QMJHL unveils 2020-21 schedule

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League released its 2020-21 regular season schedule on Thursday.

The season is scheduled to begin on Friday, Oct. 2 with eight games. Amongst the opening night matches will be the Saint John Sea Dogs' first game, which will take place at 7 p.m. in Bathurst.

Saint John returns to TD Station on Saturday, Oct. 3 for their home opener - which will be against the Charlottetown Islanders.

Back-to-back games will be the norm this season as the league looks to reduce travel and costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Saint John's season will look a lot like a US college hockey schedule with games mostly on Friday and Saturday evenings. According to the league, "83% of games will be played on weekends (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays) this season."

The QMJHL's weekend-focused schedule also gives plenty of wiggle room for makeup games down the road. It seems almost inevitable that postponements will happen - but hopefully there are very few (if any) and things are able to remain under control.

The Sea Dogs will play back-to-back games the first seven weeks of the season. The team's first mid-week game will be on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

A few other notes regarding Saint John's 60-game, Maritimes Division only schedule:

• With the season starting a couple weeks later than usual, the season will also end a couple weeks later than usual. The season is scheduled to close on April 3.
• Somewhat surprisingly, the league has scheduled games for virtual NHL Draft weekend, which is planned for Oct. 9-10. Saint John is scheduled to play on both nights. How that will work for draft eligibles - like Jeremie Poirier and William Villeneuve - isn't clear.
• Saint John will play at home on Halloween, which falls on a Saturday this year. The game has wisely been scheduled to start at 3 p.m.
• The league's Christmas break looks the same as always. The Sea Dogs wrap up play on Dec. 19 and begin again on Dec. 28. Hopefully the 14-day quarantine is no longer needed by then, otherwise this could get complicated.
• The Sea Dogs host the Moncton Wildcats on New Year's Eve, which is a Thursday. That game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. The day before, the Sea Dogs will play a 4 p.m. Wednesday game in Moncton, which is kind of odd.
• Saint John's longest stretch of home games is four (Feb. 27 - March 6). The team's longest stretch of road games is three (multiple times).
• Saint John will play at home on back-to-back days six times.
• There will be no three-in-threes for the Sea Dogs this season.

The league is really trying to amp up division rivalries this season with teams facing one another so frequently. The league has also said that a playoff format will be announced in December.