}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 40.3944 |long= -105.0706 |mark = red pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = right |label= Colorado}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 36.0395 |long= -114.9817 |mark = red pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = right |label= Henderson}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 34.0633 |long= -117.6509 |mark = red pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = left |label= Ontario}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 32.7157 |long= -117.1611 |mark = red pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = left |label= San Diego}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 37.3382 |long= -121.8863 |mark = red pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = right |label= San Jose}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 32.2219 |long= -110.9712 |mark = red pog.svg |label_size=75 |position = top |label= Tucson}}

}}

{{Clear}}

Notes

{{Reflist|group=c}}

{{Font color||{{RGB|100|204|169}}|Current member}} {{Font color||{{RGB|188|185|214}}|Former member}} {{Font color||{{RGB|190|154|228}}|Opted out of season due to COVID-19 pandemic}} Gold star = Won Calder Cup

DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20

Period = from:01/01/1936 till:07/01/2025

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal

PlotArea = right:40 left:0 bottom:50 top:5

Define $Down = shift:(,-7)

Define $t = textcolor

Define $champ = text:"*" $t:gold2 fontsize:XL shift:(-1,-10)

Colors =

id:barcolor value:rgb(1,0.6,0.5)

id:gold2 value:rgb(1,0.75,0.0)

id:line value:black

id:bg value:white

id:Former value:rgb(0.8,0.8,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a former league member

id:Current value:rgb(0.4,0.80,0.67) # Use this color to denote a team that is a current league member

id:Suspended value:rgb(0.75,0.6,0.9) # suspended member

PlotData=

width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:12/06/1936 text:Buffalo Bisons

bar:2 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1973 $Down text:Cleveland Falcons/Barons

bar:2 color:former from:08/01/1973 till:05/01/1974 shift:-50 text:Jacksonville

bar:2 color:former from:08/01/1974 till:05/01/1975 text:Syracuse Eagles

bar:2 at:06/01/1939 $champ

bar:2 at:06/01/1941 $champ

bar:2 at:06/01/1945 $champ

bar:2 at:06/01/1948 $champ

bar:2 at:06/01/1951 $champ

bar:2 at:06/01/1953 $champ

bar:2 at:06/01/1954 $champ

bar:2 at:06/01/1957 $champ

bar:2 at:06/01/1964 $champ

bar:3 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1943 text:New Haven Eagles/Ramblers

bar:3 color:former from:08/01/1945 till:05/01/1951

bar:4 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1942 text:Philadelphia Ramblers/Rockets

bar:5 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1956 $Down text:Pittsburgh Hornets

bar:5 color:former from:08/01/1961 till:05/01/1967

bar:5 at:06/01/1952 $champ

bar:5 at:06/01/1955 $champ

bar:5 at:06/01/1967 $champ

bar:6 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1977 $Down text:Providence/Rhode Island Reds

bar:6 color:former from:08/01/1977 till:05/01/1997 text:Binghamton Dusters/Whalers/Rangers

bar:6 color:current from:08/01/1997 till:end $Down text:Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale

bar:6 at:06/01/1938 $champ

bar:6 at:06/01/1940 $champ

bar:6 at:06/01/1949 $champ

bar:6 at:06/01/1956 $champ

bar:6 at:06/01/2000 $champ

bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1942 text:Springfield Indians

bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1946 till:05/01/1951

bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1951 till:05/01/1954 shift:-5 text:Syracuse

bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1954 till:05/01/1994 shift:55 $Down text: Springfield Indians/Kings

