AHL Rosters to come out Tomorrow: Season Starts Friday Night

Dallas Stars National & Local TV Coverage

The National TV Schedule for the National Hockey League and for the Dallas Stars, it's only going to be a handful of games on National Television as Versus has only scheduled 3 Games for the upcoming season as they have one in November, one in January and one in December.

In addition to the Versus Games, theirs 2 that the Dallas Stars are being looked at for games on NBC Late in the regular season. One of them is on the last day of the regular season as the Stars are looking at the March 13 game against the LA Kings and on April 10 against the Minnesota Wild which would end the regular season before the playoffs are scheduled to get underway on April 13 this season.

For the NBC Games, some of the dates are on a Flex Package so it could depend on how both teams are looking heading into the last few weeks of the regular season. With both teams out of the playoffs last year, don't be surprised to see this game in particular to be switched to get a game that could get playoff or division title possibilities.

This stinks that the team could possibly be on National TV 3-to-5 Times this season as the team could still possibly struggle again, especially with the current ownership situation being in the air. I also blame the NHL where they seem to be so stinking biases towards the big East Coast Teams like Pittsburgh & Washington to get Ovechkin & Crosby on TV More.

Also teams like the NY Based Teams (NYR, NYI, NJ), Philadelphia and Boston. They still had very few big time Western Conference Teams like the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks and the Colorado Avalanche just to name a few.

Hopefully when the Dallas Stars get out of the ownership situation this season, they will start getting out of the valley and get stronger and ultimately back on National TV a lot more.

Here's the expected National TV Schedule for the Dallas Stars. To see the full NHL Television Highlights, Click Here

In addition to the NHL Website, Greg Wyshynski who does the Puck Daddy Blog has an interesting take on this as well.

Puck Daddy's Scheduling Takes

NHL Notable Dates


Games on Versus

11/29: @ Carolina Hurricanes

1/17: VS. Los Angeles Kings

2/22: VS. New Jersey Devils


Games that could be on NBC

3/13: VS. Los Angeles Kings

4/10: @ Minnesota Wild


Rest of Dallas Stars TV Coverage

As for the rest of the season, for the 11th straight season and for the 18th season overall. The vast majority of the games will be on FSN Southwest as they will provide coverage for 62 of the team's 82 games during the regular season with about a dozen of the games being on FSN Plus which is the Networks Alt. Network if they is a scheduling conflict. The official dates to find out which games will be on FSN Plus will be announced a later date.

Here's the Dallas Stars Press Release

The Dallas Stars announced today that the National Hockey League club local television schedule for the 2010-2011 season. All 82 games will be televised in the D/FW Market and, for the first time, all games will be on available in HD.

"We are very excited about providing our fans all 82 Dallas Stars Games for local television with every one offered in HD," said Stars Exc. VP Geoff Moore. "I'd like to think our great partners - Jon Heidtke of FOX Sports Southwest and Gary Schneider of CBS 11 & TXA 21 - in working together with us to make that happen. Along with Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket, we have an all star line up for our viewing and listening public. With Ralph and Razor again calling the action, we look forward to a great broadcast season for the Dallas Stars."

Fox Sports Southwest: returns for its 18th season of carrying Stars Television Coverage, with 62 regular season games scheduled on the network. 12 of these games will be on FSN Plus, the network's alt. channel which is provided by participating cable and satellite providers. Specific channel info. for ind. carriers will be announced a later date.

FSN Sports Southwest provides quality local sports programming for over 10 million cable and satellite TV Subscribers in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and parts of New Mexico. The Stars Regular season opener is on Friday, October 8 at New Jersey is featured on FOX Sports Southwest schedule, as well as the team's home openers on October 14 vs. the Detroit Red Wings.

FOX Sports Southwest comprehensive coverage includes "Stars Live" pre and postgame shows before and after ever game, a weekly "Stars Insider" magazine show, and interview and documentary specials airing throughout the season.

TXA 21: Seventeen games will be broadcast locally on air on TXA 21 which enters its first season of a four year contract agreement to televise Stars Games. Stars Broadcasts on TXA 21 will air primarily on Saturday Nights, beginning on October 9 when the Stars visit the NY Islanders. Stars Games will have a 30 minute pregame and postgame shows.

The Stars join an extensive sports lineup on TXA 21, including Texas Rangers, Friday Night HS Football, Dallas Mavericks Basketball, as well as BIG 12 Sports, SEC Football and the HS Football Game of the Week. If its local sports in D/FW, it must be TXA 21

For more info on on TXA 21, click here

Versus will exclusively televise three Stars Contests: Monday, November 29; Monday January 17 VS. Los Angeles; and Tuesday February 22 VS. New Jersey. Versus is the exclusive national cable home for the National Hockey League.

NBC Sports has the option to choose from two games on the Dallas Stars local TV Schedule during the Spring. First introduced in 2007, NHL on NBC will feature flexible scheduling for regular season dates on the network. NBC will have nearly two weeks in advance of a particular weekend to select which games to air. No matter what NBC Decides on possibly picking up Dallas contests, all 82 Stars Games will be televised locally in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Area

Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket enters its second season as the flagship home of the Dallas Stars Hockey and will broadcast all 82 regular season contests and all playoff games, with extensive pre and post game shows planned for most games with studio host Matt Mcclearin, and home post game shows with Bob Sturm and Dan Mcdowell. The Ticket will also broadcast one Stars Preseason Game - September 30, 2010 vs. the Colorado Avalanche. The all sports broadcast on both 1310 AM & 104.1 FM.

Forming the broadcast team for the Stars 15th straight season will be Ralph Strangis and Daryl Reaugh. Strangis begins his 21st season as a Stars Broadcaster while Reaugh will serve in his 15th season as the Stars Color Analyst.

AJHL Opening Weekend Schedule

Like the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and a handful of games for the North American Hockey League (NAHL) before the League's Blaine Showcase, the Alberta Junior Hockey League will officially unleash the league's new OT Rules which is going to 3-on-3 followed by a shootout if the game is still tied.

In addition to the AJHL, the BCHL revelled new rules last year where you have 5 minutes of 4-on-4 and then another 5 minutes of 3-on-3. Unlike most other leagues around the world, the BCHL still has no shootouts during the regular season and will end games in tie if the 3-on-3 OT Periods ends in a tie.

