Watertown Shamrocks Announce 2026-27 Schedule
Published on June 29, 2026 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Watertown Shamrocks News Release
Watertown, SD - The Watertown Shamrocks, in conjunction with the North American Hockey League (NAHL), have finalized the clubs 59 game 2026-27 regular season schedule. The Shamrocks will open the regular season on the road in a playoff rematch against the Austin Bruins on September 18 and 19.
"Austin is a good team and we had a lot of good games with them last season," Shamrocks Head Coach and General Manager Casey Kirley said. "It's great to play against a strong opponent right out of the gates." Watertown will once again compete in the NAHL's Central Division, however, a handful of changes elsewhere in the division and NAHL have resulted in significant changes to the Shamrocks schedule compared to years past. After consisting of eight teams the last two seasons, the Central Division will now host just six teams.
The North Iowa Bulls have previously announced their departure for Houston Texas leaving the division with just seven teams. Added to their departure, is the movement of the Mallards from the Central to the Midwest Division. The Central Division had previously operated as a six-team unit from 2015 until the Shamrocks and Minnesota Mallards joined the division in 2024.
The divisional realignment resets the scheduling formula for the Central Division and the Shamrocks. Each team will play three games at the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minnesota from September 23-26 and then will skate in 12 contests against four of their divisional opponents and in eight games against one of their opponents.
"We play in a strong division," Kirley said of the realignment. "With the reduced number of teams, we will see the same opponents more often, which should make for some intense games." The Shamrocks will open their 2026-27 home slate in a weekend series against the Bismarck Bobcats starting on Friday, October 9 at the Prairie Lakes Ice Arena. Watertown will take on the Bruins, Aberdeen Wings, Minot Minotauros, and St. Cloud Norsemen 12 times this season with Bismarck being their opponent who falls into the eight games bucket.
"We are so excited to welcome fans back into the Prairie Lakes Ice Arena for the upcoming season," said Blake Theisen, the Shamrocks Vice President and Director of Broadcasting and Media. "The schedule this season is incredibly balanced and provides a ton of opportunities for fans to make it out to a game this year. Our fans are truly the best in the North American Hockey League and provide us with a real home ice advantage. We can't wait to get the season underway."
The Shamrocks home schedule features a handful of marquee dates. Watertown will once again play host on Halloween night taking on the Minot Minotauros at home. For the first time in franchise history, the club will host a home game over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend on Saturday, November 28. Fans can also ring in the New Year at the Prairie Lakes Ice Arena when the Shamrocks take on their in-state rival Aberdeen Wings on December 31.
The home schedule also includes a home series against the St. Cloud Norsemen over Valentine's Day weekend, the annual St. Patrick's Day game against Aberdeen, and will close out on April 16 against Aberdeen.
"We're excited to get back to town in August," Kirley added. "We're looking forward to a successful third season in Watertown." Information regarding single game tickets and promotional dates will be provided at a later date.
The Shamrocks full 2026-27 season schedule can be found below.
