The WHL announced Friday afternoon that the Calgary Hitmen and Medicine Hat Tigers have both ceased team operations effective immediately after a player on the Hitmen tested positive for COVID-19.
The Tigers were deemed a close contact, having played Calgary on Apr. 5, and as a result were also affected. No positive tests have been found within the Medicine Hat team cohort, but further testing is underway and further information will be provided once those are complete.
A total of six games have been postponed, including Medicine Hat’s three-game weekend set with Lethbridge and Calgary’s three-game slate with Red Deer. The Rebels — who include Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product Jaxsen Wiebe in their line-up — will instead play Lethbridge on Friday, Saturday and Monday.
The WHL also announced one positive test each had been found on the Kelowna Rockets and Vancouver Giants.
For Kelowna, the player was deemed to have been a close contact resulting from the previous seven cases of COVID-19 announced on March 31. The player remains in isolation at this time. All other Kelowna Rockets players and staff within the team cohort tested negative for COVID-19 this week. Because all individuals within the team cohort have been in isolation the latest positive test result does not impact the target date for a return to team activities.
The Rockets officially suspended team activities for 14 days on Mar. 31 and the WHL has set Apr. 14 as their return date.
Vancouver dodged a bullet with their positive test, as the player was in the midst of a mandatory quarantine prior to joining the team and had no prior contact with the Giants. All members of the Giants cohort had tested negative this week, and as there has been no contact between the affected player and the team, all activities will continue.
Testing also continued this week in the East Division Regina Hub — which includes the Moose Jaw Warriors — with no positive tests found to date.