Alberta Junior Hockey League

Alberta Junior Hockey League OT Format

Here's a look at the AJHL Divisional Alignment and the opening weekend schedule

North Division: Bonnyville Pontiacs, Drayton Valley Thunder, Ft. Mcmurray Oil Barons, Grande Prairie Storm, Lloydminster Bobcats, Sherwood Park Crusaders, Spruce Groove Saints, St. Albert Steel

South Division: Brooks Bandits, Calgary Canucks, Calgary Mustangs, Camrose Kodiaks, Canmore Eagles, Drumheller Dragons, Okotoks Oilers, Olds Grizzlies

9/10

Ft. Mcmurray Oil Barons VS. Canmore Eagles 8:00 PM

Drumheller Dragons VS. St. Albert Steel 8:00 PM

Okotoks Oilers VS. Camrose Kodiaks 8:30 PM

Bonnyville Pontiacs VS. Lloydminster Bobcats 8:30 PM

Sherwood Park Crusaders VS. Grande Prairie Storm 8:30 PM


9/11

Ft. Mcmurray Oil Barons VS. Calgary Mustangs 3:15 PM

Drayton Valley Thunder VS. St. Albert Steel 8:00 PM

Lloydminster Bobcats VS. Bonnyville Pontiacs 8:00 PM

Olds Grizzlies VS. Canmore Eagles 8:00 PM

Drumheller Dragons VS. Grande Prairie Storm 8:30 PM

Spruce Groove Saints VS. Camrose Kodiaks 8:30 PM


9/12

Ft. Mcmurray Oil Barons VS. Sherwood Park Crusaders 3:15 PM

Drayton Valley Thunder VS. Lloydminster Bobcats 3:30 PM

The American Hockey League Schedule comes out Today

In about 3 hours the full 2010-2011 AHL Schedule is expected to come out today as the final major league in North America will start getting ready for the new season in October. Be sure to find links for all 4 Southwest Teams when the schedule is expected to come out around 3:00 PM Today.

I will show the links when they come out. In addition I will also post the records from last season as all 4 teams will compete in the West Division this season.

Full AHL Schedule

AHL Season Highlights


Texas Stars Schedule

Texas Stars Schedule Highlights

Season Opener: 10/10 @ San Antonio Rampage

Home Opener: 10/16 VS. San Antonio Rampage

Longest Home Stand: 11/24-12/7 7 Games

Longest Road Trip: 2/14-2/26 8 Games

The Texas Stars will get underway on Sunday October 10 with a road game in San Antonio followed by a 5 game homestand as the Stars will look to start their 2nd season on a strong note with another game against San Antonio along with 3 games against the Peoria Rivermen on 10/17, 10/23 and 10/26 along with a match against the Lake Erie Monsters on October 22.

Some of the interesting schedule highlights include a 7 game homestand which starts the day before Thanksgiving on November 24 against the Houston Aeros.

As for long roadtrips this season away from the Austin Area, the Stars will embark on a season long 8 game roadtrip in February starting out with a weekend set against the Lake Erie Monsters along with visits to Grand Rapids, Chicago, Milwaukee & Peoria before returning to Texas with games against the both the Aeros & Rampage.

Another long set of road games will be coming up just after Christmas and in to Mid-January where they play 8-of-9 on the road.

Overall the Texas Stars, this seems to be a pretty balanced schedule full of different homestands and roadtrips through the year. For the team that's been raided since the Calder Cup Run back in June. Expect a step or two back this season for the Stars

hey hoping that the Stars will bring a strong 2nd act to the Austin Area. However, I don't expect the Stars will have quite such as a strong season as they did last year because of the massive departures of players like Matt Climie. They maybe fighting it out for a playoff spot and a lot less like the team that came within 2 wins of winning a Calder Cup last season.


Houston Aeros Schedule

Houston Aeros Schedule Highlights


Season Opener: 10/9 VS. Oklahoma City Barons

Home Opener: 10/16 VS. Peoria Rivermen

Longest Home Stand: 5 Games 3/6-3/19

Longest Road Trip: 6 Games 12/10-12/21

Houston gets underway with a pair of roadgames a week apart on October 9 & 15 up in Oklahoma City before their October 16 home opener with 2 against the Peoria Rivermen and another game against the Oklahoma City Barons as the last year's Last Place Team in the West Division and the league's new boys will get used to each other a lot in the opening month of the season.

November will be a heavy road month for the Aeros as the team will embark on a trip where they will play 6-of-7 on the road with trips to Abbotsford, Peoria and Grand Rapids on this trip.

The Aeros home schedule won't be a benefit it seems like til late in the year where late February and March will have lots of home games where a possible playoff chase could be benefited here as they will be playing a lot of teams that either just barely made it or were just awful last year including the Rockford Icehogs, Syracuse Crunch and the Manitoba Moose.


San Antonio Rampage Schedule

San Antonio Rampage Schedule Highlights


Season Opener: 10/8 VS. Chicago Wolves

Road Opener: 10/16 VS. Texas Stars

Longest Home Stand: 6 Games 3/5-3/18

Longest Road Trip: 9 Games 2/4-2/25

If San Antonio is looking to return to the playoffs for the first time in 2008 and they hoping that a favorable home start will help out. The Rampage will start the year with 9 of their first 11 at home with the Chicago Wolves on October 8.

Their only road trips in the first 11 are to Texas Stars and the Oklahoma City Barons so travel will be minimal when they do hit the road. In addition to the first 11, a 3 game road trip that will take them Abbotsford, BC and OKC.

As for the annual "Rodeo Road Trip that has the team out of the building for most of February will see them have a 5 game roadtrip with a break in between with games against Abbotsford & Chicago.

This year's Rodeo Road Trip will see them have a 9 game will see them head to Lake Erie & Manitoba for a pair of games each, also included will be a trip to Syracuse then the 2 Ontario Teams in Hamilton who came within one win of beating Texas & Making the Calder Cup.

Then a game against the Toronto Marlies that were badly affected by injuries despite being in the playoff chase til about the final month of the season where they dropped off and miss the playoffs by 9 points over the Manitoba Moose.


Oklahoma City Barons Schedule

Oklahoma City Barons Schedule Highlighights


Season Opener: October 9 VS. Houston Aeros

Road Opener: October 17 VS. Houston Aeros

Longest Home Stand: 8 Games 11/5-11/23

Longest Road Trip: 9 Games 3/15-3/27

Like the San Antonio Rampage, the Barons will also have a heavy home schedule early on with 6 of the first 7 games at the Cox Convention Center with the Barons & Aeros hooking up 3 times in the first 5.

Between that opening stretch and an 8 game home stretch that takes up a majority of November, An interesting 5 game roadtrip will be their big road test of the season which includes the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Chicago Wolves who finished on top of the West Division Standings at the end of the regular season last year.

Some interesting roadtrips will include a season long 9 game road trip late in the year which includes a 3 straight games against the Houston Aeros and a pair of games for the Chicago Wolves which could be huge for their playoff hopes as these teams will be looking to turnaround from a bad 2009-2010 season. Overall, that starts a very tough end of the season where 12 of the final 14 games where all but one will be against Divisional Matchups.

This schedule has a lot of huge chunks, and not just a whole lot of just one or two game homestands so they will have plenty of time in advance to find out what to expect ahead of time.

