American Hockey League

📝 by Patrick Williams The American Hockey League’s 87th season begins tonight with plenty of new twists. To start, the league is now at a record 32 teams, a number that provides each National Hockey League organization with its sole affiliate. The league will also have a uniform 72-game schedule. But some things never change.

Joe Crozier was a legend with the Rochester Americans, guiding the team to the first three Calder Cup championships in franchise history before moving on to the NHL, then the WHA, then the NHL again before closing his coaching career in Rochester with a run to the finals in 1983-84. (Photo courtesy of Rochester Americans)

📝 by Patrick Williams The American Hockey League-bound talent continues to flow. Those names are arriving from across the hockey map. First-round National Hockey League picks. Still more talent from the 2020 NHL Draft, one that has already sent several top prospects to the AHL and then onward to the NHL. Up-and-comers from the Canadian

The Ontario Reign have signed forward Nate Thompson to a professional tryout agreement. Thompson enters his 18th pro season in 2022-23 having played 1,089 games in the NHL, AHL and ECHL. He skated in 33 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season, collecting one goal and two assists. Thompson began his pro career with the

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Syracuse Crunch have jointly announced a five-year affiliation extension that will allow Tampa Bay’s top prospects to continue to develop their talents in Syracuse through the 2026-27 season. “We’re delighted to extend our partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning for another five seasons,” Crunch owner Howard Dolgon said. “From their

The American Hockey League is remembering Joe Crozier, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 93. Crozier, a 2012 inductee into the AHL Hall of Fame, was one of the most identifiable figures in Rochester Americans franchise history, coaching the team to five Calder Cup Finals appearances and winning championships in 1965, 1966 and

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League today announced that its AHLTV streaming platform will kick off the 2022-23 season with a free weekend of AHL games. All 29 games on the league schedule this Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be free on AHLTV to anyone with an AHLTV account. No subscription or purchase is

Two-time AHL All-Star goaltender Connor Ingram was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Coyotes on Monday, one of five players claimed as NHL teams set their opening-night rosters for the 2022-23 season. Ingram, 25, appeared in 54 games for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals last season, going 30-17-7 with a 2.70 goals-against average, a .915 save

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2022-23 season. Labrie had signed a two-year AHL deal with the Syracuse Crunch on Jan. 7, 2022. He skated in 56 AHL games between Syracuse and Hartford last season, totaling six goals and 10 assists for 16 points. Entering

The Edmonton Oilers have acquired center Klim Kostin from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Dmitri Samorukov. Kostin, 23, collected four goals and five assists in 40 NHL games with the Blues last season. He also had three goals and three assists in 17 regular-season games with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, and added

📝 by Patrick Williams The influx is well underway. All 32 National Hockey League teams are busily shaping rosters, including sending young talent to the American Hockey League to continue their development. For some players, these decisions have put their NHL hopes on hold, at least for the moment. Perhaps it was an expected move

The Montreal Canadiens have claimed defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets. Kovacevic made his NHL debut with the Jets in 2021-22, appearing in four games. He posted career highs with 11 goals, 19 assists, 30 points and a plus-23 rating in 62 AHL games with the Manitoba Moose. A fourth-year pro out

When Cam York was assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Wednesday, some were taken by surprise. But in doing so, he now has something in common with a distinguished list of Flyers players – Bill Barber and Claude Giroux for starters, along with current Flyers Scott Laughton and Travis Sanheim. All four of those

The Penguins are really pleased with the way 2019 first-round draft pick Sam Poulin has been growing and developing as a player since he turned professional last September. “I think he’s light-years ahead of where he was a year ago,” Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s a player that looking at his progression, it’s

📝 by Patrick Williams The influx is well underway. All 32 National Hockey League teams are busily shaping rosters, including sending young talent to the American Hockey League to continue their development. For some players, these decisions have put their NHL hopes on hold, at least for the moment. Perhaps it was an expected move

The Utica Comets have signed forward Zach Senyshyn to a one-year American Hockey League contract for the 2022-23 season. Senyshyn, 25, skated in 67 AHL games between Providence and Belleville last season, scoring a career-high 19 goals and adding 15 assists for 34 points. He had been in New Jersey Devils training camp on a

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed forward Tyler Sikura to an American Hockey League contract for the 2022-23 season. Sikura skated with the Cleveland Monsters last season, collecting 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points in 75 games. In 313 AHL games over seven pro seasons with Cleveland, Rockford, Iowa, Portland and Springfield, Sikura has

Friday, September 30th, marked the first National Hockey League preseason contest hosted by the Senators organization in Belleville, as a capacity crowd welcomed the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs to CAA Arena. For Senators forward and Belleville Sens grad Drake Batherson, it was also an important homecoming. “I have a lot of family ties