Jr. Hockey is back
We’re two weeks away from Halloween which means two things. Everyone will be scrambling for a costume and junior hockey will officially be back. Out of the four major junior hockey leagues in the United States, the USHL is the only one who has yet to get started. Their regular season is slated to begin November 5 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Last week was relatively quiet in the junior hockey world, which is a good thing. No COVID outbreaks and no breaking news that would break player’s hearts.
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey Seeing Positive Results
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) has begun its preseason games and is set to allow 150 fans at each game. Fans in attendance are required to wear masks at all times and are directed to seats according to public health officials guidelines.
The league is ecstatic to allow 150 fans and hopes that more will be allowed later in the season. “You hope that you’re bringing some type of entertainment in the wintertime for these folks, that, what else are you going to do on a -40C night on a Tuesday, right,” said North Stars Head Coach and General Manager, Brayden Klimosko.
The SJHL reduced their regular season schedule from 58 games to 50 due to COVID and hopes that fans will continue to be positive and receptive to this year’s unusual circumstances.
World Juniors to Begin on Christmas Day
This year’s World Junior Hockey Championship is set to begin on Christmas Day in Edmonton, Canada. It was determined in September that after a successful Stanley Cup Playoffs in Edmonton, they would aim to replicate that success by hosting the World Junior Hockey Championship without fans.
“Under careful consideration and a considerable amount of dialogue with the IIHF, it was felt best to continue to prepare to host the 2021 World Junior Championships without fans,” said Head of Hockey Canada, Tom Renney.
The original plan was for Alberta to host the tournament but after careful consideration, Roger’s Place was deemed a better location to host the event. With a larger hotel, practice facility on-site, and main rink, it’s anticipated that players will be safer and more contained in the event of a COVID incident.
This decision has also resulted in all lower division tournaments in the men’s U-20 and women’s U-18 to be canceled.
Massachusetts Shuts Down Hockey
As of October 24, Massachusetts ordered every indoor ice skating facility to shut down for two weeks due to COVID. All facilities must remain closed until November 7 at 11:59 pm. However, the state’s department of health approved college and professional facilities to remain open during this time.
Parents, players, coaches, and communities are outraged and are making their voices heard. Massachusetts followed New Hampshire after their state implemented the same order a week earlier.
Many believe that the order will not change anything and is an unnecessary order in an already stressful season.
Keep an eye out for next week’s update as we get ready for the USHL’s first regular-season game. We’ll also be checking in on other junior hockey leagues from around North America.
Follow @TJHP on Twitter along with me @Nwinansw. We’ll see you next week.