bar:7 color:former from:08/01/1994 till:05/01/2005 text:Worcester IceCats

bar:7 color:former from:08/01/2005 till:05/01/2013 text:Peoria

bar:7 color:former from:08/01/2013 till:05/01/2021 text:Utica

bar:7 color:current from:08/01/2021 till:end text:Abbotsford Canucks

bar:7 at:06/01/1960 $champ

bar:7 at:06/01/1961 $champ

bar:7 at:06/01/1962 $champ

bar:7 at:06/01/1971 $champ

bar:7 at:06/01/1975 $champ

bar:7 at:06/01/1990 $champ

bar:7 at:06/01/1991 $champ

bar:8 color:former from:08/01/1936 till:05/01/1940 $Down text:Syracuse

bar:8 color:former from:08/01/1940 till:05/01/1970 $Down text: Buffalo Bisons

bar:8 at:06/01/1937 $champ

bar:8 at:06/01/1943 $champ

bar:8 at:06/01/1944 $champ

bar:8 at:06/01/1946 $champ

bar:8 at:06/01/1963 $champ

bar:8 at:06/01/1970 $champ

bar:9 color:current from:08/01/1938 till:end $Down text:Hershey Bears

bar:9 at:06/01/1947 $champ

bar:9 at:06/01/1958 $champ

bar:9 at:06/01/1959 $champ

bar:9 at:06/01/1969 $champ

bar:9 at:06/01/1974 $champ

bar:9 at:06/01/1980 $champ

bar:9 at:06/01/1988 $champ

bar:9 at:06/01/1997 $champ

bar:9 at:06/01/2006 $champ

bar:9 at:06/01/2009 $champ

bar:9 at:06/01/2010 $champ

bar:9 at:06/01/2023 $champ

bar:9 at:06/01/2024 $champ

bar:10 color:former from:08/01/1939 till:05/01/1952 $Down text:Indianapolis Capitals

bar:10 at:06/01/1942 $champ

bar:10 at:06/01/1950 $champ

bar:11 color:former from:08/01/1941 till:05/01/1943 shift:-30 text:Wash. Lions

bar:11 color:former from:08/01/1947 till:05/01/1949

bar:11 color:former from:08/01/1949 till:05/01/1952 shift:10 text:Cincinnati Mohawks

bar:12 color:former from:08/01/1944 till:05/01/1953 text:St. Louis Flyers

bar:13 color:former from:08/01/1946 till:05/01/1949 text:Philadelphia Rockets

bar:14 color:current from:08/01/1956 till:end $Down text:Rochester Americans

bar:14 at:06/01/1965 $champ

bar:14 at:06/01/1966 $champ

bar:14 at:06/01/1968 $champ

bar:14 at:06/01/1983 $champ

bar:14 at:06/01/1987 $champ

bar:14 at:06/01/1996 $champ

bar:15 color:former from:08/01/1959 till:05/01/1971 text:Quebec Aces

bar:15 color:former from:08/01/1971 till:05/01/1976 text:Richmond Robins

bar:16 color:former from:08/01/1962 till:05/01/1976 text:Baltimore Clippers

bar:17 color:former from:08/01/1969 till:05/01/1971 shift:-20 text:Montreal

bar:17 color:former from:08/01/1971 till:05/01/1984 shift:0 $Down text:Nova Scotia Voyageurs

bar:17 color:former from:08/01/1984 till:05/01/1990 $Down text:Sherbrooke

bar:17 color:former from:08/01/1990 till:05/01/1999 text:Fredericton

bar:17 color:former from:08/01/1999 till:05/01/2002 shift:-10 text:Quebec

bar:17 color:former from:08/01/2002 till:05/01/2015 text:Hamilton

bar:17 color:former from:08/01/2015 till:05/01/2017 shift:-25 text:St. John's

bar:17 color:current from:08/01/2017 till:end text:Laval Rocket

bar:17 at:06/01/1972 $champ

bar:17 at:06/01/1976 $champ

bar:17 at:06/01/1977 $champ

bar:17 at:06/01/1985 $champ

bar:17 at:06/01/2007 $champ

bar:18 color:former from:08/01/1971 till:05/01/1974 text:Boston Braves

bar:18 color:former from:08/01/1987 till:05/01/1994 text:Moncton Hawks

bar:19 color:former from:08/01/1971 till:05/01/1974 $Down text:Cincinnati Swords

bar:19 at:06/01/1973 $champ

bar:20 color:former from:08/01/1971 till:05/01/1975 shift:-55 text:Tidewater/Virginia Wings

