CHL's return to regular schedule a chance for exceptional players to make their mark

Exceptions promise to be the rule in the upcoming Canadian Hockey League (CHL) season.

Following two consecutive seasons waylaid by the COVID-19 pandemic, action begins in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) on Thursday, the Western Hockey League (WHL) on Friday and the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) on Oct. 7.

It's as much of a return to normal as possible, with schedules containing the usual 68 games per team in the lead-up to the Memorial Cup in June hosted by the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Both the 2020 and 2021 Memorial Cups were cancelled because of the pandemic. Additionally, the entire 2021 OHL season was wiped out, while the WHL didn't hold the playoffs and the QMJHL battled through quarantines, breakouts and bubbles to crown the Victoriaville Tigres as champions.

It all means the 2021-22 season will be more unpredictable than ever, says play-by-play announcer Victor Findlay, who is calling each of the six games broadcast by CBC Sports.

"We can crunch all the numbers, all the stats and make all the predictions we want to see before the season hits the road here in early October," Findlay told CBC Sports' Rob Pizzo.

"But things could turn out completely differently because there's just so many unknown factors — more than there ever have been before coming into a CHL season."