It’s official – American Hockey League teams will take to the ice just over a month.
The AHL announced on its website Wednesday that the league’s 2020-21 season will start on Feb. 5. No other details were announced.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins haven’t played since March 11 when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the AHL along with most other sports in the country.
“The American Hockey League Board of Governors has approved the structural framework for an AHL season that will begin on February 5, 2021,” the brief statement read. “Details are still being worked out, but this step allows our teams and their National Hockey League partners to better determine their plans for the coming season. We look forward to dropping the puck on Feb. 5.”
The NHL will begin its season on Jan. 13 with five games scheduled for opening night. The Pittsburgh Penguins, the parent team of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, are scheduled to visit the Philadelphia Flyers on opening night.
The league will face a challenge in scheduling as a number of AHL teams are located in Canada. The NBA’s Toronto Raptors were forced to play this season in Florida after Canadian officials refused to let teams travel across the boarder.