Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Rockford, IL. …AHL President and CEO Scott Howson On Wednesday, he met with local and national media to deliver his annual State of the League speech.
This is a tradition started by Hausen's predecessor, Dave AndrewsThe press conference is an opportunity to gauge the league's standing each season at the AHL All-Star Classic.
First, Howson was impressed with the City of Rockford's support for the AHL All-Star Classic this week. The two-night event, hosted by the Rockford IceHogs, includes the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Tuesday and the AHL All-Star Challenge on Wednesday night at the newly renovated BMO Center. For a city like Chicago that exists in the shadow of a huge market, this is Rockford's chance to make a difference, Howson said.
The timing is also coincidental: The IceHogs' NHL parent team, the Chicago Blackhawks, are celebrating their centennial, while the AHL's 90th anniversary celebrations continue. It has been 22 years since this event was held in the Midwestern city of the United States.
“When we announced the event (in January 2025), we received a warm welcome,” recalls Howson. “I could see how meaningful it would be. You could see the impact it would have.”
As for the AHL's status, the league and the Professional Hockey Players Association approved a new five-year collective bargaining agreement last month that will run through Aug. 31, 2030. For Howson and the PHPA executive director, this is a big deal. Brian RamseyThis is the first time Andrews and Ramsey have worked together in CBA negotiations since their predecessors, Larry Langdonhas been through this process many times over more than 25 years.
As with any business deal, all parties have their goals and priorities; Howson called working with Ramsay and the PHPA committee “tough, tenacious and very respectful.”
“I'm very pleased with the progress of the negotiations, the attitude of both parties, mutual respect and listening to each other's opinions during the negotiations,” said Housen, who is in his sixth season leading the AHL. “We don't always agree, and we certainly don't agree in negotiations on a lot of things. But we have to live together and there's no benefit in fighting each other every day. We have to be able to trust each other and if something is really, really important, we can help each other and solve it.”
Here are some other topics Hausen detailed:
• The new CBA means there will be adjustments to the league's development rules next season. There are still 12 of the 18 players on the roster (not including the two goaltenders) who have played 260 games or fewer (counting the opener) in professional games at the NHL, AHL and European elite levels. However, teams will be able to outfit six players who have played more than 260 games, rather than offering one of the maximum six “veteran” spots for players who have played 261 to 320 games.
“It's very important for the players,” Howson said. “We talked to our clubs. I talked to NHL general managers, NHL assistant general managers.”
• Howson said at least one team has expressed interest in hosting an outdoor game next season, but no official decision has been made yet. The Iowa Wild Outdoor Classic is the 13th outdoor event in AHL history and is held on January 23 in Hastings, Minnesota.
“It's too early to tell,” Howson said.
• As for the Calder Cup playoffs, Howson confirmed that the current 23-team format remains in effect this season and beyond. Changes of any kind require approval from the Alliance Board of Directors. NHL teams still want their rookies to get meaningful late-season and postseason experience, and Housen said this format can accomplish that.
“There was no sentiment or inclination to vote it down,” Howson said. “Everyone is really happy with how the playoffs are going to work.”
About 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. In 2016, he received the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.
