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The North American Hockey League just lit the lamp on the 2020-21 season.

The North American Hockey League has announced that the regular season will begin on Friday, Oct. 9.

Though individual team schedules have not yet been released, the announcement of a start date comes as welcome information to a sports world that has been turned upside down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A formal announcement regarding the schedule is expected to be released by Sept. 1.

“We have spent a lot of time discussing return dates and are excited to be moving forward at this time,” said NAHL Commissioner and President Mark Frankenfeld. “Our number one priority remains returning to the ice this fall in the safest manner possible for everyone in our hockey community and we believe that Oct. 9 is a good date to achieve that goal.”

Because the season is starting nearly three weeks later than usual, some league-wide events have been affected, including the NAHL Showcase that has been the kick-off for the regular season for the past several years.

Instead, the NAHL will host a mid-season Showcase taking place at the Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota, from Dec. 16-19.

It was also announced that the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament will be Feb. 8-9 in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and the 2021 NAHL Robertson Cup National Championship will be May 21-25, 2021.

The Bruins begin this week with the Main Camp on Tuesday. Over 150 players will descend on Riverside Arena vying for a shot at the final Bruins roster. On Friday, the Bruins will host their annual All-Star Game which pits the final 40-50 players against one another as they battle for roster positions.

It will be the first ticketed event at Riverside Arena since the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the NAHL’s 2019-20 season back in March.

To get your tickets, give the Bruins front office a call at 507-434-4978. All tickets are $10 and custom Bruins face masks can also be purchased for an additional $10. Social distancing and masks will be required of all who attend the game.