Western Hockey League Commissioner Ron Robison spoke at a zoom media conference Thursday, with the league announcing that Jan. 8, 2021 is a firm date for the start of the season.

The WHL is aiming for a 50 game regular season, and Robison was asked about the playoffs.

“We haven’t even got to a discussion on playoffs yet,” Robison said. “Of course that will depend on the Memorial Cup and the staging of the Memorial Cup and the ability for us to have full conference, inter-conference playoffs, with the border opening and so forth, whether that will be in place at that point in time. We’re going to have to make that decision later on in the season. So we haven’t really determined what the playoff format would look like, whether it’s the traditional four rounds of playoffs or whether we would have divisional play only at that particular stage. That will be something we determine at a later date.”

Robison was also asked a question about the financial situations teams are facing. Community-owned teams in Moose Jaw and Swift Current lost a combined $1.2 million last year, due to pandemic-related costs and lost revenue, as well as the CHL-wide lawsuit settlement.

“It’s very difficult circumstances we find ourselves in,” Robison said. “… There’s going to be significant financial losses for all of our clubs, without question. We know we’re going to be dealing with limited capacity, and far lower than we’re accustomed to, and will cause some challenges. I don’t believe we’re in danger of losing any franchises, but it will be a difficult situation for our teams to work their way through.”

Robison talked about what would happen if a player or a staff member has a positive test.

“Our protocols address all of that and we’ll be prepared for that,” Robison said. “I think as we’ve witnessed in the Quebec league, the virus does come and certainly occurs from time to time. We’re going to have to address that. We’ll be prepared to adjust the schedules and isolate teams as required as we work our way through that. But our protocols address what steps we take there if a positive test occurs.”

The Western Hockey League's trade deadline has been Jan. 10 for most of the last few years, but that will obviously have to change, as will the 20-year-old deadline which takes place in October each year.

“We’re working through all that,” Robison said. “That’s one of the reasons we need a little time to get our season started, is that not only are we waiting for some clarification in some cases from the health authorities, (but we also) need to work through some unique changes to our regulations. That’ll be a discussion we’ll be having with our general managers in the coming weeks in order to finalize, but there will be an adjustment to the dates.”

Robison said they will be minimizing the numbers of players they bring in to training camp as well.

The WHL has hired Dr. Dhiren Naidu of Edmonton, the NHL's medical director of the bubble that saw no positive tests in the last few weeks of the bubble, to oversee the league’s protocols.

“His role will be primarily to review our protocols, to ensure that the health authorities in each of our jurisdictions are comfortable with those recommended protocols and to make recommendations on improvements that we need to make over the course of the season, and certainly assist us as we monitor any situations that might arise over the course of the season.”

“He’s a resource for us, and someone who we’re going to benefit from his experience in this particular area, but in particular, it will be really very important from the standpoint of determining what our final protocols will look like.”