Photo: Missourinet

The NHL announced on Monday morning that 23 players have tested positive for COVID-19 since phase two opened on June 8. In addition, 12 others who have not been in phase two protocol have tested positive for the virus. 2900 players have been tested including more than 1400 this past week.

Only half of the league (396 players out of a possibly 744) have reported to their team’s facility in phase two so far.

All players who tested positive are self-quarantining and are following the appropriate guidelines.

I *think* this is good news, but it's a bit hard to tell because we don't know how these +ves broke down between new players (community-acquired) and guys who have been training for awhile (may be team-acquired).

Still, going from 11/200 to 4/250 to 8/396 doesn't seem terrible.

— Zachary Binney, PhD (@zbinney_NFLinj) July 6, 2020

Coronavirus cases have spiked in the south, especially in Arizona, California, Texas, Nevada, and Florida, which topped 200,000 COVID-19 cases this past weekend.

The St. Louis Blues reportedly had four players and one coach test positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. The cases were linked to a bar in Clayton, Missouri where several team members got together.

NHL teams are planning to open training camps a week from Monday and the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs will reportedly resume in Edmonton and Toronto on Saturday, August 1. The NHL and NHLPA are finalizing the phases three and four protocols before training camps open.

By Harrison Brown