The NHL unveiled its 15-day, 111-game composite 2023-24 pre-season schedule on Tuesday.
All games will take place across 44 NHL and neutral-site venues in both North America and Australia beginning on Sept. 23.
The two-game 2023 NHL Global Series between the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings in Melbourne, Australia marks the first-ever NHL contests to take place in the Southern Hemisphere.
Both games will take place at Rod Laver Arena on Sept 23. and Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. PT.
The NHL has held games outside of its own teams’ cities for eight decades, dating back to the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens’ 1938 meetings in the United Kingdom. Since then, the league has played games in 15 countries, with the most recent Global Series featuring games in Bern, Switzerland; Berlin, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; and Tampere, Finland.
There will also be two pre-season matchups to celebrate Kraft Hockeyville winning communities for 2022 (Sydney, N.S.) and 2023 (West Lorne, Ont.). The Toronto Maple Leafs will face off against the Buffalo Sabres on Sept. 27 at Joe Thornton Community Centre in St. Thomas, Ont., while the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators will meet in Sydney on Oct. 1 at Centre 200.
The NHL released the dates of 10 other neutral site games, including one in Halifax, N.S.
Here is the full list of neutral site games to be played during the 2023-24 pre-season slate:
• Abbotsford, B.C. (Seattle vs. Vancouver, Oct. 4)
• Cedar Park, Texas (Arizona vs. Dallas, Sept. 24)
• Halifax, N.S. (Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh, Oct. 2)
• Independence, Mo. (Dallas vs. St. Louis, Sept. 30)
• Orlando, Fla. (Florida vs. Tampa Bay, Oct. 3)
• Palm Desert, Calif. (Anaheim vs. Arizona, Oct. 1)
• Salt Lake City, Utah (Los Angeles vs. San Jose, Oct. 5)
• San Diego, Calif. (Anaheim vs. Los Angeles, Sept. 29)
• Tucson, Ariz. (Anaheim vs. Arizona, Oct. 7)
• Wichita, Kan. (Arizona vs. St. Louis, Sept. 23).
The pre-season schedule will conclude on Oct. 7, and the 2023-24 regular season will open on Oct. 10.