AHL Schedule Comes out Today

Here's a look at the opening weekend schedule for the American Hockey League which will get underway on October 8 as the San Antonio Rampage will play host to the Chicago Wolves. While the other Southwest Teams for the most part will get underway with Houston & Oklahoma City will get underway on October 9 at the Cox Convention Center.

Finally the defending Western Conference Champion Texas Stars will look to start a strong 2nd season in the Texas Capital on October 10 in the I-35 Rivalary against the San Antonio Rampage.

As for other games the expansion Charlotte Checkers will head to Conn. to play the Hartford Wolfpack while the Albany will make their AHL Return against the Adirondack Phantoms.

In addition to the Schedule, here's the Conference Alignment after the changes were made over the offseason.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division: Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Hartford Wolfpack, Manchester Monarchs, Portland Pirates, Providence Bruins, Springfield Falcons, Worcester Sharks

East Division: Adirondack Phantoms, Albany Devils, Binghamton Senators, Charlotte Checkers, Hershey Bears, Norfolk Admirals, Syracuse Crunch, W-B/Scranton Penguins


Western Conference

North Division: Abbotsford Heat, Grand Rapids Griffins, Hamilton Bulldogs, Lake Erie Monsters, Manitoba Moose, Rochester Americans, Toronto Marlies

West Division: Chicago Wolves, Houston Aeros, Milwaukee Admirals, Oklahoma City Barons, Peoria Rivermen, Rockford Icehogs, San Antonio Rampage, Texas Stars


Here's the Full American Hockey League Opening Weekend Schedule.

10/8

Abbotsford Heat VS. Grand Rapids Griffins 6:00 PM

Adirondack Phantoms VS. Binghamton Senators 6:05 PM

Springfield Falcons VS. Providence Bruins 6:05 PM

Syracuse Crunch VS. Lake Erie Monsters 6:30 PM

Chicago Wolves VS. San Antonio Rampage 7:00 PM

Manitoba Moose VS. Peoria Rivermen 7:05 PM


10/9

Rochester Americans VS. Toronto Marlies 2:00 PM

Manitoba Moose VS. Rockford Icehogs 4:35 PM

Adirondack Phantoms VS. Albany Devils 6:00 PM

Worcester Sharks VS. Bridgeport Sound Tigers 6:00 PM

Charlotte Checkers VS. Hartford Wolfpack 6:00 PM

Manchester Monarchs VS. Portland Pirates 6:00 PM

Providence Bruins VS. Springfield Falcons 6:00 PM

Norfolk Admirals VS. Binghamton Senators 6:05 PM

Hershey Bears VS. W-B/Scranton Penguins 6:05 PM

Lake Erie Monsters VS. Syracuse Crunch 6:30 PM

Abbotsford Heat VS. Milwaukee Admirals 7:00 PM

Houston Aeros VS. Oklahoma City Barons 7:05 PM


10/10

Manchester Monarchs VS. Bridgeport Sound Tigers 2:00 PM

Worcester Sharks VS. Hartford Wolfpack 2:00 PM

Charlotte Checkers VS. Springfield Falcons 2:00 PM

Texas Stars VS. San Antonio Rampage 3:00 PM

Chicago Wolves VS. Oklahoma City Barons 3:05 PM

Milwaukee Admirals VS. Peoria Rivermen 3:05 PM

Hershey Bears VS. Rochester Americans 4:05 PM

Grand Rapids Griffins VS. Rockford Icehogs 4:05 PM

BCHL Opening Weekend Schedule

Like the QMJHL, AJHL & NAHL, the British Columbia Hockey League which has been home to the 2 time Canadian Jr. A National Champion Vernon Vipers and perhaps the most successful Jr. A League in North America when it comes out to turning out talent for both the NCAA & Professional Ranks.

The League looks to continue their strong showings as the league's 16 teams will look to knock off the Vernon Vipers for the BCHL Title and a shot at the RBC Cup which will be in Camrose, Alberta this season.

As for the divisional alignment, basically no changes were made but a team called the Williams Lake Timberwolves were disbanded after numerous violations of league rules in their first couple of years.

The Conferences are named the Coastal Conference which is along the Pacific Coast and on Vancouver Island. While the Interior Conference has the Vernon Vipers and teams like the Prince George Spruce Kings and the Westside Warriors which is located near the city of Kelowna.

British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) Divisional Alignment

Coastal Conference: Alberni Valley Bulldogs, Coquitlam Express, Cowichan Valley Capitals, Langley Chiefs, Nanaimo Clippers, Powell River Kings, Surrey Eagles, Victoria Grizzlies

Interior Conference: Merritt Centennials, Penticton Vees, Prince George Spruce Kings, Quesnel Millionaires, Salom Arm Silverbacks, Trail Smoke Eaters, Vernon Vipers, Westside Warriors


9/10

Langley Chiefs VS. Surrey Eagles 9:00 PM

Pentiction Vees VS. Westside Warriors 9:00 PM

Salom Arm Silverbacks VS. Vernon Vipers 9:00 PM

Coquitlam Express VS. Victoria Grizzlies 9:15 PM

Alberni Valley Bulldogs VS. Powell River Kings 9:30 PM

Merritt Centennials VS. Trail Smoke Eaters 9:30 PM


9/11

Quesnel Millionaires VS. Prince George Spruce Kings 9:00 PM

Surrey Eagles VS. Langley Chiefs 9:00 PM

Vernon Vipers VS. Salom Arm Silverbacks 9:00 PM

Westside Warriors VS. Pentiction Vees 9:00 PM

Coquitlam Express VS. Cowichan Valley Capitals 9:30 PM

Merritt Centennials VS. Trail Smoke Eaters 9:30 PM

QMJHL Opening Weekend Schedule

With the first of the Junior Hockey Leagues starting up on the weekend of September 10-12 in a just a few weeks. Here's a chance to see the opening weekend schedule for the leagues that will be starting as the QMJHL will be the first of the Major Junior Leagues will be starting while the WHL & OHL will be starting basically 2 weeks later on September 23 & 24.

In addition to the schedule, the Division Format has been changed over the last season. They will be 3 divisions of 6 teams with the Maritime Division staying the same.

While the Central Division was officially dissolved as the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Shawinigan Cataractes moved to the West Division, while the Lewiston Maineaics and Chicoutimi Sagueneens are heading East as the teams that were effected.

