BURNABY, B.C. – The BC Hockey League (BCHL) announced today that its pod season will end at the conclusion of the current schedule on May 11 without a playoff round.
Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions in the province and the challenges that changing cohorts would have presented, the league determined it was not feasible to conduct a postseason.
The Fred Page Cup will not be awarded in 2021 and the traditional league awards will not be handed out either.
“Since we were shut down in November, our priority was to provide our athletes with an opportunity to showcase themselves to NCAA coaches and NHL scouts.” said BCHL Executive Director Steven Cocker. “We are thrilled that we were able to reward our players for all of the hard work they put in during what was a difficult and challenging season. We look forward to returning to a more normal schedule next year and once again crowning a BCHL champion.”
In place of the playoffs and year-end awards, a champion from each pod will be determined based on points or point percentage if there is a disparity in games played. There will also be a set of individual awards handed out in each pod, including Most Valuable Player, Top Defenceman, Top Goalie, Top Rookie and Top Scorer.
About the BCHL:
Sending more players on to college hockey every season than any other hockey league in Canada, the BCHL has established itself as a national leader in the development of young student athletes. Considering today’s NHL features more NCAA alumni than ever before, Junior A hockey is fast rivaling other leagues in North America as a breeding ground for the sport’s most elite and successful players. Last year alone, there were 196 BCHL players who received scholarships to top schools in the U.S. and Canada.
