The AHL launched the total schedule for the 2022-23 season on Thursday and the Ontario Reign can formally start planning for the upcoming marketing campaign. Issues look a bit totally different this yr with an expanded roster of 72 video games and two Pacific Division membership adjustments.
With an in depth breakdown under, this is a take a look at the total Ontario Reign 2022-23 common season schedule:
First issues first, the Reign will host the Abbotsford Canucks to kick off the season on opening night time, October 14 at Toyota Area. The Canucks proved a troublesome opponent for Ontario of their inaugural season final yr, with Reign going 3-3-0-2 in eight video games, together with 4 video games that went into additional time. After seeing Abbotsford for the opener, Reign will not face Vancouver’s AHL group once more till March 1, kicking off a seven-match streak between the 2 groups in Ontario’s final 20 video games and together with two weekend journeys north of the border. collection’ on March 17 and 18 and April 7 and eight.
The Reign have a particularly even breakdown this yr, dealing with every of their 9 Pacific Division opponents a complete of eight occasions, 4 at house and 4 away. Whereas it really works evenly on paper, it means a bit extra journey for the membership in comparison with what that they had throughout 2021-22. With the Calgary Flames shifting their AHL group from Stockton to the identical metropolis because the NHL membership, which means Ontario should go north of the border for 2 extra journeys than a yr in the past after they visited Abbotsford twice.
Moreover, Reign has two journeys to Colorado to face the Eagles this season, in comparison with only one final season. The primary rematch between Ontario and the Eagles, who eradicated the Reign from the Calder Cup playoffs in Could, will happen in Loveland, Colo., throughout a two-game collection on November 3-5. Colorado will play at Toyota Area on December 12. 2, January 31, March 29 and April 2.
In terms of a extra native rival in San Diego, Reign would be the customer for the Gulls’ house opener on Oct. 21 at Pechanga Area, which kicks off a home-and-home weekend that ends the next night time on Oct. 22. on October at Estadio Toyota. Final season, Ontario had it their approach with the Gulls, successful 9 of 12 conferences that included an ideal 6-0 file within the Inland Empire. Reign followers seeking to journey and watch the group on the street in SD this season should not must take day off to take action, as all 4 matchups will happen on the weekends, two on Friday and two on Saturday. After October 22, Ontario’s house video games in opposition to the Gulls will happen on November 13, January 14 and February 26.
The AHL’s latest franchise, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, will not have any video games of their new desert house till mid-December, opening their inaugural season with a big chunk of street video games together with 4 contests in Seattle, the hometown of your NHL. affiliate. When the brand new constructing in Palm Desert branded Acrisure Area opens, Ontario would be the third opponent to take a peek inside the brand new facility after they go to for the primary time on December 28. Reign followers will get their first style of the Firebirds in Ontario the next month on January 21. Coachella Valley can even play at Toyota Area on February 17, 22 and March 31.
Different highlights on Reign’s house schedule embrace a pre-Thanksgiving matchup in opposition to the San Jose Barracuda on November 23, a New 12 months’s Eve recreation in opposition to Calgary on December 31, and the common season finale at house in opposition to the Henderson Silver Knights on April 14.
Breakdown of days
– As has been the case in earlier seasons, the vast majority of video games this yr might be performed on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, with a complete of 48 matches and 66% of the schedule happening on a type of three days. One other widespread recreation day for the Reign this season might be Wednesdays, because the group will host six hump contests and journey for an additional 9, making it the group’s third-busiest day of the week.
– Probably the most frequent day of the week within the basic calendar is Saturday, with 19 video games in whole, together with eight on the Toyota Area. Ontario can even play 18 video games on Friday, together with 10 at house. Probably the most frequent day of the week for the group to be on the street is Wednesday, when they’ll play 9 video games away from the Inland Empire.
– The Kingdom believes in Sundays. Tied for probably the most frequent house day of the week, Ontario will host a recreation on Sunday 10 occasions throughout 2022-23. However solely as soon as extra will the group play on Sunday for the remainder of the season, with the one incident approaching a brief journey to the Coachella Valley on Jan. 8. The Firebirds can even host the Reign for the group’s solely Monday recreation on the schedule which takes place on February 20, which coincides with Presidents’ Day.
Breakdown of the month
– Normally, the Ontario schedule is a reasonably even cut up between house and away video games by month. In every of the primary 4 months of the marketing campaign, the group performs precisely 5 house video games. After opening the yr with 4 of his first 5 at house in October, Reign will spend extra time on the street after the schedule adjustments to 2023 with eight competitions outdoors of Ontario in January, together with flights to Colorado and Calgary in consecutive weeks.
– February ought to be the best month for the group with regards to journey, with just one contest situated in a metropolis that requires a flight, a single recreation in San Jose throughout the center of the week on Wednesday, February 15. The Reign will velocity house to host the Coachella Valley two days later earlier than a day journey to San Diego to shut out that week. All different street journeys would possible happen by bus within the month, with a visit to Bakersfield and Henderson the second weekend of February and a visit to tackle the Firebirds on Presidents Day to cap off all 5 street races. of the group.
– The homestretch tends to be the busiest for AHL groups, and that can proceed to be the case for the Reign this season with 14 whole video games in March, their busiest month. Fortuitously for Ontario, greater than half of these video games might be at house, together with the final 4, which is able to happen over an eight-day span. In the course of the month, the group will exit of city with two-game units in Abbotsford and Tucson in consecutive weeks. The eight whole house video games in March are additionally probably the most of any month throughout the common season.
odds and ends
– The Reign is not going to have prolonged time away from Toyota Area this season, with the longest break between video games in Ontario throughout the 2022-23 marketing campaign being 14 days from late October to mid-November (October 30 – November 12) , which is able to come on the heels of a run of 5 video games in simply over two weeks to open the yr.
– Ontario will play a complete of 19 straight units this season, 9 of them utterly away from house. Most of them are weekends on the street in Abbotsford, Calgary, Colorado or Tucson. For that motive, it is a bit shocking to see the group solely host two straight house video games in Ontario, however that will change into rarer than regular now that Coachella Valley has change into the third group in Southern California and the guests They’ll simply journey between IE and the desert when within the space.
– New 12 months’s Eve has change into an annual custom for Ontario and that can proceed once more with a matchup on December 31 in opposition to Calgary at Toyota Area. However vacation video games might be few and much between for Reign, with solely two different vacation video games approaching the street with a Presidents Day matchup at Coachella Valley and a St. Patrick’s Day matchup at Abbotsford.
– The AHL All-Star Basic might be hosted by the Laval Rocket this season, happening February 5-6 at Place Bell in Quebec. The Reign wrap up their pre-break present the night time earlier than with a house recreation in Ontario in opposition to Tucson, which can make journey troublesome for whoever is chosen to take part. The 2023 All-Star occasion will embrace the AHL All-Star Expertise competitors on Sunday, February 5, and the AHL All-Star Problem the next night time, Monday, February 6.
With the schedule announcement behind us, we are able to now formally say that there are solely 85 days left till the season kicks off with Opening Night time on October 14! Between every now and then we’ll proceed to get you prepared for the season right here at LAKI and as soon as once more you possibly can count on full protection right here all through all the marketing campaign as soon as it opens. I hope you’re having fun with your summer season and beginning to get that hockey itch once more!