The Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) would like to wish all staff, players, fans, and volunteers a very happy holidays this year.
It’s been a challenging year, with COVID-19 leading to the extremely difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the 2019-2020 playoffs, as well as the delay of the start of the 2020-2021 season. All 13 teams, including the newest addition to the league, the Chilliwack Jets, worked extremely hard to implement Return to Play plans and because of this, the season was able to begin on October 15.
“We thank our teams and all the people involved for their efforts in getting this season up and running,” said PJHL Commissioner Trevor Alto. “We know this has been tough, but we have been proud of what we have been able to do so far and we will keep working towards finishing our season within the provincial guidelines.”
The PJHL is committed to following the direction of the current Provincial Health Order into the new year. Teams have continued to practice within the guidelines laid out, adhering to social distancing, hand-washing, and masking rules.
The league is continuing to work on adapting our Return to Play plans as restrictions change for the safety of everyone involved. The PJHL is dedicated to continuing to evolve so that we can provide a meaningful completion of our regular season and playoffs.
Looking to 2021, if restrictions allow, the PJHL will share the cohorts and schedule for the second half of the season, as well as some other exciting announcements that are focused on growing the league and assisting our players on their development path.
For now, we are thankful that we have been able to start the season and are able to continue to practice until play can resume. We hope that everyone stays safe and is able to enjoy the holiday season, and we look forward to getting back on the ice in 2021.