On Monday, viaSPORT BC announced that the Provincial Health Office (PHO) has made revisions to their most recent Order, including changes around restrictions on youth sports that were preventing nearly half of the league’s players from practicing with their teams.
Prior to the revision, youth sports were permitted to continue under Phase 2 regulations, but only for athletes age 18 or younger. This meant that 19 and 20-year-old BCHL players were not permitted to practice with their younger teammates.
With the recent update to the Order, youth sports now fall within the age range of anyone under 22 years of age, meaning that all BCHL players are able to participate in Phase 2 activities.
With 48 per cent of the league’s players falling in the 19 or older age range, this is a significant development for many BCHL players.
The league will now wait for Jan. 8 to see if any other current restrictions are lifted that will allow the BCHL to commence its regular season later in the month.