bar:20 color:former from:08/01/1979 till:05/01/1999 $Down text:Adirondack Red Wings

bar:20 color:former from:08/01/2002 till:05/01/2020 text:San Antonio Rampage

bar:20 color:current from:08/01/2020 till:end shift:-20 text:Henderson Silver Knights

bar:20 at:06/01/1981 $champ

bar:20 at:06/01/1986 $champ

bar:20 at:06/01/1989 $champ

bar:20 at:06/01/1992 $champ

bar:21 color:former from:08/01/1972 till:05/01/1993 text:New Haven Nighthawks/Senators

bar:21 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/1996 text:PEI Senators

bar:21 color:former from:08/01/2002 till:05/01/2017 shift:10 text:Binghamton

bar:21 color:current from:08/01/2017 till:end shift:-20 text:Belleville Senators

bar:21 at:06/01/2011 $champ

bar:23 color:former from:08/01/1977 till:02/10/1978 text:Hampton Gulls

bar:24 color:former from:08/01/1977 till:05/01/1987 $Down text:Maine Mariners

bar:24 color:former from:08/01/1987 till:05/01/1993 text:Utica Devils

bar:24 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/2003 $Down text:Saint John Flames

bar:24 color:former from:08/01/2005 till:05/01/2007 shift:-5 text:OMA

bar:24 color:former from:08/01/2007 till:05/01/2009 shift:0 text:QC

bar:24 color:former from:08/01/2009 till:05/01/2014 shift:0 text:ABB

bar:24 color:former from:08/01/2014 till:05/01/2015 shift:-10 text:ADK

bar:24 color:former from:08/01/2015 till:05/01/2022 shift:5 text:Stockton Heat

bar:24 color:current from:08/01/2022 till:end shift:5 text:Calgary Wranglers

bar:24 at:06/01/1978 $champ

bar:24 at:06/01/1979 $champ

bar:24 at:06/01/1984 $champ

bar:24 at:06/01/2001 $champ

bar:25 color:former from:08/01/1977 till:05/01/1979 shift:-40 text:Philadelphia

bar:25 color:former from:08/01/1979 till:05/01/1980 text:Syracuse Firebirds

bar:26 color:former from:08/01/1978 till:05/01/1982 shift:-70 text:New Brunswick Hawks

bar:26 color:former from:08/01/1982 till:05/01/1986 text:St. Cath.

bar:26 color:former from:08/01/1986 till:05/01/1991 text:Newmarket

bar:26 color:former from:08/01/1991 till:05/01/2005 shift:10 text:St. John's Maple Leafs

bar:26 color:current from:08/01/2005 till:end shift:20 text:Toronto Marlies

bar:26 at:06/01/1982 $champ

bar:26 at:06/01/2018 $champ

bar:27 color:former from:08/01/1981 till:05/01/1982 shift:-55 text:Erie Blades

bar:27 color:former from:08/01/1982 till:05/01/1993 shift:5 text:Baltimore Skipjacks

bar:27 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/2016 shift:20 text:Portland Pirates

bar:27 color:current from:08/01/2016 till:07/01/2020 shift:-20 text:Springfield Thunderbirds

bar:27 color:Suspended from:07/01/2020 till:07/01/2021

bar:27 color:current from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:27 at:06/01/1994 $champ

bar:28 color:former from:08/01/1981 till:05/01/1988 shift:-35 text:Fredericton Express

bar:28 color:former from:08/01/1988 till:05/01/1993 text:Halifax

bar:28 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/1996 shift:-5 text:Cornwall

bar:28 color:current from:08/01/1999 till:end shift:15 text:Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

bar:29 color:former from:08/01/1982 till:05/01/1984 text:Sherbrooke Jets

bar:30 color:former from:08/01/1982 till:05/01/1987 text:Moncton Alpines/Golden Flames

bar:31 color:former from:08/01/1984 till:05/01/1988 shift:-20 text:Nova Scotia

bar:31 color:former from:08/01/1988 till:05/01/1996 text:Cape Breton

bar:31 color:former from:08/01/1996 till:05/01/2003 text:Hamilton

bar:31 color:former from:08/01/2003 till:05/01/2004 shift:-10 text:Tor.

