The 2024 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.
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.[1]
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.
For the first time since 1991, the finals featured the same teams as the previous year, the Coachella Valley Firebirds and Hershey Bears. Hershey would repeat as champions, defeating Coachella Valley in six 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
First round April 23–28
Division semifinals April 26-May 12
Division finals May 15-May 26
Conference finals May 29-June 12
Calder Cup finals June 14-June 24
A1
Hershey
3
A3
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
0
A6
Lehigh Valley
1
A6
Lehigh Valley
2
Atlantic Division
A1
Hershey
3
A5
Hartford
0
A2
Providence
1
Eastern Conference
A4
Charlotte
1
A5
Hartford
3
A5
Hartford
2
A1
Hershey
4
N1
Cleveland
3
N1
Cleveland
3
N4
Belleville
2
N4
Belleville
1
N5
Toronto
1
North Division
N1
Cleveland
3
N3
Syracuse
0
N2
Rochester
2
N3
Syracuse
3
A1
Hershey
4
P1
Coachella Valley
2
C1
Milwaukee
3
C4
Texas
2
C4
Texas
2
C5
Manitoba
0
Central Division
C1
Milwaukee
3
C2
Grand Rapids
2
C2
Grand Rapids
3
Western Conference
C3
Rockford
1
P1
Coachella Valley
4
C1
Milwaukee
1
P1
Coachella Valley
3
P2
Tucson
0
P7
Calgary
1
P7
Calgary
2
Pacific Division
P1
Coachella Valley
3
P3
Ontario
2
P3
Ontario
0
P6
Bakersfield
0
P3
Ontario
3
P4
Colorado
1
P5
Abbotsford
0
P5
Abbotsford
2
First round
Eastern Conference
(A3) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. (A6) Lehigh Valley Phantoms
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 24, 2024.[2]
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.[3]