The Canadian Hockey League season ended on Sunday afternoon, with the Saginaw Spirit winning the Memorial Cup in dramatic fashion with a last-minute goal.
Two days later, in a case of always moving forward, the Western Hockey League announced its season-opening dates for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
The Moose Jaw Warriors, the WHL champions who fell to Saginaw in the Memorial Cup semifinal game, will open the season on Friday, Sept. 20, when they visit the Brandon Wheat Kings.
That game will be one of eight that night, with another eight taking place on Saturday, Sept. 21, including the Kelowna Rockets hosting the Portland Winterhawks.
This will be the third straight season that Kelowna and Portland will open their respective schedules against each other.
Portland beat Kelowna 6-5 in overtime on Sept. 24, 2022, then by the exact same score in overtime on Sept. 23, 2023.
Also, on Saturday night, the Everett Silvertips will host the Vancouver Giants. Rookie Landon DuPont, the WHL’s first exceptional-status defenceman, is expected to play for Everett that night.
The rest of the regular-season schedule and the pre-season schedule will be released at a later date.