bar:31 color:former from:08/01/2004 till:05/01/2005 text:Edm.

bar:31 color:former from:08/01/2010 till:05/01/2015 text:OKC

bar:31 color:current from:08/01/2015 till:end shift:-1 text:Bakersfield Condors

bar:31 at:06/01/1993 $champ

bar:32 color:former from:08/01/1987 till:05/01/1992 shift:-20 text:Maine Mariners

bar:32 color:current from:08/01/1992 till:end $Down text:Providence Bruins

bar:32 at:06/01/1999 $champ

bar:33 color:former from:08/01/1990 till:05/01/1993 shift:-45 text:C.D. Islanders

bar:33 color:former from:08/01/1993 till:05/01/2010 $Down text:Albany River Rats

bar:33 color:current from:08/01/2010 till:07/01/2020 $Down text:Charlotte Checkers

bar:33 color:Suspended from:07/01/2020 till:07/01/2021

bar:33 color:current from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:33 at:06/01/1995 $champ

bar:33 at:06/01/2019 $champ

bar:34 color:former from:08/01/1992 till:05/01/1994 shift:-65 text:Hamilton Canucks

bar:34 color:current from:08/01/1994 till:end shift:15 text:Syracuse Crunch

bar:35 color:former from:08/01/1994 till:05/01/2016 text:Springfield Falcons

bar:35 color:current from:08/01/2016 till:end shift:-20 text:Tucson Roadrunners

bar:36 color:former from:08/01/1995 till:05/01/1997 shift:-30 text:Baltimore

bar:36 color:former from:08/01/1997 till:05/01/2005 text:Cincinnati

bar:36 color:current from:08/01/2007 till:end text:Rockford IceHogs

bar:37 color:former from:08/01/1995 till:05/01/1997 shift:-30 text:Carolina

bar:37 color:former from:08/01/1997 till:05/01/1999 text:Beast of New Haven

bar:38 color:former from:08/01/1996 till:05/01/2009 $Down text:Philadelphia Phantoms

bar:38 color:former from:08/01/2009 till:05/01/2014 shift:-10 text:Adirondack

bar:38 color:current from:08/01/2014 till:end shift:-5 text:Lehigh Valley Phantoms

bar:38 at:06/01/1998 $champ

bar:38 at:06/01/2005 $champ

bar:39 color:former from:08/01/1996 till:05/01/2001 text:Kentucky

bar:39 color:former from:08/01/2001 till:05/01/2006 text:Cleveland

bar:39 color:former from:08/01/2006 till:05/01/2015 shift:5 text:Worcester Sharks

bar:39 color:current from:08/01/2015 till:end shift:-2 text:San Jose Barracuda

bar:40 color:former from:08/01/1998 till:05/01/2010 text:Lowell Devils

bar:40 color:former from:08/01/2010 till:05/01/2017 text:Albany

bar:40 color:former from:08/01/2017 till:05/01/2021 text:Bing.

