SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Play in the American League’s five-team Canadian Division will begin Friday.

The league announced the February portion of its Canadian schedule in a Tuesday release.

The Belleville Senators, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, and the Laval Rocket (Montreal Canadiens) will begin play in the one-time-only division when they meet Friday at Montreal’s Bell Centre.

The Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets) open their season in Winnipeg on Feb. 15, and the Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames) host Toronto at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Feb. 21.

Stockton temporarily relocated from California to Calgary for the 2021 season.

The Marlies and Senators are playing all their February games on the roadas the Ontario government has not yet approved plans for them to play at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Belleville will play four straight games on the road against Laval, while Toronto will split eight road games between the Moose and the Heat.

The AHL said more Canadian Division games will be announced at a later date.

American-based AHL teams began play in Friday, including Vancouver’s affiliate in Utica, N.Y., and Edmonton’s affiliate in Bakersfield, Calif.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2021.