Aspiring elite U-15 players will have to wait longer in 2021 to discover their Western Hockey League destinies. The annual draft has been pushed from its usual May date to next December.
鈥淲e view this as an opportunity, in a difficult environment right now, to research and evaluate the 2006 age group thoroughly and safely,鈥� said Victoria Royals general manager and head coach Dan Price.
鈥淲e鈥檒l gather as much information as we can. We鈥檙e excited to watch the players once they鈥檙e able to return to their training, competition and overall development paths.鈥�
Ed Fowler, the Royals director of player personnel, is welcoming the additional time.
鈥淭his will relieve some of the pressure to research players without in-person viewing, and give us time to properly evaluate the 2006-born players,鈥� Fowler said.
鈥淚t will be a challenge logistically, though, to get eyes on these players against their own peer group next season.鈥�
WHL commissioner Ron Robison, however, is banking on a return to normal by autumn.
鈥淲e anticipate minor hockey leagues and tournaments will be fully operational in the fall, which will allow players to compete at a high level once again,鈥� Robison said, in a statement.
鈥淢oving the 2021 WHL draft from May to December allows additional time for players in the 2006 age group to be evaluated following a challenging season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.鈥�
Next year鈥檚 U-15 draft picks, if they play to age 20, will graduate in 2026. The 20-year-olds aging out in 2021, meanwhile, are awaiting their fate. They were drafted in 2016. The start of the current WHL season has been postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic.