The American Hockey League is back.

The 2026-27 AHL season begins Friday, Oct. 2, with eight games before expanding into a 30-game opening weekend featuring all 32 teams.

From the first game in Hamilton Hammers history to a matchup between last season’s top two teams in the North Division, Opening Weekend provides an immediate look at NHL prospects and teams hoping to establish themselves as Calder Cup contenders.

Here are five must-watch AHL games streaming on FloHockey this weekend.

Hamilton Hammers At Belleville Senators

Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. ET

A new chapter in AHL history begins Friday night when the Hamilton Hammers play their first regular-season game against the Belleville Senators.

The New York Islanders relocated their AHL affiliate from Bridgeport to Hamilton ahead of the 2026-27 season, bringing AHL hockey back to the city for the first time since the Hamilton Bulldogs departed in 2015.

Hamilton begins its inaugural season on the road before playing its first home game Oct. 9. Friday also begins a new Ontario matchup, with Hamilton and Belleville scheduled to meet 10 times during the regular season.

The Hammers will serve as the primary development home for Islanders prospects this season, with Cole Eiserman among the young players to follow in the organization.

Abbotsford Canucks At Calgary Wranglers

Friday, Oct. 2 at 9 p.m. ET

The Calgary Wranglers begin a significant season at the Scotiabank Saddledome against another Canadian Pacific Division opponent. The Wranglers begin the building’s farewell season against the Abbotsford Canucks on Opening Night.

Both teams will also be looking for a rebound after missing the Calder Cup Playoffs last season. Abbotsford finished ninth in the Pacific Division at 28-37-4-3, while Calgary finished 10th at 23-34-10-5.

Abbotsford enters the season with a new head coach in Ryan Papaioannou, who replaced Manny Malhotra after Malhotra was promoted to head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks and Wranglers meet again Saturday in Calgary.

Charlotte Checkers At Hershey Bears

Saturday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. ET

Two Atlantic Division teams begin their seasons against one another at GIANT Center.

The Charlotte Checkers finished third in the Atlantic last season with a 44-23-5-0 record and 93 points, but their postseason ended with a first-round loss to Springfield. Hershey finished fifth at 32-31-6-3 after winning back-to-back Calder Cups in 2024 and 2025.

The Hershey Bears enter 2026-27 with another group of notable Washington Capitals prospects. Andrew Cristall is coming off his first professional season, while Bogdan Trineyev is also among the young players to follow in Hershey.

Saturday begins a two-game opening-weekend series between the teams. Charlotte and Hershey return to GIANT Center on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

Coachella Valley Firebirds At Ontario Reign

Saturday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. ET

Two of the Pacific Division’s top teams from last season meet twice during Opening Weekend.

The Ontario Reign finished first in the Pacific in 2025-26 with a 47-20-3-2 record and 99 points, while the Coachella Valley Firebirds finished fourth at 41-25-6-0 with 88 points.

The matchup also provides an early look at two important NHL development systems. Ontario serves as the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, while Coachella Valley is the affiliate of the Seattle Kraken.

The teams begin their season against each other Friday night at Acrisure Arena before traveling to Ontario for the Reign’s home opener Saturday.

With two teams that combined for 88 wins last season meeting twice in roughly 24 hours, the Pacific Division gets an early measuring stick.

Syracuse Crunch At Laval Rocket

Saturday, Oct. 3 at 3 p.m. ET

Few matchups on Opening Weekend feature teams that were as closely matched last season as Syracuse Crunch and Laval Rocket.

Laval won the North Division with a 41-23-3-5 record and 90 points. Syracuse finished just one point behind at 41-24-3-4 and 89 points.

Now the North Division’s top two teams from 2025-26 begin the new season with a two-game series at Place Bell.

The Rocket and Crunch meet Friday at 7 p.m. ET before returning to the ice Saturday afternoon for the second game of the series.

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