AHL announces Calder Cup will not be awarded for second-straight season

The American Hockey League will not contest a traditional playoff or award the Calder Cup for a second-consecutive season, league president and CEO Scott Howson announced Thursday. The decision was made due to ongoing travel and border restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, the AHL said all five divisions — which were competing independently this season similar to the NHL — were given the opportunity to determine their own post-season formats. The Pacific Division will compete in a playoff tournament later this year to determine the division champion while the other four divisions will not have any post-season play.

“While we are disappointed that we will not be able to award the Calder Cup this spring, we are grateful to have been able to provide a safe and competitive environment for more than 1,000 players to play AHL hockey and continue their development,” said Howson in a statement. “We’re especially thankful for the work done by our athletic trainers, COVID-19 officers and other front-line workers to ensure the health and safety of all of our players and staff throughout the league.”

The format for the Pacific Division playoffs will be determined at a later date. The winner of that tournament will be awarded the John D. Chick Trophy as the division champion.

The other four divisions will award division-champion trophies to the team with the best record by points percentage in the regular season.

In addition to the playoff announcement, the AHL also revealed that it plans to begin the 2021-22 season with all 31 teams on Oct. 15 and conclude that regular season on April 24, 2022. Schedule and division information for the upcoming season will be announced at a later date.