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

West Division: Drummondville Voltigeurs, Gatineau Olympiques, Montreal Juniors, Rouyn-Nornda Huskies, Shawinigan Cataractes, Val-dor Foreurs

East Division: Baie-Comeau Drakkar, Chicoutimi Sagueneens, Lewiston Maineiacs, Quebec City Ramparts, Rimouski Oceanic, Victoriaville Tigers

Maritime Division: Acadie-Bathurst Titans, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Halifax Mooseheads, Moncton Wildcats, P.E.I. Rockets, St. John Seadogs

QMJHL Opening Weekend


9/9

Acadie-Bathurst Titans VS. Moncton Wildcats 5:00 PM


9/10

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles VS. Halifax Mooseheads 5:00 PM

Rimouski Oceanic VS. Lewiston Maineiacs 6:00 PM

Shawinigan Cataractes VS. Montreal Juniors 6:05 PM

Chicoutimi Sagueneens VS. Baie-Comeau Drakkar 6:30 PM

Gatineau Olympiques VS. Drummondville Voltigeurs 6:30 PM

Quebec City Ramparts VS. Rouyn-Nornda Huskies 6:30 PM

P.E.I. Rockets VS. St. John Seadogs 5:30 PM

Victoriaville Tigers VS. Val-dor Foreurs 6:30 PM


9/11

Acadie-Bathurst Titans VS. Halifax Mooseheads 5:00 PM

Rimouski Oceanic VS. Lewiston Maineiacs 6:00 PM

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles VS. St. John Seadogs 5:00 PM

Quebec City Ramparts VS. Val-dor Fourers 6:00 PM

Victoriaville Tigers VS. Rouyn-Nornda Huskies 6:30 PM


9/12

Gatineau Olympiques VS. Montreal Juniors 2:05 PM

Shawinigan Cataractes VS. Baie-Comeau Drakkar 3:00 PM

Chicoutimi Sagueneens VS. Drummondville Voltigeurs 3:00 PM

P.E.I. Rockets VS. Moncton Wildcats 2:00 PM

AHL Schedule to come out on August 25

Pending an official league approval from the league's Board of Governors, the Texas Stars, San Antonio Rampage, Houston Aeros & Oklahoma City Barons Schedules will be officially released at 3:00 PM CDT on August 25.

It will be interesting to see how the American Hockey League (AHL) season pans out and especially the 4 Southwest Teams in the AHL's West Division as the Texas Stars finished 2nd in the West that spurred an amazing playoff run that got them to the Calder Cup Final in their very first year.

Meanwhile, the Houston Aeros & San Antonio Rampage are looking to get back to the playoffs after finishing 6th & 7th in the West Division and look for stronger years. Finally the Oklahoma City Barons are looking for a strong debut this season.

In the meantime, here's the schedule for the preseason so fans in Austin, San Antonio, Houston & Oklahoma City can get an early look at their teams before the regular season gets underway in Mid-October.

Texas Stars

San Antonio Rampage

Houston Aeros

Oklahoma City Barons

AHL Preseason Schedule

All 3 Texas Teams in the American Hockey League have announced a series of preseason games against each other in mid-to-late September as the Texas Stars begin to prepare to defend their AHL Western Conference Championship while the San Antonio Rampage & Houston Aeros look to get back to the playoffs.

Some of these games will be played at the San Antonio Rampage & Houston Aeros Practice Facilities while the Texas Stars will have all their Games at Cedar Park Center. It was also announced yesterday that the Texas Stars will also have a game against the Oklahoma City Barons as the Barons get ready for their first season of play this year.

As for the regular season, that is expected to come out early next week with the AHL Season expected to start on or around October 8 which is the same night as the National Hockey League Season gets underway.

Northwoods Ice Center

Sugarland Ice & Sports Center


Texas Stars

9/30: @ San Antonio Rampage at Northwoods Ice Center 7:00 PM

10/2: VS. Oklahoma City Barons 7:00 PM

10/3: VS. Houston Aeros 5:00 PM


San Antonio Rampage

9/30: VS. Texas Stars at Northwoods Ice Center 7:00 PM

10/1: @ Houston Aeros at Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center 7:00 PM

10/2: @ Texas Stars 7:00 PM


Houston Aeros

10/1: VS. San Antonio Rampage 7:00 PM at Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center

10/3: @ Texas Stars 5:00 PM


Oklahoma City Barons

10/2: @ Texas Stars 7:00 PM

Expect the AHL Schedule to come out on August 23

After weeks of waiting and with the release of the NBA Schedule coming out last week. The AHL has officially announced that the schedule will be coming out the week of August 23. One of the reasons why the American Hockey League has been one of the only Major Hockey Leagues in North America hasn't released their schedule yet is because the NBA schedule just came out yesterday.

Currently 5 AHL Teams share arenas with NBA Teams as the Houston Aeros, San Antonio Rampage, Milwaukee Admirals, Lake Erie Monsters and the Charlotte Checkers who are joining the American Hockey League this upcoming year after moving from Albany, New York (Albany River Rats).

So this is the main reason why if your wondering why the league is taking so long to make it's schedule public. This is it

Theirs also an interesting article on the AHL Website about how the American Hockey League Schedule comes together.

Behind the Scenes of making the AHL Schedule

Updates for 2010-2011 Jr. Hockey League Schedules

With the final of the big Time Junior Leagues both coming out with their 2010-2011 schedules, here's the links for the different Jr. Leagues with all the Major Junior Leagues, both the USHL & NAHL and a majority of the Canadian Jr. A League's here's a look at the start dates of when different leagues across North America get started.

The Western Hockey League schedule came out today while the USHL schedule came out at the end of July. The first big weekend is the weekend of September 10-12 as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) and Maritime Junior A Hockey League (MJAHL) among others start that weekend.

As for other prominent leagues, the North American Hockey League (NAHL) starts on September 15, the United States Hockey League (USHL) gets going on October 1, while the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) & Western Hockey League (WHL) start in late September.

I know I don't have all of them yet, but a majority of them are now out and with the season starting coming up. It's important to see the schedules so you can get fimilar with the different leagues & teams.M

Here's a look at the 2010-2011 Jr. League Schedules

Major Juniors

Western Hockey League: Season Starts 9/24

Ontario Hockey League: Season Starts 9/23

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League: Season Starts 9/9


U.S.A. Juniors

United States Hockey League: Season Starts 10/1

North American Hockey League: Season Starts 9/10


CAN Jr. A Leagues

Western Canada

British Columbia Hockey League: Season Starts 9/10

Alberta Junior Hockey League: Season Starts 9/10

Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League: Season Starts 9/18

Manitoba Junior Hockey League: Season Starts 9/17

Superior International Junior Hockey League: Season Starts TBD


Eastern Canada

Ontario Junior Hockey League: Season Starts 9/9

Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League: Season Starts 9/8

Central Canadian Hockey League: Season Stars TBD

Central Jr. A Hockey League: Season Starts 9/10

Maritime Hockey League: Season Starts 9/10

2010-2011 USHL Schedule & Full Divisional Alignment

Just as I was leaving for Tulsa over the weekend, the 2010-2011 schedule and Divisional Alignment for the United States Hockey League was released and the league shocked everyone be staying with the 2 Divisional Alignment when many experts thought that the league was going into 3 divisions.

For the most part, it's practically the same with the injection of the 2 new expansion teams with the Dubuque Fighting Saints joining the West Division while the Muskegon Lumberjacks are heading to the East.

