Appearances can be deceiving. Take the Western Hockey League for example.

In the brief period since completion of the annual draft of bantam-aged players, enough signings have been announced to leave a f picture that could indicate plans for the 2020-21 season are on time and on target. Obviously they’re not, despite the reality that the Edmonton Oil Kings and Saskatoon Blades both signed high choices this week.

Medicine Hat product Dawson Seitz of the Kings and Kamloops-raised defenceman Tanner Molendyk of the Blades will even get to training camp. The draft touched the young careers of countless ambitious players and many other signings have also been registered. When will these prospects get to show their skills and take the next step toward fulfilling hockey dreams?

As cities, states and provinces labour to find the best, and safest, way to emerge from coronavirus lockdowns and the crippling shutdown, numerous puzzles come into view. There will be no easy solutions. During an informative and entertaining telephone conversation this week, Saskatoon general manager Colin Priestner found several ways to sum up his organizations current level of activity: Waiting Period.

“We have the signings, of course,” he said, “but we’re doing a lot of sitting still. A lot of our business at this’ll  time (of a normal, non-covid season) would be working on sponsorships and ticket sales, that sort of thing. Now, it’s almost impossible to make lasting decisions because we don’t know how this delay will work out, or when it will end.”

Every day of the current shutdown adds to the pressure. Essentially, the economic picture of all WHL’s member teams – based in four western provinces plus Washington and Oregon states in the U.S. – rise or fall on gate revenue and play-by-play radio broadcasts.

Television income, for most and perhaps all, is not a significant financial element. Equally confusing is the varying approach of separate provinces and states as they seek a return to political and financial normalcy; no way to tell whether all provinces will move at a similar time to allow large crowds at sports events, and no way to determine when (or if) European players will be allowed into the country in time to be part of whatever season finally takes shape.

“We also have to remember that whatever rules are passed to govern the way our league gets back, we don’t know if the same situations will exist in Ontario and Quebec and Michigan and the other places in the entire Canadian Hockey League that are waiting right now,” Priestner said.

“Besides, we have to figure out how much time we’ll have in our home buildings, to get ready. All of the buildings are busy; some have NHL schedules to work around. Other events have to be accommodated, too.”

Somehow, through a discussion that ranged from Priestner’s Olympic-medal aunt Kathy to his years as a university tennis competitor in Illinois, he left a positive feeling about all levels of sport, including the youngsters who may not yet have any career thoughts in mind. In a few words, he described the lull and the frustrations so well.

Waiting. Period.

Will we hear the crack of the bat in Western Canada this summer?