Minotauros set 2026 NAHL Showcase slate

The Minot Minotauros completed their 2026-27 schedule on July 8, when the North American Hockey League announced the pairings for the league’s annual Showcase in Blaine, Minnesota. Minot will play three games over four days at the National Sports Center from Sept. 23 to Sept. 26, according to a team release carried by OurSports Central. The Showcase comes after the club’s previously announced road opener at Aberdeen on Sept. 18 and before Minot’s home-opening weekend on Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 against St. Cloud. All Minotauros games, including the Showcase, will be available on NAHLtv.com. ### Which teams are on Minot’s Showcase schedule? The Minotauros open the event against the Elmira Aviators on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 1 p.m., the team said. Elmira joined the NAHL in 2024 and has finished ninth in the East Division in each of the last two seasons, according to the release. (oursportscentral.com) Friday, Sept. 25 brings Minot’s second game, an 11:45 a.m. meeting with the Danbury Hat Tricks. The release said it will be the second all-time meeting between the clubs. Danbury reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season, earning the sixth seed in the East play-in round. (oursportscentral.com) Saturday morning, Sept. 26, closes Minot’s Showcase run with a game against the Amarillo Wranglers. The team release said Amarillo is coming off a last-place finish in the South Division and has missed the postseason in each of the last two seasons. ### Where do these games fit in the broader season calendar? (oursportscentral.com) June 24 was the date the Minotauros announced their 2026-27 regular-season schedule. That release said Minot would open the season on the road against Aberdeen on Sept. 18 before heading to Blaine for the Showcase. After the Showcase, the Minotauros are scheduled to return to Maysa Arena for a home-opening series against the St. (oursportscentral.com) Cloud Norsemen on Oct. 2 and Oct. 3. The 2026-27 season is Minot’s 16th, according to the June 24 release. The same release said the club will again play three Showcase games in four days against opponents from outside its division, matching the format the league has used for the past two seasons. ### How much history does Minot have at the event? (oursportscentral.com) The NAHL Showcase in 2026 will be the 23rd annual edition, the Minot release said. It will also mark the 15th time the Minotauros have attended. The club listed its all-time Showcase record at 27-22-5 and said it won the 2016 event championship with a 4-0-0 mark. (oursportscentral.com) Blaine has also been the site of prior meetings against two of Minot’s 2026 opponents. The Minotauros beat Danbury 8-1 at the 2022 Showcase, with Nick O’Hanisain and Justin Dauphinais each recording two goals and one assist and Jan-Kasper Bergman adding four assists, according to the release. Amarillo won the only previous meeting between the teams, 3-1 in 2022, with Weston Knox scoring Minot’s lone goal. (oursportscentral.com) ### What does the schedule say about the opponents Minot will see? Elmira is the only completely new Showcase opponent on this year’s slate, the team said. The Aviators have not yet made the playoffs since entering the league in 2024, giving Minot an East Division matchup without prior head-to-head history cited in the release. (oursportscentral.com) Danbury and Amarillo offer more established points of comparison. Danbury is coming off its first playoff appearance, while Amarillo is trying to rebound after consecutive seasons outside the postseason, according to the Minot release. Those details frame Minot’s three-game Showcase draw as a mix of unfamiliar and previously seen non-division opponents. (oursportscentral.com) ### How can fans follow the Showcase before Minot returns home? NAHLtv.com will carry every Minotauros game, including all three Showcase matchups in Blaine, the team said. The Showcase schedule begins for Minot on Sept. 23 against Elmira, continues Sept. 25 against Danbury and ends Sept. 26 against Amarillo. After that trip, the next scheduled milestone is Minot’s home opener against St. (oursportscentral.com) Cloud on Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 at Maysa Arena.