While it seems we still have quite a long wait for hockey to re-enter our lives on a daily basis, we're roughly three months away from American Hockey League hockey. The Tampa Bay Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, announced that they will host the Belleville Senators for their home opener on October 10. 

The Crunch have had a busy offseason, adding legitimate NHL prospects as well as former NHLers to their ranks. Now, they know when they'll be taking the ice at the Upstate Medical University Arena for the first time in the 2026-27 campaign.

A week prior to the home opener, the Crunch will start their season on the road as they'll visit the Montreal Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, on October 2. The start time for both the home and season openers have yet to be announced.