With 20 games (51 days) left in the regular season, the Grand Rapids Griffins became the first team to clinch a berth in the 2026 Calder Cup playoffs on Friday night.
The Griffins clinched a playoff spot with Rockford's 4-1 loss to Hershey.
This will be the Griffins' third straight playoff appearance as they continue to chase the best record in AHL history with the 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers (57-13-10, .775). Grand Rapids now sits at 40-8-3-1 (.808) with more than a quarter of their schedule remaining; they lead the Central Division by 21 points and are competing for their first division title since the 2014-15 season.
Grand Rapids is one of five teams in the Central Division to qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs; the top three clubs will receive byes to the conference semifinals, while the fourth and fifth-place teams will play a best-of-three first-round series.
The AHL's 2025-26 regular season ends April 19; for more information and daily updates on the Calder Cup Playoffs, check out the official AHL Playoffs Primer.