It's also reported the Playoff Format will stay the same with the top 4 teams from both divisions making the playoffs. This is good news considering that they would fall into the trap that many junior Leagues fall into by making it way to easy to make the post-season, but they didn't and it will continue to make it exciting all year long.

In addition to the Divisional Alignment, the 2010-2011 Regular Season Schedule was released with each team playing 60 games and getting ready for the season with the USHL Fall Classic which will be from September 22-25 in Sioux City, Iowa which will be at the Tyson Events Center (Sioux City Musketeers Home Arena) and the IBP Ice Arena as well. Each team will play 3 games during the 4 day event where they will get exposed by a majority of NHL & NCAA Teams looking to recruit them.

As for Southwest Based Players for the upcoming season, Ryan Daugherty recently announced that he will be returning to the Omaha Lancers for the upcoming season, also Seth Jones who will be making his debut for the USNTDP this season.

As for new players coming in, Michael Hill will be with the Waterloo Blackhawks, Greg Johnson will be with the Sioux City Musketeers. Players who are on the fence are Christian Frey of the Des Moines Bucanneers and Michael Williams who's also with the Sioux City Musketeers.

So this is important to follow players from the Southwest and to see who could be major contenders that could ultimately play for the USHL Clark Cup Championships which will be crowned in Mid-May as everyone will be looking to knock off the Green Bay Gamblers.

Click on the Team to see their Schedule

Eastern Conference: Cedar Rapids Roughriders, Chicago Steel, Green Bay Gamblers, Indiana Ice, Muskegon Lumberjacks, USNTDP, Waterloo Blackhawks, Youngstown Phantoms

Western Conference: Des Moines Buccaneers, Dubuque Fighting Saints, Fargo Force, Lincoln Stars, Omaha Lancers, Sioux City Musketeers, Sioux Falls Stampede, Tri-City Storm

2010-2011 USHL Master Schedule

Here's a look at the schedule for the USHL Fall Classic in Sioux City, Iowa from September 22-25

2010 USHL Fall Classic Schedule

Seattle Thunderbirds Tentative Schedule

With a huge year for Collin Jacobs coming up as he will get looked for the 2011 NHL Draft, the Seattle Thunderbirds Tentative Schedule is now out as the home games are now scheduled while they waiting on the road games and any last minute changes due to media engagement to make the schedule final for the 2010-2011 season which begins in late September.

Last year, Jacobs had a decent year with 13 goals and 26 points in all 72 games played last year in his first full year of Juniors in the Western Hockey League. Currently, he's the only Southwest player in the Western Hockey League, however, 2 other players have WHL Rights with one who's planning to be a long term player in Seth Jones who's going to be with the USNTDP in the USHL, his rights are with Seattle's Local Rival Everett Silvertips

Also Connor Richards who was selected by the Portland Winterhawks who is going to at least play most of this season with the Detroit Honey Baked team which plays Travel Hockey in Michigan, don't be surprised if he may get some playing time later in the season.

Seattle opens the season with a 3 game weekend with a home game against Portland, plus road games against the defending Western Conference Champion Tri-City Americans and the Everett Silvertips.

Here's the Tentative Schedule, the Full Schedule should be out on August 10.

Seattle Thunderbirds Website

Seattle Thunderbirds Schedule

Collin Jacobs Profile

Seattle Thunderbirds on Twitter

NAHL Blane Showcase Schedule

Here's a look at the NAHL Showcase Schedule as many of the league's 26 teams will open the season in Blane, Minnesota which is part of the Twin Cities area which is a part of the NAHL's Blane Showcase. This event will get many players exposed to NCAA & Professional Scouts during the 4 day event where all 26 teams will play 4 games against teams outside of their division.

For the Texas Tornado, 2 games will be played against Central Division Teams against the Coluee Region Chill and Austin Bruins. Plus Games against the West & North Divisions as the Tornado will play against the Motor City Metal Jackets and Kenai River Brown Bears as well in the early part of the showcase.

Wichita Falls will start the weekend before with a weekend series in New Mexico against the Mustangs. After those 2 games will be matches against Chicago, Wenatchee, the defending Champion Bismarck Bobcats and will wrap up the showcase by playing first game of the day on Saturday against the expansion Aberdeen Wings.

After hosting the Wichita Falls Wildcats, the New Mexico Mustangs open the showcase against the Janesville Jets and Fairbanks Ice Dogs before wrapping it up with with games against the Springfield Jr. Blues & Alexandira Blizzard.

Amarillo got a bunch of the league's new teams as they will faceoff against first year franchises in the Fresno Monsters and Pt. Huron Fighting Falcons. Prior to those games it's a matchup against the Michigan Warriors to open up Showcase and will wrap it up on Saturday against League Powerhouse St. Louis Bandits.

Look for more details on this event as we draw closer to the start of the regular season in Mid September.

Here's a look at the NAHL Showcase Schedule which will be in Blane, Minnesota. All Games are at the Blane Super Rink and start Times are CDT.

Teams in Colors are the Colors of the Logos.

