596 American Hockey League Graduates on NHL Opening-Night Rosters
Published on October 7, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... As the National Hockey League opens its 2025-26 season, the American Hockey League is proud to have 596 graduates across the NHL's 32 opening-day active rosters, making up more than 82 percent of the NHL's initial player pool to begin its campaign.
Many of last year's notable AHL players have made the jump to the NHL as the new season gets underway, among them 2025 AHL All-Stars Yaroslav Askarov (San Jose), Sam Colangelo (Anaheim), Devin Cooley (Calgary), Jeremy Davies (Vegas), Joakim Kemell (Nashville), Olle Lycksell (Ottawa), Logan Mailloux (St. Louis), Simon Nemec (New Jersey), Jani Nyman (Seattle) and Matt Savoie (Edmonton).
Six members of the 2025 Calder Cup champion Abbotsford Canucks will begin the season in the NHL, including Arshdeep Bains, Linus Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Aatu Raty with the parent Vancouver Canucks; Sammy Blais with the Toronto Maple Leafs; and Jack Butterfield Trophy winner Arturs Silovs with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Twenty-one of the NHL's 32 head coaches were AHL bench bosses earlier in their careers. Marco Sturm takes over the bench for the Boston Bruins following three seasons at the helm of the AHL's Ontario Reign, and Jeff Blashill becomes the sixth active NHL head coach to have won the Calder Cup as he begins at the helm of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Among the NHL stars who developed their skills in the American Hockey League are reigning Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets; Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning; three-time Stanley Cup champion Carter Verhaeghe of the Florida Panthers; and 2024-25 top-10 scorers Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak and Kyle Connor. Last season, a total of 891 AHL alumni played in the National Hockey League - 87.0 percent of all NHL players - including 330 who skated in both leagues last year alone.
In operation since 1936, the AHL serves as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives, broadcasters and officials of the National Hockey League and its 32 teams. The AHL's 90th season begins this Friday, October 10, with every game streaming live on AHLTV on FloHockey.
American Hockey League Stories from October 7, 2025
- 596 American Hockey League Graduates on NHL Opening-Night Rosters - AHL
- Syracuse Crunch Announce Details of 2025-26 Home Opener Presented by Upstate University Hospital October 18 - Syracuse Crunch
- Condors Announce Roster Transactions - Bakersfield Condors
- Canucks Sign Poisson to One-Year AHL Contract - Abbotsford Canucks
- San Diego Gulls Announce Roster Moves - San Diego Gulls
- Colorado Eagles to Televise Nine Games on Local 3 - Colorado Eagles
- Panthers Assign Jack Studnicka to Charlotte - Charlotte Checkers
- Providence Bruins Announce Roster Transactions - Providence Bruins
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