Hershey Bears Announce Schedule for 2026-27 Season
AHL Hershey Bears

Hershey Bears Announce Schedule for 2026-27 Season

Published on July 9, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears, in tandem with the American Hockey League, have released the club's 72-game regular season schedule for the 2026-27 campaign, presented by Penn State Health.

The club's 89th season of play in the AHL opens at GIANT Center on Saturday, Oct. 3 as Hershey hosts the Charlotte Checkers at 6 p.m. The Opening Night matchup marks the first of a new scheduling initiative with select Saturday nights featuring a 6 p.m. puck drop. Additional Saturdays featuring this earlier start time include Oct. 17 vs. Providence, Jan. 2 vs. Cleveland, Feb. 27 vs. Springfield, March 27 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and April 10 vs. Lehigh Valley.

Hershey opens the new season with seven straight games at GIANT Center from Oct. 3-24. This represents the club's longest homestand of the campaign and the longest homestand to start a season in franchise history. The stretch of games at GIANT Center is highlighted by a visit from the Texas Stars for a pair of games on Oct. 10-11. This marks the first time the two franchises will meet since the Bears defeated the Stars in six games to capture the 2010 Calder Cup, and the first time they have squared off in regular-season competition. Hershey will also play a pair of games in Texas on March 30-31.

The Bears will welcome a new opponent to GIANT Center this season as the Hamilton Hammers make their inaugural visit to Chocolatetown on Wednesday, Nov. 11. The Hammers, who are the relocated Bridgeport Islanders franchise, will play in the North Division. Hershey will also visit Hamilton on March 17.

January is the busiest month on the calendar for the Chocolate and White, as the Bears will play 14 games, including six contests at home and eight on the road. That month also includes Hershey's longest stretch of road games, as the Bears embark on a six-game trip from Jan. 17-31 that sees them play at Lehigh Valley, Syracuse, Rochester, Utica, and Cleveland (2).

Weekend dates remain a staple of the schedule with Hershey playing a total of 13 home games on a Saturday, and 10 home contests on a Sunday. The club's home schedule also features one Tuesday game, eight Wednesday games, and four Friday games at GIANT Center.

Hershey will once again play all teams in the Eastern Conference during the 2026-27 campaign with games versus Lehigh Valley (12), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (12), Charlotte (8), Hartford (6), Springfield (6), Cleveland (4), Providence (4), Rochester (4), Belleville (2), Hamilton (2), Laval (2), Syracuse (2), Toronto (2), and Utica (2). Texas (4) represents the only Western Conference opponent on Hershey's calendar.

In total, the schedule features just three "three-in-threes," in which the Bears will play three consecutive games in as many days.

Single-game ticket information and a promotional schedule will be shared later this summer in advance of the 2026-27 season, presented by Penn State Health. For season ticket information, visit HersheyBears.com.

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American Hockey League Stories from July 9, 2026


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