SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League today released the complete schedule of games for the 2023-24 regular season, the league’s 88th year of operation. The season, with 32 teams playing 72 games apiece – a total of 1,152 games – begins on Friday, October 13 and concludes on Sunday, April 21.
Of note on the 2023-24 schedule:
🏒 The 2023-24 regular season begins with 12 games on Oct. 13, and a total of 30 games over opening weekend.
🏒 The Hershey Bears raise their 12th Calder Cup championship banner when they open the season at Giant Center against the Belleville Senators on Oct. 14.
🏒 The 50,000th regular-season game in American Hockey League history will take place on Saturday, Jan. 27, which is also the first of two days this season on which all 32 of the league’s teams will be in action. There are also 16 games scheduled for Saturday, April 6.
🏒 The Syracuse Crunch open their 30th season with a visit to the Utica Comets on Oct. 13. The Crunch are the eighth AHL franchise to play 30 years in the same city.
🏒 The Hartford Wolf Pack play their 2,000th regular-season game on Friday, Feb. 9, when they host the Bridgeport Islanders. The Wolf Pack, who began play in 1997, will become the 10th team in AHL history to reach 2,000 games played.
🏒 The San Jose Barracuda host the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 4 and Monday, Feb. 5 at Tech CU Arena in San Jose, Calif.
🏒 On Saturday, Jan. 13, the Charlotte Checkers will host the Rochester Americans at Truist Field, home of Minor League Baseball’s Charlotte Knights. It will be the 12th outdoor game in AHL history.
🏒 Games scheduled by day of the week: Monday (15), Tuesday (59), Wednesday (191), Thursday (20), Friday (329), Saturday (389), Sunday (149).
The American Hockey League was officially born in 1936 when the Canadian-American Hockey League and the International Hockey League merged to form the International-American Hockey League (the “International” would be dropped from the league’s name in 1940). The AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 32 National Hockey League teams; nearly 90 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers.
