WHL commissioner comes out with annual State-of-the-League report

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Near was also proud of the fact the league had a strong showing in the recent NHL draft, with four Western league players selected in the top 10.

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He also pointed out that of the first 100 players selected, 23 hailed from the WHL, the next highest total from any development league was the Ontario Hockey League with 16.

Interest in the league was also up, particularly in games viewed online – up over 50-percent from the 2024-25 campaign through its free Victory+ platform, and Near said the free streaming will continue into next year.

As for changes, the WHL’s regular season will be extended by one week.

“The decompressed schedule will create additional rest and recovery for players, opportunity for additional strength and conditioning, and support the athletes’ educational priorities,” said the commissioner in his comments.

The final day of regular season play is set for Sunday, March 28, 2027, with the playoffs beginning three days later.

The league is also introducing a new rule for travel.

Beginning with the 2026-27 WHL Regular Season, it’s allowing clubs to travel by air for one set of out-of-conference road games if the the trip by bus is more than ten hours.

“The decision to allow WHL Clubs to fly for one set of road games was approved by the WHL Board of Governors in association with a variety of initiatives to continue to augment the WHL Player Experience, to enhance player development, and to adapt to the changing hockey landscape,” Near stated.

The league is also considering bringing in a new no-return three-on-three Overtime pilot for the 2026-27 regular season.

“Under the ‘No Return’ three-on-three overtime format, once a team has gained the blueline, a player cannot deliberately carry, pass, or shoot the puck outside the blueline. Should this occur, play will immediately be whistled down (unless the opposing team collects the puck first) and the resulting face-off will occur in the defensive zone of the offending team with no line change permitted. The team benefitting from the offensive zone faceoff will have the opportunity to select which circle the faceoff occurs in.”

Near added all 2026 pre-season games, regardless of final score, will feature a ‘No Return’ three-on-three overtime to allow clubs the opportunity to pilot the rule.

A final decision on whether to implement it for the regular season will voted on by general managers once they’ve seen the concept in real time in the pre-season.

With a week longer in the regular season schedule, the first round of next year’s playoffs will be condensed to a best-of-five to allow the league champion, and potential WHL host, some time to transition into the Memorial Cup.

“The WHL Playoffs will begin Wednesday, March 31, 2027, and the first-round format will vary based on the geography of the competing teams, availability of facilities, and preferences of the higher-seeded Club,” Near continued in his report.

The following formats are currently approved, pending WHL approval of each instance:

• 1-2-1-1 (A-H-A-H)
• 2-3 (A-H) for longer distance series
• 2-2-1 (H-A-H)
• 1-1-1-1-1 (H-A-H-A-H) for close distance series only

H = Home A = Away

The WHL will begin the 2026-27 season with 23 teams – 17 team in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.