Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
As the NHL begins its 2026-27 season, the AHL’s strong influence once again dominates all 32 rosters. More than 83 percent of NHL players, 602 players to be exact, on NHL opening night rosters are AHL alumni. This season brings a new batch of talent from the NHL’s premier developmental league.
The way to go is with the Boston Bruins Michael DiPietroconsecutive freshman seasons winning the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s top goaltender for the Providence Bruins. He also won the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s Most Valuable Player last season, helping Providence to the top of the AHL with a 54-16-2-0 record; His 1.91 goals-against average and .930 save percentage led the league, and he also earned spots on the AHL First All-Star Team the past two seasons. The 27-year-old spent seven AHL seasons playing just seven NHL games between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston to secure this full-time NHL job. Joining him in Boston will be a fellow 2026 AHL All-Star, defenseman Frederic Brune.
DiPietro isn’t the only longtime AHL figure to finally break into an NHL roster. Protector Guillaume Brisboisentering his 10th season with the Vancouver organization, was stuck with an NHL club when camp broke down. Brisboy spent the last two seasons in Abbotsford as Vancouver’s new head coach. Manny Malhotrabut missed most of 2025-26 with a knee injury.
Hard forward Boko Imama The Florida Panthers will get even more hype. Imama played 400 regular season AHL games and signed with Florida as a free agent after two seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Another tough fighter, captain of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Gareth Wilsonimpressed enough in training camp to commit to the Philadelphia Flyers, as did the rugged defenseman for the Manitoba Moose. Tyrell Bauerwho could have made his NHL debut with the Winnipeg Jets.
After winning the Calder Cup in June, Easton Cowan and: Above Groolx are with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Cone, who played 68 games in the NHL as a rookie last year, already has three points in the Leafs’ first two games. Charles Alexis Legault, who helped the Chicago Wolves reach the Calder Cup Finals, was the opening night starter for the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
A number of 2025-26 award winners now have NHL jobs as well. Start with the All-Rookie Team, which has four members moving on to NHL jobs. Goalkeeper Sergey Murashov sticks with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The fast-rising prospect led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to the Eastern Conference Finals. There is also a defender on the list Dmitry Simashev (Utah Mammoth-Tucson Roadrunners) along with forwards Ilya Protas (Washington Capitals-Hershey Bears) and Isaac Howard (Edmonton Oilers-Bakersfield Condors). Protas also won the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s Most Outstanding Rookie. His 66 points (29 goals, 37 assists) led all rookies and tied him for sixth overall. Protas wants to join his brother Aliaksey and: Ivan Miroshnichenko like two other recent Hershey graduates in Washington. Murashov and Protas, together with the defenders, also won places in the Top Prospects Team Adam Engstrom (Montreal Canadiens-Laval Rocket) and Carter Yakemchuk (Ottawa Senators-Belleville Senators), plus forwards Michael Brandsegg-Nygaard (Detroit Red Wings-Grand Rapids Griffins) and Consta Helenius (Buffalo Sabres-Rochester Americans).
Nashville’s opening night lineup includes newcomers Jack AchkanA first-team AHL All-Star defenseman in Colorado last season. Joining him with the Predators is Ryan Ufko, who was a second-team All-Star with Milwaukee in 2025-26.
The busiest goaltenders in the AHL last season also moved up. of Rochester Devon Levy and Texas Remy Poirier Played 52 games for AHL leader last season; Levy went to Edmonton in an offseason trade, while the New Jersey Devils claimed Poirier off waivers this training camp.
The 2025-26 Grand Rapids roster produced plenty of NHL talent. Goalkeeper Sebastian Cosa he went to Utah on a deal that would give him an NHL role. Along with Brandsegg-Nygaard, Detroit will also have a quarterback William Wallinder and forward Nate Danielson as new imports from Grand Rapids. Amadeus Lombardiis another Grand Rapids graduate is set to make his NHL debut with New Jersey after the summer trade.
Mix in top prospects such as: Luca Del Belluz, Conor Geeky, Matvey Grid, Nick Lardis, Andrew Lee, Kevin Korczynski and: Isak Rosen as additional 2026 AHL All-Star selections on NHL rosters. Two days into the NHL season and the AHL has already added Vegas Trevor Connelly and in Colorado TJ Hughes to: a growing list of alumni to make their NHL debuts.
A first-round pick, a seventh-rounder, or not drafted at all. The original NHL organization. Or a second and even a third organization. Trades. Disclaimers. There are many different paths to the NHL, some much longer than others, but they all go through the AHL.
With more than two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was awarded the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league in 2015-16.
