The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins officially opted in for the 2020-21 American Hockey League (AHL) season on Monday.

They will be one of 28 AHL teams to begin play when the season starts on Feb. 5. Three teams, the Charlotte Checkers, Milwaukee Admirals and Springfield Thunderbirds, have opted out due to concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will operate out of a realigned North Division that will include the Binghamton Devils, Hershey Bears, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Rochester Americans, Syracuse Crunch and Utica Comets.

“Development is such an important piece of the Pittsburgh Penguins, to make sure that they have their young kids and other guys ready to make that next step, give them the opportunities.” Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins CEO Jeff Barrett said in a release. “They looked at everything from finance to development and made the decision that they wanted to play.

“I’ll be frank, this is going to be a difficult financial year for both the AHL team and the NHL team. But when we look at the big picture … (Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford) just decided that it was in the best interest of the Pittsburgh Penguins to keep our young kids playing.”

The release also noted Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is aiming to play a 32-game schedule.

Also, no fans will be permitted for home games at the start of the season. There are hopes some number of spectators will be allowed later in the campaign, however.

The 2019-20 AHL season was cut short when the league canceled play March 12 due to the pandemic.

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