| Calder Cup playoffs | |
| Year: | 2023 |
| Dates: | April 18 – June 21, 2023 |
| Num Teams: | 23 |
| Winners: | Hershey Bears |
| Second: | Coachella Valley Firebirds |
| Prev Season: | 2022 |
| Next Season: | 2024 |
The 2023 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.
The 2023 playoffs began on April 18, 2023, with the 23-team playoff format that was introduced in 2022. 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.
The Hershey Bears defeated the Coachella Valley Firebirds in overtime of game seven, granting Hershey their 12th Calder Cup in team history and first since 2010. This was only the second time a game seven went to overtime in the finals, and the first since 1953.[2]
After the 2022–23 AHL regular season, 23 teams qualified for the playoffs. The top 5 teams in the North and Central divisions, the top 6 teams in the Atlantic division, and the top 7 teams in the Pacific division based on points total qualified for the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs. The Calgary Wranglers won the regular season title in their season finale.[3]
These are the top ten skaters based on points. If there is a tie in points, goals take precedence over assists.[4]
| Player | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coachella Valley Firebirds | 26 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 16 | |
| Coachella Valley Firebirds | 26 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 16 | |
| Coachella Valley Firebirds | 26 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 26 | |
| Coachella Valley Firebirds | 26 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 14 | |
| Coachella Valley Firebirds | 26 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 6 | |
| Milwaukee Admirals | 16 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 4 | |
| Hershey Bears | 20 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 6 | |
| Hershey Bears | 19 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 4 | |
| Rochester Americans | 14 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 4 | |
| Hershey Bears | 20 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 28 | |
| Hershey Bears | 20 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 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.[5]
| Player | Team | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Checkers | 5 | 1 | 1 | 80 | 5 | 1.54 | .938 | 1 | 195:12 | |
| Hartford Wolf Pack | 8 | 5 | 3 | 216 | 14 | 1.76 | .935 | 2 | 477:14 | |
| Abbotsford Canucks | 4 | 2 | 2 | 112 | 8 | 1.92 | .929 | 1 | 250:15 | |
| Coachella Valley Firebirds | 26 | 15 | 11 | 823 | 61 | 2.22 | .926 | 3 | 1,647:42 | |
| Manitoba Moose | 4 | 2 | 2 | 117 | 9 | 2.25 | .923 | 0 | 239:55 | |
| Providence Bruins | 4 | 1 | 3 | 122 | 9 | 2.28 | .926 | 0 | 237:18 | |