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AHL will not resume season before May

AHL: FEB 05 Rochester Americans at Cleveland Monsters

CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 05: Cleveland Monsters left wing Paul Bittner (7) looks for a pass during the second period of the American Hockey League game between the Rochester Americans and Cleveland Monsters on February 5, 2020, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The American Hockey League won’t be returning any time soon as we wait out the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four days after announcing play was suspended, the AHL said things will remain that way until at least May. Following the NHL’s decision on Monday, players will also be able to return to their primary residences should they choose.

NHL Network’s Brian Lawton Tweeted on Monday that the AHL would soon announce the remainder of its season would be canceled.

Over the weekend the ECHL and SPHL shut things down for the season, joining numerous leagues in North America and Europe to end early. The KHL, however, remains in play -- at least for the time being. Nur-Sultan Barys and Jokerit pulled out of the Gagarin Cup playoffs in the last few days, which lead to the league announcing a one-week break to develop a new playoff format for the six remaining Russian teams.

Follow this NBC News live update thread for more on the coronavirus pandemic.

MORE:
How grassroots hockey has been affected by COVID-19
Where the NHL left off with 2019-20 season in limbo
Looking at shortened and postponed NHL seasons.

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.