Rejoice, Vegas Golden Knights fans, hockey is on the horizon after the team announced their full preseason schedule and training camp dates today.
It was only last week the 2018-19 season officially came to a close after the St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins in Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup, although it has seemed a lifetime without hockey for all connected with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Granted, there has been a slew of trades and buyouts to feast on this week, plus we have the 2019 NHL Entry Draft to look forward to on Friday, which will be swiftly followed by free agency.
However, nothing can replace the thrill of watching your team strut their stuff on the ice and Vegas fans now have dates to look forward to after the franchise released their preseason schedule earlier today.
The Golden Knights will play seven preseason games in total, including two each against the San Jose Sharks, LA Kings and the Colorado Avalanche, in addition to a single contest against the Arizona Coyotes.
Vegas Golden Knights Preseason Schedule:
- Sunday, Sept 15 vs Arizona Coyotes (T-Mobile Arena, 1:30 pm PT)
- Tuesday, Sept 17 at Colorado Avalanche (Pepsi Center, 6:00 pm PT)
- Thursday, Sept 19 at Los Angeles Kings (Staples Center, 7:30 pm PT)
- Saturday, Sept 21 at San Jose Sharks (SAP Center, 5:00 pm PT)
- Wednesday, Sept 25 vs Colorado Avalanche (T-Mobile Arena, 7:00 pm PT)
- Friday, Sept 27 vs Los Angeles Kings (T-Mobile Arena, 7:00 pm PT)
- Sunday, Sept 29 vs San Jose Sharks (T-Mobile Arena, 5:00 pm PT)
Two games that will no doubt jump out at Vegas fans will be the set of fixtures against San Jose, which will be the first time the two teams will have met since that controversial ending to Game 7 where the Sharks scored four power play goals after Cody Eakin was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for cross-checking Joe Pavelski.
Those games, even in preseason, will no doubt carry a lot of spice and a tasty edge, as well as giving fans of both teams the chance to see any new faces in action for the first time.
Preseason can be a bit of a slog for all concerned, but it is designed to allow General Managers to construct their rosters for the forthcoming regular season, while it gives head coaches around the league chance to tinker with different systems and trial various combinations of lines.
Fans will be craving hockey after a long summer without it and for those who pledge their allegiance to the Golden Knights, preseason will allow them the opportunity to potentially see prospects picked in this weekend’s 2019 NHL Entry Draft pull on a Vegas jersey for the very first time.
All seven games will be broadcast locally by KTNV Channel 13 in Las Vegas, with Dave Goucher providing the play-by-play call and Shane Hnidy giving expert analysis. KTNV will also air half-hour pregame specials before each game, which is great news for Golden Knights fans who won’t miss out on any of the action during the preseason.
Vegas will begin their preseason slate at T-Mobile Arena against the Arizona Coyotes before hitting the road for three straight games against the Avalanche, Sharks and the Kings.
They will then return home to round off their preseason schedule against Colorado, LA and San Jose, which should serve as excellent preparation for another gruelling 82-game war of attrition.
Tickets for Vegas’ four home preseason games are now available as part of a special Preseason Bobblehead Series package, which can be purchased via the official Golden Knights website. The franchise will release information on single game tickets for both home preseason and regular season games at a later date.
There are more dates to circle in the diary too with the 2019 Rookie Camp, presented by NextGen, beginning on Thursday, September 5.
Vegas will have nine picks in total at this weekend’s Entry Draft and those selections will have the chance to impress the front office and the coaching staff for the very first time once camp gets underway.
Main training camp will then open on Thursday, September 12 with the Golden Knights roster undergoing medicals and fitness testing before hitting the ice for the first time on Friday, September 13, which will give Vegas fans their first chance of 2019-20 to see their heroes in action.
Rookie / Training Camp Key Dates:
- Thursday, September 5 – Rookie Camp opens with medicals and fitness testing (closed to public)
- Friday, September 5 – First day of rookie on-ice practice
- Thursday, September 12 – Main Camp opens with medicals and fitness testing (closed to public)
- Friday, September 13 – First day of on-ice practice
We are already counting down the days until September and it will be interesting to see what the roster looks like with not too many personnel changes expected during the offseason.
Will Deryk Engelland, Colin Miller and Cody Eakin be present or will they have already departed for pastures new?
Just how big a role will high-end prospects in the ilk of Cody Glass, Nic Hague and Zach Whitecloud play throughout the preseason?
And how many of the nine picks the franchise select this weekend will be given the chance to impress in training camp?
All of those questions and more will be answered come September but, for now, we will have to be patient and make do with the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and free agency as our main hockey fixes.