There is still a ton of uncertainty, but also optimism that the Parkland U18 Rangers could be hitting the ice in-game action in mid-October.
Hockey Manitoba is currently in Phase 2 which begins on September 1 and it includes on-ice skill development (non-contact), drills, team tactics, online or in-person clinics, as well as tryouts.
The U18 Rangers are set to run their tryouts from September 25-27 at Credit Union Place. On August 16, the Manitoba AAA U18 Hockey League held their league meeting and it was a positive one as Return-to-Play Guidelines continue to be formulated from a league standpoint and Hockey Manitoba.
A Return-to-Play Task Force was created which is made up of league executives and team executive members. The Task Force will determine the league's start date and the number of games played.
"At this point, we're currently mulling over a couple of options and that includes starting the season between October 9 and November 1," said Levi Taylor, Commissioner of the league. "It would likely be between 24 and 36 games."
In a normal year, the regular season consists of 48 games and a late September start which won't happen.
Taylor says the last several months have been extremely challenging. The Southwest Cougars were set to hold the Telus Regional championships last year in Virden before the season was cut short because of the novel coronavirus.
The best-case scenario is games will begin on October 9 and Taylor is just excited to get things going.
"I think everyone around the league is really excited and cautiously optimistic," said Taylor. "We're hoping to have the proper protocols in place to not only start the season but finish it and crown a champion."
Stay tuned next week as Tyler Carefoot will join to share his thoughts.
