COVID-19 has caused many 19 and 20-year-old hockey players to lose their last chance to prove themselves in the game of hockey. These players have given their lives to the game, trained for 10's of thousands of hours, moved away from home at a young age, battled through injuries, and made many sacrifices to pursue every Canadian boy's dream of playing pro hockey. 

We propose that for the good of the game, give these players a chance to play out their final years without COVID-19 being the reason they left the game. Let's not let any late bloomers go undiscovered because they lost a year of hockey. The answer is simple. Move the age restrictions up 1 year. This can be accomplished by moving the CHL draft to Major Midget and allowing players to play Major Junior until they are 21. 

Players’ development curves vary, the good players that are going to make it from the age of 15 will still make it. History has shown that the 18-year-old and 19-year-old season has proven to be a great indicator of what a player will become. We are asking the governing bodies of Canada to step up and do what is right. Let's take this opportunity to help these kids today and improve the development path for Canadian players for years to come. 

No player should lose their last chance to make their dreams come true due to COVID-19.