Indo Canadian News News That Matters
The board of governors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) has announced on Wednesday (Oct 14) that the WHL Regular Season is scheduled to begin in early 2021.
Commissioner Ron Robison said in a press release, “The WHL is very excited to be opening our WHL regular season on January 8 next year. The WHL is a world class development league and we remain fully committed to providing our players with the highest level of training, coaching and competition in the system.”
The Western Hockey League continues to cooperate with the provincial and state governments, health authorities in Provinces and States in Western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest, to obtain the necessary approvals to start the game. Detailed information about the schedule of each of the four WHL divisions will be announced in the future.
The WHL agreed that all regular season games in the 2020-21 season will only be played in each of the 4 divisions – the Eastern Division will consist of seven teams from Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the Central Division will consist of five teams from Alberta, the B.C. Division will consist of five teams from the British Colombia and the U.S. Division will consist of five teams from Washington and Oregon.
All WHL players will report to their WHL clubs after the Christmas break and they will begin training to prepare for the opening of the WHL regular season on January 8, 2021.
The Western Hockey League has also announced that it has appointed Dr. Dhiren Naidu of Edmonton as the WHL’s Chief Medical Advisor. Dr. Naidu is an associate professor at the University of Alberta and the captain of the NHL Edmonton Oilers and CFL Edmonton Football Team. He will consult with provincial and state health authorities to assist the WHL in implementing its comprehensive health and safety procedures.
The WHL looks forward to continuing cooperation with governments and health departments in the region and will take any necessary measures to protect the players, employees, officials and fans during the COVID-19 pandemic. A final decision has not yet been made on whether to allow spectators to participate in the WHL Games as this will depend on the approval of the health authorities in each jurisdiction.
