Junior players in limbo as coronavirus wreaks havoc

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This article was published 13/08/2020 (2218 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Seth Jarvis is a special talent and a first-round prospect for the upcoming NHL draft but in many ways he’s just like every other junior hockey player in Canada. 

He doesn’t know when his season will start and, with that in mind, he’s pondering other playing options.

The WHL recently shifted its restart for the 2020-21 season to Dec. 4 but that target seems as fluid as the original Oct. 2 reboot date the league announced earlier this summer.

The 18-year-old right-winger from Winnipeg, who led the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks with 98 points in 58 regular-season games before the league was shut down in March, considered starting the season with the Steinbach Pistons, who have held his MJHL playing rights since 2016. 

“I talked to (Pistons general manager and head coach) Paul Dyck a little bit and my coach back in Portland — just going over options for what we can kind of do until the season (starts) — and in talking with my agent and my parents, we kind of came to the conclusion that it’s probably best just for me not to overdo it with too many games, and just (stick to) training and the regimen I’m on right now,” said Jarvis Thursday.

“I think everyone wants to kind of get back to normalcy and a little bit of game play but I think what’s best for me right now is not to push myself too far in terms of rushing back.”

To be clear, no leagues in Western Canada have been cleared to resume playing games but MJHL clubs, which already have approval to open prospect camps on Sept. 5 and main training camps on Sept. 8, are hoping to start the regular season on Sept. 25.

The MJHL, contained within a single provincial jurisdiction, is believed to have a smoother path to restarting than the WHL, which must satisfy authorities in six provincial and state jurisdictions before returning to play.

A go-ahead to play again from the Manitoba health authority would be a game-changer but a potential obstacle would be players deciding to start the season in a junior A league would still need to get their release from the WHL.

Jarvis said one of his Portland teammates, 18-year-old left-winger Kishaun Gervais, has already agreed to rejoin his former team in Yorkton when play resumes in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

“He’ll still get probably a good month, month and a half of games in,” said Jarvis, who is likely to be one of the top 15 picks in the NHL draft, rescheduled for Oct. 9-10.

Dyck said he would be eager to add a player of Jarvis’s ability to his roster and has heard “rumblings” that others may be interested.

“For us, that’d be a no-brainer to have a special guy like that for whatever period of time it is,” said Dyck.

The Pistons also own the MJHL rights to Jonny Lambos of the Brandon Wheat Kings, although Dyck said he has not heard from the 19-year-old defenceman.

“That’s probably a case-by-case basis and may come down to the player’s choice with the support of his Western (Hockey) League team or agents as well,” said Dyck. “But, you know what, really nothing is concrete. We’re not starting next week either.

“If there was concrete news that one league wasn’t playing and another was, players may look at it much more seriously at that point.”

Portage Terriers GM and head coach Blake Spiller has two WHLers on his reserve list — Kamloops Blazers centre Reese Belton and Vancouver Giants left-winger Justin Lies — and said he would be careful before adding players who may only remain with his club for a short time.

Dyck sounded more enthusiastic about the possibilities of adding high-level talent.

“I think it’s realistic for us to have three or four (WHL players) — you know, that’s not a stretch for us,” said Dyck. “And especially early on in the season where you know we have expanded rosters and we’re carrying 25 bodies at that time anyway.”

A response from the provincial health authority, ruling on Phase 2 of the MJHL’s return-to-play plan, could come as early as today.

“We don’t have any indication what that feedback will be regarding our regular-season games,” said MJHL commissioner Kevin Saurette. “We’re obviously anxiously waiting for that feedback so at least we can make decisions and have all the information in front of us on what the concerning areas are and allow us to address those.”

Saurette admitted he was curious to see how a green light for the MJHL could impact the interest of major-junior players in his league.

“It’s always exciting to have talented young hockey players that we might not regularly see. You know at the end of the day that’s going to be the choice of those players, their families and the teams that they’re associated with,” said Saurette.

“But it’s definitely intriguing to hear some of the names that are considering playing if we are allowed to move ahead with games.” 

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14