September 15

Alaska Avalanche VS. Aberdeen Wings 10:00 AM

Corpus Christi Icerays VS. Traverse City North Stars 10:15 AM

Fairbanks Ice Dogs VS. Austin Bruins 10:30 AM

Michigan Warriors VS. Amarillo Bulls 1:15 PM

Bismarck Bobcats VS. Fresno Monsters 1:30 PM

Wichita Falls Wildcats VS. Chicago Hitmen 1:45 PM

Pt. Huron Fighting Falcons VS. Coluee Region Chill 2:30 PM

St. Louis Bandits VS. Dawson Creek Rage 4:30 PM

New Mexico Mustangs VS. Janesville Jets 4:45 PM

Springfield Jr. Blues VS. Kenai River Brown Bears 5:00 PM

Owatonna Express VS. Wenatchee Wild 7:45 PM

Topeka Roadrunners VS. Alexandria Blizzard 8:00 PM

Texas Tornado VS. Motor City Metal Jackets 8:15 PM


September 16

Coluee Region Chill VS. St. Louis Bandits 10:00 AM

Bismarck Bobcats VS. Springfield Jr. Blues 10:15 AM

Chicago Hitmen VS. Corpus Christi Icerays 10:30 AM

Janesville Jets VS. Alaska Avalanche 1:15 PM

Motor City Metal Jackets VS. Topeka Roadrunners 1:30 PM

Traverse City North Stars VS. Austin Bruins 1:45 PM

Amarillo Bulls VS. Fresno Monsters 2:30 PM

Pt. Huron Fighting Falcons VS. Owatonna Express 4:30 PM

Dawson Creek Rage VS. Alexandria Blizzard 4:45 PM

Kenai River Brown Bears VS. Texas Tornado 5:00 PM

Aberdeen Wings VS. Michigan Warriors 7:45 PM

New Mexico Mustangs VS. Fairbanks Ice Dogs 8:00 PM

Wenatchee Wild VS. Wichita Falls Wildcats 8:15 PM


September 17

Topeka Roadrunners VS. Alaska Avalanche 10:00 AM

Springfield Jr. Blues VS. New Mexico Mustangs 10:15 AM

Kenai River Brown Bears VS. Michigan Warriors 10:30 AM

Wichita Falls Wildcats VS. Bismarck Bobcats 1:15 PM

Alexandria Blizzard VS. Chicago Hitmen 1:30 PM

Texas Tornado VS. Coulee Region Chill 1:45 PM

Fairbanks Ice Dogs VS. Aberdeen Wings 2:30 PM

Traverse City North Stars VS. Wenatchee Wild 4:30 PM

Owatonna Express VS. Corpus Christi Icerays 4:45 PM

Austin Bruins VS. Janesville Jets 5:00 PM

Fresno Monsters VS. St. Louis Bandits 7:45 PM

Amarillo Bulls VS. Pt. Huron Fighting Falcons 8:00 PM

Dawson Creek Rage VS. Motor City Metal Jackets 8:15 PM


September 18

Aberdeen Wings VS. Wichita Falls Wildcats 9:00 AM

Austin Bruins VS. Texas Tornado 9:15 AM

Michigan Warriors VS. Owatonna Express 9:30 AM

Motor City Metal Jackets VS. Bismarck Bobcats 9:45 AM

St. Louis Bandits VS. Amarillo Bulls 12:15 PM

Janesville Jets VS. Topeka Roadrunners 12:30 PM

Wenatchee Wild VS. Pt. Huron Fighting Falcons 12:45 PM

Alaska Avalanche VS. Traverse City North Stars 1:00 PM

Alexandria Blizzard VS. New Mexico Mustangs 3:30 PM

Chicago Hitmen VS. Fairbanks Ice Dogs 3:45 PM

Fresno Monsters VS. Springfield Jr. Blues 4:00 PM

Coulee Region Chill VS. Kenai River Brown Bears 4:15 PM

Corpus Christi Icerays VS. Dawson Creek Rage 6:45 PM

2010-2011 Central Hockey League Schedule Announced

The schedule for the 2010-2011 season was just released moments ago as the CHL Regular Season will get underway on October 15 to start the 66 game season. One of the major highlights of opening weekend will be the D/FW Rivalry as the Allen Americans & Texas Brahmas will kick off with a Weekend series in Allen.

Other interesting matchups involving the Southwest Teams during opening weekend will be the South Texas Rivalry as the Laredo Bucks & Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees will hook up from Rio Grande City.

As for teams other in Odessa, Bossier-Shreveport and Tulsa. The Jackalopes who were ousted for the 2nd straight year in the Southern Conference Final will open up against the Missouri Mavericks and Quad City Mallards. This is part of a busy road schedule early on where 8 of the first 10 games will be on the road, the only exception will be a pair of home games against the Laredo Bucks on October 28 & 30.

Bossier-Shreveport will open with a home-and-home against the Mississippi Riverkings while the Tulsa Oilers will do the same thing against the Wichita Thunder on opening weekend.

Just like in previous years, a majority of the games will be on the weekends early on in the season. Then later on the league adds more week night games as we close in on the playoffs which begin in late March.

Some other interesting matchups starting out will be the Rapid City Rush playing in Ft. Wayne, Indiana playing the Komets and league power house Colorado taking on the Arizona Sundogs who finished last in the South last season.

Overall, the 66 game season will kick off on October 15 and will finish up on March 27. The Playoffs will have everyone except the last place teams in both conferences make the post-season which will begin in early April (More on why I don't like this idea in a later commentary).

Here's the Links for the Master Schedule & the Southwest Team Schedules.

CHL Website:

League Master Schedule:

Allen Americans:

Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs:

Laredo Bucks:

Odessa Jackalopes:

RG Valley Killer Bees:

Texas Brahmas:

Tulsa Oilers:

Allen's Chris Whitley to announce his 2010-2011 Plans & CHL Schedule Release

Allen Americans Goalie Chris Whitley will be announcing at a team Open House Event on Saturday to officially announce where he will be playing the 2010-2011 season. The Americans goaile who was a first year pro was a corner-stone of a team that finished 2nd in the regular season. Then in the playoffs, the Americans beat the Laredo Bucks and the Odessa Jackalopes to win the Southern Conference Title before losing to the Rapid City Rush for the 2010 CHL Presidents Cup.

Chris Whitley Profile:

From the Allen Americans Website: http://www.allenamericans.com/

Chris Whitley, the Allen Americans Number One Goaltender last year, will be doing a live show Saturday, July 24, at the open house at the Allen Event Center. Whitley will call in at noon with Tommy Daniels, the voice of the Americans, and revel his plans for next year. Fans unable to attend the Open House can listen on the Internet at http://www.sportsjuice.com/

The netminder had an exceptional rookie season with the Americans in 2009-2010. Whitley set three playoff records, won his first game played in the American Hockey League, earned numerous accolades and took the Americans all the way to the Ray Morin Presidents Cup Finals.

The Americans are partnering with the Tom Thumb Texas Stampede and Allen Event Center to host the Open House this Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Allen Event Center. Attendees will be able to win an Americans Jersey by 2002 Stanley Cup Champion and Americans Owner/President Steve Duchesne, as well as the Tom Thumb Texas Stampede Prize Packages. They will be free popcorn and bounce houses. Available seats for the 2010/2011 season, as well as Stampede two day event, will be tagged and available for purchase.

Season tickets for Allen's second season are on sale now. Ticket Prices start as low as $9 a game with free parking at Allen Event Center. For more info, call 972-912-1000.


2010-2011 CHL Schedule

The League will reveal the schedule for the 2010-2011 season in the new look Central Hockey League on Friday as the league has grown from 15-to-18 with the CHL/IHL Merger and will be slightly increased from 64-to-66 games this season.

The Official names of the Conferences will be named after legends of the two leagues.

Here's a reminder of the Conferences with 2 Conferences of 9 teams each.


Northern Conference
Bloomington Prairie Thunder
Colorado Eagles
Dayton Gems
Evansville Icemen
Ft. Wayne Komets
Missouri Mavericks
Quad City Mallards
Rapid City Rush
Wichita Thunder


Southern Conference
Allen Americans
Arizona Sundogs
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
Laredo Bucks
Mississippi Riverkings
Odessa Jackalopes
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
Texas Brahmas
Tulsa Oilers

2010-2011 Central Hockey League Alignment & Home Openers

After weeks of rumors and false truths recently regarding the Central Hockey League's Alignment for the 2010-2011 season after the CHL/IHL Merger and the expansion of the Evansville Icemen, the league has officially announced the Official alignment as the league will be divided into 2 9 Team Conferences with No Divisions within the Conference.

The North has the 4 Teams that came over from the IHL as Bloomington Prairie Thunder, Dayton Gems, Quad City Mallards and Ft. Wayne Komets will join Wichita, Missouri, Colorado, Rapid City and Wichita to make up the league's Northern Conference.

