While there are still a large number of factors still up in the air, fans of the SJHL and their players can rest a little easier knowing that hockey is likely to return to the rinks.

The SJHL player of the year last year was Moose Jaw's Chantz Petruic, who played his final year of junior with the Yorkton Terriers. Former Moose Jaw Warriors and former Generals and U18 AAA Warriors will also be on rosters this year 

The SJHL is currently waiting to hear back from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) about a return to play proposal they have sent forward. 

"I'm fairly confident that we'll have a season of something," says League President Bill Chow. "It'll be a matter of the start date, it'll be a matter of how many fans will be allowed in the buildings which is very important to our teams, and regardless of when we start, it's really important for our teams to play a complete season."

Although the schedule is normally released at this point of the year, the SJHL does not have theirs in place yet, but does plan to start on September 11th if everything goes according to plan. If the season can't start by that date, the league is willing to move games from the start of the season that are missed to the end of it, extending the season to the later parts of spring if need be.

"We've done as much as we can up to the point of having the approval from Sask Health as to the start of the season and the protocols that have been submitted and altered to satisfy Sask Health, and then we go from there and at least we have a starting point. Knowing the fact of how rapidly as things have changed with the COVID 19 virus that things can change in a day and hour in minutes, we have to be prepared for that but also have to know that we are protecting our players and coaches and staff."

The fan experience at an SJHL game could look very different this year. While not confirmed, the conversation around the sporting community is that once teams are allowed to return to play that they will only be allowed to have 50% of the capacity normally in their facility, and that is the number that SJHL has been planning with. Other things like food and drink sales and merchandise being sold in the rink will be left up to local authorities or the SHA.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a part of the SJHL's proposal sent to the SHA, and it won't be just in place to protect the players, but also staff that could have any contact with the players.

"With your training staff and your off-ice officials, penalty box workers, that sort of thing. Obviously we have to take extra precaution there. For the players and the staff when they enter the dressing room there's going to have to be a certain protocol that's followed. When it comes to billeting, there will be proper checks to verify and making sure that people haven't come into contact with anybody with COVID or have any symptoms."

Another thing that will have to have a closer eye on it this coming season is the symptoms of players during practices and off time. It always seems that when one player gets some kind of illness, it works its way through the team for the next month and teams end up playing shorthanded because of it. Any player who feels even slightly sick will be encouraged to stay off the practice ice.

"What used to happen was if you had the cold or the flu, oh well. You still went to practice, you still did whatever but I think now we just have to take the extra precaution and make sure that sick player is separated from the rest of the team because you don't know exactly what that is. People are probably going to have to go for a COVID test at some point if they're sick."

The SJHL has put forward a lot of effort and a lot of ideas to the SHA that have not only come from them, but some of the other junior leagues around the country. 

"Up until last week we were having weekly Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) meetings on Tuesdays working through the scenarios like trade deadlines and as to what that would look like when the last league would start because there's different health authorities."

Chow added that another league out east, the Maritime Junior Hockey League, has helped them plan a little easier for inter-provincial travel for games in Flin Flon.

"We do have to consider the fact of Flin Flon being in Manitoba and figuring that out between the two provinces but I don't think that's going to be a huge obstacle to overcome."