In the AHL, talent comes and goes. However, records remain engraved forever, and the American League has seen some outstanding single-season performances by players over the years.

Here are some of the best and most impressive seasons by individual players in the last 25 years.

Alexandre Giroux, Hershey Bears, 2008-09

In the 2008-09 season, Alexandre Giroux took the AHL by storm and dominated in the goal department. He ended the campaign with 60 goals and 97 points in 69 appearances, leading the league in both scoring categories.

During the season, the Quebec City native went on a 15-game goal-scoring streak. He remains the only player in AHL history to accomplish that feat.

Giroux’s scoring prowess led the Hershey Bears to a Calder Cup championship. He continued to score in bunches in the 2009 post-season, registering 15 goals and 28 points in 22 games, also leading the AHL in those departments. 

His 60 goals were the most in a season since 1995-96 when Brad Smythe recorded 68 tallies for the Carolina Monarchs.

In the following season, Giroux continued to put the puck in the back of the net, taking home the scoring title once again with 50 goals in 69 games. He’s one of seven players to win two Willie Marshall awards.

Dustin Wolf, Calgary Wranglers, 2022-23

Everyone knows Dustin Wolf as one of the best young goaltenders in the NHL, who was a Calder Trophy finalist last season. However, before he became an NHL regular, Wolf was the backbone of the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Wranglers, formerly known as the Stockton Heat.

For the 2022-23 campaign, Wolf and the Wranglers won all sorts of trophies. Individually, he was awarded the Les Cunningham Award as the league’s MVP and a second straight Bastien Award as the best goaltender in the AHL.

It was no contest for those awards as Wolf distinguished himself as one of the best players in that season, let alone the best goalie. 

In 55 games, the Gilroy, Calif. native registered a 42-10-2 record as well as a 2.09 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage to go with it. He was the superior netminder in the 2022-23 season. Among goaltenders who played at least 10 games, he led in the wins, GAA and save percentage departments by a mile. In addition, he earned the most shutouts with seven.

With the help of the young goaltender, the Wranglers went on to win the Kilpatrick Award as the 2022-23 regular-season champions. The team registered 106 points but was eliminated in the Pacific Division final by the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Darren Haydar, Chicago Wolves, 2006-07

Across 11 different seasons, Darren Haydar played 780 games for the Milwaukee Admirals, Chicago Wolves, Grand Rapids Griffins and Lake Erie Monsters. By the end of his career, he had multiple seasons where he recorded 70-plus points. But it’s the 2006-27 campaign that was most impressive.

While neither of his two Calder Cups came in this campaign, he had plenty of individual success. In his first season with the Wolves, he recorded 41 goals and 81 assists for 122 points. On top of finishing that season with the most points and assists in the league, he took home his first and only AHL MVP award. Since 1995-96, no one has scored more points in a season than Haydar.

Furthermore, Haydar ranks high on several all-time AHL lists. He is 25th in goals, 15th in points and 12th in assists. After playing his last AHL season in 2012-13, Haydar was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame for the class of 2020.

Jason Spezza, Binghamton Senators, 2004-05

During the 2004-05 NHL lockout season, several players looked for places to play and continue their development. Some players went to Europe, others took the year off. Many younger players took their talents to the AHL, including Jason Spezza, who lit up the American League during this campaign.

The Toronto native recorded 85 assists, as well as 32 goals and 117 points in 80 games with the Binghamton Senators. Spezza led the league in assists and points, beating out players like Mike Cammalleri, Eric Staal, Dustin Brown, Thomas Vanek and many more players who went on to have excellent NHL careers. It was a star-studded season in the AHL, but Spezza took the spotlight of it all.

At the end of that season, Spezza was named AHL MVP, taking home the Les Cunningham Award. He was one of the youngest players to ever win the award, just like Wolf, as he won the award as a 22-year-old.

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