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American Hockey League (AHL) Betting Guide | LeoVegas

American Hockey League (AHL) Betting Guide

The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey competition with teams based in the United States and Canada. In this American Hockey League betting guide, we will describe what the AHL is, explain the differences between the NHL and the AHL, showcase some of the best teams and players, and describe how to bet on the American Hockey League.

Table of Content:

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What is the American Hockey League (AHL)?

The AHL is a professional hockey league that features 32 teams, 26 based in the United States and six based in Canada. Although it’s a season-long competition, the primary objective of the AHL is to be the highest-level development league and assist in producing players who will go on to play in the elite National Hockey League (NHL).

Since the 2010–11 season, each team in the AHL has had an affiliation agreement with one NHL team. This means players can play for both an AHL team and an NHL team if they are affiliated. Generally, players competing in the AHL must be at least 18 years of age, and there are rules in place to limit the number of experienced players from playing too many games, which could stifle the development of the junior players.

What is the main difference between NHL and AHL?

The main difference between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the American Hockey League (AHL) is that one league is used as a development league, and the other is North America’s most prestigious professional league.

The NHL attracts the best players in the world with teams competing for the world-famous Stanley Cup. All AHL teams are now affiliated with one of the NHL teams, which means fans may see players can interchange into either team when the need arises.

However, The AHL is still a professional league, and the 32 teams involved will compete for the Calder Cup in a season-long competition that culminates in the play-offs.

How many teams play in the AHL?

There are 32 teams that compete in the American Hockey League, with 26 of those based in the United States and six playing their home games in Canada. Of the 32 teams, 15 compete in the Eastern Conference, with 17 competing in the Western Conference. These two Conferences are also split into two sub-divisions.

AHL Teams

The teams who compete in the AHL are split into the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each of these separate Conferences is then divided into two divisions with the breakdown as follows:

Eastern Conference – Atlantic Division (8 teams)

  • Bridgeport Islanders – Connecticut
  • Charlotte Checkers – North Carolina
  • Hartford Wolf Pack – Connecticut
  • Hershey Bears – Pennsylvania
  • Lehigh Valley Phantoms – Pennsylvania
  • Springfield Thunderbirds – Massachusetts
  • Providence Bruins – Rhode Island
  • Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – Pennsylvania

Eastern Conference – North Division (7 teams)

  • Belleville Senators – Ontario (Canada)
  • Cleveland Monsters – Ohio
  • Laval Rocket – Quebec (Canada)
  • Rochester Americans – New York
  • Syracuse Crunch – New York
  • Toronto Marlies – Ontario (Canada)
  • Utica Comets – New York

Western Conference – Central Division (7 teams)

  • Chicago Wolves – Illinois
  • Grand Rapids Griffins – Michigan
  • Iowa Wild – Iowa
  • Manitoba Moose – Winnipeg (Canada)
  • Milwaukee Admirals – Wisconsin
  • Rockford IceHogs – Illinois
  • Texas Stars – Texas

Western Conference – Pacific Division (10 teams)

  • Abbotsford Canucks – British Columbia (Canada)
  • Bakersfield Condors – California
  • Calgary Wranglers – Alberta (Canada)
  • Coachella Valley Firebirds – California
  • Colorado Eagles – Colorado
  • Henderson Silver Knights – Nevada
  • Ontario Reign – California
  • San Diego Gulls – California
  • San Jose Barracuda – California
  • Tuscon Roadrunners – Arizona

The defending AHL champions are the Chicago Wolves, who lifted the Calder Cup after a 4-1 win against the Springfield Thunderbirds in their best-of-seven final series last season. That was the third time the Chicago Wolves had won the AHL championship. However, it’s the Hershey Bears who are the most successful team in AHL history, being crowned Calder Cup winners on 11 occasions.

AHL Top Players

Josh Leivo was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2021-22 season and was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy. This trophy was first awarded in 1984 and was named after the former president of the AHL, Jack Butterfield. The trophy has been won by 34 different players since it was first presented but has never been won by a player more than once.

