Following a year’s absence from competitive play, the WHL’s B.C. Division will be back in action on Friday night.
In what will be the first games of a shortened season because of COVID-19, the Kelowna Rockets will host the Victoria Royals, while the Kamloops Blazers host the Vancouver Giants. Both games start at 7 p.m.
Those two are part of eight league-wide matches this evening, with games also being played in Portland, Spokane, Edmonton, Medicine Hat and Regina.
In Kelowna, Alex Swetlikoff of the Rockets hasn’t forgotten Kelowna’s last game against Victoria, a 3-2 loss to the Royals on March 11.
In that game, Kelowna forward Trevor Wong was taken out by a knee-on-knee collision.
“It’s going to be a heated game; we haven’t played in over a year,” Swetlikoff told Global News.
“From what I remember, we lost to them the last time, so we still remember that and we are going to try and get them back.”
While the players may recall that loss, that isn’t what the team’s front office is thinking about.
“No, I haven’t even thought of that,” Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton said laughingly.
The chairman of the WHL’s board of governors has been busy, doing behind-the-scenes work as one of the division’s two hub cities.
“Putting on the game with all the rules around (COVID-19) is the biggest challenge,” Hamilton explained.
However, it’s work that Hamilton is happy to do in order to get his players an opportunity to showcase their skills.
“We’re probably in excess of 35 NHL scouts here tonight,” he said.
Those scouts will have Prospera Place almost to themselves, as the league’s stringent return-to-play protocols won’t allow fans into the building.
“Every precaution is taken, 24-7,” WHL commissioner Ron Robison said from Calgary.
“So, we feel that we’ve acted as responsibly as we can in this area and we’ve had success early on because of the comprehensive nature of our protocols.”
“You have wear a mask to the rink, (there’s) weekly COVID tests, we have to fill out an app on our phone every day,” Swetlikoff explained, detailing just a few of the protocols in place for WHL players.
But despite the extensive COVID restrictions, the Rockets are excited to be back on the ice, playing.
However, with only seven days of training camp, early expectations need to be realistic, cautions Hamilton, stating “I think these guys have acquired a bit of rust.”
On Saturday, six league games will take place, including Prince George at Kamloops.
Sunday’s slate will feature seven games, with Kelowna travelling to Kamloops to play the Vancouver Giants at 6 p.m.
Notably, all B.C. Division games this weekend are free to watch on the WHL’s live network. You can access the network by clicking here.
To view the WHL’s season preview of the B.C. Division, click here.