NHL to Open Training Camps on July 10 Ahead of Season Restart

The NHL and NHLPA announced that formal training camps for the 24 teams resuming play will open on July 10, if safety conditions related to the coronavirus pandemic allow it.

The opening of training camps will mark the start of Phase 3 of the NHL's return-to-play plan. The league is currently in Phase 2, which allowed teams to reopen their facilities this week for voluntary workouts in small groups. The length of training camp, as well as the start date for resuming the season (Phase 4), will be determined at a future date.

If training camps last a few weeks, the season could potentially return in early August. The NHL and NHLPA previously agreed to a 24-team playoff format for the 2020 postseason. Of those 24 teams, 16 clubs will participate in a play-in round, and the other eight teams–the top four from each conference–will play each other to determine seeding.

The NHL will hold the playoffs in two "hub cities," and commissioner Gary Bettman said last month that there w 10 sites under consideration for hosting games. Candidates included Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Vancouver.