An independent guide to the leagues below the NHL

Minor league hockey, read from the ice up

How the AHL, ECHL and SPHL work, how players climb from junior rinks to the NHL, what affiliations and call-ups mean, and how to enjoy a game night in the stands.

Climb the ladder Go to the guides

Fresh arena ice from above with a painted red line, a blue line and curving skate trails

Below the NHL sits a whole professional world: leagues in cities large and small, prospects on their way up and veterans who keep the game honest. This guide explains how it fits together, without scores, rumours or ticket sales.

The ladder

Three leagues under the NHL

Minor league hockey is a ladder of levels, each one a step closer to the top. Read more in how minor league hockey works and AHL vs ECHL vs SPHL.

Single A
SPHL
The independent rung
Began in the 2004 to 2005 season with nine teams and has no NHL affiliations. The league says nearly 1,100 of its players have been called up to the AA level or higher.
Since 2004
AA
ECHL
The coast to coast rung
Founded as the East Coast Hockey League with five teams. In the 2025 to 2026 season it had 30 teams in 23 states and one Canadian province.
Since 1988
AAA
AHL
The development rung
The primary development league of the NHL. Every one of the 32 NHL clubs has an AHL affiliate.
Since 1936
The top
NHL
The destination
Each club's opening day roster holds no more than 23 players, which is why so many careers are built on the rungs below.
Major league

The skate trail

From junior rink to the NHL

The usual route, step by step. The full story is in how hockey players get to the NHL and in the guide to NHL and AHL affiliates.

01
Junior or college
The CHL's three leagues (WHL, OHL, QMJHL), USA Hockey's junior tiers such as the USHL, or NCAA college hockey.
02
The NHL Draft
Held once a year. A player is eligible if he turns 18 on or before 15 September of the draft year.
03
A first contract
Usually a two-way deal: one salary in the NHL, a lower one when assigned to the minors.
04
The AHL and the ECHL
Seasons of development on affiliate teams, moving between levels by assignment, recall and, later, waivers.
05
The call-up
An injury or a hot streak, and the NHL club recalls a contracted player from its affiliate.

Game night

How a game night runs

Sixty minutes on the clock, a good deal longer in real time. Plan your evening with what to expect at a minor league hockey game.

1st20 min
Period
Twenty minutes of playing time. The clock stops at every whistle.
INT15 min
Intermission
Usually around 15 to 20 minutes: time for the concourse.
2nd20 min
Period
Teams switch ends. Same 20 minutes, same stop-start clock.
INT15 min
Intermission
The second break of the night.
3rd20 min
Period
Regulation ends here. A game decided now often finishes about two and a half hours after puck drop.
OT5 min
Overtime
AHL regular season: five minutes of 3-on-3. The first goal wins.
SO3 rounds
Shootout
Three attempts each, then sudden death rounds until one team scores and the other does not.

Two lines, most of the whistles

Blue line, red line

Offside. The puck must cross the blue line into the attacking zone before the attackers. A player is offside when both skates are fully over the line before the puck.
Icing. A puck shot from behind the centre red line that crosses the opponent's goal line untouched. Under hybrid icing the linesman judges a race to the faceoff dots.
Minor penalty. Two minutes in the box, and the other team goes on the power play.

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