As the AHL regular season gets underway tonight, management and coaching staffs across the league are still scurrying to sort out their rosters.
Waivers – and waiver claims – lead to some of that uncertainty. So do decisions prompted by salary-cap concerns on the NHL roster. Players in AHL training camps on professional tryout deals may have stuck on rosters. Or they didn’t, which means that there are holes that must be filled somehow. So expect AHL rosters to be ever-shifting, especially in the next several weeks, as players play themselves into or out of roster spots at both the NHL and AHL levels.
Let’s examine some of the storylines for each of the AHL’s 32 teams as they start the league’s 90th anniversary season.
Abbotsford Canucks (Vancouver Canucks): The defending Calder Cup champion looks markedly different only three months after dethroning the Hershey Bears. Several players earned NHL promotions while others found opportunities elsewhere. Nikita Tolopilo will take over in net.
2025 Abbotsford Canucks vs Henderson Silver Knights
Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers): Matthew Savoie won a job with the Oilers coming out of training camp. Connor Carrick’s move to Switzerland left a big hole on the Bakersfield blue line. Quinn Hutson’s first pro season will be critical for Bakersfield and, perhaps, Edmonton if he can progress quickly.
Belleville Senators (Ottawa Senators): With head coach David Bell, the B-Sens can be counted on to be a hard-working, diligent team. The Ottawa front office worked this offseason to bring in some scoring punch via Arthur Kaliyev, and rookie blueliner Carter Yakemchuk turns pro after going seventh overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. Two-time Calder Cup champion Hunter Shepard arrives to help out in net.
Bridgeport Islanders (New York Islanders): After one of the worst seasons in AHL history came a housecleaning this summer. New head coach Rocky Thompson will bring enthusiasm and energy. New York general manager Mathieu Darche, who learned the management business with the Tampa Bay Lightning, has vowed to make Bridgeport a much more significant organizational priority. He backed up those words by adding much-needed experience.
Calgary Wranglers (Calgary Flames): The Wranglers tailed off dramatically last season after a hot start. New head coach Brett Sutter takes over and will have Ivan Prosvetov as his number-one goaltender following a one-year detour to the KHL. Étienne Morin’s work as a rookie defenseman will be monitored closely.
Charlotte Checkers (Florida Panthers): Depth has defined the Checkers in their affiliation with the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, and another aggressive summer should continue that pattern. However, losing goaltender Brandon Bussi to waivers leaves the Checkers without much AHL-level experience at the position.
Chicago Wolves (Carolina Hurricanes): Much like Charlotte, the Wolves lost a top offseason goaltending addition when Cayden Primeau went to the Toronto Maple Leafs on a waiver claim. First-round pick Bradly Nadeau is back following a standout rookie season, and 18-year-old Ivan Ryabkin should be fun to watch.
Cleveland Monsters (Columbus Blue Jackets): Columbus management made sure to go out and get goaltending help by acquiring Ivan Fedotov. That move gives Columbus an NHL-experience recall option as well as a number-one in Cleveland. Luca Del Bel Belluz and Luca Pinelli are exciting prospects, captain Brendan Gaunce is back in the organization, and the blue line has experience.
Coachella Valley Firebirds (Seattle Kraken): Last season proved to be a significant shift for the Firebirds, a veteran team that went to the Calder Cup Finals in each of their first two seasons. An influx of draft picks and prospects arrived last year, and naturally putting that group together took time for incoming head coach Derek Laxdal. Now that group owns some experience, and Laxdal is back once again. Coachella Valley will again have to figure out how to get by without Max McCormick, who will miss the season with a hip injury.
Colorado Eagles (Colorado Avalanche): The Eagles and their excellent offense looked like a strong Calder Cup contender, but they ended up falling to Abbotsford. New signee Alex Barré-Boulet will try out the Western Conference; between Barré-Boulet and T.J. Tynan, the Eagles have two of the AHL’s most elite playmakers. Goaltender Trent Miner is on NHL recall. Defenseman Jacob MacDonald, who had 31 goals last season, will miss significant time. NHL veteran forward Mark Letestu takes over as head coach.
Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings): Pressure definitely abounds in Detroit as the organization’s rebuilding process continues, and that feeling certainly extends to Grand Rapids, where the Red Wings will continue to count heavily on proper development of a long list of prospects. Detroit has gone with some youth coming out of training camp, but the Griffins need to continue preparing prospects or this rebuilding plan will not pan out. Sebastian Cossa is going into his fourth pro season; he has been good, but now he needs to be dominant. Detroit signed forward John Leonard, whose 36 goals last season with Charlotte tied him for second in the AHL.
Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers): Hartford needed some high-end talent, so the Rangers brought in Justin Dowling and Trey Fix-Wolansky up front and blueliner Derrick Pouliot. Prospect Brennan Othmann needs to take a big step forward. Second-year blueliner Scott Morrow is with the organization as one of the key return pieces in the K’Andre Miller offseason trade with Carolina. Dylan Garand has carried the Wolf Pack in the past, and the net is his with veteran Louis Domingue in the KHL.
Henderson Silver Knights (Vegas Golden Knights): With the parent team always going all-out in pursuit of the Stanley Cup, draft picks and development have necessarily had to take a lesser priority for the organization. They have not won much, but everything exists on and off the ice for the Silver Knights to become a destination for top AHL veterans. Trevor Connelly will be stepping into the AHL with just one season at the NCAA level.
Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals): What isn’t new in Hershey? Extensive offseason change saw most of the nucleus from back-to-back Calder Cup championship teams depart, including head coach Todd Nelson. Getting Clay Stevenson through waivers gave Hershey a break in net. Ethen Frank also is back from the Capitals. However, the Capitals have an influx of exciting prospects that starts with Andrew Cristall and Ilya Protas. Nevertheless, Hershey’s ultra-demanding fan base will still expect plenty of wins from new head coach Derek King and his players.
Iowa Wild (Minnesota Wild): Greg Cronin takes over as head coach and will try to get Iowa on a winning path. This team only has two trips to the postseason since 2013-14. Goaltender Jesper Wallstedt has graduated to Minnesota. Key forward prospect Rasmus Kumpulainen is with Iowa after spending last season in Liiga play.
Laval Rocket (Montreal Canadiens): Last season’s regular-season champion, the Rocket made their way through the Calder Cup Playoffs before a decisive sweep by Charlotte. Jacob Fowler will get his first full pro season and team with Kaapo Kähkönen to give Laval a potentially elite goaltending tandem. Blueliner Logan Mailloux left in a major trade to the St. Louis Blues, but the Canadiens have a deep group of prospects Laval.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers): Much like in Detroit, the Flyers are depending heavily on their AHL affiliate to make an ongoing rebuilding plan success. The Flyers have started to put some solid prospects into their development pipeline; now it will be new head coach John Snowden’s job to convert them into NHL-ready players. Denver Barkey, Alex Bump, and Oliver Bonk are among that group of crucial youngsters.
Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets): The Moose are looking dangerous. Jets management has given the Moose the likes of Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Kale Clague, Phil Di Giuseppe, Walker Duehr, and Samuel Fagemo to fortify a line-up that struggled considerably last season. Then add in first-round picks Colby Barlow and Brayden Yager, who will be available to develop while surrounded by high-end AHL experience.
Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators): The Admirals almost always find a way to contend. And if they run into a problem, Nashville management will react quickly to retool its AHL roster. That’s what happened last year. Zach L’Heureux is back with the Admirals after 62 games for Nashville last season. He is sure to spice up the Milwaukee line-up each night. Tanner Molendyk steps into the Milwaukee defense corps to start his pro career for an organization that has always developed well.
Ontario Reign (Los Angeles Kings): Andrew Lord is taking over for Marco Sturm behind the bench and continues his rise through the coaching ranks in a career that started in the EIHL with the Cardiff Devils. At 25 years old, the goaltending prospect has full control of the net with Pheonix Copley off to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins): The P-Bruins got a haul this training camp from Boston. Offseason signings Matěj Blümel (a league-leading 39 goals with the Texas Stars) and Alex Steeves did not stick with Boston and ended up in Providence. So did Michael DiPietro, who cleared waivers after winning the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s top goaltender last season. Boston management will have a lot to figure out as the season unfolds, but for now the P-Bruins look quite dangerous.
Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres): The Sabres have established a pattern of sending top prospects to Rochester as 18- and 19-year-olds, and the strategy has largely worked. Defenseman Radim Mrtka, the ninth pick in this past June’s NHL Draft, is the latest player to attempt to handle the AHL. It’s a significant task for any 18-year-old, especially a defenseman, but the well-structured Amerks should have solid support around him. Can Devon Levi set himself up for an NHL promotion with his work in Rochester? The same goes for Isak Rosén.
Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks): Defenseman Kevin Korchinski, back in the AHL again, will bear watching, but he is still only 21 years old. First-rounder Oliver Moore will get his first full pro season underway as Chicago’s rebuilding plan continues in full. Incoming head coach Jared Nightingale was named the ECHL’s coach of the year with the South Carolina Stingrays in 2024-25 and brings an upbeat, energetic demeanor.
San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks): Defenseman Tristan Luneau had a standout 2024-25 season. Now it’s time to integrate 19-year-old Stian Solberg into the San Diego roster. He handled the SHL last season, no small feat for an 18-year-old. The Gulls have not had a significant playoff run since 2019 and could really use a good season to get these Anaheim prospects some postseason experience.
San Jose Barracuda (San Jose Sharks): Another NHL organization in the midst of attempting to build itself back to prominence, the Sharks are taking a patient approach with their draft picks. They’ll have Quentin Musty with the Barracuda, where he’ll join Filip Bystedt, Kasper Halttunen, Mattias Hävelid, and several other Sharks hopefuls in a crucial development environment.
Springfield Thunderbirds (St. Louis Blues): St. Louis has first-round picks Dalibor Dvorský, Theo Lindstein, and Otto Stenberg among a solid group of prospects with the Thunderbirds. St. Louis also has an extremely capable group of veterans to help lead the way. Getting goaltending help in Georgi Romanov was a quick pivot after losing Colten Ellis on waivers.
Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning): Years of contending for the Stanley Cup have meant that the Lightning have opted to deal away draft picks. Eventually that can impact the prospect pool at the AHL level, and the Crunch have had to deal with that reality in recent years. They still have been able to produce some development successes. Getting newcomer Jakob Pelletier to stick full-time with Tampa Bay would be a significant victory. At 24 years old and in his third NHL organization, he will at least need to be a dominant producer in Syracuse.
Texas Stars (Dallas Stars): Stability has been a core theme in Texas for years, particularly behind the bench. Neil Graham’s promotion to Dallas means that replacement Toby Petersen will walk into a good situation. They are once again bringing back a deep group of leaders (Curtis McKenzie, Cameron Hughes, Kole Lind, Kyle Capobianco, and more) along with a strong mix of prospects across the roster. Texas went to the Western Conference Finals and gave the eventual Calder Cup champion a tough fight.
Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs): Long an organization that prizes extensive depth for its AHL roster, the Marlies once again are carrying a lengthy roster. Leafs management also went out and brought in high-end forwards Travis Boyd, Bo Groulx, Marc Johnstone (a former Marlie), and Vinni Lettieri. One challenge for head coach John Gruden will be how to keep everyone playing and involved.
Tucson Roadrunners (Utah Mammoth): After winning the Gagarin Cup last season, first-rounder Daniil But will make the shift to the AHL. With a Jaxson Stauber-Matt Villalta duo in net, Tucson is solid at the goaltending position. Defensively, top prospect Maveric Lamoureux headlines a well-tested group. Further experience comes with offseason signing Scott Perunovich. Just as Utah seems poised to make a significant jump this season, the Roadrunners also look like a threat.
Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils): A disastrous start last fall cost head coach Kevin Dineen his job and put the Comets out of contention before the season had barely started. To their credit, they managed to put together some solid stretches as the season moved along. Ryan Parent, Dineen’s interim replacement, now has the full-time title. New Jersey worked to give Parent some roster help with multiple veteran signings.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins): As Pittsburgh works to sort out its many questions, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton roster may have some surprises. It already does with the likes of Ryan Graves finding himself back in the AHL. Veteran-heavy, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton roster may be a particularly fluid one as the Pittsburgh front office makes decisions on players at both the NHL and AHL levels. Goaltender Sergei Murashov could put together a breakout season.
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