The American Hockey League opens its 91st season of play tonight, kicking off Opening Weekend presented by FloHockey with eight games on the Friday schedule.
The American Hockey League officially opens its 91st season of play with eight games scheduled for Friday's Opening Weekend. All 32 clubs will compete in a 72-game 2026-27 regular season running through April 11, with 23 teams eventually qualifying for the Calder Cup playoffs. The campaign also marks the league's return to Hamilton, Ontario, where the Hamilton Hammers will begin play at TD Coliseum as the New York Islanders' top affiliate.
The league enters the year after seeing 87 percent of all NHL players during 2025-26 come from AHL backgrounds, along with 22 of 32 current NHL head coaches having previous AHL head coaching experience. Eleven head coaching changes were made across the AHL ahead of the season, including 10 first-time head coaches. The Cleveland Monsters are scheduled to host the 2027 AHL All-Star Classic in February.
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