WHL ‘on the right course’ with its fall plans, GM says

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This article was published 21/07/2020 (1921 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bob Tory is the general manager of the WHL’s Tri-City Americans and he’s part of the franchise’s ownership group, which makes him well-qualified to speak on the future of the 2020-21 season.

His concern about restarting after the league was shuttered in mid-March due to the pandemic comes with some trepidation. He’s also hopeful of finding a way to get league play underway in fall.

“I think the league’s on the right course,” said Tory via telephone from Kennewick, Wash., Tuesday. “They’ve established the return to play protocol, which I think certainly helps. The challenges that we have in our league compared to most others is that we play over so many different jurisdictions. There’s the five provinces plus the two states, so how do we come up with a scenario where everyone’s able to start at the same time?

“And that might not even be possible because it looks like Manitoba is going to be certainly ahead of B.C. And Oregon seems to be slower than anybody and we’re not great here in Washington yet.”

Launching the season will depend on the situation at the U.S.-Canada border but that, by itself, may not doom the season. Divisional play between the five American-based clubs is being considered as a short and long-term solution.

“I’ve been told that they’ll allow our players to come down — that’s not a problem,” said Tory. “So the challenge is, does the border open and how does it open? Does it open so that we can cross. If that’s the case, we could continue with the schedule you have or just that conference.

“If Canadian teams that come across have to quarantine when they go back for two weeks, then it doesn’t work. And then, what do you do if you have a player that gets COVID? How does that affect the rest of the team?

“I think we have to be prepared for the fact that we might have to play in our own divisions. Even the provinces might not want teams traveling from province to province.”

Test cases such as the NBA’s restart in Orlando, Fla., and the NHL’s hub cities in Edmonton and Toronto are crucial.

“The big thing, hopefully, is we get these major league sports going without any issues,” said Tory. “I think that helps show that we’re moving in the right direction. Because at some point, I think we have to be realistic. We’ve got to get back to living our lives, understanding the risks and minimizing the risks.

“Because there’s always going to be risks, right? So we can’t just say that we’re not gonna do anything. You know, sports is over forever; that’s ridiculous.”

There will be collateral damage. Younger prospects who were hoping to challenge for spots in major junior this fall may have to put those dreams on hold.

“I’ve told our younger players’ parents that… I think minor hockey is going to start before us and that they should be prepared to sign up with their minor hockey team and let them know that there’s a chance that they can be called up (to the WHL) like any other season.”

It’s also very likely training camps, whenever they occur, will have reduced rosters — perhaps as few as 23 to 25 players, which would be less than half of a regular pre-season.

The safety of teenaged hockey players, many returning to the U.S. from their homes in Canada, has also been a significant talking point.

“I checked with all our billets and they’re all comfortable with the players returning,” said Tory. “Surprisingly, the parents have all been comfortable with the players returning; I thought there might be a little bit more caution. Maybe because we’ve been fortunate to have really good families and the families have built up good relationships.”

However, Tory expects less enthusiasm from incoming import players and their families. In Europe, it’s probable many of the domestic leagues will be up and running before any of the three Canadian major-junior leagues, which makes a move to North America less enticing.

Tory also hopes Hockey Canada will relax its rules for affiliate players in order to allow 15-year-old prospects to be recalled more easily, with the option of playing more than the mandated five regular-season games in the WHL.

Mike Johnston, head coach and GM of the Americans’ rival in Portland, Ore., warns the relaunch will be complex.

It also seems inevitable the WHL’s target of an Oct. 2 restart will be pushed back.

“If we did start late, what are the players doing for training?” said Johnston. “Where do they go? How is that set up with each of the cities and the teams crossing the borders still an issue for at least another month? So there’s quite a few factors. I don’t think the Oct. 2 date is realistic for a cross-border league where they schedule is set right now. Because there is travel in the first few weeks of cross border. But I do think that the potential of starting closer to home for teams is still there — for sure.”

Meanwhile, two members of last season’s Winterhawks squad — goaltender Joel Hofer (St. Louis Blues) and defenceman Johnny Ludvig (Florida Panthers) — have already signed pro contracts and would have normally expected to start the season in the AHL. A December start for the NHL’s top minor league puts that in doubt.

“We’re gonna offer, if the league agrees to this, that we can open up our facilities as soon as we can,” said Johnston.

“We’re going to offer for them to come back and train with us and maybe even start playing with us until the American League kicks into gear. So that could be a positive for our league that we could get some high-end 20-year-olds back in our league.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14