2020–21 WHL season
| 2020–21 WHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Sport | Hockey |
| Duration | February 26–May 12, 2021 |
| Number of teams | 22 |
| TV partner(s) | KRCW-TV KZJO Sportsnet |
| 2020–21 CHL seasons | |
|---|---|
| League | Canadian Hockey League |
| Sport | Hockey |
| Duration | OHL Did not play QMJHL October 2020–June 2021 WHL February–May 2021 |
| Number of teams | 60 |
| TV partner(s) | TVA Sports Rogers Sportsnet Rogers TV Shaw TV |
The 2020–21 WHL season was the 55th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The season began on February 26 and ended on May 12.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a late start, the season was shortened from 68 to 24 games. Teams played within their respective divisions only, the Central division consisted exclusively of Alberta-based teams, and all B.C.-based and East Division teams played games in hub cities. All B.C.-based teams played from either Sandman Centre or Prospera Place in Kamloops and Kelowna, British Columbia, and all East Division games were played at Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan, while the Portland Winterhawks played the entirety of their season in Washington state.[1][2][3]
In Alberta due to protocols agreed upon by the league, a five-day period was required between games involving different opponents. Therefore, all Central Division games were scheduled as home-and-home series on weekends only, and thus no team was scheduled to play more than one opponent per-week.[4]
On April 19, citing logistical issues and interprovincial travel restrictions, and following the cancellation of the 2021 Memorial Cup, the WHL announced that it had cancelled the playoffs.[5] Therefore, no league champion was declared for the second season in a row.
Standings[]
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SL = Shootout losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched conference title
| Pos | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton Oil Kings yz | 23 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 104 | 41 | 41 |
| 2 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 23 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 69 | 29 |
| 3 | Calgary Hitmen | 21 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 72 | 79 | 23 |
| 4 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 24 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 81 | 108 | 21 |
| 5 | Red Deer Rebels | 23 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 59 | 106 | 12 |
| Pos | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon Wheat Kings y | 24 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 104 | 61 | 38 |
| 2 | Winnipeg Ice | 24 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 70 | 37 |
| 3 | Saskatoon Blades | 24 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 80 | 62 | 35 |
| 4 | Prince Albert Raiders | 24 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 70 | 81 | 22 |
| 5 | Regina Pats | 24 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 76 | 96 | 21 |
| 6 | Moose Jaw Warriors | 24 | 8 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 71 | 95 | 19 |
| 7 | Swift Current Broncos | 24 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 72 | 108 | 14 |
| Pos | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everett Silvertips y | 23 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 91 | 45 | 38 |
| 2 | Portland Winterhawks | 24 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 96 | 72 | 29 |
| 3 | Seattle Thunderbirds | 23 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 67 | 82 | 21 |
| 4 | Spokane Chiefs | 21 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 55 | 79 | 17 |
| 5 | Tri-City Americans | 19 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 78 | 14 |
| Pos | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kamloops Blazers y | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 87 | 51 | 36 |
| 2 | Vancouver Giants | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 59 | 24 |
| 3 | Kelowna Rockets | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 53 | 21 |
| 4 | Prince George Cougars | 22 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 57 | 62 | 21 |
| 5 | Victoria Royals | 22 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 96 | 8 |
Statistics[]
Scoring leaders[]
Players are listed by points, then goals.[7]
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts. = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peyton Krebs | Winnipeg Ice | 24 | 13 | 30 | 43 | 28 |
| Ben McCartney | Brandon Wheat Kings | 24 | 13 | 24 | 37 | 29 |
| Everett Silvertips | 23 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 14 | |
| Everett Silvertips | 23 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 12 | |
| Vancouver Giants | 22 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 29 | |
| Winnipeg Ice | 24 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 27 | |
| Jake Neighbours | Edmonton Oil Kings | 19 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 17 |
| Vancouver Giants | 22 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 14 | |
| Ridly Greig | Brandon Wheat Kings | 21 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 39 |
| Saskatoon Blades | 24 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 8 |
Goaltenders[]
These are the goaltenders that lead the league in GAA that have played at least 420 minutes.[8]
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SOL = Shootout Losses; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage
| Player | Team | GP | Mins | W | L | OTL | SOL | SO | GAA | Sv% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Cossa | Edmonton Oil Kings | 19 | 1144 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1.57 | 0.941 |
| Dustin Wolf | Everett Silvertips | 22 | 1298 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.80 | 0.940 |
| Kamloops Blazers | 18 | 1086 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2.15 | 0.921 | |
| Vancouver Giants | 15 | 832 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2.16 | 0.915 | |
| Winnipeg Ice | 9 | 538 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.23 | 0.917 |
WHL awards[]
| Award | Name | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| WHL Champions | Ed Chynoweth Cup | Not Awarded |
| Regular season champions | Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy | Edmonton Oil Kings |
| Player of the Year | Four Broncos Memorial Trophy | Peyton Krebs, Winnipeg Ice |
| Top Scorer | Bob Clarke Trophy | Peyton Krebs, Winnipeg Ice |
| Top Defenceman | Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy | Braden Schneider, Brandon Wheat Kings |
| Rookie of the Year | Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy | Connor Bedard, Regina Pats |
| Top Goaltender | Del Wilson Trophy | Dustin Wolf, Everett Silvertips |
| Top Plus-Minus Rating | WHL Plus-Minus Award | Jake Neighbours, Edmonton Oil Kings |
| Most Sportsmanlike Player | Brad Hornung Trophy | , Spokane Chiefs |
| Scholastic Player of the Year | Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy | , Edmonton Oil Kings |
| Coach of the Year | Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy | |
| Executive of the Year | Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy | |
| Top Official | Allen Paradice Memorial Trophy | |
| Marketing/Public Relations Award | St. Clair Group Trophy | |
| Humanitarian of the Year | Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy | |
| WHL Finals Most Valuable Player | airBC Trophy | Not Awarded |
| Alumni Achievement Awards | Professional Hockey Achievement Academic Recipient |
See also[]
- List of WHL seasons
- 2020–21 OHL season
- 2020–21 QMJHL season
- 2020 in ice hockey
References[]
- ^ "Western Hockey League commits to season for WHL players". WHL. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "B.C. WHL teams to hit the ice with Kelowna, Kamloops hub cities". Victoria News. March 2, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "Western Hockey League granted approval to host Hub Centers in Kamloops & Kelowna". WHL. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "Western Hockey League granted approval to return to play in Alberta". WHL. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "WHL cancels 2021 playoffs, citing COVID-19 challenges". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "2020–2021 Division Standings". Western Hockey League. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ "WHL Regular Season: Scoring leaders". Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ WHL Regular Season: Goaltending leaders. Retrieved on February 27, 2021.
External links[]
- Western Hockey League seasons
- 2020–21 in Canadian ice hockey by league
- 2020–21 in American ice hockey by league
- Ice hockey events curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic