From the Toledo Walleye:
The ECHL, in conjunction with the Professional Hockey Players’ Association, announced today that the 2020-21 season will commence on December 11, 2020 under a split-season format.
Under the split-season guidelines, the following teams will begin a 72-game season on December 11:
- Allen
- Florida
- Greenville
- Indy
- Jacksonville
- Kansas City
- Orlando
- Rapid City
- South Carolina
- Tulsa
- Utah
- Wheeling
- Wichita
Additionally, remaining ECHL teams will begin their season on January 15, 2021, competing in a 62-game season upon jurisdictional approval.
The Atlanta Gladiators have elected to take a voluntary suspension for the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 restrictions, returning to play in the 2021-22 season. All Atlanta Gladiators players are immediately free agents for the 2020-21 season.
In light of today’s announcement, the Toledo Walleye have rescheduled Winterfest from December 2020 to December 2021.
Winterfest 2020 was originally scheduled to run from December 17, 2020 through January 3, 2021 and feature two outdoor Walleye games at Fifth Third Field.
Nearly 60,000 people attended events at Fifth Third Field during the ten days of Winterfest in 2015 and the economic impact to county businesses was estimated at $9-$11 million.
The specific dates for Winterfest 2021 will be announced at a later time. The ECHL regular season will conclude on June 6, 2021. A schedule for games from December 11, 2020 through January 14, 2021 will be announced in the near future.
Under this split-season scenario, league standings will be based on winning percentage during the regular season. The postseason format will be based on the eligible competing teams in the regular season and will be announced at a later date.
