Bourque, Giroux, Wiemer and Young Inducted into AHL Hall of Fame 2026

Chris Bourque, Alexandre Giroux, Jim Wiemer and Wendell Young were inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame during the induction and awards ceremony on Feb. 11 at the Coronado Theatre in Rockford, Illinois, held as part of the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic presented by BMO and hosted by the Rockford IceHogs. The ceremony was available as a free livestream on FloHockey and highlighted what the league framed as 10 Calder Cup championships among the four enshrinees.

The AHL Hall of Fame, formed in 2006 and housed online at AHLHallofFame.com, selected the Class of 2026 through its Hall of Fame Selection Committee. The event weekend reflected a mix of playing achievement and post-playing careers, with the IceHogs serving as local host and the All-Star Classic providing the platform for the coronation.

Chris Bourque’s induction recognized a prolonged run as one of the AHL’s most productive forwards. Bourque finished his AHL career with 251 goals and 746 points in 794 games, ranking 22nd on the league’s all-time scoring list. He is a three-time Calder Cup champion (2006, 2009, 2010), a two-time JB Sollenberger Trophy winner as the league’s top scorer in 2012 and 2016, the 2016 Les Cunningham Award winner as AHL MVP, and the 2010 Jack A. Butterfield Trophy playoff MVP. Bourque was a six-time AHL All-Star in 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, and he owns the third-most playoff points and the most playoff assists in AHL history. He is the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque.

Alexandre Giroux was enshrined as “one of the best goal-scorers of his era,” a designation used in the league’s feature announcing the class. Giroux’s induction places his scoring reputation alongside Bourque’s point production and the other inductees’ accomplishments, even though lines of his full career totals were not listed in the ceremony program.

Jim Wiemer’s Hall of Fame nod reflected a two-way career that bridged the AHL and NHL. Wiemer won the Calder Cup in 1983 with the Rochester Americans, earned the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s top defenseman in 1986 after moving from winger to defense, and later won the 1988 Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers. Wiemer finished his AHL career with 124 goals and 307 assists for 431 points in 548 games, appeared in 325 NHL regular-season games and 62 NHL playoff contests with five organizations, and was inducted into the Rochester Americans Hall of Fame in 2010 alongside Randy Cunneyworth and Kent Weisbeck. He is one of three players in Rochester franchise history to both begin and end his playing career there.

Wendell Young’s induction honored a goaltender-turned-executive who combined AHL and NHL championships. Young won the Calder Cup in 1988 with the Hershey Bears, captured the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as AHL best goaltender and Playoff MVP the same year, and went on to win back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992. Young appeared in 138 AHL games in his playing career before moving into management roles later in hockey.

AHL features writer Patrick Williams summarized the ceremony’s tone with the simple phrase, “No matter what, family first.” For fans who missed the in-person event, the league made the induction available on a free FloHockey livestream and maintains Hall of Fame biographies and historical records at AHLHallofFame.com.