Story Summary
Prime will begin its new NHL on Prime Wednesday Night Hockey schedule in Canada with a 27-game national regular-season slate, adding French-language coverage for every game alongside its English broadcast.
The first Wednesday broadcast will see the Toronto Maple Leafs host the New York Islanders at Scotiabank Arena at 7:30 p.m. ET. Toronto forward Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and New York defenceman Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, are set to feature in the opener.
The move follows two seasons of Monday Night Hockey on Prime. Mark Shopiro, head of Prime Video Canada, said the service is entering a 12-year commitment around the NHL package and sees hockey as a central part of its offering for Canadian members.
A new feature, Home Ice Access, will begin 30 minutes before the traditional broadcast window and is intended to give viewers a closer look at the pre-game rink environment. Prime will also carry two First Round Stanley Cup Playoff series and one Second Round series at no additional cost to Prime members, with English and French coverage available.
Key Facts
- Prime’s Wednesday Night Hockey schedule in Canada will include 27 national regular-season games this season.
- The opening Wednesday broadcast is Toronto Maple Leafs versus New York Islanders at Scotiabank Arena, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
- Toronto forward Gavin McKenna was the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, while Islanders defenceman Matthew Schaefer was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
- Prime is moving its NHL broadcast night to Wednesday after two seasons of Monday Night Hockey.
- Each Wednesday Night Hockey game will be available in both English and French for the first time.
- Prime will introduce Home Ice Access, beginning a half-hour before the traditional broadcast.
- Prime will broadcast two First Round Stanley Cup Playoff series and one Second Round series at no additional cost to Prime members.
- John Forslund returns as the English play-by-play voice, with Jody Shelley in the booth, Thomas Hickey between the benches and Andi Petrillo at rink side.
- Alain Crete and Michael Roy will share French play-by-play duties, alongside analyst Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre.
- Prime Video Canada head Mark Shopiro described the arrangement as a 12-year commitment.
IHM Discussion
The change from Monday to Wednesday is more than a switch in scheduling. Prime has established its NHL presentation over two seasons and is now expanding the shape of that offering: a full national regular-season schedule, bilingual broadcasts for every game and a defined pre-game feature intended to start the experience before puck drop.
The French-language addition is particularly significant within the announced format. Shopiro said serving viewers in English and French was an important part of the service’s plans for Canadian members, and said Prime would be the only national broadcaster offering both languages for these games. That is a concrete production commitment, rather than simply a different commentary option appearing occasionally on the schedule.
Home Ice Access is the other notable development. The feature will start 30 minutes before the customary broadcast and builds on production elements used late last season, including a segment that moved between Forslund and Shelley in the booth and Hickey between the benches. The stated objective is proximity: showing more of the arena setting and making use of the broadcast team before the game formally begins.
Prime has retained continuity in its English crew while adding a French team with substantial experience. Forslund brings more than 40 years in broadcasting, including 25 years as the voice of the Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes, before taking Seattle Kraken play-by-play duties in 2021. Crete recently retired from RDS after more than 40 years in broadcasting. That blend of established voices and a new language offering gives the Wednesday format a familiar on-air foundation while its presentation elements develop.
Why It Matters
For viewers, the announced package combines regular-season access and playoff coverage within a Prime membership. The two First Round series and one Second Round series are especially meaningful because they bring postseason games into the same English-and-French production structure as Wednesday Night Hockey.
For the NHL, the opening fixture also supplies a clear spotlight game. McKenna and Schaefer arrive as the most recent No. 1 picks in consecutive NHL Drafts, placing two highly visible young players in the first broadcast of the new Wednesday arrangement. The significance lies in the event’s presentation and exposure, not in any assumption about how either player will perform.
The broadcast plan also preserves the core elements of a conventional hockey telecast. Forslund said the aim is to evolve the presentation while maintaining the standard of a classic hockey broadcast. That balance will matter as Home Ice Access and other production ideas are added around, rather than in place of, the game itself.
Mini Q&A
What is Home Ice Access?
Home Ice Access is a new Prime feature that begins 30 minutes before the traditional broadcast and is designed to bring viewers closer to the pre-game rink setting.
Will every Wednesday Night Hockey game be available in French?
Yes. Prime will provide both English and French broadcast options for each Wednesday Night Hockey game.
Which playoff games will Prime carry?
Prime will broadcast two First Round Stanley Cup Playoff series and one Second Round series at no additional cost to Prime members.
Who is on the English broadcast team?
John Forslund will handle play-by-play, with Jody Shelley as analyst in the booth, Thomas Hickey between the benches and Andi Petrillo reporting from rink side.
Coach Mark Comment
The strongest on-ice production idea is not a tactical gimmick but a timing choice. Beginning coverage before the usual window can give viewers useful context: the rink atmosphere, the broadcast crew’s early observations and the build-up to a game. The key is discipline. Those extra 30 minutes should sharpen anticipation and help explain the night’s hockey, while leaving the game and its major moments as the centre of the broadcast.
What Comes Next
The first Wednesday Night Hockey broadcast is the Maple Leafs-Islanders game at Scotiabank Arena, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
IHM Final View
Prime’s next NHL phase is clearly defined: Wednesday national games, bilingual coverage, added playoff series and an earlier route into the arena through Home Ice Access. The immediate development is a broadcast expansion rather than a change to the hockey itself, but it gives Canadian viewers a broader way to follow the league through the regular season and into the opening rounds of the playoffs.