AHL, Belleville bank on December return

If all goes according to plan, the Belleville Senators and the remainder of the American Hockey League will be back in action in early December to start the 2020-21 season.

AHL president and CEO Scott Howson announced Thursday that the AHL anticipates starting the season on Dec. 4

The decision comes after the AHL’s board of governors heard a recommendation from the league’s Return To Play Task Force. As is typically the case with all matters related to COVID -19, the league will continue to monitor the health and safety situation in all 31 AHL markets.

The AHL released no other details about the return to play plan, but Thursday’s news was greeted positively by the Belleville Senators, the Ottawa Senators’ top farm club.

“It’s certainly good news,” Belleville coach Troy Mann said in a telephone interview with Postmedia on Thursday night. “It’s in conjunction with the NHL a little bit and their plans to come back. Hopefully, the (Canada-U.S.) border opens up and everything clears up.”

Unlike the NHL, the AHL doesn’t have massive broadcast and sponsorship deals and relies primarily on ticket sales for its revenues. At this point, it’s not known whether the AHL would open to spectators so soon. There’s a possibility arenas could take in some fans, provided social distancing measures are in place.

“We’re a lot like major junior hockey, we’re a ticket-driven league,” said Mann. “We’ve done well with (COVID-19) in Canada and in Ontario, so hopefully by December, we can at least (seat) a few butts in the stands. We’re a league full of prospects for every NHL team. The prospects have got to play some games somehow.”

A release issued by the Belleville Senators organization emphasized that all necessary precautions will take place before a return happens.

Belleville was poised for an extended run through the AHL playoffs, a top contender to win the Calder Cup, when novel coronavirus concerns shut down the league in March. When the league was shut down, Belleville led the North Division with a record of 38-20-5.

The remainder of the regular season and the playoffs were later cancelled.

Drake Batherson, Josh Norris, Logan Brown, Alex Formenton, Christian Wolanin, Erik Brannstrom and Marcus Hogberg were among the top Senators prospects who were expected to shine in the AHL playoffs. Depending on what happens with the NHL’s 2020-21 season, however, several of those prospects could be playing in Ottawa.