As the NHL began their Phase 4 reboot with three exhibition games on Tuesday, news from both the AHL and SPHL has emerged as to when the 2020-21 regular season may begin for hockey in the minor leagues.
And while the Southern Professional Hockey League officially announced their intentions for a “mid to late December” target date to start their season, the American Hockey League details are beginning to trickle out through verified sources.
According to John Hoven on MayorsManor.com, the absolute earliest the AHL would begin their 2020-21 regular season would be on December 1, the same start date that TSN reported for the NHL earlier this month.
A beginning of December start date would mean a full 72-game schedule for the league. If the AHL decided to bump out the beginning of their season to January 1, 2021, then that number would drop to 60 games.
Hoven stated that an official vote about these options would occur on August 4, with a September 15 deadline for teams to either opt in or out of the 2020-21 season.
Lastly, the NHL is reportedly going to cover the COVID-19 testing cost for the AHL. Many other issues on the table are still being agreed upon at this time.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to The Sin Bin on social media via Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news concerning the AHL and minor league hockey as a whole!