The release of the AHL schedule comes with much less fanfare than its NHL counterpart, but if you’re looking to get a glimpse of future Kings players, there’s no better opportunity than an Ontario Reign game.
As previously announced, the Reign’s home opener will be on Friday, October 12, facing off against the Stockton Heat. They also play the next night, hosting their perpetual nemesis, the San Diego Gulls. The Reign’s season actually opens up on the road, playing the San Jose Barracuda on October 5, and then to Stockton the next night.
The full 2018-19 Ontario Reign schedule is out and ready for viewing here.
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PRINT: https://t.co/c3k14XAVHr pic.twitter.com/qjRzLgVEhn— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) July 11, 2018
As expected, it features a lot of play with the other California teams. The Reign face off against the San Diego Gulls 12 times (six home, six away), the most they’ll face any opponent this season. They play Bakersfield and Stockton 10 times each (again, evenly split between home and away). Colorado, Tucson, and San Jose, the remaining Pacific Division teams, all feature in eight games each.
Traveling further afield, the Reign will head to Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Des Moines (Iowa Wild), San Antonio, and Cedar Park (Texas Stars).
The AHL saw some realignment this year, with the Colorado Eagles joining as the league’s 31st team. The San Antonio Rampage and Texas Stars were moved from the Pacific Division to the Central, and the Cleveland Monsters moved from Central to North.
AHL schedules are notorious for featuring long stretches of time with no games, and then small bursts of back-to-back (or back-to-back-to-back) games, and this year’s schedule is no exception. The Reign’s longest homestand is a six-game stretch from February 20 to March 3, a stretch which includes a back-to-back (February 22/23), five days off, and then three games in three days (March 1-3).
Tickets are not yet on sale, but will be available later this summer via the Reign’s website.