USHL, other junior leagues ramping up plans for return to play

Sam Colangelo (Stoneham, Mass.) finished third in the USHL in goals with 28 and third in points with 58 in 2019-20. (Chicago Steel)

While the National Hockey League continues its pursuit of crowning a champion for the 2019-20 campaign by conducting this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs in two bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton amid the COVID-19 pandemic, North American junior hockey leagues are preparing for the 2020-21 season.

The United States Hockey League is targeting Nov. 6 as the opening date for its 2020-21 campaign. Under the circuit’s current plan, each team will play 54 regular-season games and the season will conclude on April 24, 2021. The schedule allows for flexibility for games to be moved to the back of the schedule due to postponements or other factors.

Players are scheduled to arrive in their club’s market over a four-week period beginning Sept. 14. Preseason games are scheduled to begin in mid-October.