NHL Farm Teams are San Diego Gulls, Tucson Roadrunners, Texas Stars, Milwaukee Admirals, Toronto Marlies, Hershey Bears, and more.
Minor league hockey works as a developmental league for the NHL. They serve as a stepping stone for aspiring young hockey players to hone their skills and gain valuable experience before playing on the biggest stage.
American Hockey League (AHL) is the highest-level minor league in the United States, followed by East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). Likewise, SPHL and FPHL are the other minor professional leagues in the US.
All the teams apart from Carolina Hurricanes in the National Hockey League have AHL affiliate teams. The Hurricanes were affiliated with the Chicago Wolves from 2020-23.
Accordingly, Arizona Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, and Winnipeg Jets are the only four teams without ECHL affiliate teams.
Often the draft picks are assigned to these farm teams where their performances over a certain period of time lead to the NHL roster call-up.
NHL Farm System Rankings in 2023 have Buffalo Sabres in first place, followed by Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Canadiens, and New Jersey Devils.
All the NHL affiliate teams are listed in the table below.
Minor League Hockey Teams
Anaheim Ducks
San Diego Gulls, Tulsa Oilers
Arizona Coyotes
Tucson Roadrunners
Boston Bruins
Providence Bruins, Maine Mariners
Buffalo Sabres
Rochester Americans, Jacksonville IceMen
Calgary Flames
Calgary Wranglers, Rapid City Rush
Carolina Hurricanes
Norfolk Admirals
Chicago Blackhawks
Rockford IceHogs, Indy Fuel
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Eagles, Utah Grizzlies
Columbus Blue Jackets
Cleveland Monsters
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, Florida Everblades
Los Angeles Kings
Ontario Reign, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Minnesota Wild
Iowa Wild, Iowa Heartlanders
Montreal Canadians
Laval Rocket, Trois-Rivières Lions
Nashville Predators
Milwaukee Admirals, Atlanta Gladiators
New Jersey Devils
Utica Comets, Adirondack Thunder
New York Islanders
Bridgeport Islanders, Worcester Railers
New York Rangers
Hartford Wolf Pack, Cincinnati Cyclones
Ottawa Senators
Belleville Senators, Allen Americans
Philadelphia Flyers
Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Reading Royals
Pittsburgh Penguins
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Wheeling Nailers
San Jose Sharks
San Jose Barracuda, Wichita Thunder
Seattle Kraken
Coachella Valley Firebirds, Kansas City Mavericks
St. Louis Blues
Springfield Thunderbirds
Tampa Bay Lightning
Syracuse Crunch, Orlando Solar Bears
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Marlies, Newfoundland Growlers
Vancouver Canucks
Abbotsford Canucks, Kalamazoo Wings
Las Vegas Golden Knights
Henderson Silver Knights, Savannah Ghost Pirates
Washington Capitals
Hershey Bears, South Carolina Stingrays
Winnipeg Jets
Manitoba Moose
Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks played their first NHL game on October 8, 1993. The NHL franchise team was founded by the Walt Disney Company in 1993.
It was later bought by Henry and Susan Sameuli in 2005. The Ducks play their home games at the Honda Center Arena in Anaheim, California.
The minor league affiliate teams of the Anaheim Ducks are:
San Diego Gulls
League - AHL
Conference - Western
Division - Pacific
Founded - 2000
Arena - Pechanga Arena
Tulsa Oilers
League - ECHL
Conference - Western
Division - Mountain
Founded - 1992
Arena - BOK Center
Division Title - 1 (2018-19)
Arizona Coyotes
Arizona Coyotes plays in the Central Division of the Western Conference in the NHL. The Coyotes play their home games at Mullett Arena.
The franchise was earlier named Winnipeg Jets from 1972-96 and Phoenix Coyotes from 1996 - 2014. Tucson Roadrunners are the AHL NHL affiliates of the Arizona Coyotes.
The Flames were founded in 1972 as Atlanta Flames. They were later renamed Calgary Flames in 1980 following the move to the city of Calgary.
The minor league affiliates of the Calgary Flames are:
Calgary Wranglers
League - AHL
Conference - Western
Division - Pacific
Founded - 1977
Arena - Scotiabank Saddledome
Owner - Calgary Sports and Entertainment
Regular Season Title - 1 (2022-23)
Rapid City Rush
League - ECHL
Conference - Western
Division - Mountain
Founded - 2008
Arena - The Monument
Owner - Spire Hockey
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1972, they are a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference.
They are yet to finalize their AHL team ahead of the 2023-24 season. The Chicago Wolves NHL affiliate with the Hurricanes ended in 2023 as they intend to play as an independent AHL team.
Norfolk Admirals are the current minor league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes. The basic info about the Admirals is listed as under;
Norfolk Admirals
League - ECHL
Conference - Eastern
Division - North
Founded - 1995
Arena - Norfolk Scope
Owner - Patrick Cavanagh
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks have won six Stanley Cup titles since their founding year in 1926. They play their home games at United Center, Chicago.
Chicago Blackhawks farm teams are Rockford Icehogs (AHL) and Indy Fuel (ECHL).