bar:40 color:current from:08/01/2021 till:end shift:0 text:Utica Comets

bar:41 color:former from:08/01/1999 till:05/01/2001 shift:-60 text:Louisville Panthers

bar:41 color:former from:08/01/2005 till:05/01/2009 text:Iowa

bar:41 color:current from:08/01/2009 till:end $Down text:Texas Stars

bar:41 at:06/01/2014 $champ

bar:42 color:former from:08/01/2000 till:05/01/2015 $Down text:Norfolk Admirals

bar:42 color:current from:08/01/2015 till:end text:San Diego Gulls

bar:42 at:06/01/2012 $champ

bar:43 color:current from:08/01/2001 till:end text:Bridgeport Sound Tigers/Islanders

bar:44 color:current from:08/01/2001 till:end $Down text:Chicago Wolves

bar:44 at:06/01/2002 $champ

bar:44 at:06/01/2008 $champ

bar:44 at:06/01/2022 $champ

bar:45 color:current from:08/01/2001 till:end $Down text:Grand Rapids Griffins

bar:45 at:06/01/2013 $champ

bar:45 at:06/01/2017 $champ

bar:46 color:former from:08/01/2001 till:05/01/2013 $Down text:Houston Aeros

bar:46 color:current from:08/01/2013 till:end text:Iowa Wild

bar:46 at:06/01/2003 $champ

bar:47 color:former from:08/01/2001 till:05/01/2015 $Down text:Manchester Monarchs

bar:47 color:current from:08/01/2015 till:end text:Ontario Reign

bar:47 at:06/01/2015 $champ

bar:48 color:current from:08/01/2001 till:07/01/2020 $Down text:Milwaukee Admirals

bar:48 color:Suspended from:07/01/2020 till:07/01/2021

bar:48 color:current from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:48 at:06/01/2004 $champ

bar:49 color:former from:08/01/2001 till:05/01/2011 text:Manitoba Moose

bar:49 color:former from:08/01/2011 till:05/01/2015 shift:-5 text:St. John's

bar:49 color:current from:08/01/2015 till:end shift:45 text:Manitoba

bar:50 color:former from:08/01/2001 till:05/01/2005 shift:-30 text:Utah Grizzlies

bar:50 color:current from:08/01/2007 till:end $Down text:Lake Erie/Cleveland Monsters

bar:50 at:06/01/2016 $champ

bar:51 color:current from:08/01/2018 till:end shift:-20 text:Colorado Eagles

bar:52 color:current from:08/01/2022 till:end shift:-50 text:Coachella Valley

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:10 start:01/01/1940

Still-active teams in bold.

{{colbegin}}

• 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 to 2013)
• 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 to 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)

{{Div col end}}

File:BWP 6505 (26105839808).jpg

The American Hockey League first held an All-Star Game in the 1941–42 season as a fundraiser for American Red Cross and Canadian Red Cross efforts during World War II. Players from the Eastern Division faced off against players from the Western Division at Cleveland Arena.{{cite web |title=Patriotic duty: The 1942 AHL All-Star Game |url=https://theahl.com/patriotic-duty-the-1942-all-star-game |website=AHL |access-date=13 February 2024 |date=3 February 2012}}

The event was not played again until the 1954–55 season, and was then held annually until the 1959–60 season. These six annual games pitted a team of all-stars against the defending Calder Cup champions (with the exception of the 1959-60 event, which featured the Springfield Indians).

The modern AHL All-Star Game was reinstituted for the 1994–95 season and a skills competition was introduced in 1995–96, with the two-day event being dubbed the AHL All-Star Classic. The 1995 and 1996 games featured players from teams based in Canada taking on players from teams based in the United States. Beginning in 1997, Canadian-born players faced players born outside Canada (known as the “World” team in 1997 and “PlanetUSA” from 1998 to 2010).

The format was revamped again in 2011 to pit the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference. In 2014, a team of AHL all-stars hosted the Swedish Hockey League club Färjestad BK.

Since 2016, the all-star game has been replaced by the AHL All-Star Challenge,{{cite web |title=AHL All-Star Challenge format announced |url=https://theahl.com/ahl-all-star-challenge-format-announced |website=AHL |date=19 November 2015}} a three-on-three round-robin tournament among teams from the league's four divisions; the top two teams advance to the final game, with the winner declared the challenge champions.

