AHL season opens Oct. 2 in earliest start since 2009
All 32 teams will play 72 games, with the Toronto Marlies defending the Calder Cup when the AHL's 91st season begins.
The 2026-27 AHL regular season begins Oct. 2, the league's earliest opening date since 2009. Eight games are scheduled for opening night and 30 across the full opening weekend.
All 32 teams will play 72 games in a regular season that runs through April 11. It is the AHL's 91st season, and all 32 clubs are scheduled to play Nov. 7, exactly 90 years after the first games in league history on Nov. 7, 1936.
Toronto enters as the defending Calder Cup champion. The Marlies defeated the Chicago Wolves in five games in the 2026 Finals, completing a run through five playoff series and winning the trophy for the second time in franchise history.
The league's development mandate is reflected in its roster rules. Of the 18 skaters a team dresses, at least 12 must qualify as development players with 260 or fewer games of professional experience entering the season. The AHL says nearly 90 percent of current NHL players are league graduates.
Toronto opens its home schedule Oct. 3 against the Hamilton Hammers and will raise its championship banner. Hershey hosts Charlotte that day, while Colorado visits Tucson before the Eagles' home opener Oct. 9 against Abbotsford.
This story was written and fact-checked from these sources.
