Western Hockey League Commissioner Ron Robison announced Wednesday the conclusion of the 2019-20 WHL regular season.
Following a meeting with the WHL Board of Governors and consultation with medical professionals it was determined that the remaining 54 games on the regular season schedule will be cancelled and not played.
“The WHL takes the safety of our players, officials, staff, fans, and everyone associated with the WHL very seriously,” Robison said in a news release. “Given the ongoing public health developments regarding COVID-19, we deemed it necessary to cancel the remaining games on the regular season schedule.
“We will continue to monitor ongoing public health developments regarding COVID-19. We will make every effort possible to conduct the 2020 WHL Playoffs at a later date. We thank WHL fans and partners for your patience and understanding during these challenging times.”
The league had initially suspended regular season games because of the coronavirus.
If the playoffs are held, the Kent-based Seattle Thunderbirds earned the eighth and final playoff berth out of the Western Conference. The T-Birds play at the accesso ShoWare Center. They rank 16th overall in the WHL.
The final standings for the 2019-20 WHL regular season are determined by using win percentage for all clubs:
# Playoffs Team GP W L OTL SOL PTS PCT
1 xyz Portland Winterhawks 63 45 11 3 4 97 0.770
2 x Everett Silvertips 63 46 13 3 1 96 0.762
3 xy Edmonton Oil Kings 64 42 12 6 4 94 0.734
4 xy Kamloops Blazers 63 41 18 3 1 86 0.683
5 x Spokane Chiefs 64 41 18 4 1 87 0.680
6 x Medicine Hat Tigers 63 41 19 2 1 85 0.675
7 x Lethbridge Hurricanes 63 37 19 2 5 81 0.643
8 xy Prince Albert Raiders 64 36 18 6 4 82 0.641
9 x Winnipeg ICE 63 38 24 1 0 77 0.611
10 x Brandon Wheat Kings 63 35 22 4 2 76 0.603
11 x Calgary Hitmen 64 35 24 4 1 75 0.586
12 x Saskatoon Blades 63 34 24 2 3 73 0.579
13 x Vancouver Giants 62 32 24 4 2 70 0.565
14 x Victoria Royals 64 32 24 6 2 72 0.563
15 x Kelowna Rockets 63 29 28 3 3 64 0.508
16 x Seattle Thunderbirds 63 24 32 4 3 55 0.437
17 Red Deer Rebels 63 24 33 3 3 54 0.429
18 Regina Pats 63 21 34 6 2 50 0.397
19 Prince George Cougars 62 20 34 4 4 48 0.387
20 Tri-City Americans 63 17 40 4 2 40 0.317
21 Moose Jaw Warriors 62 14 44 4 0 32 0.258
22 Swift Current Broncos 63 10 48 2 3 25 0.198
x = Clinched playoffs
y = Clinched division title
z = Clinched Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy (WHL Regular Season Champion)
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 350 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
