OHL planning on December return; Memorial Cup pushed into June

The Ontario Hockey League has become the latest hockey league to announce its intentions to start the 2020-21 season in December.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, the OHL said that it's "planning to return to play on December 1, 2020, subject to ensuring that the players, fans, staff and community are able to play and attend games safely. Over the next four months the league will continue to work with government and health agencies to finalize outstanding issues such as safe attendance at venues and cross border travel for teams and players."

The OHL said that its season will include a 64-game schedule and a 16-team playoff format. The league will reportedly adjust its scheduling to reduce travel, which is something the QMJHL is expected to do.

Just spoke with OHL commissioner David Branch. The Dec. 1 target start date gives the league some runway to deal with the border problem. No out-of-conference games this year and teams to be clustered based on proximity.

— Ryan Pyette (@RyanatLFPress) August 5, 2020

The regular season is scheduled to end on April 29, 2021, which the other CHL leagues will, presumably, roughly target as well. The 2021 Memorial Cup is scheduled to be played June 17-27, 2021 in either Oshawa or Sault Ste. Marie.

The AHL, ECHL and BCHL have also said they plan on returning to play at the beginning of December. The WHL previously said it hoped to begin play on Oct. 2 and has not given an update since.

Sounds like any plan to open in the WHL would require the ability to fill arenas to a 50% capacity, and less would result in financial ruin. https://t.co/SpOR4v13k4

— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) August 5, 2020

The QMJHL, meanwhile, is still moving forward with its plan to begin the season on Oct. 1 with training camps opening on Aug. 26. The Quebec government has reportedly approved the QMJHL's return to play plan but there has been no word from the three Maritime governments.

NOUVEAU - La Direction de santé publique du Québec approuve le plan de relance de la #LHJMQ. La première de plusieurs étapes à franchir en vue d’un retour au jeu. Détails 👇🏻https://t.co/dfL4dzS9Jp

— Alexandre Pratt (@alexandrepratt) August 5, 2020

The QMJHL's plan features a 60 game schedule with the 18 teams divided into three divisions. Teams would not play outside of their divisions, which would avoid any issues surrounding the Quebec and New Brunswick border.

Working in the QMJHL's favour is that they do not have any US based franchises. They do, however, have many American players, which could be an issue for some teams. A report came out Tuesday that American junior hockey players have been denied entry into Canada, but that report has not been confirmed.