The 2026 Calder Cup playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Hockey League (AHL) to determine the winner of the Calder Cup, which is awarded to the AHL playoff champions from the 2025–26 AHL season.
All teams except the bottom two teams of the Atlantic, North, and Central divisions, as well as the bottom three teams of the Pacific division qualified for the playoffs. Each division has a best-of-three series in the first round to determine the top 16 teams for the division semifinals, with various teams receiving byes based on regular season performance.
The 16 teams that remain—four from each division—will play a best-of-five series in the division semifinals, with the playoffs continuing with another best-of-five series for the division finals and a best-of-seven series for the conference finals and Calder Cup finals.
On June 19, 2026, the Toronto Marlies won their second Calder Cup after defeating the Chicago Wolves in five games.
Playoff format The AHL will continue to use the same playoff format used since 2022. The playoff field will include the top six finishers in the eight-team Atlantic Division, the top five finishers each in the seven-team North and Central Divisions, and the top seven teams in the 10-team Pacific Division. First-round match-ups will be best-of-three series; the two highest seeds in the Atlantic, the three highest seeds in each of the North and Central, and the first-place team in the Pacific will receive byes into the best-of-five Division Semifinals, with the first-round winners re-seeded in each division. The division finals will also be best-of-five series, followed by best-of-seven conference finals and a best-of-seven Calder Cup finals series.
Bracket Source:
First round Eastern Conference first round (A3) Charlotte Checkers vs. (A6) Springfield Thunderbirds
(A4) Bridgeport Islanders vs. (A5) Hershey Bears
(N4) Toronto Marlies vs. (N5) Rochester Americans
Western Conference first round (C4) Manitoba Moose vs. (C5) Milwaukee Admirals
(P2) Colorado Eagles vs. (P7) San Diego Gulls
(P3) Henderson Silver Knights vs. (P6) San Jose Barracuda
(P4) Coachella Valley Firebirds vs. (P5) Bakersfield Condors
Division semifinals
Eastern Conference division semifinals (A1) Providence Bruins vs. (A6) Springfield Thunderbirds
(A2) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. (A5) Hershey Bears
(N1) Laval Rocket vs. (N4) Toronto Marlies
(N2) Syracuse Crunch vs. (N3) Cleveland Monsters
Western Conference division semifinals (C1) Grand Rapids Griffins vs. (C4) Manitoba Moose
(C2) Chicago Wolves vs. (C3) Texas Stars
(P1) Ontario Reign vs. (P4) Coachella Valley Firebirds
(P2) Colorado Eagles vs. (P3) Henderson Silver Knights
Division finals Eastern Conference division finals (A2) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. (A6) Springfield Thunderbirds
(N3) Cleveland Monsters vs. (N4) Toronto Marlies
Western Conference division finals (C1) Grand Rapids Griffins vs. (C2) Chicago Wolves
(P2) Colorado Eagles vs. (P4) Coachella Valley Firebirds
Conference finals Eastern Conference final (A2) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. (N4) Toronto Marlies
Western Conference final (P2) Colorado Eagles vs. (C2) Chicago Wolves
Calder Cup final (C2) Chicago Wolves vs. (N4) Toronto Marlies
Playoff statistical leaders Leading skaters These are the top ten skaters based on points. If there is a tie in points, goals take precedence over assists. Updated following games played on June 19, 2026.
Player Team Toronto Marlies 23 11 15 26 36 Toronto Marlies 24 2 21 23 34 Toronto Marlies 22 8 10 18 18 Chicago Wolves 21 5 13 18 20 Colorado Eagles 17 10 7 17 8 Toronto Marlies 24 9 8 17 28 Chicago Wolves 21 7 10 17 38 Chicago Wolves 21 7 9 16 12 Colorado Eagles 17 3 12 15 2 Toronto Marlies 23 8 6 14 24
Leading goaltenders This is a combined table of the top five goaltenders based on goals against average and the top five goaltenders based on save percentage with at least 60 minutes played. The table is initially sorted by goals against average, with the criterion for inclusion in bold. Updated following games played on June 12, 2026.
Player Team Manitoba Moose 5 3 2 156 7 1.43 .955 1 294:28 Syracuse Crunch 4 1 2 132 7 1.52 .947 0 276:30 Milwaukee Admirals 3 1 2 108 5 1.68 .954 0 178:38 Springfield Thunderbirds 11 7 4 326 20 1.84 .939 2 651:50 Colorado Eagles 17 11 6 424 32 1.87 .925 4 1028:31 Providence Bruins 4 1 3 116 8 1.96 .931 0 244:25 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 15 8 7 481 33 2.11 .931 1 937:29
References