Like most other professional sports, teams playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) have farm systems that they use to develop prospects, stash depth players who couldn’t fit on the active roster and backfill injuries during the season. The leagues that they draw these players from are the American Hockey League (AHL) and the ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League).
Wondering which AHL and ECHL teams your favorite NHL team is affiliated with? Here’s our guide to how the NHL affiliate system works and a complete list of all the current NHL/AHL/ECHL affiliations.
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How Do NHL Affiliates Work?
Two leagues form the farm system for the NHL: the AHL and the ECHL. The AHL is the primary minor league that feeds NHL teams, and the ECHL is the secondary minor league.
NHL teams are allowed to call up players from their affiliate teams to backfill injured NHLers, with players coming up from the AHL often backfilled on their minor league team by players from the ECHL. When the injured NHLer returns to the lineup, the AHL player is usually sent back to their team.
NHL teams can also send NHL players to the AHL, but doing so means that player has to clear the league’s waiver wire. That means any other team has the opportunity to “claim” that player’s contract off waivers during the 24 hours after a team assigns them to the NHL. Younger players on entry-level contracts are usually exempt from this process.
Players can sign one of a variety of contracts that determine where they will play and how they are allowed to move between leagues. Players who sign with NHL teams can sign one- or two-way contracts. One-way players get paid their NHL salary whether they play in the NHL or AHL, while two-way contracts allow players across the leagues more easily but changes their salary based on which league they are actively in.
Players that sign AHL contracts cannot be called up to the NHL, but can be sent to the ECHL, and players that sign ECHL contracts usually have to sign a tryout agreement to play in the AHL.
NHL Affiliate Teams 2026-27
Here’s the complete list of each NHL team’s AHL and ECHL affiliates in the 2026-27 season.
| NHL Team | AHL Affiliate | ECHL Affiliate |
| Anaheim Ducks | San Diego Gulls | Tulsa Oilers |
| Boston Bruins | Providence Bruins | Maine Mariners |
| Buffalo Sabres | Rochester Americans | None |
| Calgary Flames | Calgary Wranglers | Rapid City Rush |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Chicago Wolves | Greensboro Gargoyles |
| Chicago Blackhawks | Rockford IceHogs | Indy Fuel |
| Colorado Avalanche | Colorado Eagles | New Mexico Goatheads |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Cleveland Monsters | Wheeling Nailers |
| Dallas Stars | Texas Stars | Idaho Steelheads |
| Detroit Red Wings | Grand Rapids Griffins | Toledo Walleye |
| Edmonton Oilers | Bakersfield Condors | Fort Wayne Komets |
| Florida Panthers | Charlotte Checkers | Savannah Ghost Pirates |
| Los Angeles Kings | Ontario Reign | Greenville Swamp Rabbits |
| Minnesota Wild | Iowa Wild | Jacksonville Icemen |
| Montreal Canadiens | Laval Rocket | Trois-Rivières Lions |
| Nashville Predators | Milwaukee Admirals | Atlanta Gladiators |
| New Jersey Devils | Utica Comets | Adirondack Thunder |
| New York Islanders | Hamilton Hammers | Trenton Ironhawks |
| New York Rangers | Hartford Wolf Pack | None |
| Ottawa Senators | Belleville Senators | Allen Americans |
| Philadelphia Flyers | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | Reading Royals |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | Florida Everblades |
| San Jose Sharks | San Jose Barracuda | Wichita Thunder |
| Seattle Kraken | Coachella Valley Firebirds | Kansas City Mavericks |
| St. Louis Blues | Springfield Thunderbirds | Worcester Railers |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Syracuse Crunch | Orlando Solar Bears |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto Marlies | Cincinnati Cyclones |
| Utah Mammoth | Tucson Roadrunners | None |
| Vancouver Canucks | Abbotsford Canucks | Kalamazoo Wings |
| Vegas Golden Knights | Henderson Silver Knights | Tahoe Knight Monsters |
| Washington Capitals | Hershey Bears | South Carolina Stingrays |
| Winnipeg Jets | Manitoba Moose | Bloomington Bison |
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Frequently asked questions
How do NHL affiliates work?
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