The Toledo Walleye will play on New Year's Eve for the first time as part of the team's outdoor Winterfest event this upcoming season.
The ECHL and the Walleye announced the full 2021-22 season schedule on Tuesday.
The long-awaited and much-anticipated return of pro hockey in Toledo will come Saturday, Nov. 6 when the Walleye re-take the ice at the Huntington Center for the home opener against Kalamazoo.
The Walleye will open the franchise's 12th season at Kalamazoo on Saturday, Oct. 23.
All but one of the Walleye's home games will be played on the weekend. Thirty-five of the 36 at the downtown arena will be played on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
The Walleye will host rival Fort Wayne the day after the home opener on Sunday, Nov. 7. Toledo also hosts the Komets three times in January.
The team's Winterfest event will feature two outdoor games, including the Walleye's first game on New Year's Eve. Toledo will host the Kalamazoo Wings on Dec. 26 and the Indy Fuel on Dec. 31 at Fifth Third Field.
Walleye coach Dan Watson said the schedule is demanding and compelling.
“It's a very challenging schedule with some exciting games,” Watson said. “With Winterfest this season, the schedule is very special. We only get 55 games within our division, so those will all be very important games for us.”
The Walleye will play Central Division foes Kalamazoo nine times and Indy 10 times.
The organization was forced to opt-out of the 2020-21 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Walleye also saw their 2019-20 season cut short at the onset of the pandemic.
Matt Melzak, the team's longtime TV and radio broadcaster, hosted a special schedule announcement show on Facebook on Tuesday.
“We're looking forward to what is projected to be a very special season — one that we are never going to forget because of the fact that we've had to wait so long for Walleye hockey,” Melzak said.
Neil Neukam, the Walleye's executive vice president and general manager, pointed out that when Toledo hosts Kalamazoo it will have been 615 days since the last time the Walleye played a game.
“We're excited to have everyone back at the Huntington Center in the near future,” he said.
The broadcast also featured appearances by Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz and Toledo Police Chief George Kral.
“What we've all been waiting for, outdoor hockey returns to Toledo — the only city to ever host outdoor ECHL games,” Kral said. “Toledo and Kalamazoo made history when they played at Fifth Third Field during the inaugural Winterfest event [2014-15].”
Kapszukiewicz donned a hockey helmet and gloves during his portion of the announcement.
“As you can see, I'm fired up for another Walleye season. We missed it last year and we're back, ready to hit the ice,” he said. “We are ready to drop the gloves and get busy.”
The Walleye's schedule is back-loaded once again with more home games in the final three months of the season, with 19 contests at the Huntington Center over the final three months.
The Walleye do not have a home game in the opening month with three road games in October. However, November will feature seven home games. Toledo will host one of the ECHL's two new franchises when Iowa comes to town on Nov. 19-20.
Iowa returns to Toledo for a game on Feb. 4.
The Walleye also play at Iowa in the second weekend of the season and in early December.
“The trips to Iowa will be something new for the team to look forward to,” Watson said.
The Walleye have nine home games in March, which includes the first-ever home meetings against the Idaho Steelheads and the Allen Americans.
The team plays 10 games in April with four at home, including an April 1 game against Fort Wayne. The regular-season finale will be against Kalamazoo on April 16.
TAKEAWAYS
Here are three takeaways from the full schedule announcement:
■ A New Year's Eve first. It's hard to believe the organization has never held a game on one of the biggest party nights of the year in its 11-year history. The parent NHL Detroit Red Wings have a long tradition of hosting successful games on Dec. 31, with many fans dressing up and donning tuxedos for the occasion. Toledo's rival Fort Wayne has also enjoyed well-attended contests on the final day of the year. Anticipate a sold-out, raucous Fifth Third Field to ring in the New Year.
■ The best rivalry in the ECHL will be back with a vengeance. Toledo and Fort Wayne meet 13 times this season. The battle between the cities with rich hockey traditions stretches back decades to the International Hockey League with the Toledo Blades, Hornets, and Goaldiggers. The rivalry has grown since the Komets joined the ECHL in 2012-13. With rabid fan bases, the rivals also have battled for the top spot in total attendance in the ECHL every year. The rivalry has added a twist with players leaving one organization to play for the other (see A.J. Jenks and Pat Nagle). This season several players that had signed to play for the Walleye are competing for Fort Wayne. The Komets host Toledo seven times and the Walleye play Fort Wayne six times at the Huntington Center.
■ Winterfest returns. The outdoor extravaganza is not limited to Walleye hockey but also features youth, high school, and college games on a hockey rink constructed on the Mud Hens' baseball field. The public also gets a chance to skate on the surreal scene at Fifth Third Field. An alumni game featuring former Toledo pro hockey players (Storm and Walleye) will play an exhibition game against former Detroit Red Wings greats. The weather did not fully cooperate the first time with rain and sleet wreaking havoc on Toledo's outdoor game against Fort Wayne. But nearly 60,000 people flooded downtown Toledo for a variety of unforgettable events during the first-ever ECHL games held outdoors as part of a two-week-long celebration that was a major hit in late 2014 and early 2015.
Check back for updates.
WALLEYE 2021-22 SCHEDULE
October
23: at Kalamazoo
29: at Iowa
30: at Iowa
November
3: at Indy
5: at Kalamazoo
6: Kalamazoo
7: Fort Wayne
12: Wheeling
13: at Fort Wayne
14: Indy
19: Iowa
20: Iowa
24: at Cincinnati
25: at Fort Wayne
26: Indy
December
4: Wheeling
5: Cincinnati
8: at Iowa
10: at Iowa
11: at Iowa
17: at South Carolina
18: at Greenville
19: at Greenville
26: Kalamazoo (Winterfest at Fifth Third Field)
31: Indy (Winterfest at Fifth Third Field)
January
5: at Fort Wayne
7: at Kalamazoo
8: at Fort Wayne
9: Fort Wayne
14: at Kalamazoo
15: Fort Wayne
16: at Cincinnati
21: Iowa
23: Fort Wayne
28: at Indy
29: Wheeling
30: Indy
February
2: at Indy
4: Iowa
5: at Cincinnati
6: Indy
12: Atlanta
18: at Fort Wayne
19: at Cincinnati
20: at Cincinnati
25: Wichita
26: Reading
27: Reading
March
2: Wheeling
4: Fort Wayne
6: Cincinnati
9: at Wheeling
11: Idaho
12: Idaho
13: Idaho
17: at Wichita
19: at Tulsa
20: at Tulsa
21: at Tulsa
25: Allen
26: Allen
27: Allen
April
1: Fort Wayne
2: Indy
3: Kalamazoo
6: at Fort Wayne
8: at Fort Wayne
9: at Wheeling
10: at Wheeling
13: at Indy
15: at Kalamazoo
16: Kalamazoo
First Published May 11, 2021, 6:29 p.m.
