SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are prepared to compete for the Stanley Cup, and both teams have a significant number of American Hockey League graduates on their rosters.
The Oilers, affiliated with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, have made it to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006 with a roster filled with AHL alumni. 22 of the 23 players who have played in a playoff game for the Oilers have spent time in the American Hockey League, with 10 of them being former Condors players.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch is leading the Oilers, having previously coached the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. He joined Edmonton in November after a successful tenure in Hartford, where he had a record of 119-90-32 and led the team to two series wins during the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs. Knoblauch could follow in the footsteps of coaches like Dan Bylsma (2009) and Mike Sullivan (2016), who also won the Stanley Cup after midseason promotions from the AHL.
Evan Bouchard has been a standout player for the Oilers during the playoffs, with impressive stats of six goals and 21 assists for 27 points in 18 games so far. Bouchard, an AHL All-Star as a rookie in 2019-20, was ranked fourth among NHL defensemen in scoring during the 2023-24 regular season with 82 points. Other AHL All-Stars on the Oilers roster include Derek Ryan, Connor Brown, and Warren Foegele.
Goalie Stuart Skinner has played a key role in the Oilers’ journey to the Stanley Cup Final in just his second full NHL season. With 113 games in the AHL with Bakersfield between 2018 and 2022, Skinner has an impressive record of 62-35-12 with a 2.68 goals-against average, a .906 save percentage, and eight shutouts.
Zach Hyman, who scored 54 goals for the Oilers in the regular season and added 14 more in the playoffs, had a successful rookie season with the Toronto Marlies in 2015-16, contributing 37 points in 59 games and helping the team reach the conference finals.
Other notable AHL alumni on the Oilers include Vincent Desharnais, Darnell Nurse, Ryan McLeod, Corey Perry, Cody Ceci, Mattias Janmark, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Leon Draisaitl, who started the 2015-16 season with Bakersfield and went on to become an NHL MVP and three-time 50-goal scorer.
Florida’s presence in the Stanley Cup Final for the second consecutive year also showcases many AHL alumni on their roster, including Carter Verhaeghe, who was the AHL’s scoring champion in 2018-19. Verhaeghe leads the Panthers with nine playoff goals after scoring 34 times in the regular season.
Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling are also notable AHL alumni on the Panthers, both having successful AHL careers before making an impact in the NHL.
Other AHL alumni on the Panthers roster include Eetu Luostarinen, Kyle Okposo, Evan Rodrigues, Niko Mikkola, Kevin Stenlund, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and former AHL All-Stars Nick Cousins and Anthony Stolarz.
Overall, the AHL has served as the top development league for all 32 NHL teams since 1936, with a significant number of NHL players being AHL graduates. The Stanley Cup Final between the Oilers and Panthers begins this Saturday in Sunrise, Fla.
Paul Maurice and Bill Zito add to the AHL legacy as former AHL affiliates, coaching and managing teams that have seen success in the NHL.
In operation since 1936, the AHL serves as the top development league for all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers.
