Prime Video is getting a long-term piece of Canada's national NHL schedule: Wednesday night regular-season games and select early playoff series will move to the streaming service under a 12-year sublicense with Rogers Communications.
The short version for fans is simple. Beginning with the 2026-27 season, Wednesday night national NHL games in Canada will be exclusive to Prime Video in English and French, while Sportsnet keeps most national rights. The first Prime Wednesday game is scheduled for September 30, 2026.
What changed
Rogers and Prime Video announced the deal on July 28, 2026. The NHL also confirmed the agreement, saying Prime Video will carry at least 26 national regular-season games each season and select Stanley Cup playoff series in Canada.
The playoff piece matters because it is not just a regular-season streaming package. Prime Video is set to receive two first-round playoff series and one second-round series each year. The Associated Press reported that the playoff allocation will use a draft-style format, with Prime Video getting the fourth and fifth choices among first-round series and the third choice among second-round matchups.
The sublicense runs alongside Rogers' broader 12-year Canadian NHL rights agreement, which covers the 2026-27 through 2037-38 seasons. Financial terms of the Prime Video sublicense were not disclosed.
Why fans care
For Canadian hockey viewers, the deal continues the move from one simple cable or broadcast habit toward a more divided sports map. A fan who already watches national games on Sportsnet may now need to remember that the Wednesday window is a Prime Video night. Rogers says the games will be available to Prime members in Canada at no additional cost.
The shift also follows a bigger change in Canadian NHL television. AP reported that Rogers and CBC are ending their licensing arrangement after the 2025-26 season, which means Hockey Night in Canada will no longer air on the public broadcaster and Citytv will no longer carry national NHL games. Sportsnet will remain the main national rightsholder, but free-to-air options are shrinking.
What stays with Sportsnet
Sportsnet is not leaving the center of the Canadian package. Rogers said Sportsnet will hold exclusive English-language rights to more than 500 national NHL games per season, including Monday and Saturday nights and most Stanley Cup playoff coverage. The exception is the playoff series sublicensed to Prime Video.
That split gives Rogers two goals at once: keep the bulk of national hockey inside Sportsnet while using Prime Video for a streaming-only national window. It also gives Amazon a bigger, longer sports asset in Canada after Prime Video carried Monday night NHL games in the previous two seasons.
What to watch next
The next practical details are the schedule, the production plan, and how easily fans can find games inside Prime Video. The companies said more information about NHL on Prime talent and production will come later.
The broader question is whether fans see the package as a cleaner streaming option or another subscription habit to manage. For now, the concrete change is clear: starting September 30, Wednesday night national NHL games in Canada belong to Prime Video.
