List of current AHL captains and alternate captains
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 the 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 fifty-one 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.
References
- 1 2 3 4 "2023–24 AHL Rule Book". theahl.com. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ "Luongo sports captain's 'C' on goalie mask". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. October 5, 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- ↑ "Chase Wouters named first captain in Abbotsford Canucks history". CanucksArmy. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
- ↑ "GRIFFITH NAMED CAPTAIN OF THE CONDORS – BakersfieldCondors.com". Retrieved 2025-07-06.
- ↑ "Elite Prospects - Team Captains of Chicago Wolves". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ↑ 5.6K views · 203 reactions | Jayson Megna Returns | The secret’s out…Jayson Megna is your captain for the 2024-25 season! #EaglesCountry | By Colorado Eagles | Facebook. Retrieved 2024-10-09 – via www.facebook.com.
- ↑ Tye, Jake (2025-10-09). "Dominik Shine Named 19th Captain in Grand Rapids Griffins History". The Hockey News. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
- ↑ Knights, Henderson Silver (2025-10-22). "SILVER KNIGHTS ANNOUNCE 2025-26 LEADERSHIP GROUP". Henderson Silver Knights. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ↑ "Lucas Condotta named captain of the Laval Rocket – Rocket Laval". 2024-10-11. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ↑ Rotruck, Bob (2023-10-13). "Garrett Wilson Named Phantoms Captain". Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
- ↑ "Gravel Named Admirals Captain". OurSports Central. 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
- ↑ "Joe Hicketts Named Captain of the Ontario Reign". Ontario Reign. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ↑ Americans, Rochester. "AMERKS NAME LEADERSHIP GROUP, ANNOUNCE METSA AS 65TH CAPTAIN | Rochester Americans". www.amerks.com. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
- ↑ "Brett Seney Named IceHogs Team Captain". Rockford IceHogs. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ↑ Carter, Ivan (2024-10-19). "Gulls rally late, but fall to Coachella Valley in home opener". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
- ↑ "Springfield Thunderbirds | Chris Wagner Named 5th Captain in…". Springfield Thunderbirds. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
- ↑ "Steven Santini Named Syracuse Crunch Captain". Syracuse Crunch. 2025-10-10. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
- ↑ "Stars Name Curtis McKenzie Captain, Alex Petrovic and Andreas Borgman as Alternate Captains". oursportscentral.com. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
- ↑ "Toronto Marlies Announce 10th Captain In Franchise History – Toronto Marlies". Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ↑ Clemens, Chase (2024-10-11). "AUSTIN POGANSKI NAMED ROADRUNNERS CAPTAIN". TucsonRoadrunners.com. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ↑ "Elite Prospects – Team Captains of Utica Comets". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ↑ "WBS Penguins' Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2025-11-21.