At the start of the 2022-23 season, T.J. Tynan of the Ontario Reign got off to a great start with one goal and six assists in the opening three games. Tynan’s assists could prove crucial to the Ontario Reign enjoying a successful season.

Kole Lind of the Coachella Valley Firebirds and Austin Czarnik of the Grand Rapids Griffins both scored three goals in their opening two games and are certainly players to watch.

AHL Regular Season

The 32 teams of the AHL play a 72-game each, a total of 1,152 games during the regular season. The campaign usually starts in mid-October and ends towards the end of April, before the playoffs begin.

AHL Playoffs (Calder Cup)

After a gruelling season, the playoff champion is awarded the Calder Cup, which was named after Frank Calder, the first President of the NHL.

During the regular season, teams are ranked by their points percentage to determine their final standings in their assigned Division. As many as 23 teams of the 32 AHL teams can qualify for the playoffs when the regular season ends. The playoff setup then sees five rounds of games to determine who will go on to compete for the Calder Cup.

In each of the four Divisions of the AHL, all but two teams qualify for the playoffs. This means six teams progress from the 8-team Atlantic Division, five qualify from the 7-team North Division, five qualify from the 7-team Central Division and seven progress from the 9-team Pacific Division.

For the lowest-ranked qualifiers, first-round playoff ties will be a best-of-three series. First-round winners will then advance to the best-of-five semi-finals, where they will meet teams who were awarded a bye from the previous games. These include the top two teams in the Atlantic Division, the top three teams in the North and Central Divisions, and the highest-ranked team from the Pacific Division.

The Divisional Finals are also a best-of-five series, with the winners progressing to the best-of-seven Conference Finals. The Conference winners will then compete in a best-of-seven Final series to determine the Calder Cup winners.

AHL Schedule

The regular season begins in October and is due to finish in April. This season will see the most teams compete ever, with 32 teams playing 72 games each. This means there are 1,152 games to enjoy.

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms will play their 2,000th regular-season game in December, and there are two days to look out for when all 32 teams will be in action; these will be in October and November.

AHL Betting Lines

When looking to place wagers on AHL bets or want to learn how to bet on the AHL, it is good to know what the betting lines mean to enhance your betting experience. One of the most popular AHL betting lines is an ‘Outright’ bet on who you think will be the AHL Championship winner. This simply involves placing a bet on who will be crowned as the overall AHL winner at the end of the campaign.

Money line bets are another popular wager when betting on hockey. This type of bet involves choosing which team will win a game and placing a bet on them. The team adjudged to be the favorite by the bookmaker or sportsbook will have a minus sign beside their odds, whilst their opponent will have a plus sign beside their odds.

A Total Points bet focuses on how many points will be scored in a game. You can place a bet on either ‘Over’ or ‘Under’ a specific number of points to be scored.

How to Bet on AHL

Betting on the AHL is straightforward to do, but first, you have to navigate your way to the sports betting page. From here, select ‘Browse sports’ and then choose ‘More’.

You can then scroll down until you see the ‘Hockey’ option. Scroll down to the ‘International’ markets where you will see the option for AHL. Select it and click ‘Apply’.

You will then be able to see all the markets available for upcoming AHL games. AHL betting markets cover ‘Outright’ and ‘Events’.

Check the latest AHL odds here.

AHL FAQ

How long is the AHL hockey season?

AHL regular season begins in October and is due to finish in April.

How many regular season games are there in AHL?

1,152 games are played in the regular season since each of the 32 teams plays 72 games.

What is the 2023 AHL playoff format?

For the lowest-ranked qualifiers, first-round playoff ties will be a best-of-three series. First-round winners will then advance to the best-of-five semi-finals, where they will meet teams who were awarded a bye from the previous games. These include the top two teams in the Atlantic Division, the top three in the North and Central Divisions, and the highest-ranked team from the Pacific Division.

Which teams are the favourites to win the AHL 2023?

Charlotte Checkers and The Hershey Bears are one of the favourites to win the AHL.

Who is the best AHL player?

Willie Marshall is known as the best all-time AHL player.

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