The AHL All-Star Classic was postponed in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Laval Rocket, who had been selected to host, ultimately hosted the event in 2023.

{{main|AHL Outdoor Classic}}

File:2012 AHL Winter Classic CBP Philadelphia.jpg defeat the Hershey Bears, 4–3 in overtime at the 2012 AHL Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia]]

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 defeated the Bakersfield Condors, 3–2, at Raley Field in West Sacramento, California.{{cite web |url=http://stocktonheat.com/news/grant-kylington-and-shore-lead-heat-to-3-2-win-at-raley-field/ |title=Grant, Kylington and Shore Lead Heat to 3-2 Win at Raley Field |publisher=Stockton Heat |date=December 19, 2015 |access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-date=October 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008204647/https://stocktonheat.com/news/grant-kylington-and-shore-lead-heat-to-3-2-win-at-raley-field/ |url-status=dead }}

For the second consecutive season, the AHL played an outdoor game in California as the Bakersfield Condors hosted the Condorstown Outdoor Classic against the Ontario Reign on January 7, 2017, at Bakersfield College's Memorial Stadium.{{cite web |url=http://www.bakersfield.com/Sports/2016/08/23/Condors-bringing-outdoor-hockey-to-Memorial-Stadium.html |title=Condors bringing outdoor hockey to Memorial Stadium |publisher=Bakersfield.com |date=August 23, 2016}} Despite sometimes heavy rain during the first period, the game went on as scheduled and the Condors defeated the Reign 3–2 in overtime.

Hersheypark Stadium hosted its second outdoor game in 2018. Cleveland's FirstEnergy Stadium became the first National Football League venue to host an AHL outdoor game in 2023, and Truist Field in Charlotte hosted the Queen City Outdoor Classic in 2024.

Teams from the AHL have competed against non-North American teams, in both international tournaments and one-off matchups.

The first recorded games between an AHL team and international competition took place in 1969, when the Montreal Voyageurs hosted the Canadian National Team in Winnipeg.

Several club teams from the Soviet Union toured the United States and Canada during the 1970s and 1980s and played exhibitions against AHL clubs, including the Soviet Wings (1974–75), HC Spartak Moscow (1976, 1986), Moscow Khimik (1976), HC Dynamo Moscow (1977–78), Traktor Chelyabinsk (1978–79) and Sokil Kyiv (1989).

Prior to the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, the Adirondack Red Wings hosted exhibition games against the national teams from the United States, West Germany, Sweden and Finland. Team USA also played exhibitions against AHL teams leading up to the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

The Rochester Americans participated in the 1996 and 2013 editions of the Spengler Cup, held in Davos, Switzerland. The Spengler Cup is an annual invitational tournament featuring teams from leagues around Europe and the world. The participation of the AHL in future Spengler Cups has been discussed by both the tournament organizers and league leadership.{{Cite web |title=Williams: Developing a European audience – the AHL has eyes on Spengler Cup - EP Rinkside |url=https://eprinkside.com/2018/12/21/williams-developing-a-european-audience-the-ahl-has-eyes-on-spengler-cup |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=EP Rinkside |language=en}}

In 2014, Swedish club Färjestad BK met the Toronto Marlies as part of a visit to Canada that included its participation in the 2014 AHL All-Star Classic.{{cite web |title=Marlies to host Farjestad BK in exhibition |url=https://theahl.com/marlies-to-host-farjestad-bk-in-exhibition |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=TheAHL.com|date=November 19, 2013 }}

In February 2018, the Ontario Reign hosted and defeated the DEL's Eisbären Berlin, 6–3, in a friendly matchup organized by Anschutz Entertainment Group, the owner of both teams.{{Cite web |date=2018-02-14 |title=Ontario Reign ignite in third to defeat Eisbären Berlin |url=https://www.pressenterprise.com/2018/02/13/ontario-reign-ignite-in-third-to-defeat-eisbaren-berlin/ |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Press Enterprise |language=en-US}}

{{Main|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.{{cite web|url=http://theahl.com/ahl-hall-of-fame-p135901|title=AHL Hall of Fame announces Class of '15|website=Theahl.com|access-date=January 30, 2017}}

The following is a list of awards of the American Hockey League. The season the award was first handed out is listed in parentheses.

