The WHL has been granted approval by the Government of Alberta and Alberta Health to return to play, which will enable the Alberta-based teams in the Central Division to open their season on Friday, February 26.
Five Clubs will form the Central Division, including the Red Deer Rebels, Edmonton Oil Kings, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Medicine Hat Tigers, and Calgary Hitmen.
The league has agreed that all Central Division games during the 2020-21 Regular Season will be played exclusively within the provincial boundaries of Alberta.
The division will play a 24-game Regular Season schedule, which will be announced at a later date.
The schedule will commence on Friday, February 26.
Based on the approved protocols, the schedule will allow for a maximum of one opponent per week, with a five-day break prior to playing a new opponent.
As a result, Central Division games will be played on weekends and consist of home-and-home games only.
Players and staff from Alberta-based Clubs will begin self-quarantining on Saturday, January 30 and then will report to their WHL Club on Saturday, February 6, where they will be required to undergo COVID-19 testing upon arrival followed by an additional quarantine period.
Pre-season on-ice training for the Central Division teams will open on Friday, February 12 at the earliest.
Clubs are also committed to providing private PCR testing through DynaLIFE Medical Labs, to ensure no additional strain is placed on public health.
Players will be tested upon arrival to their WHL Club and once again before engaging in any team activity.
The WHL will implement an ongoing weekly private PCR testing strategy.
If a Club has one or more players or staff test positive for COVID-19 at any point in the season, the Club will be required to suspend its Club activities for a minimum of 14 days.
Enhanced screening for all players, billets, team staff and officials will take place on a daily basis, including regular temperature screenings as well as symptom monitoring through the WHL Athlete RMS Mobile Application.
Masks must be worn by all players at all times with the exception of when participating on ice for games and practices.
Coaches will be required to wear masks at all times, including while conducting practice and while behind the bench during games.