2009-10 AHL season

The 2009–10 AHL season will be the 74th season of the American Hockey League. There are twenty-nine teams slated to play with the addition of one new team, the relocation of two others, and the involuntary suspension of another. Each team will play 80 games from October 2 to April 11.

European pre-season openers
On June 11, 2009, both the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Toronto Marlies were invited to participate in a four-team preseason tournament in Edinburgh, Scotland, to celebrate Scotland’s contribution to the game of ice hockey.

The Edinburgh Capitals, Scotland’s only Elite Ice Hockey team, hosted the tournament from September 24-27. The Bulldogs and Marlies played the Capitals and the Belfast Giants in order to win the Gardiner Cup. Hamilton defeated Toronto in the final.

Playoff format
The top four teams from each division will play for the Calder Cup. The exception is that if the fifth-place team in the Atlantic Division finishes better than the fourth-place team in the East Division, they will assume the fourth playoff spot in the East Division.

Team changes
On April 28, 2009, it was announced that two teams would be relocated for the 2009–10 season and one expansion team would join:
 * Quad City Flames would move to Abbotsford, BC due to poor ticket sales. They became the Abbotsford Heat.
 * Philadelphia Phantoms would relocate to Glens Falls, NY due to the Wachovia Spectrum being demolished fall of 2009. They became the Adirondack Phantoms.
 * Texas Stars joined the league with a limited membership and will be operated by the Dallas Stars. The limited membership is conditioned on the completed purchase of an existing AHL franchise within one year.
 * Iowa Chops were involuntarily suspended on July 7, 2009, by the AHL Board of Governors for the 2009-10 season for being "unable to remedy certain violations of the provisions of the league’s Constitution and By-Laws".

Standings

 * indicates team has clinched division and a playoff spot.
 * indicates team has clinched a playoff spot.


 * indicates team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Leading skaters
These are the top ten skaters based on points.

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; † = No longer with listed team

Current through April 8, 2010

Leading goaltenders
These are the top five goaltenders based on both goals against average and save percentage with at least one game played (Note: List is sorted by goals against average).

GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (in minutes)

Current through April 8, 2010