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 The Hamilton Bulldogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League that began to play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the Bulldogs play their home games at FirstOntario Centre. They were purcha ...

and the

Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies is owned by Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, a c ...

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 The Edinburgh Capitals are a Scottish ice hockey club, playing in the Scottish National League (SNL). They are based in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. The team play at the Murrayfield Ice Rink, close to Murrayfield Rugby stadium. In Apri ...

, 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 The Belfast Giants (known officially as the Stena Line Belfast Giants due to sponsorship) are a professional ice hockey team based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They compete in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and are the current cha ...

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 The Bridgeport Islanders (previously known as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the f ...

qualified for the playoffs under this provision.

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 Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...

. 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

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

Western Conference

Statistical leaders

Leading skaters

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the regular season. ''GP = Games played; G =

Goal A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ...

s; A =

Assist Assist or ASSIST may refer to: Sports Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team: *Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a ba ...

s; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalty minutes'' = 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 (in minutes); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT =

Overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

shootout A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only invo ...

loss''

Calder Cup playoffs

Bracket

AHL awards

Milestones

References

AHL official site
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