Sports look a lot different this year with many start dates being pushed back or straight up postponed. The Heritage Junior Hockey League (HJHL) is no different and has set a tentative start date of October 28 for the 2020-21 season.

The Strathmore Wheatland Kings play in the South Division of the HJHL and will be getting ready to hit the ice soon for training camp. General Manager of the Kings Lee Smith said that camp will be a little different this year.

“We’ve turned the training camp into an invitation-only camp. We are looking at some new prospects but with the good core we’ve got from last year, most of the guys are returning so there weren’t as many spots anyway, so we decided to go that way and have an invitation-only,” explained Smith.

The Kings felt it was best to have their camp this way due to the restrictions with the pandemic only allowing a certain number of cohorts to interact with one another. 

Smith did add that they’ve done their homework on a few players they’ve been scouting and they will be invited to camp this year Smith said, “Like we’ve always done we’re going to be staying within our area. We are going to be possibly picking up a player of two from one of the teams that have decided to take the year off from the HJHL.”

Smith explained the Kings should be back on the ice for training camp around the end of September, beginning of October, they want to have their training camp closer to the start of the season because you can only practice for so long until the guys what to play in real games again.

The HJHL has agreed on a 24-game schedule that will be further solidified at a league meeting on August 30. Smith said he could see the regular season starting closer to December and preseason games in November with the possibility of some exhibition games before the season starts.

It looks like most teams in the HJHL will be returning for the 2020-21 season with the exception of the High River Flyers who have opted to take a year leave of absence. The north division will see the addition of the Three Hill Thrashers as they return to the league after taking a break last season.

The league will have a more solid plan in place after they meet on August 30.