The North American Hockey League drops the puck on its 51st season beginning Sept. 12 as it released its 59-game schedule on Wednesday.

The Minot Minotauros will open their season at home on Sept. 19 against the North Iowa Bulls, their first of 28 home games. In total, the Minotauros will play 56 games within the eight-team Central Division, matching up with each divisional opponent eight times over the course of the season.

Minot will play 28 games inside the friendly confines of Pepsi Arena as well as 28 games on the road. The Tauros will also play three neutral-ice games as part of the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minn., from Sept. 24-27. The opponents have yet to be announced.

Notable dates include Oct. 17, when the Tauros’ play their first contest against the Austin Bruins since the Bruins eliminated Minot in the first round of the Central Division playoffs in five games. The Tauros get their first crack at the defending NAHL and Central Division champion Bismarck Bobcats the night before Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, at the VFW Sports Complex. The two teams meet again in Bismarck on New Years Eve before the in-state rival travels to Minot to open up the 2026 portion of the schedule on Jan. 2.

Minot finished third in the Central Division standings last season with a 40-18-1-0 (W-L-OTL-SOL) record and 81 points. The 81 points is the second-most in a single season in team history.