1986–87 AHL season
The 1986-87 AHL season was the 51st season of the American Hockey League. Thirteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Sherbrooke Canadiens finished first overall in the regular season. The Rochester Americans won their fifth Calder Cup championship.
Team changes
- The St. Catharines Saints move to Newmarket, Ontario, becoming the Newmarket Saints.
Final standings
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against; PTS = Points;
| North | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherbrooke Canadiens | 80 | 50 | 28 | 2 | 102 | 328 | 257 |
| Adirondack Red Wings | 80 | 44 | 31 | 5 | 93 | 329 | 296 |
| Moncton Golden Flames | 80 | 43 | 31 | 6 | 92 | 338 | 315 |
| Nova Scotia Oilers | 80 | 38 | 39 | 3 | 79 | 318 | 315 |
| Maine Mariners | 80 | 35 | 40 | 5 | 75 | 272 | 298 |
| Fredericton Express | 80 | 32 | 43 | 5 | 69 | 292 | 357 |
| South | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Americans | 80 | 47 | 26 | 7 | 101 | 315 | 263 |
| Binghamton Whalers | 80 | 47 | 26 | 7 | 101 | 309 | 259 |
| New Haven Nighthawks | 80 | 44 | 25 | 11 | 99 | 331 | 315 |
| Hershey Bears | 80 | 43 | 36 | 1 | 87 | 329 | 309 |
| Baltimore Skipjacks | 80 | 35 | 37 | 8 | 78 | 277 | 295 |
| Springfield Indians | 80 | 34 | 40 | 6 | 74 | 296 | 344 |
| Newmarket Saints | 80 | 28 | 48 | 4 | 60 | 226 | 337 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Tookey | Hershey Bears | 80 | 51 | 73 | 124 | 45 |
| Alain Lemieux | Baltimore Skipjacks | 72 | 41 | 56 | 97 | 62 |
| Brett Hull | Moncton Golden Flames | 67 | 50 | 42 | 92 | 16 |
| Mitch Lamoureux | Hershey Bears | 78 | 43 | 46 | 89 | 122 |
| Ross Fitzpatrick | Hershey Bears | 66 | 45 | 40 | 85 | 34 |
| Glenn Merkosky | Adirondack Red Wings | 77 | 54 | 31 | 85 | 66 |
| Ray Allison | Hershey Bears | 78 | 29 | 55 | 84 | 57 |
| Bruce Boudreau | Nova Scotia Oilers | 78 | 35 | 47 | 82 | 40 |
| Serge Boisvert | Sherbrooke Canadiens | 78 | 27 | 54 | 81 | 29 |
| Wes Jarvis | Newmarket Saints | 70 | 28 | 50 | 78 | 32 |
Calder Cup playoffs
- First round
- Sherbrooke Canadiens defeated Nova Scotia Oilers 4 games to 1.
- Adirondack Red Wings defeated Moncton Golden Flames 4 games to 2.
- Rochester Americans defeated Hershey Bears 4 games to 1.
- Binghamton Whalers defeated New Haven Nighthawks 4 games to 3.
- Second round
- Sherbrooke Canadiens defeated Adirondack Red Wings 4 games to 1.
- Rochester Americans defeated Binghamton Whalers 4 games to 2.
- Finals
- Rochester Americans defeated Sherbrooke Canadiens 4 games to 3, to win the Calder Cup.
Trophy and Award winners
- Team Awards
| Calder Cup Playoff champions: |
Rochester Americans |
| F.G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy Regular Season champions, North Division: |
Sherbrooke Canadiens |
| John D. Chick Trophy Regular Season champions, South Division: |
Rochester Americans |
- Individual Awards
| Les Cunningham Award Most valuable player: |
Tim Tookey - Hershey Bears |
| John B. Sollenberger Trophy Top point scorer: |
Tim Tookey - Hershey Bears |
| Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award Rookie of the year: |
Brett Hull - Moncton Golden Flames |
| Eddie Shore Award Defenceman of the year: |
Brad Shaw - Binghamton Whalers |
| Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award Best Goaltender: |
Mark Laforest - Adirondack Red Wings |
| Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award Lowest goals against average: |
Vincent Riendeau - Sherbrooke Canadiens |
| Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award Coach of the year: |
Larry Pleau - Binghamton Whalers |
| Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award Sportsmanship / Perseverence: |
Glenn Merkosky - Adirondack Red Wings |
| Jack A. Butterfield Trophy MVP of the playoffs: |
David Fenyves - Rochester Americans |