The South will have the 5 Texas Teams as the Tulsa Oilers and Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs will be heading back South after a number of years of playing in the North. Also joining the South is the Mississippi Riverkings who are playing down South for the first time after being in Mephis and moving to Mississippi back in 2007.

It also to note that this was one of my Alignment Ideas when I made my ideas public just after the CHL/IHL Merger was officially announced. The playoff format and Full Schedules will be announced later this week as the Central Hockey League season gets underway on October 15.

Here's my Ideas for Alignment that I had back in June which included the two Conferences of 9 Teams.

http://texasicehockeyexpert.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-scenarios-for-central-hockey-league.html

Northern Conference
Bloomington Prairie Thunder
Colorado Eagles
Dayton Gems
Evansville Icemen
Ft. Wayne Komets
Missouri Mavericks
Quad City Mallards
Rapid City Rush
Wichita Thunder


Southern Conference
Allen Americans
Arizona Sundogs
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
Laredo Bucks
Mississippi Riverkings
Odessa Jackalopes
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
Texas Brahmas
Tulsa Oilers


Here's a look at the Home Openers for all 18 teams next season.

Allen Americans: 10/15

Arizona Sundogs: 10/22

Bloomington Prairie Thunder: 10/22

Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs: 10/15

Colorado Eagles: 10/15

Dayton Gems: 10/16

Evansville Icemen: 10/23

Ft. Wayne Komets: 10/16

Laredo Bucks: 10/23

Mississippi Riverkings: 10/16

Missouri Mavericks: 10/15

Odessa Jackalopes: 10/28

Quad City Mallards: 10/16

Rapid City Rush: 10/23

Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees: 10/15

Texas Brahmas: 10/22

Tulsa Oilers: 10/15

Wichita Thunder: 10/16

2010-2011 NAHL Schedule Released

The Regular Season Schedule for the North American Hockey League was announced back on July 10 with the NAHL Regular Season starting on September 10 and ending on March 27 this season.

For the 5 Southwest Teams, the Texas Tornado, Amarillo Bulls and Corpus Christi Icerays will get their season's going at the NAHL's Blane Showcase which is the Leagues Showcase Event for players to play in front of NCAA & Professional Scouting Staffs which will be from September 15-18 in Blane, Minnesota.

Before that though, 2 of the new teams will play on the league's opening weekend as the New Mexico Mustangs will host the Wichita Falls Wildcats from the Santa Ana Star Center on September 10 and 11 to kick off the season and to help open the era for the expansion franchise from Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

As for the opponents at the Blane Showcase, here's the list of who the Southwest Teams will be playing from September 15-18. In addition to the Blane Showcase, I will also show the home opener's for all 5 Southwest Teams.

With the Pt. Huron Fighting Hawks now completing what was a very busy period of expansion and relocation to the NAHL. Here's a look at how the Divisional Alignment for 2010-2011 with the Central, South and West each having 6 teams. While the North Division will have 8.

Central Division
Aberdeen Wings
Alexandria Blizzard
Austin Bruins
Bismarck Bobcats
Coulee Region Chill
Owatonna Express


North Division
Chicago Hitmen
Janesville Jets
Michigan Warriors
Motor City Metal Jackets
Pt. Huron Fighting Falcons
St. Louis Bandits
Springfield Jr. Blues
Traverse City North Stars


South Division
Amarillo Bulls
Corpus Christi Icerays
New Mexico Mustangs
Texas Tornado
Topeka Roadrunners
Wichita Falls Wildcats


West Division
Alaska Avalanche
Dawson Creek Rage
Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Fresno Monsters
Keani River Brown Bears
Wenatchee Wild

Here's a breakdown of the teams by state/Provence

4: Michigan, Texas

3: Alaska, Minnesota

2: Illinois, Wisconsin

1: British Columbia, California, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, New Mexico, South Dakota, Washington State,


Full League Schedule: www.nahl.com/schedule/index.cfm

Amarillo Bulls

9/15: VS. Michigan Warriors

9/16: VS. Fresno Monsters

9/17: Pt. Huron Fighting Falcons

9/18: St. Louis Bandits

9/24 (Home Opener): VS. Texas Tornado

Full Amarillo Bulls Schedule:


Corpus Christi Icerays

9/15: Traverse City North Stars

9/16: Chicago Hitmen

9/17: Owatonna Express

9/18: Dawson Creek Rage

10/1 (Home Opener): VS. Wichita Falls Wildcats

Full Corpus Christi Icerays Schedule:


New Mexico Mustangs

9/15: Janesville Jets

9/16: Fairbanks Ice Dogs

9/17: Springfield Jr. Blues

9/18: Alexandria Blizzard

9/10 (Home Opener): Wichita Falls Wildcats

Full New Mexico Mustangs Schedule


Texas Tornado

9/15: Motor City Metal Jackets

9/16: Kenai River Brown Bears

9/17: Coulee Region Chill

9/18: Austin Bruins

9/25 (Home Opener): Fairbanks Ice Dogs

Full Texas Tornado Schedule


Wichita Falls Wildcats

9/15: Chicago Hitmen

9/16: Wenatchee Wild

9/17: Bismarck Bobcats

9/18: Aberdeen Wings

9/24 (Home Opener): Fairbanks Ice Dogs

Full Wichita Falls Wildcats Schedule:

Some of the other big events to look forward to is the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament which is usually in late January/early February which is usually held at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube which is home to the USNTDP. Also for the playoffs which usually starts on the first weekend in April with the NAHL Robertson Cup Championship Tournament which is in Topeka, Kansas.

The NAHL Robertson Cup Tournament will also have a new format this year. It will be back down to 4 teams as the 2 Division Champions with the fewest points during the regular season will play a best of 3 play in to determine who will be the final spot in the Robertson Cup Tournament next year.

Also after the Round Robin ends, the top team goes the championship automatically while the 2nd & 3rd place teams will play a single game semifinal to determine the 2nd spot in the final while the 4th place team is eliminated from the tournament.

Here's a full look at the league's playoff format

Southwest AHL Dates

A majority of the teams in the American Hockey League are starting to reveal a sample of the team's schedule next year. When each team got their 40 Home Dates back in June, each team is allowed to reveal 6 of their home dates to allow fans to get ready for the 2010-2011 season when it starts in October.

Most of the dates are some of the more high profile dates like the home opener, games around holidays and during major homestands so fans can look to see which games they will want to attend next season.

Both the Texas Stars and Oklahoma City Barons have revelled their 6 home dates while were still waiting from the Houston Aeros and San Antonio Rampage to reveal their home dates. The full schedule for all 30 teams will be released in Early August.


