QMJHL pauses games in Quebec, WHL plans to start season Jan. 8

One of the CHL's three leagues is temporarily suspending play in its primary province, while another is aiming to begin the season after the calendar flips.

The QMJHL postponed games involving its East and West Division teams until Oct. 28, the league announced Wednesday. All Maritimes Division clubs will continue playing except for the Moncton Wildcats - though their weekend games are on hold until further notice - because local authorities declared that city an "orange zone" over the weekend, thereby prohibiting organized sports.

"With half of the Quebec-based teams located in red zones, it became almost impossible to operate in these circumstances," the league said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the WHL said its 2020-21 campaign is scheduled to start Jan. 8, 2021, with all regular-season games taking place within the boundaries of each of its four divisions. The league previously stated in June it was targeting Oct. 2, but that was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The QMJHL began its 2020-21 season in early October. The OHL announced in September it was targeting Dec. 1 to start the next campaign.

All three leagues postponed and ultimately canceled the remaining 2019-20 schedule following the outbreak in March.