Regionalized play: Imagining a suitable return-to-play scenario for the AHL

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty ImagesWhen the AHL cancelled the remainder of its 2019-20 season back in May, it was unclear how sports would resume, if at all.

But since then, several professional sports leagues in the United States have gotten back underway successfully, with the NHL set to resume this week.

While it’s easy to bask in the glow of sports returning to our TV sets, you can’t help but wonder how next season will look with an altered timeline and growing uncertainty about curbing the coronavirus.

For leagues like the American Hockey League, however, resuming play responsibly next season may not be as difficult as you think.

In order to set comparable standards for the AHL, where…