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BCHL power rankings – December 2024

Josh Lockhart

Welcome to another edition of the BCHL power rankings.

From this point on the statistics will be consistent. The last rendition I felt gave an unfair advantage to teams that were special teams heavy, as in they were excelling on both the power play and penalty kill (I’m looking at you, Cranbrook Bucks). Instead, I have reverted to the Scotty Bowman method of adding power play and penalty kill percentages together to create an overall percentage for special teams.

In place of that field is now the winning percentage. It only seems fair to incorporate a team’s ability to turn out points from games as an indicator of how they are performing.

As with last time, each category, with the help of Excel, has been weighted equally and distributed. For example, the Brooks Bandits. They are top in win percentage, goals-against average, and team save percentage. Therefore, the Bandits earn 10 points in each of those categories. The Blackfalds Bulldogs, on the other hand, are last in win percentage, goals-for average), and goaltending. As a result, they receive zero points in each of those categories. Each team is distributed equally depending on how close they are to the top team and the bottom team.

Here are how the stats have shaken out from the start of the season to the beginning of December:

Josh Lockhart

Josh Lockhart has been a writer covering B.C. Junior Hockey since 2013, when he founded the Nitros Night in Kimberley blog for the KIJHL's Dynamiters. He also wrote for the Kimberley Bulletin and Cranbrook Townsman, created one of the first B.C.-focused junior hockey podcasts, and worked for the KIJHL as a social media manager. He was also a colour commentator and contributor for the 2017 Cyclone Taylor Cup. He became the Cranbrook Bucks' Broadcast Director in 2021 and currently hosts the Buck Tales podcast. Josh is also a husband, dad, and Registered Clinical Counsellor with his own mental health business.