By CHAT News Today

Alberta Junior Hockey League

AJHL postpones regular season, development season to start Aug. 31

Aug 14, 2020 | 11:28 AM

The Alberta Junior Hockey League has postponed the start of the regular season but players will hit the ice for what the league is calling a development season beginning on Aug. 31.

A release from the AJHL says the current boundaries of Hockey Alberta’s Return to Hockey Plan and Stage 2 of Alberta’s Relaunch make it impossible for the league to start the regular season as planned.

The development season will meet the needs of both the league and its athletes by allowing teams to actively prepare for the upcoming season while providing players an opportunity for high-calibre training and development. Training camps can begin at the end of the month in all 15 AJHL communities and will run until the AJHL embarks on regular-season play.

Invited players can register for a respective team’s development season or opt-out.

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“As anxious as we all are to return to competition and embrace our communities, public safety and the safety of our athletes has to be the priority,” states AJHL commissioner Ryan Bartoshyk. “The opportunity for an AJHL Development Season will amplify the League’s ability to provide our athletes with a valuable experience through the quality instruction of our coaches and access to team training resources.”

“The Alberta Junior Hockey League will be poised to immediately resume regular-season competition when provincial regulations allow.”

When allowed by the province’s guidelines and when rosters are reduced to the allotted, size, the AJHL will begin exhibition play.

Plans for the 2021 AJHL Playoffs, 2021 Doyle Cup and 2021 Centennial Cup will be determined at a later date.

You can read the full AJHL release here.