2009–10 AHL season
The 2009–10 AHL season was the 74th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 regular-season games each from October 2 to April 11. This season featured the addition of one new team, the relocation of two others, and the involuntary suspension of another.
League business
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 played for the Calder Cup. The league's rules included one exception: if the fifth-place team in the Atlantic Division finishes better than the fourth-place team in the East Division, they assume the fourth playoff spot in the East Division. The Atlantic Division's Bridgeport Sound Tigers qualified for the playoffs under this proviso.Team and NHL affiliation changes
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 involuntarily suspended operations 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".
Affiliation changes
| AHL team | new affiliate | old affiliate |
| Texas Stars | DAL | - |
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
Eastern Conference
| Atlantic Division | ||||||||
| y–Worcester Sharks | 80 | 49 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 104 | 275 | 239 |
| x–Portland Pirates | 80 | 45 | 24 | 7 | 4 | 101 | 244 | 214 |
| x–Manchester Monarchs | 80 | 43 | 28 | 3 | 6 | 95 | 213 | 200 |
| x–Lowell Devils | 80 | 39 | 31 | 4 | 6 | 88 | 239 | 232 |
| x–Bridgeport Sound Tigers | 80 | 38 | 32 | 4 | 6 | 86 | 201 | 220 |
| e–Hartford Wolf Pack | 80 | 36 | 33 | 6 | 5 | 83 | 231 | 251 |
| e–Providence Bruins | 80 | 36 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 78 | 207 | 226 |
| e–Springfield Falcons | 80 | 25 | 39 | 12 | 4 | 66 | 207 | 296 |
| East Division | ||||||||
| y–Hershey Bears | 80 | 60 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 123 | 342 | 198 |
| x–Albany River Rats | 80 | 43 | 29 | 3 | 5 | 94 | 244 | 231 |
| x–Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | 80 | 41 | 34 | 2 | 3 | 87 | 239 | 229 |
| e–Norfolk Admirals | 80 | 39 | 35 | 3 | 3 | 84 | 208 | 214 |
| e–Binghamton Senators | 80 | 36 | 35 | 6 | 3 | 81 | 251 | 260 |
| e–Syracuse Crunch | 80 | 34 | 39 | 4 | 3 | 75 | 227 | 272 |
| e–Adirondack Phantoms | 80 | 32 | 41 | 3 | 4 | 71 | 199 | 251 |
Western Conference
| North Division | ||||||||
| y–Hamilton Bulldogs | 80 | 52 | 17 | 3 | 8 | 115 | 271 | 182 |
| x–Rochester Americans | 80 | 44 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 91 | 253 | 247 |
| x–Abbotsford Heat | 80 | 39 | 29 | 5 | 7 | 90 | 217 | 231 |
| x–Manitoba Moose | 80 | 40 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 87 | 204 | 232 |
| e–Toronto Marlies | 80 | 33 | 35 | 6 | 6 | 78 | 193 | 261 |
| e–Lake Erie Monsters | 80 | 34 | 37 | 1 | 8 | 77 | 234 | 257 |
| e–Grand Rapids Griffins | 80 | 34 | 39 | 3 | 4 | 75 | 244 | 265 |
| West Division | ||||||||
| y–Chicago Wolves | 80 | 49 | 24 | 1 | 6 | 105 | 264 | 214 |
| x–Texas Stars | 80 | 46 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 99 | 238 | 198 |
| x–Rockford IceHogs | 80 | 44 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 94 | 226 | 226 |
| x–Milwaukee Admirals | 80 | 41 | 30 | 2 | 7 | 91 | 237 | 220 |
| e–Peoria Rivermen | 80 | 38 | 33 | 2 | 7 | 85 | 233 | 248 |
| e–San Antonio Rampage | 80 | 36 | 32 | 5 | 7 | 84 | 235 | 244 |
| e–Houston Aeros | 80 | 34 | 34 | 7 | 5 | 80 | 206 | 224 |
Statistical leaders
Leading skaters
The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the regular season.GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
| Hershey Bears | 72 | 35 | 71 | 106 | +27 | 49 | |
| Hershey Bears | 69 | 50 | 53 | 103 | +32 | 34 | |
| Hartford Wolf Pack | 76 | 31 | 54 | 85 | -5 | 44 | |
| Albany River Rats | 74 | 37 | 41 | 78 | +8 | 66 | |
| Hamilton Bulldogs | 60 | 27 | 51 | 78 | +30 | 34 | |
| Hamilton Bulldogs | 75 | 36 | 41 | 77 | +33 | 56 | |
| Chicago Wolves | 78 | 14 | 61 | 75 | +17 | 34 | |
| Portland Pirates | 74 | 28 | 46 | 74 | +16 | 55 | |
| Springfield Falcons | 75 | 19 | 55 | 74 | 0 | 36 | |
| Binghamton Senators | 77 | 24 | 48 | 72 | -24 | 50 |
= No longer with listed team
Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders with a minimum 1560 minutes played led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season.GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice ; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout loss
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | SA | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | W | L | OT |
| Hamilton Bulldogs | 47 | 2576 | 1067 | 86 | 6 | 2.00 | 0.919 | 29 | 9 | 4 | |
| Manchester Monarchs | 58 | 3424 | 1823 | 116 | 9 | 2.03 | 0.936 | 30 | 21 | 6 | |
| Hamilton Bulldogs | 41 | 2230 | 935 | 79 | 4 | 2.13 | 0.916 | 23 | 11 | 3 | |
| Hershey Bears | 37 | 2146 | 1000 | 83 | 2 | 2.32 | 0.917 | 25 | 8 | 2 | |
| Milwaukee Admirals | 49 | 2804 | 1266 | 109 | 4 | 2.33 | 0.914 | 27 | 16 | 4 |