List of current AHL captains and alternate captains
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league composed of 32 teams, founded in 1936. Each team may select a captain, who has the "privilege of discussing with the referee any questions relating to interpretation of rules which may arise during the progress of a game."[1] Each team is also permitted to select alternate captains, who serve when the captain is not on the ice.[1] Captains are required to wear the letter "C" on their uniform for identification while alternate captains wear the letter "A"; both letters are 3 inches (7.6 cm) in height.
Rule 6.2 of the 2024–25 Official AHL Rulebook indicates that "[only] when the captain is not in uniform, the coach shall have the right to designate three alternate captains. This must be done prior to the start of the game."[1] Many AHL teams with a named captain select more than two alternate captains and rotate the "A"s among these players throughout the season.
Goaltenders are not permitted to serve as captains during games.[1] This rule follows that which was instituted in the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1948 after teams complained that it took Montreal Canadiens goaltender Bill Durnan too long to skate to talk with the officials and back to his crease.[2] As a result, no goalie has ever served as captain of an AHL team.
Key
† Spent entire AHL career with team
| Abbreviation | Definition |
|---|---|
| C | Centre |
| LW | Left wing |
| RW | Right wing |
| D | Defenceman |
Captains
Twenty of the thirty-two AHL teams currently have a captain, with the Belleville Senators, Calgary Wranglers, Charlotte Checkers, Cleveland Monsters, Coachella Valley Firebirds, Hamilton Hammers, Hartford Wolf Pack, Hershey Bears, Iowa Wild, Manitoba Moose, Providence Bruins, and the San Jose Barracuda being the twelve exceptions. Of the twenty captains, five of them have been with their team for their entire career. The longest-tenured captain in the league is Curtis McKenzie of the Texas Stars, who has served in that role since October 15, 2021.
- Most recent captain, Garrett Pilon, left as a free Agent following the 2025-26 season and signed with Barys Astana of the KHL.
- Most recent captain, Clark Bishop, left as a free agent following the 2025–26 season and signed with the Syracuse Crunch.
- Most recent captain, Trevor Carrick, left as a free agent following the 2025–26 season and signed with EHC München of the DEL.
- Most recent captain, Brendan Gaunce, left as a free agent following the 2025–26 season and signed with the Boston Bruins of the NHL.
- Most recent captain, Max McCormick, retired in June 2026.
- Most recent captain, Cole Bardreau, left the Bridgeport Islanders as a free agent following the 2024–25 season and signed with HC Pustertal of the ICEHL. The team has not named a captain since relocating to Hamilton.
- Most recent captain, Casey Fitzgerald, left as a free agent following the 2025–26 season and signed with the Florida Panthers of the NHL.
- Most recent captain, Aaron Ness, retired in June 2026.
- Most recent captain, Ben Jones, left as a free agent following the 2025–26 season and signed with the Calgary Flames of the NHL.
- Most recent captain, Mason Shaw, left as a free agent following the 2025–26 season and re-signed with the Minnesota Wild of the NHL.
- Most recent captain, Patrick Brown, left as a free agent following the 2025–26 season and signed with Adler Mannheim of the DEL.
- Most recent captain, Jimmy Schuldt, left as a free agent following the 2024–25 season and signed with the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL.
Alternate captains
Twenty of the thirty-two AHL teams have named at least the regulation two alternate captains, with the Bakersfield Condors, Charlotte Checkers, Cleveland Monsters, Colorado Eagles, Manitoba Moose, Ontario Reign, Providence Bruins, San Jose Barracuda, Springfield Thunderbirds, Tucson Roadrunners, Utica Comets, and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins being the twelve exceptions. Of the sixty alternate captains, fourteen of them have been with their team for their entire career. Teams that have named more than the regulation two alternate captains (or three in the case of teams without a captain) are required to rotate the two (or three) "A"s between those players by methods of their choosing. The current longest-tenured alternate captains in the league is Keaton Middleton of the Colorado Eagles, who has served in that role since the 2022–2023 season.