The ECHL announced Thursday that its 2026-27 season will commence with a packed Opening Weekend, featuring seven games on Friday, October 16, 14 games on Saturday, October 17, and concluding with five matchups on Sunday, October 18. Since its inception in 1988-89 with just five teams across four states, the ECHL has expanded significantly. The upcoming season will feature 30 teams spanning 24 U.S. states and one Canadian province, competing in a total of 1,080 games from October 16, 2026, to April 11, 2027.
Opening Night highlights include the debut of the expansion New Mexico Goatheads, who will bring professional hockey back to Rio Rancho for the first time since 2008-09 when they host the Idaho Steelheads. Furthermore, ECHL action returns to Trenton, New Jersey, for the first time since the 2012-13 season, as the Ironhawks welcome Adirondack on Saturday, October 24.
Additional games on Friday, October 16, include Greensboro hosting Reading, Greenville entertaining South Carolina, Indy welcoming Wheeling, Kansas City taking on Rapid City, Savannah hosting Norfolk, and Trois-Rivières entertaining Trenton. Nine teams will kick off their home schedules on Saturday, October 17: Adirondack welcomes Trenton, Atlanta entertains Norfolk, Bloomington hosts Kalamazoo, Florida takes on Orlando, Fort Wayne welcomes Toledo, South Carolina entertains Greenville, Tulsa hosts Allen, Wichita takes on Tahoe, and Worcester welcomes Maine. The Opening Weekend concludes on Sunday, October 18, with Orlando hosting Florida in its home opener.
The following Friday, October 23, five more teams will begin their home campaigns: Idaho entertains Allen, Maine welcomes Worcester, Norfolk takes on Trois-Rivières, Rapid City hosts Kansas City, and Tahoe entertains New Mexico. On Saturday, October 24, alongside Trenton’s home opener, Cincinnati will face Bloomington, Reading hosts Kalamazoo, and Wheeling welcomes Toledo in their respective home debuts.
Allen is set to host Idaho for two games at Dallas Stars Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas, on Thursday, October 29, and Friday, October 30. The team’s first game at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center will be on Friday, November 20, against Kansas City. Kalamazoo’s home schedule begins on Friday, October 30, against Toledo. Jacksonville will play its first home game on Saturday, October 31, welcoming Atlanta. Toledo will be the final team to hold its home opener, hosting Fort Wayne on Saturday, November 7.
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