Of the 396 NHL players who have reported to their teams for optional training since June 8, 23 have tested positive for the coronavirus, the league announced in a statement on Monday.
The league says it is aware of 12 additional positive cases among NHL players in that span.
The NHL says it has administered more than 2,900 COVID-19 tests since June 8, including more than 1,400 this past week.
On Sunday night, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association finalized restart protocols for Phase 3 (training camp) and Phase 4 (the 24-team tournament in Edmonton and Toronto this summer). The next step is a player vote to ratify the proposal. The player vote is also expected to include a memorandum of understanding on an extension to the collective bargaining agreement, and it should be conducted this week.
According to sources, the NHL is targeting a July 13 start date for training camps and an Aug. 1 start date for the 24-team tournament. It will conclude with a Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton, likely in early October.
The protocols include an agreement that no player will be penalized if he chooses to opt out, and a player does not have to give a reason for wanting to opt out. According to the return-to-play protocol document, players have until 5 p.m. ET Tuesday to notify their teams if they are opting out. Sources tell ESPN that deadline will be pushed back, though, and will instead be three days after the protocol is ratified.
The document calls for daily testing for all NHL players and staff members once they get into the bubble, which the NHL calls the “secure zone.”