The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) will resume the 2020-21 AJHL regular season on Friday, March 12th. The League announced today the team cohort groupings and game schedule for the first four weeks of competition under the AJHL Return to Play Plan.
A total of 52 games are scheduled to be played exclusively on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from March 12th – April 4th, 2021. The League will then break before changing the cohort groups and continuing game play in April.
AJHL Cohorts (March 12th – April 4th):
• Cohort #1 – Calgary Canucks, Okotoks Oilers, Brooks Bandits
• Cohort #2 – Drumheller Dragons, Olds Grizzlys, Camrose Kodiaks
• Cohort #3 – Sherwood Park Crusaders, Bonnyville Pontiacs
• Cohort #4 – Spruce Grove Saints, Fort McMurray Oil Barons
• Cohort #5 – Drayton Valley Thunder, Whitecourt Wolverines, Grande Prairie Storm
The AJHL completed over 80 games in the opening months of the 2020-21 season before the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a pause.
The AJHL has completed the first round of testing in its return to play plan with no positive COVID-19 results across 13 teams and 367 players and staff. Private PCR testing was provided by DynaLife to all members of the team cohorts after a 7-day isolation period and will be administered again this week before teams practice together for the first time. The AJHL will continue to provide updates on COVID-19 testing results while protecting the privacy of each individual.
If a member of the AJHL cohort – players or staff – test positive for COVID-19 at any point in the season, the team will be required to isolate and suspend all in-person team activities for 14 days. Enhanced daily screening for all AJHL players and team staff will be monitored through the SureHire Risk Assessment App. Teams will be diligent in following the Government of Alberta’s COVID-19 Public Health Guidelines in order to best protect themselves and our AJHL communities.
Spectators are not currently permitted at AJHL games due to provincial restrictions; however, all games will be broadcast on HockeyTV.