Wednesday 3 March 2021

WHL continues to roll as B.C. Division gets green light

Schedule announced for East Division hub

Connor Zary and the Blazers are set to be back in action.
WHL officials might be over celebrating if they pop the champagne corks, but they should feel free to indulge in their favourite order from Starbucks.

On Tuesday, the WHL officially announced they had the green light from the British Columbia Provincial Health Office to play games in two hub centres in that province in Kelowna and Kamloops. That means the five teams in the WHL’s B.C. Division will be allowed to begin an abbreviated regular season starting on March 26, where each team will play 24 games.

With that announcement, the WHL was successful in navigating all hurdles to this point in time to get all of the circuit’s 22 teams back into action for a shortened 2020-21 campaign. The season is being held for the purposes of developing players and allowing them to be scouted for the next NHL Entry Draft.

Action is already underway in the Central Division. The East Division is schedule to begin play in a bubble environment in Regina, Sask., on March 12.

The U.S. Division is slated to begin play on March 19.

Of course, the WHL clubs are playing shortened seasons due to the fact the world is still in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“The WHL appreciated the cooperation we have received from the Provincial Health Officer and health officials in B.C. as we work toward a safe return to play in the B.C. Division,” said WHL commissioner Ron Robison in a release. “With our extensive protocols and the necessary approvals now in place, we are looking forward to play beginning in the Kamloops and Kelowna hubs.

Tarun Fizer will aim to pile up offence for the Royals.
“We are excited to now have all four WHL Divisions returning to play as it was our objective from the onset to deliver a season for all our players.”

On Wednesday, the WHL continued to roll announcing the schedule for al 84 regular season games that will be played in the East Division hub in the Brandt Centre. 

The schedule gets going on March 12 with two games as the Moose Jaw Warriors take on the Brandon Wheat Kings (4 p.m. Saskatchewan time) and the Regina Pats will tangle with the Prince Albert Raiders (4 p.m. Saskatchewan time).

As for the B.C. Division, games will be played at Prospera Place in Kelowna and the Sandman Centre in Kamloops. 

Like action in the rest of the WHL, spectators will not be permitted into league facilities for the 2020-21 season.

The Kelowna Rockets and Victoria Royals will be based out of Kelowna. The Rockets expect to stay with billet families, while the Royals are expected to stay in a hotel.

The Kamloops Blazers, Prince George Cougars and Vancouver Giants will be based out of Kamloops. The Blazers are expected to stay with billets, while the Cougars and Giants will stay in hotels.

Kaedan Korczak is expected to be back in the Rockets fold.
WHL teams will be permitted to travel between the two hub cities with no stops permitted. The two centres are about 170 kilometres apart from each other.

The players and staff from B.C. Division teams will begin self-quarantining this coming Saturday. 

They will report to their respective hub cities on March 13 and will undergo COVID-19 testing upon arrival followed by an additional quarantine period.

Players and staff will undergo a second COVID-19 test before being permitted to engage in any team activity.

WHL clubs will provide private PCR testing through DynaLIFE Medical Labs in order to ensure no additional strain is placed on public health. 

All private testing conducted in the B.C. Division will be processed and analyzed at DynaLIFE’s Alberta-based laboratory in Edmonton.

The major junior circuit will implement an ongoing weekly private PCR testing strategy.

If a WHL squad has one or more players or staff test positive for COVID-19 at any point in the season, the team will be required to suspend its activities for a minimum of 14 days.

There will be enhanced screening for all WHL players, team staff and officials that will take place on a daily basis including regular temperature screenings as well as symptom monitoring through the WHL Athlete RMS Mobile Application.

Masks must be worn by all WHL players at all times except when they are participating on ice for games and practices.

Alex Kannok Leipert will man the blue-line for the Giants.
WHL coaches will be required to wear masks at all times including while conducting practice and while behind the bench during games.

The schedule for the B.C. Division will be announced at a later date.

Overall, the WHL was able to accomplish something that looked to be impossible. For the longest time, there was huge doubt that the circuit would be able to hold any type of season for a 2020-21 campaign.

The fact the WHL will hold an abbreviated campaign getting all 22 member clubs into action has to be seen as a minor miracle.

Rush honour Shahab with jersey, other notes

The Saskatchewan Rush seem to enjoy hitting lots and lots of homeruns.

On Wednesday morning, the powerhouse National Lacrosse League club shared photos of having presented Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab with a personalized jersey. The jersey is emblazoned with the number one and has Dr. Shahab on the name bar.

In a release, the Rush wrote that Dr. Shahab and his team have been working tirelessly to keep us all safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rush release said Dr. Shahab is the face of thousands working in the front lines to make Saskatchewan better.

“On behalf of the entire Rush organization, we proudly present Dr. Shahab with a personalized jersey in appreciation of his continued leadership and guidance under unimaginable pressure,” said Rush owner Bruce Urban in a release. “His expertise and calm demeanor have been a guiding light in the storm, and we look forward to seeing him in the stands alongside Rush Nation next season.”

The Rush relocated to Saskatoon before the start of the 2015-16 NLL campaign from Edmonton as the defending league champions.

In that first campaign playing out of the SaskTel Centre, the Rush won a second straight NLL crown. They added a third NLL championship in 2018.

The Rush last played on March 7, 2020, when downed the visiting Vancouver Warriors 17-7 at the SaskTel Centre. The rest of the 2019-20 NLL was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NLL decided to not play in 2020-21 due to the continuing pandemic electing to focus on returning for the 2021-22 season.

When action does resume, you can expect the Rush and the league will continue their entertaining magic.

  • The WHL’s games will be streamed on WHL Live on CHL TV. Back on Feb. 16, the CHL announced Verizon Media Platform would be its streaming partner for this season. For WHL games, a season pass will cost fans $59.99 or a 24-hour pass will cost $6.99. As fans aren’t allowed to attend WHL games this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many were looking for information regarding live streams for games. You can find more information on WHL Live on CHL TV by clicking right here.
  • On Monday, Edmonton Oil Kings winger Dylan Guenther was named the first WHL play of the week for the 2020-21 campaign. The 17-year-old had four goals and four assists in two games for the Oil Kings, who picked up a pair of victories over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Oil Kings 18-year-old netminder Sebastian Cossa was named the WHL goaltender of the week. He was in goal for both of the Oil Kings wins over the Hurricanes posting a 1.50 goals against average and a .935 save percentage.
  • Tickets are on sale for the March jackpot for the Saskatchewan Amateur Football Mega 50/50 lottery. The funds from this 50/50 lottery will go to support the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder and the WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries and Regina Riot. One prize will be drawn per month, and the remaining draw dates are Wednesday, March 31, April 30 and May 31. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
  • On Tuesday, CTV Regina shared a story of an under-18 hockey team in Estevan breaking Government of Saskatchewan Public Health Orders in holding scrimmage with a referee. The teams weren’t social distancing on the bench either. Sport competitions are currently not allowed and Public Health Orders in Saskatchewan. The scrimmage was streamed live online, which basically means those involved with the scrimmage were giving the “Stone Cold Stunner” to authorities. Claire Hanna had the story, and it can be found by clicking right here.
  • On Tuesday, Gregg Drinnan posted his latest entry on his Taking Note blog on how the COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on the sports world. He also shows an example of a factually inaccurate tweet that was made to try and influence government officials in British Columbia. It shows the unhelpful lows some will go to get sports back into action. Drinnan’s piece can be found by clicking right here.
  • Netminder Garin Bjorklund of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers delivered a message on the importance of masking in during these COVID-19 pandemic times in the tweet below.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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