Starting Feb. 5, the American Hockey League will drop the puck on its 2021 regular season, according to a statement released Wednesday by the league:
First-year AHL President and CEO Scott Howson made the announcement following a meeting of the AHL Board of Governors. The move comes after the 2019-20 AHL regular season was halted by the pandemic, ultimately leading to the cancellation of the 2020 Calder Cup Playoffs.
It’s not only great news for AHL clubs but it’s also of vital importance to their NHL affiliates. That’s especially true with the Blackhawks, as any type of Rockford IceHogs season will provide significant ice time for several key prospects working their way up the hockey pipeline, including Nicolas Beaudin, Philipp Kurashev and Alec Regula.