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.
| 2020–21 WHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Sport | Hockey |
| Duration | February 26, 2021 – May 12, 2021 |
| Number of teams | 22 |
| TV partner(s) | KRCW-TV KZJO Sportsnet |
| Finals champions | None |
| 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 |
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a late start, the season was shortened from 68 to 24 games, and the WHL officially termed the season as a "developmental season".[1][2] Teams played within their respective divisions only: the Central Division consisted exclusively of Alberta-based teams, the U.S. Division played exclusively in Washington state, 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.[3][4][5]
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.[6]
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.[7] Therefore, no league champion was declared for the second season in a row.
Standings
editNote: 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
editScoring leaders
editPlayers are listed by points, then goals.[9]
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 |
| Cole Fonstad | Everett Silvertips | 23 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 14 |
| Gage Goncalves | Everett Silvertips | 23 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 12 |
| Justin Sourdif | Vancouver Giants | 22 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 29 |
| Connor McClennon | Winnipeg Ice | 24 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 27 |
| Jake Neighbours | Edmonton Oil Kings | 19 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 17 |
| Tristen Nielsen | Vancouver Giants | 22 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 14 |
| Ridly Greig | Brandon Wheat Kings | 21 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 39 |
| Kyle Crnkovic | Saskatoon Blades | 24 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 8 |
Goaltenders
editThese are the goaltenders that lead the league in GAA that have played at least 420 minutes.[10]
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 |
| Dylan Garand | Kamloops Blazers | 18 | 1086 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2.15 | 0.921 |
| Trent Miner | Vancouver Giants | 15 | 832 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2.16 | 0.915 |
| Gage Alexander | Winnipeg Ice | 9 | 538 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.23 | 0.917 |
WHL awards
edit| Award | Name | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| WHL Champions | Ed Chynoweth Cup | Not Awarded |
| Regular season champions | Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy | not awarded |
| 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 | Eli Zummack, Spokane Chiefs |
| Scholastic Player of the Year | Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy | Ethan Peters, Edmonton Oil Kings |
| Scholastic team of the Year | Jim Donlevy Memorial Trophy | not awarded |
| 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
editReferences
edit- ^ "Western Hockey League to open 2021-22 Regular Season Friday – WHL Network". Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ "Calgary Hitmen return to action on Friday as season winds down". CTV News Calgary. April 22, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ "Western Hockey League commits to season for WHL players". WHL. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. 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. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "Western Hockey League granted approval to return to play in Alberta". WHL. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. 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.