2024–25 AHL season
| 2024–25 AHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | American Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 11, 2024 – April 20, 2025 |
| Regular season | |
| Playoffs | |
| Calder Cup | |
The 2024–25 AHL season is the 89th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 11, 2024, and will end on April 20, 2025. The 2025 Calder Cup playoffs will follow the conclusion of the regular season. With the deactivated Arizona Coyotes, the Tucson Roadrunners will be the new AHL affiliate of the Utah Hockey Club, with all assets and contracts going to Utah.[1]
League changes
[edit]Team and NHL affiliation changes
[edit]| AHL team | New affiliate | Previous affiliate |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Wolves | Carolina Hurricanes | Independent |
| Tucson Roadrunners | Utah Hockey Club | Arizona Coyotes |
Coaching changes
[edit]| Off–season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2023–24 coach | 2024–25 coach | Notes |
| Abbotsford Canucks | Jeremy Colliton | Manny Malhotra | On May 24, 2024, Malhotra was named as head coach of Abbotsford, succeeding Colliton, who would later become an associate coach of the New Jersey Devils for the 2024–25 season. |
| Coachella Valley Firebirds | Dan Bylsma | Derek Laxdal | Following the 2023–24 season, Bylsma was promoted head coach of the Seattle Kraken, but remained as head coach of the Firebirds throughout the rest of their playoff run. Once the off-season started and Bylsma was officially promoted, Laxdal was named as head coach of the Firebirds. |
| Chicago Wolves | Bob Nardella | Cam Abbott | On June 13, 2023, with the Wolves operation without an NHL affiliate, they hired Nardella as head coach.[2] With the Wolves once again becoming the affiliate of the Hurricanes, the Hurricanes opted to hire Abbott as head coach. |
| Hartford Wolf Pack | Kris Knoblauch Steve Smith (interim) |
Grant Potulny | After the Edmonton Oilers fired head coach Jay Woodcroft on November 12, 2023, Knoblauch was named as head coach of the Oilers. On the same day, the Wolf Pack named Smith as interim head coach. For the 2024–25 season, Potulny was named as head coach of the Wolf Pack. |
| Laval Rocket | Jean-Francois Houle | Pascal Vincent | On June 21, 2024, the Rocket and Houle mutually agreed to part ways for Houle to accept the head coaching position at Clarkson of the NCAA. Laval native Pascal Vincent was named as head coach of the Rocket on July 16. |
| Rochester Americans | Seth Appert | Michael Leone | Following the 2023–24 season, Appert was named to the coaching staff of Buffalo's Lindy Ruff. Leone was named as head coach of the Amerks' on June 6, 2024. |
| Springfield Thunderbirds | Drew Bannister Daniel Tkaczuk (interim) |
Steve Konowalchuk | After the St. Louis Blues fired head coach Craig Berube on December 12, 2023, Bannister was named as head coach of the Blues and Tkaczuk was elevated to interim head coach of the Thunderbirds. The interim tag had initially been removed from Tkaczuk for the 2024–25 season, but Konowalchuk was named as head coach of the Thunderbirds in May 2024. |
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | J.D. Forrest | Kirk MacDonald | Following the 2023–24 season, Forrest's contract was not renewed. MacDonald was named as head coach of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on June 19, 2024. |
| In–season | |||
| Team | 2023–24 coach | 2024–25 coach | Notes |
| Rockford IceHogs | Anders Sorensen | Mark Eaton (interim) | After the Chicago Blackhawks fired head coach Luke Richardson on December 5, 2024, Sorensen was named as head coach of the Blackhawks. On the same day, the IceHogs named Eaton as interim head coach. |
Standings
[edit] y– indicates team has clinched division and a playoff spot
x– indicates team has clinched a playoff spot
e– indicates team has been eliminated from playoff contention
Standings as of December 24, 2024[3]
Eastern Conference
[edit]| Atlantic Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hershey Bears (WSH) | 30 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 39 | .650 | 97 | 86 |
| Charlotte Checkers (FLA) | 26 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 35 | .673 | 99 | 75 |
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (PIT) | 25 | 16 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 33 | .660 | 82 | 71 |
| Providence Bruins (BOS) | 29 | 15 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 33 | .569 | 86 | 77 |
| Hartford Wolf Pack (NYR) | 27 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 29 | .537 | 79 | 85 |
| Lehigh Valley Phantoms (PHI) | 28 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 29 | .518 | 84 | 98 |
| Springfield Thunderbirds (STL) | 27 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 27 | .500 | 79 | 87 |
| Bridgeport Islanders (NYI) | 28 | 6 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 16 | .286 | 76 | 109 |
| North Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laval Rocket (MTL) | 28 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 38 | .679 | 87 | 72 |
| Rochester Americans (BUF) | 29 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 37 | .638 | 94 | 78 |
| Cleveland Monsters (CBJ) | 28 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 37 | .661 | 97 | 87 |
| Toronto Marlies (TOR) | 25 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 35 | .700 | 82 | 68 |
| Belleville Senators (OTT) | 24 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 30 | .625 | 70 | 76 |
| Syracuse Crunch (TBL) | 27 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 29 | .537 | 70 | 68 |
| Utica Comets (NJD) | 23 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 15 | .326 | 49 | 77 |
Western Conference
[edit]| Central Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids Griffins (DET) | 29 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 37 | .638 | 84 | 77 |
| Texas Stars (DAL) | 27 | 15 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 31 | .574 | 96 | 92 |
| Chicago Wolves (CAR) | 25 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 30 | .600 | 71 | 69 |
| Milwaukee Admirals (NSH) | 25 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 30 | .600 | 73 | 66 |
| Rockford IceHogs (CHI) | 27 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 26 | .481 | 73 | 84 |
| Iowa Wild (MIN) | 26 | 10 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 21 | .404 | 79 | 93 |
| Manitoba Moose (WPG) | 25 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .300 | 55 | 94 |
| Pacific Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary Wranglers (CGY) | 30 | 20 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 41 | .683 | 107 | 78 |
| San Jose Barracuda (SJS) | 27 | 16 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 34 | .630 | 89 | 74 |
| Tucson Roadrunners (UTA) | 26 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 32 | .615 | 84 | 75 |
| Ontario Reign (LAK) | 24 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 | .667 | 86 | 69 |
| Colorado Eagles (COL) | 25 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 31 | .620 | 85 | 65 |
| Coachella Valley Firebirds (SEA) | 28 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 30 | .536 | 85 | 86 |
| Abbotsford Canucks (VAN) | 27 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 29 | .537 | 84 | 79 |
| Bakersfield Condors (EDM) | 25 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 26 | .520 | 69 | 76 |
| San Diego Gulls (ANA) | 27 | 8 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 19 | .352 | 72 | 97 |
| Henderson Silver Knights (VGK) | 27 | 7 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .259 | 71 | 106 |
Statistical leaders
[edit]Leading skaters
[edit]The following players are sorted by points, then goals. As of December 22, 2024.[4]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = P Plus–minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vinnie Hinostroza | Milwaukee Admirals | 25 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 14 |
| Trey Fix-Wolansky | Cleveland Monsters | 28 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 23 |
| Rory Kerins | Calgary Wranglers | 30 | 19 | 12 | 31 | 8 |
| Luca Del Bel Belluz | Cleveland Monsters | 28 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 4 |
| Vinni Lettieri | Providence Bruins | 29 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 8 |
| Antonio Stranges | Texas Stars | 25 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 14 |
| Andrew Poturalski | San Jose Barracuda | 27 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 10 |
| Rocco Grimaldi | Cleveland Monsters | 24 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 4 |
| Ethen Frank | Hershey Bears | 30 | 19 | 7 | 26 | 8 |
| Justin Hryckowian | Texas Stars | 27 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 15 |
Leading goaltenders
[edit]The following goaltenders with a minimum 480 minutes played lead the league in goals against average. As of December 22, 2024.[5]
GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (in minutes); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout loss
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | SA | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | W | L | OT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Halverson | Syracuse Crunch | 16 | 974:06 | 439 | 29 | 3 | 1.79 | .934 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| Devin Cooley | Calgary Wranglers | 21 | 1,207:39 | 637 | 38 | 3 | 1.89 | .940 | 15 | 5 | 0 |
| Spencer Martin | Chicago Wolves | 8 | 482:32 | 207 | 16 | 0 | 1.99 | .923 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Yaroslav Askarov | San Jose Barracuda | 14 | 840:19 | 449 | 28 | 3 | 2.00 | .938 | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| Michael DiPietro | Providence Bruins | 16 | 963:43 | 428 | 33 | 2 | 2.05 | .923 | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| Matt Murray | Milwaukee Admirals | 13 | 794:21 | 404 | 28 | 0 | 2.11 | .931 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| Dylan Garand | Hartford Wolfpack | 14 | 849:16 | 435 | 30 | 2 | 2.12 | .931 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
Calder Cup playoffs
[edit]Playoff format
[edit]The AHL will continue to use the same playoff format used since 2022. The playoff field will include the top six finishers in the eight-team Atlantic Division, the top five finishers each in the seven-team North and Central Divisions, and the top seven teams in the 10-team Pacific Division. First Round match-ups will be best-of-three series; the two highest seeds in the Atlantic, the three highest seeds in each of the North and Central, and the first-place team in the Pacific will receive byes into the best-of-five Division Semifinals, with the First Round winners re-seeded in each division. The Division Finals will also be best-of-five series, followed by best-of-seven Conference Finals and a best-of-seven Calder Cup Finals series.
References
[edit]- ^ "NHL Goes to Utah; Arizona Coyotes Now 'Inactive Franchise'". Fla Hockey Now. April 19, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ "BOB NARDELLA NAMED HEAD COACH OF CHICAGO WOLVES". Chicago Wolves. June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023 – via chicagowolves.com.
- ^ "AHL Standings". AHL. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ "Skater Stats". American Hockey League. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
- ^ "Goalie Stats – Top Goalies". American Hockey League. Retrieved December 26, 2024.