A fascinating case in North American professional hockey is who lights up the AHL each season, making a case to get a shot in the NHL. Often once intriguing prospects, the numbers jump out from the AHL’s top point-getters, enough that fans find themselves looking at their favorite team’s underachieving forwards and wondering if an upgrade is right there waiting in the wings.
In recent memory, gifted sniper Martin Frk‘s 224 AHL goals were enough for him to get a look from several clubs over the years. The Czech even broke Zdeno Chara‘s record at the AHL All-Star Skills Competition in 2020 on an absurd 109.2 miles-per-hour slapper. Unfortunately his lack of foot speed wasn’t enough to translate to the NHL, despite an all-world shot, and the 32-year-old is set to depart for the KHL after a 30-goal campaign for the Calgary Wranglers in 2025-26. On the flip side, success stories exist like that of Utah’s Michael Carcone, an undrafted winger at 5’9″ who played in the AHL for seven years before getting a shot with the Arizona Coyotes, now a veteran of 236 NHL games and a valuable depth scorer for the Mammoth. So what about the latest examples, of those who put together outstanding 2025-26 campaigns in the American Hockey League, and what’s next to come for them?
This past season’s regular season AHL scoring title went to Jakob Pelletier, a perfect case of a former first rounder (Calgary, 26th, 2019) who is still searching for a home at the highest level. Now in Tampa Bay’s organization, the 25-year-old posted 49 helpers and 77 points in 63 games for the Syracuse Crunch. At one point, he set a franchise record with 19 consecutive games with a point.
The Bolts had numerous injuries all throughout the campaign, a perfect opportunity for someone like Pelletier to slot into a meaningful role, but it didn’t materialize. He skated in five games for Tampa, coming away scoreless on 9:21 a night. As the Crunch were a playoff contender, there wasn’t enough motivation to take away the league’s top scorer if not for any significant NHL role. Signed for two more years in Tampa, Pelletier is in a good situation on a team often able to get the most out of under-the-radar forwards to round out their roster. He’ll be a name to watch in camp next season, and even if the once top-six upside is no longer realistic, there’s plenty of reason to think Pelletier can become a solid bottom-sixer if he can stay healthy. The Quebec native has plenty of versatility, skill, and forechecking abilities, must-haves for a player in his situation, but the 5’10” frame and his skating have held things back a bit.
Next up, another name familiar to Tampa fans, Alex Barré-Boulet came away at a point-per-game pace in 70 games for the Colorado Eagles, his second-best AHL season after an insane 84 points in 2022-23 with the Crunch. The undrafted center played in two games for the Avs, recording an assist. At age 29, he’s no longer the once-prospect that generated some excitement being plucked by Seattle nearly five years ago, and ever becoming a full-time NHLer seems unlikely.
Moving on to San Jose this off-season on a two-year, two-way deal, if this was the Sharks of recent years the elite AHLer would be in a nice position to get into some games, but now that San Jose’s sights are on playoff contention, Barre-Boulet will figure to bring his high production to the Barracuda, benefitting their several bright prospects.
Ranking third in points but first in goals, Arthur Kaliyev was a weapon for the Belleville Senators with 40 goals in 70 games, shooting 15%. He was the league’s first AHL 40-goal man since 2023-24. A second-round pick of the Kings in 2019 after incredible OHL scoring numbers, Kaliyev has the most NHL experience out of the group listed here, 204 games. Turning in 14 tallies in his first full-time NHL season still before even turning 21, it looked like Los Angeles had a strong young piece on their hands despite question marks on his skating and defense.
Kaliyev’s NHL role gradually stalled out, never able to round out his game. After a brief stint with the Rangers, Ottawa sought him out on a one-year, two-way deal. Hardly able to benefit the big club, skating in just two games where he notched an assist, the signing still worked out greatly for Belleville. Kaliyev just turned 25 and he remains unsigned. Another team taking a flyer for the 2026-27 season, with a PTO offer, seems likely in the coming weeks.
Next, Zachary Jones stands out as the league’s top producer out of defensemen, recording 52 assists and 62 points in 60 games for the Rochester Americans (Buffalo). The 5’11” lefty has 115 games of NHL experience, all as a Ranger after they selected him in the third round of the 2019 draft. Thought to get a look in Buffalo at some point, it never happened even once, thanks to the team’s loaded defense core and unlikely turnaround to contention.
Signing with Utah for two years, the 25-year-old doesn’t have the clearest path into the Mammoth’s roster, seemingly not in their top seven, but in the event of any injuries he should get a call-up. A typical smooth-skating puck-mover whose size has held him back, Jones has the makings of a great piece alongside Maveric Lamoureux for the Tucson Roadrunners, and it would be a shock if he’s unable to get into a single NHL game again in 2026-27.
Rounding out the bunch, Providence Bruins goaltender Michael DiPietro took home plenty of hardware as AHL Goaltender of the year as well as league Most Valuable Player. The 27-year-old has just four NHL games to his name, coming in for 6:03 for the B’s this past season, turning away the two shots he faced. Modest results for the netminder who debuted in the NHL seven years ago as a promising Canucks prospect, DiPietro has been excellent year after year in the AHL but further opportunities just haven’t arrived.
Posting an insane .930 save percentage, 1.91 goals-against-average, and 34-8-1 record, the Ontario native’s efforts led Providence to the league’s best record, before a shocking upset at the hands of the Springfield Thunderbirds in the Semifinals. Set to return to Boston in the final year of his contract, the door has finally opened with Joonas Korpisalo traded away. If DiPietro can hold down the backup job behind Jeremy Swayman it would be a great success story after years of patience as a 2017 draftee. After seeing Brandon Bussi’s emergence, it’s absolutely not too late for DiPietro to make a name in the NHL, and Boston surely is hesitant to risk losing him the same way they did with the Hurricanes netminder.
While any player on this list would dream of becoming the next Bussi, finally finding the right situation thanks to the waiver wire, or another Yanni Gourde, blossoming into a standout after years in the minors, there’s always spots in supporting roles which can be filled by those in such a mold. The AHL’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement allows teams to dress six veterans without dealing with the complications of counting games of an “exempt” player, and in a way it’s a nod to the league’s top players who offer significant organizational value, even if they never become a full-time NHLer.
Image Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
King’s development system is broken. They bring guys up too soon and expect them to play like Kopitar when they are clearly not ready!