• Les Cunningham Award – Most valuable player (1947–48)
• John B. Sollenberger Trophy – Top point scorer (1947–48)
• Willie Marshall Award – Top goal scorer (2003–04)
• Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award – Rookie of the year (1947–48)
• Eddie Shore Award – Defenceman of the year (1958–59)
• Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award – Best Goaltender (1983–84)
• Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award – Lowest Goals against average (1947–48)
• Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award – Coach of the year (1967–68)
• Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award – Sportsmanship / Perseverance (1977–78)
• Yanick Dupre Memorial Award – Community Service Award (1997–98)
• Jack A. Butterfield Trophy – MVP of the playoffs (1983–84)

• Calder Cup – Playoffs champions (1936–37)
• Richard F. Canning Trophy – Eastern Conference playoff champions (1989–90)
• Robert W. Clarke Trophy – Western Conference playoff champions (1989–90)
• Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy – Regular season champions, League (1997–98)
• Frank Mathers Trophy – Regular Season champions, Eastern Conference (1995–96)
• Norman R. "Bud" Poile Trophy – Regular Season champions, Western Conference (2001–02)
• Emile Francis Trophy – Regular Season champions, Atlantic Division (2001–02)
• F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy – Regular Season champions, North Division (1936–37)^†
• Sam Pollock Trophy – Regular Season champions, Central Division (1995–96)
• John D. Chick Trophy – Regular Season champions, Pacific Division (1961–62)

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

• James C. Hendy Memorial Award – Executive of the Year (1961–62)
• Thomas Ebright Memorial Award – Outstanding career contributions (1997–98)
• James H. Ellery Memorial Awards – Outstanding media coverage (1964–65)
• Ken McKenzie Award – Marketing Executive of the Year (1978–79)
• Michael Condon Memorial Award – Outstanding service, On-ice official (2001–02)
• President's Awards – two annual awards given out by the AHL. The first award is presented to an AHL organization and recognizes "excellence in all areas off the ice." The second is given to a player as recognition of outstanding accomplishments in that year (2008–09)

Sources:

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20061005115458/http://www.ahlhalloffame.com/TrophyCase/ AHL Hall of Fame]
• [http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/awards/displayawardleague.php?league_id=AHL1941 hockeydb.com]

• American Hockey Association (1926–1942)
• Calder Cup
• List of AHL head coaches
• List of AHL seasons
• List of American Hockey League arenas
• List of Calder Cup champions
• List of sports attendance figures
• Minor league
• List of ice hockey leagues
• Professional Hockey Players' Association, the collective bargaining union for AHL players

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite book|first=Jon C.|last=Scott|title=Hockey Night in Dixie: Minor Pro Hockey in the American South|year=2006|publisher=Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/hockeynightindix0000stot/page/137 137]–201|isbn=1-894974-21-2|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/hockeynightindix0000stot}}

{{Commons category|American Hockey League}}

• {{Official website}}
• [http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/ahl1941.html Historic standings and statistics] – at Internet Hockey Database

{{AHL|state=expanded}}

{{AHL Arenas}}

{{Defunct AHL}}

{{NAProHockey}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Minor league ice hockey

Category:Articles which contain graphical timelines

Category:1936 establishments in North America

Category:Sports leagues established in 1936

Category:Professional ice hockey leagues in the United States

Category:Professional ice hockey leagues in Canada

Category:Multi-national professional sports leagues

Category:Second-tier ice hockey leagues

Category:Multi-national ice hockey leagues in North America