Home Team Visiting Team Date Venue
Austin Bruins Watertown Shamrocks Friday, September 18, 2026 Riverside Arena
Austin Bruins Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, September 19, 2026 Riverside Arena
SHOWCASE TBD TBD Super Rink
SHOWCASE TBD TBD Super Rink
SHOWCASE TBD TBD Super Rink
Bismarck Bobcats Watertown Shamrocks Friday, October 2, 2026 VFW Sports Center
Bismarck Bobcats Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, October 3, 2026 VFW Sports Center
Watertown Shamrocks Bismarck Bobcats Friday, October 9, 2026 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Bismarck Bobcats Saturday, October 10, 2026 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Aberdeen Wings Watertown Shamrocks Friday, October 16, 2026 Odde Ice Center
Watertown Shamrocks Aberdeen Wings Saturday, October 17, 2026 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Aberdeen Wings Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, October 24, 2026 Odde Ice Center
Watertown Shamrocks Minot Minotauros Friday, October 30, 2026 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Minot Minotauros Saturday, October 31, 2026 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks St. Cloud Norsemen Friday, November 6, 2026 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
St. Cloud Norsemen Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, November 7, 2026 St. Cloud MAC
Watertown Shamrocks Austin Bruins Friday, November 20, 2026 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Austin Bruins Saturday, November 21, 2026 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Aberdeen Wings Watertown Shamrocks Wednesday, November 25, 2026 Odde Ice Center
Watertown Shamrocks Aberdeen Wings Saturday, November 28, 2026 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Austin Bruins Friday, December 4, 2026 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Austin Bruins Saturday, December 5, 2026 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Austin Bruins Watertown Shamrocks Friday, December 11, 2026 Riverside Arena
Austin Bruins Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, December 12, 2026 Riverside Arena
Minot Minotauros Watertown Shamrocks Friday, December 18, 2026 Maysa Arena
Minot Minotauros Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, December 19, 2026 Maysa Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Aberdeen Wings Thursday, December 31, 2026 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Aberdeen Wings Watertown Shamrocks Friday, January 1, 2027 Odde Ice Center
St. Cloud Norsemen Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, January 2, 2027 St. Cloud MAC
Watertown Shamrocks Austin Bruins Friday, January 8, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Austin Bruins Saturday, January 9, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Bismarck Bobcats Watertown Shamrocks Friday, January 15, 2027 VFW Sports Center
Bismarck Bobcats Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, January 16, 2027 VFW Sports Center
St. Cloud Norsemen Watertown Shamrocks Friday, January 22, 2027 St. Cloud MAC
Watertown Shamrocks St. Cloud Norsemen Saturday, January 23, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Bismarck Bobcats Friday, January 29, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Bismarck Bobcats Saturday, January 30, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Austin Bruins Watertown Shamrocks Friday, February 5, 2027 Riverside Arena
Austin Bruins Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, February 6, 2027 Riverside Arena
Watertown Shamrocks St. Cloud Norsemen Friday, February 12, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks St. Cloud Norsemen Saturday, February 13, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Aberdeen Wings Watertown Shamrocks Friday, February 19, 2027 Odde Ice Center
Watertown Shamrocks Aberdeen Wings Saturday, February 20, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
St. Cloud Norsemen Watertown Shamrocks Friday, February 26, 2027 St. Cloud MAC
Minot Minotauros Watertown Shamrocks Friday, March 5, 2027 Maysa Arena
Minot Minotauros Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, March 6, 2027 Maysa Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Minot Minotauros Friday, March 12, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Minot Minotauros Saturday, March 13, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Aberdeen Wings Wednesday, March 17, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks St. Cloud Norsemen Saturday, March 20, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Minot Minotauros Watertown Shamrocks Friday, March 26, 2027 Maysa Arena
Minot Minotauros Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, March 27, 2027 Maysa Arena
St. Cloud Norsemen Watertown Shamrocks Thursday, April 1, 2027 St. Cloud MAC
Watertown Shamrocks Minot Minotauros Friday, April 2, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks Minot Minotauros Saturday, April 3, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Watertown Shamrocks St. Cloud Norsemen Friday, April 9, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
St. Cloud Norsemen Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, April 10, 2027 St. Cloud MAC
Watertown Shamrocks Aberdeen Wings Friday, April 16, 2027 Prairie Lakes Ice Arena
Aberdeen Wings Watertown Shamrocks Saturday, April 17, 2027 Odde Ice Center
North American Hockey League Stories from June 29, 2026
- Former Norsemen Timofei Runtso Drafted by the Montreal Canadiens - St. Cloud Norsemen
- Jordan Gudridge Commits to Gustavus Adolphus - Watertown Shamrocks
- Watertown Shamrocks Announce 2026-27 Schedule - Watertown Shamrocks
- McKay Announces Commitment to Aurora - Austin Bruins
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
