The American Hockey League has cleaned up its product over the years. From the quality of play on the ice to the line brawls where players would jump into the stands, threatening to fight fans, the league has come a long way. Even with some external questions, the AHL is in a better place now than it ever has been. 

That said, there’s always room for improvement for the second-best hockey league in the world. Some fixes are long-term big-picture ones that take years of execution to pull off. Stability in the league, for one, is an ongoing endeavor as teams continuously relocate or change affiliations, yet even that has leveled off over the years. 

Then there are the easy fixes. The quick ones that are small but easy wins for the AHL. These are the victories that not only keep the fans happy but, without question, will bring more to the league. 

This isn’t intended to blame the officials. The referees in the AHL have done a great job considering the difficulty of officiating hockey games and how they’ve managed the games as well. Some fans will express frustration over the AHL officiating where they’ll “miss a penalty” or tuck the whistles away. The contrast is college hockey, where they call tight games that disrupt the flow. Ultimately, the refs have done a great job keeping games from getting out of hand and still letting them play the game. 

The big problem is the review process, which is confusing and comes into the spotlight at the worst times. Specifically, Game 3 of the Calder Cup Playoff series between the Providence Bruins and Springfield Thunderbirds went into overtime, and one of the Thunderbirds' skaters was offside on the game-winning goal, something the review should have noticed. The call on the ice stood because the offside couldn’t be reviewed (that goal flipped the series and led to the Bruins' early playoff exit).  

That goal was only part of the review process that had fans frustrated. It points to a bigger issue where fans don’t know what can or can’t be reviewed. When a goal is scored in overtime, fans are left standing around wondering whether the call will be overturned, which is another negative to the experience (which is a bigger-picture problem with replay and reviews). There are a few fixes that involve the league taking a hard stand on these situations, while they stand in a murky middle as of now. 

It’s worth adding that every game is officiated differently. This is, at times, a plus: the game isn’t robotic, and a referee can feel the game and understand how to officiate it. That said, two games can be officiated differently, and it can make the AHL feel like two different sports, even on a back-to-back. 

It’s a big complaint among AHL fans, and hockey fans in general. FloHockey is the AHL’s streaming platform, which also broadcasts games for junior hockey, the ECHL, and other minor leagues, making it ideal for prospect-focused hockey fans. The problem is that the broadcast, streaming, and overall quality isn’t good, certainly not worth the price for many fans. 

It’s an issue a lot of streaming platforms struggle with, especially ones that broadcast live sports. The game can pause or buffer, and it comes with the territory. Fixing that is more complicated and probably something the league will address but not overnight. 

An easy fix, however, is changing how fans can access FloHockey. It’s behind a paywall when it shouldn’t be. Yes, there will be the weekly free game on social media platforms but the AHL has been built around affordability, being a cheaper option than the expensive NHL. Fans can buy tickets, enjoy a good on-ice product, and leave the game feeling like they got their money’s worth. 

The Professional Women's Hockey League broadcasts every game for free on YouTube. Yes, the AHL would avoid this because of costs. However, this is a win in the long run. The league will gain more fans and followers, convince casual fans to attend games that are better experienced in person, and still make up the costs with ads and sponsors (which will be eager to advertise with a league that has more fans and higher viewership). This might not be the best business model but it will build lifelong fans and bring more to the league. 

This is specific to fans who travel around the league and attend games in different arenas. Most teams have an app that will help fans navigate the arena and either provide facts or stats about the team as well. Some teams have better apps, which in some ways is indicative of the AHL, where some teams invest in everything, even the finest of details, while others cut corners. 

One fix is to have a league-wide app, or the AHL app, for every arena. For fans who travel to four or five arenas in a season, or those who live in a geographical triangle where they live within driving distance of three teams, downloading multiple apps is an unnecessary headache. 

The one pushback to this fix is whether one app is a good thing. The benefit to every team having its own app is that some teams will improve theirs with the hope of beating their competition. One centralized app might make the product worse. 

Teams guard their lines like classified top-secret documents. They won’t post their lineups until a few minutes before the puck drops. Others don’t share their lines with the fans at all, only the starting lineup right before the game begins. 

The reality is that teams don’t gain an edge by keeping their lines a secret. For starters, the other teams in the AHL know what the lineup will look like ahead of time, and they’ll find out before the games anyway. Aside from that, the lineup changes midgame anyway. An easy win for the AHL is to have the lines posted as warm-ups are beginning. 

The good news is that many teams are posting their lines and are also more active and informative on their social media platforms. The problem is that the AHL still has room to improve. 

One of the best aspects of the league is the promotions. Teams have discount nights, fun nights, and dollar hot dogs or beers for some games. That said, there are always more creative angles to bring fans into the arena, from discounted tickets for college students to kids attending weeknight games for free. 

The big thing for the AHL is to build generational fans. There are a few, some who can point to watching a team as a kid and being hooked. The AHL has made an effort to do that with younger fans who will grow up and bring their kids to games. 

It’s what makes kids' games a big win for the league. Whether it’s the kids' takeovers or the games that start at 10 AM (which aren’t popular among the coaches and players), they bring a new generation of fans into the arena. 

Out-of-conference games were an issue the league addressed this offseason. Typically, two divisional rivals will play 12 of their 72 games against each other to help with travel. It’s better for the league when fans can experience teams from different divisions and conferences. 

The AHL, with the NHL’s help, also fixed a headache with the top prospects. It used to be that a prospect who wasn’t 19 years old either had to play in the NHL or head back to college or juniors. Now, first-rounders can spend their rookie season in the AHL, which will allow these prospects to develop and bring more talent to the league.