The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) has announce that its 2020-21 regular season will begin on Friday, Nov. 13, with 17 teams participating in a 30-game regular season schedule.
The Golden Rockets will be one of the participating teams.
With the delayed season start date, KIJHL teams have the option of holding extended development camps to help their players prepare for the season in a structured team environment.
These camps may begin immediately under Viasport’s Phase 3 “Return to Play” guidelines.
“We’re excited to be able to confirm a start date and season format as we solidify our preparations to drop the puck in November,” said KIJHL commissioner Jeff Dubois.
“The current restrictions on sport have presented a number of difficult, but necessary hurdles as we all work towards being able to provide a safe and healthy environment for our players, staff, volunteers and fans.”
Current provincial government guidelines state that no more than 50 people can be present in an arena, including players, coaches and officials.
Fans will not be able to pack the Plywood Palace this season and will have to enjoy games from the comfort of their own homes through twitter and other online platforms.
“There have been, and continue to be, a number of circumstances that have put significant financial pressure on our clubs, but our goal throughout this process has been to do everything within our control to ensure that KIJHL hockey can return safely this fall,” said Dubois.
“Keeping on that track has required a great deal of patience, flexibility and creativity from our member clubs.
“I’m very appreciative of all the work that’s been put in by so many around our league to get us to this point.”
Three teams have opted out of the 2019-20 season – 100 Mile House Wranglers, Beaver Valley Nitehawks have opted to take a one-year leave of absence, while the Spokane Braves are unable to compete due to ongoing travel restrictions between Canada and the United States.
“The situation in Spokane is unfortunate because the Braves were fully committed to competing in their 50th KIJHL season, but ultimately it was determined between the club and league to suspend operations,” said Dubois.
The KIJHL has had to make adjustments to their divisional format as well.
Instead of the league’s four traditional divisions, teams will play in cohorts consisting of a maximum of four teams.
The teams within each cohort will change at various points over three stages, with the regular season ending Saturday, Feb. 26.
The 2021 postseason format for the Teck Cup will be announced at a later date.
With the format and structure of the 2020/21 regular season now confirmed, the league will now begin development of its schedule, which will be released on Sept. 25.
