The American Hockey League introduced a new playoff format on Thursday. The new format will start with the 2021-22 season. The regular season ends on April 24th, 2022, and that is when this format will begin.
AHL President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Howson discussed the new playoff format. “Our clubs and their National Hockey League partners recognize the importance of playoff races and postseason experience on overall player development. Expanding the Calder Cup Playoff field will allow some 150 additional players to play more meaningful games in pursuit of a championship.”
The new playoff format will feature 23 teams. In the Atlantic Division, five teams will qualify, with only the top two teams receiving a bye. In the North Division, three teams will receive a bye, and only two teams will play each other in the first round.
The same applies to the Central Division. Again, the top three teams receive a bye leaving the four and five seeds to play in the first round.
Finally, seven teams will qualify in the Pacific Division, with only one team receiving a bye. The first-round matchups will be the best-of-three series. After that, both the division semifinals and division finals will be a best-of-five series. Finally, the conference finals and Calder Cup finals will be a best-of-seven series. The playoffs are expected to finish up on June 23rd.
The American Hockey League will start its 85th season on October 15th with six games, including the expansion Henderson Silver Knights debut against the Colorado Eagles.
