Frequently Asked Questions

Every AHL game can be seen on the AHL’s online streaming platform, AHLTV. Check it out at AHLTV.com.
AHLTV’s customer support portal can be found by clicking on the Support link at AHLTV.com.
23 teams qualify for the AHL’s postseason. Click here for the Calder Cup qualification rules from 2023.
The American Hockey League plays a five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period following games tied after regulation. If neither team scores, the game advances to a shootout, with each team getting three attempts. If the score remains tied, the shootout progresses to sudden-death rounds until a winner is determined.
The American Hockey League’s regular-season schedule is usually released each year in mid-July. A full schedule of preseason games is usually available in mid-September.
You can click here for member club information, including phone numbers, websites, social media links and arena locations.
The AHL serves as the top development league for the National Hockey League, and the vast majority of players in the AHL have been chosen in the NHL Entry Draft and signed to an NHL contract. Occasionally, players are signed as free agents based on scouting information compiled by AHL teams and their parent clubs. For further information on tryouts, camps or other playing opportunities, please contact our teams individually.

If you’re interested in employment or internship opportunities with the AHL office, you can visit our jobs board at Teamwork Online.
AHL off-ice officials (statisticians, penalty box attendants, etc.) are managed by each club. Contact your local team if you are interested in learning about becoming an off-ice official.
In the AHL, player development is a top priority. The American Hockey League and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association have the following development rule in place:

Of the eighteen (18) skaters (not counting two goaltenders) that teams may dress for a game, at least thirteen (13) must be qualified as “development players.” Of those 13, twelve (12) must have played in 260 or fewer professional games (including AHL, NHL and European elite leagues), and one must have played in 320 or fewer professional games. All calculations for development status are based on regular-season totals as of the start of the season.
Per the AHL’s By-Laws:

To be considered a rookie, a player must not have played in a total of twenty-five (25) or more AHL and/or NHL regular-season games in any preceding seasons, nor in six (6) or more AHL and/or NHL regular-season games in each of any two preceding seasons, nor in one hundred (100) regular-season games in any European Elite League. A player who has met these qualifications but did so while playing on an amateur try-out agreement or as a signed junior will not have those games count towards his rookie status. Any player at least twenty-six (26) years of age (by Sept. 15 of that season) is not considered a rookie.
Per the AHL’s By-Laws, the age limit for eligibility to compete in the American Hockey League is 18 years or over, on or before September 15 of each season of competition.
SPC = Standard players’ contract (also known as an “AHL contract”)
PTO = Professional try-out contract
ATO = Amateur try-out contract

AHL players not signed to one of these three contracts are on NHL contracts and assigned to their respective AHL clubs by their parent team.