Bruins Release 2026-27 Season Schedule
Published on June 24, 2026 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Austin Bruins News Release
AUSTIN, MINN. - The defending Central Cup Champion Austin Bruins will begin the 2026-27 at home in Riverside Arena against the Watertown Shamrocks in a two-game series on Friday, September 18th at 7:05pm and Saturday, September 19th at 6:05pm. The opening series will be a rematch of the 2026 Central Division Semifinal that saw the Bruins sweep the Shamrocks three games to none.
The Black and Gold then head up to Blaine for three games at the NAHL Showcase between September 23rd and September 26th. The official dates, times and opponents for The Greatest Show on Ice will be announced later this summer.
Led by Head Coach Steve Howard, who enters his tenth season behind the bench, the Bruins' 59-game schedule will finish almost seven months later with a home game against the St. Cloud Norsemen on Saturday, April 17th. Overall, this season Austin will battle eight different teams, including the Aberdeen Wings, Bismarck Bobcats, Minot Minotauros, St. Cloud Norsemen, Watertown Shamrocks, and three non-divisional opponents at the Showcase.
The Central Division will look a little different this year. As announced in the spring, the North Iowa Bulls have relocated to Houston, TX and will play in the South Division. With the addition of the Mountain Division and the relocation of the Chippewa Steel to Pueblo, CO, the Minnesota Mallards have moved to the Midwest Division bringing the Central down to six teams.
Despite the smaller division, the level of competition in the Central should remain unchanged. Since 2020, five of the remaining six Central Division teams have won the Central Cup with the Bruins being the only team to accomplish the feat twice. Watertown remains the only team in the division not to win the Central Division Championship in its young franchise history.
As with most seasons the Bruins will play predominantly within the Central as 56 of their 59 games come against divisional opponents. They will play Watertown, Aberdeen, Bismarck, and St. Cloud 12 times, six at home and six on the road, and Minot eight times, four at home and four on the road.
The schedule once again provides fans an opportunity to spend quality time at their home away from home around the holidays. The traditional Thanksgiving Game is back for another year, giving families the opportunity to once again burn off those Thanksgiving dinner calories by cheering on the Black and Gold. Fans can once again ring in the New Year at Riverside Arena as the Bruins welcome in 2027 with a New Year's Eve game against the St. Cloud Norsemen.
The 17th Annual Paint the Rink Pink game to benefit cancer research at The Hormel Institute will take place Saturday Feb. 6th at Riverside Arena as the Black and Gold welcomes in Watertown.
Overall Austin will play 26 of their 28 home games on Friday (13) and Saturday (13) with the Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve games taking place on Thursdays. Beginning this season, all Bruins Saturday games will begin at 6:05 with Friday games remaining as a 7:05 puck drop.
With the full schedule out, now is a great time to lock in your season tickets or 10-Game Flex Packs to watch the reigning Central Division champions during the 2026-27 campaign. More information on Bruins tickets can be found by visiting tickets.austinbruins.com or by calling 507-434-4978.
Later this summer the Bruins will release the promotional schedule, which will feature returning favorites like Teddy Bear Toss, as well as plenty of fun new themes for the new year. Individual tickets will also go on sale as the season approaches, so fans can keep their eyes out on the Bruins social media channels for more information on that.
North American Hockey League Stories from June 24, 2026
- Bruins Release 2026-27 Season Schedule - Austin Bruins
- 2026-27 Schedule Released - Minot Minotauros
- Wings Announce 2026-27 Season Schedule - Aberdeen Wings
- Ryan Saginaw Signs Tender with Norsemen - St. Cloud Norsemen
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