WHL teams to see season cut short due to COVID outbreaks

Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

The Western Hockey League announced last week that given the number of games missed to COVID-19 outbreaks on teams, two of their four divisions will be unable to complete a 24-game season.

The news came as the Calgary Hitmen returned to the ice on Friday after missing the previous 14 days due to a positive test being recorded on the team back on April 8. Given the number of games Calgary was forced to postpone in that span, the Central Division released a revised schedule through the end of the season on May 6, with a handful of contests now cancelled outright.

The Lethbridge Hurricanes will be the only Central Division team to play 24 games. Two teams with Moose Jaw Minor Hockey grads will play only 23 games: Jaxsen Wiebe and the Red Deer Rebels along with Ethan Peters and the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Medicine Hat Tigers will also play 23 games; the Hitmen themselves will take the ice for 21.

The news is even worse for the Kelowna Rockets. They, too, missed 14 games after seven players and staff tested positive for COVID-19, and with eight postponed games now cancelled, will only take the ice 16 times in B.C. Division contests. Kelowna has currently played only five games this season.

The other four B.C. teams - the Kamloops Blazers, Prince George Cougars, Vancouver Giants and Victoria Royals - will now only play 22 games each.

No further changes were announced for the Tri-City Americans and the U.S. Division. Tri-City was the first U.S. team to record a COVID-19 case and shut down team activities recently.

The East Division - including the Moose Jaw Warriors was the only division to adopt a full hub format to eliminate travel and remains the only WHL division to not see a case of COVID-19. Each of the seven teams have four games remaining on their schedule, with the season to wrap up shorlty after the WHL announced there would be no playoffs.