Houston Aeros
October 16

October 22

November 5

December 2

December 26

January 15

Oklahoma City Barons
October 9 (Home Opener)

November 5 & 6

December 17 & 18

January 9


San Antonio Rampage
Dates TBD


Texas Stars
October 16 (Home Opener)

October 30

November 13

November 26 (Day after Thanksgiving)

December 27

January 22

2010-2011 NHL Schedule

We now know the important dates for the National Hockey League schedule as the season gets underway on October 7 and will wrap up on April 10, 2011 as teams will now get ready for the season with the Draft & Free Agency coming up over the next few weeks. Some of the important dates include the NHL European Openings in early October.

Also the opening of the Consol Energy Center as the Pittsburgh Penguins are finally moving out of the Igloo after the last couple of decades.

Here's a look at the important dates for the 2010-2011 NHL Season.

To take a look at Team-by-Team Schedules: www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=63085

To select team, select the Ind. Logo. National TV Schedules will be out soon for a majority of the season.

Dallas Stars Schedule: www.nhl.com/ice/schedulebyseason.htm?team=dal

Notable Dallas Stars Games: http://stars.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=532269

For more on these and more big nights for the season: www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=532279

October 7: Opening Night

Toronto Maple Leafs VS. Montreal Canadiens as the Hockey & Entertainment Festival in Toronto gets underway.

Pittsburgh Penguins open the Consol Energy Center


October 7-10: European Premier Weekend

6 Teams will start the season in Europe as part of the opening weekend. We have the Carolina VS. Minnesota in Helsinki, Finland. Next up is the Columbus Blue Jackets VS. San Jose Sharks in Stockholm, Sweden. Finally the league heads back to Prague, Czech Rep. as Boston & Phoenix will take on each other in the Czech Capital.


October 9: Chicago's Banner Ceremony

The Blackhawks will officially unveil the Stanley Cup Championship Banner and get to feature the Cup before the they hand back to the league.


October 30: 28 Teams in Action

The busiest night of the year as 28 of the league's 30 teams will be in action.


November 6: Hockey Hall of Fame Game

The League's Hall of Fame Game as the Maple Leafs will honor the 2010 Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees that were voted in this week.

January 1: NHL Winter Classic

The NHL will host the 4th annual Winter Classic as the games top superstars Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby will play at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. In a recent article, Forbes Magazine named the Winter Classic as the top new sporting event of the last decade.

January 23: Stanley Cup Finals Rematch

It's the only matchup of the Stanley Cup Finals Rematch as the Flyers & Blackhawks will battle in Chicago.

January 29-30: All Star Weekend

The League's 58th All Star Game will be taking place in Raleigh, NC as the Carolina Hurricanes will host the league's annual Mid-Winter Classic.

February 12: Hockey Day in Canada

The CBC does it's annual Triple Header with all 6 Canadian Teams in action as Ottawa travels to Edmonton, Toronto takes on Montreal and Calgary goes to Vancouver.

February 20: NHL Heritage Classic and Hockey Day in America

This is the NHL's 2nd Outdoor Game of the Year in Canada as the Montreal Canadians travels to Calgary's Mcmahon Stadium to take on the Flames.

Also taking place that day is something that USA Hockey has been building and promoting in recent years called Hockey Day in America. Events will be going on at NHL Games and rinks across the country. NHL Highlights include Washington VS. Buffalo, Philadelphia VS. NY Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings VS. Minnesota Wild. Also a match between the last 2 Stanley Cup Champions as Pittsburgh takes on Chicago.

April 10: Last day of the Regular Season

April 13: First day of the Playoffs

The last possible date for the 2011 Stanley Cup Championship to be awarded out on June 17.

2010-2011 Junior League Schedules

A number of Canadian Junior A plus the OHL & QMJHL Leagues have revelled their league schedules for the 2010-2011 Hockey Seasons which for the most part will be getting underway in September. Here's a look at the links to the schedules that have already been released.

In the Major Junior's the QMJHL schedule has been out since the Memorial Cup Tournament with the season getting underway on September 9 as the defending QMJHL Champion Moncton Wildcats will play the Acadie-Bathurst Titans who's looking to comeback after failing to make the playoffs.

The QMJHL is traditionally the first of the Major Juniors to start up while the OHL schedule came out back on June 16 as the OHL's Season will be starting up on September 23 which is one of the latest in league history. So far the WHL hasn't revelled anything yet on when the WHL Schedule will be coming out probably by the end of June.

They was no expansion and/or relocation this year. Even though they has been some issues regarding the Acadie-Bathurst Titans after some problems with the ownership group recently. Some could have them moving to St. John's, Newfoundland or possibly Hull, Quebec after Hull moved to Gatineau in 2003. The Hull Olympiques were in Central Quebec from 1976 to 2003.

As for the Canadian Jr. A Leagues, they are slowly starting to come out as both the leagues in Saskatchewan and Manitoba came out over the weekend while British Columbia came out last week. Some of the Eastern Canadian Leagues are out such as the Central Canadian Hockey League (CCHL), the Central Junior A Hockey League (CJHL). No word on leagues like the Maritime Hockey League or the Quebec Junior A Hockey League will be coming out.

As for the top 2 leagues in the USA, they still dragging their feet for the most part as both the NAHL & USHL are looking to come out with the New Divisional Alignment, Regular Season Schedules and Playoff Format's all at once.

I will post the links as they begin to come out.

Major Junior

Western Hockey League: www.whl.ca/whl-announces-2010-11-pre-season-schedule-and-regular-season-home-openers-p143148

WHL Season Start Date: September 24


Ontario Hockey League: www.ontariohockeyleague.com/ohl-announces-2010-11-regular-season-schedule-p143024

OHL Season Start Date: September 23


Quebec Major Junior Hockey League: http://www.lhjmq.qc.ca/

QMJHL Season Start Date: September 9


Canadian Jr. A

Western Canada

British Columbia Hockey League: www.bchl.ca/leagues/schedules.cfm?selectedMonth=9&selectedYear=2010&selectedTeamID=&leagueID=2393&clientID=1413&embedLID=2393&embedCID=1413

BCHL Season Start Date: September 10


Alberta Junior Hockey League: http://ajhl.ca/news/2010/06/29/ajhl-announces-2010-2011-schedule/

AJHL Season Start Date: September 10


Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League:
www.sjhl.ca/page.aspx?page_id=384

SJHL Season Start Date: September 18


Manitoba Junior Hockey League:
www.mjhlhockey.ca/schedule0910.aspx

MJHL Season Start Date: September 17


Eastern Canada

Superior International Junior Hockey League

Northern Ontario Hockey League:

Ontario Junior A Hockey League:

Central Canadian Hockey League:

Central Junior A Hockey League: http://cjhlsite.stats.pointstreak.com/leagueschedule.html?leagueid=349

CJAHL Season Start Date: September 10

Quebec Junior A Hockey League:

Maritime Hockey League:


USA Juniors

United States Hockey League:

North American Hockey League:
www.nahl.com/schedule/

NAHL Season Start Date: September 10