AHL, PHPA ratify five-year collective bargaining agreement
There’s labor peace in the second-best men’s hockey league in the world for the next few years.
On Wednesday, the American Hockey League and Professional Hockey Players’ Association announced the ratification of a new, five-year collective bargaining agreement.
The Professional Hockey Players’ Association announced today that its American Hockey League membership has ratified a new collective bargaining agreement. The five-year agreement will be in effect through the conclusion of the 2029-30 season.
The new CBA goes into effect immediately and will remain in effect through August 31, 2030. The AHL and its players began the 2025-26 season under the old CBA, which expired this past summer. Details and terms of the new deal have yet to be announced.
PHPA executive director Brian Ramsay admitted in a release that the new deal will help the league and its players for the long haul.
“This agreement delivers important gains for our members while providing long-term certainty across the league,” Ramsay said. “This was a collaborative and disciplined bargaining process that resulted in a strong agreement for our membership. I’d like to thank the PHPA bargaining committee, our AHL membership, our PHPA staff, as well as Scott Howson and the AHL bargaining committee for their efforts.”
It has been a busy few months for Ramsay. While he was working to get a new CBA done with the AHL, he was also dealing with unrest in the ECHL. Like the AHL, players in the ECHL began the current campaign operating under their old CBA. However, the league and PHPA remained far apart on a deal, leading to the players going on strike last month. The strike lasted only a few days, and the two sides ratified a new CBA that will also run through the 2029-30 season.
The AHL is currently in its 90th season of operation, and remains the top feeder league to the NHL, with many current and future stars honing their craft among the NHL’s affiliates.