Ty Bauer starts quarantine soon in preparation for US division opening

The US division of the Western Hockey League (WHL) is set to open its regular season on Mar. 19.

Among those returning to play is Cochrane's Ty Bauer, 18, who is entering his third season with the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Late last week, the WHL announced Washington State has now allowed a return to play with no fans in the stands. That has allowed the five-team US division to play a shortened season.

The 6'3", 205 lb. defenceman is pleased to have the opportunity to play.

"There's a lot of hockey players and staff that were pretty displaced for the last 10 months, to say the least, so it's really exciting news. Everybody's ready to get back and ready to go."

Bauer doesn't take the opportunity for granted.

"It's definitely going to look a little different. There's a lot of factors that contribute, but we're willing to do everything we need to do to be able to play and most importantly to keep not only ourselves but the people around us and the community safe, too.  

"There are some more pressing issues at hand and if the worse that was happening to us is that we weren't playing, we're doing pretty good because there are a lot of people out there in some tougher spots. We're more than grateful to be playing. Safety is our number one priority. Whatever it takes, we're willing to do it."

Bauer goes into quarantine in Cochrane on Feb. 18 before heading to Seattle on Feb. 25. Then he's back in quarantine, with the hopes of starting practicing a week or two after that.

He expects some stiff competition in the American division and says the Thunderbirds aspire to finish on top.

"There's going to be good teams. Portland, Everett, Spokane are all good, Tri-City is getting better, so it's going to be challenging. At the end of the day, we want to win. We feel like we've built a pretty good young team here over the last couple of years."

A schedule and further details on COVID-19 protocols will be announced at a later date for the US division.

Besides pushing hard for the Thunderbirds, Bauer will continue to works toward being signed by the Winnipeg Jets. He was selected by the NHL club in the sixth round of the October draft.

"It's one foot in the door, but it's certainly not the end. I've got a lot of work to do both on and off the ice. I've got to keep picking away at it, keep showing myself, keep on the radar, and hopefully, in the few years, I'll be able to climb up through the ranks of pro hockey and find myself in a Jets jersey."