COVID-19 concerns keep pushing back WHL opening night
Here are five things to ponder about the Vancouver Giants as we head into the final weeks of 2020:
1 Planned Jan. 8 start date now a no-go
As expected, the Western Hockey League announced Tuesday that it was pushing back the Jan. 8 opening night and the league's governors would meet in January to consider potential start dates.
Consider B.C. alone in regard to that. There are strict health orders in place in this province that aren't scheduled to lift until Jan. 8.
To be ready for Jan. 8, teams would have likely have to start assembling sometime after Boxing Day.
“We continue to make every effort to get our season started, but our first priority has always been the health and safety of our players, and everyone associated with the WHL,” commissioner Ron Robison said in a league news release.
“Given the public health restrictions that are currently in effect, we are not in a position to determine a new target date for our season. We will continue to consult with health authorities to determine when it is safe and responsible to get our season started.”
2 Head coach Michael Dyck should be back from world juniors
The season being pushed back means that Vancouver likely won't have to prepare without head coach Michael Dyck, who is currently in Edmonton as an assistant with the Team Canada world junior team.
The world juniors are slated to start Christmas Day. Team Canada's opener is set for Boxing Day and the gold medal game is Jan. 5.
Associate coach Keith McCambridge, who was hired in November, is expected to be in town sometime after the Christmas holidays, according to general manager Barclay Parneta.
McCambridge, a former head coach in the American Hockey League with the Hartford Wolf Pack, Manitoba Moose and St. John's IceCaps, was hired to replace Jamie Heward, who landed an assistant coaching job this off-season with the Vegas Golden Knights' Henderson Silver Knights farm club in the AHL.
3 Defenceman Zach Ashton acquired from Lethbridge
The Giants made a trade on Monday, landing 19-year-old defenceman Zach Ashton from the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a conditional 2023 ninth-round bantam draft pick.
Vancouver has seven regular defencemen from last season eligible to return, but that includes 19-year-old Bowen Byram, who is expected to stick with the Colorado Avalanche whenever the NHL gets going, and the 20-year-old trio of Alex Kannok Leipert, Trevor Longo and Seth Bafaro.
Teams are permitted to carry only three 20-year-olds, or overages, and Vancouver's 2000-born class from this past season included forwards Tristen Nielsen and Eric Florchuk, who were two of Vancouver's top scorers.
4 Further the season gets pushed back, the less chance of Europeans
The further the season gets pushed back, the more likely teams won't have European players at their disposal. Parneta has admitted that there could be travel issues. Teams have historically been permitted to have two import players on their roster.
Vancouver used its first-round pick, No. 30 overall, in the June CHL Import Draft on Swedish forward Fabian Lysell, 17, and its second-round pick, No. 90 overall, on Slovak defenceman Marko Stacha, 18.
5 With no Teddy Bear toss, team holds colouring contest online
With their annual Teddy Bear Toss game lost to COVID-19, the Giants are holding a colouring contest on their website. For each submission, the Be A Giant Foundation will donate a Teddy Bear to the local Christmas Bureau.
Check out vancouvergiants.com for more information.