While much attention at this time of year is given to the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship and the BCHL players and alumni competing in that tournament, it is also worthwhile to check out the Spengler Cup, one of the oldest hockey tournaments held in Davos, Switzerland. The six-team, invitation-only […]
Hockey Canada
Q&A with BCHL Chief Executive Officer Chris Hebb: Reflecting on rapid midseason expansion into Alberta
The 2023-24 British Columbia Hockey League season was unlike any other in the circuit’s 62-year history. Not only was it the first season of operation independent from Hockey Canada, but it also saw the addition of five teams from Alberta — as expansion clubs — midseason. On Jan. 20, 2024, […]
The Prince George Spruce Kings and the future of junior hockey in the Cariboo
Things continue to change within British Columbia’s junior hockey leagues. The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, a Hockey Canada-sanctioned Junior A Tier 2 league, welcomed the Merritt Centennials as an expansion franchise at the end of March. The KIJHL also relocated two teams to the Cariboo region as the Summerland […]
Fans and players continue to ride AJHL roller coaster
On Jan. 20, the British Columbia Hockey League announced during the All-Star weekend that five Alberta Junior Hockey League teams had agreed to terms on joining the BCHL at the start of the 2024-25 season. These teams are the Brooks Bandits, Blackfalds Bulldogs, Okotoks Oilers, Spruce Grove Saints, and Sherwood […]
5 Alberta Junior Hockey League teams confirmed to join BCHL for 2024-25
In a move that’s sent shockwaves across the junior hockey world, the British Columbia Hockey League confirmed on Saturday morning that the rumours are, in fact, true. The league announced that five teams that currently play in the Alberta Junior Hockey League have agreed to terms to join the BCHL […]
Report: Five Alberta Junior Hockey League teams make bold move to join BCHL
Reports surfaced on Friday afternoon that in a surprising and unprecedented move, five prominent Alberta Junior Hockey League teams — Spruce Grove Saints, Sherwood Park Crusaders, Brooks Bandits, Blackfalds Bulldogs, and Okotoks Oilers — will depart from the AJHL to join the British Columbia Hockey League for the 2024-25 season. […]
Five BCHL alumni in action at this year’s Spengler Cup
I’m not sure why, but I’ve always been drawn to watching the Spengler Cup. Maybe it’s the majestic imagery of the tournament being held during the magical holiday season in a gorgeous Alpine resort in the Swiss Alps. Maybe it’s the fact that the tournament doesn’t attract the same stakes […]
Eight current, former BCHL players representing their countries at World Junior Championships
(British Columbia Hockey League official media release) With the IIHF U20 World Championship just a few days away, rosters are now set for the tournament and there will be three current BCHL players and one league alumnus suiting up for their countries. In addition, four other current BCHLers took part […]
No holiday trade freeze in the BCHL this year
Although customary in previous years, the British Columbia Hockey League’s departure from the Canadian Junior Hockey League and Hockey Canada this past spring means there’s no holiday trade freeze this year. In the past BCHL clubs weren’t permitted to make trades with CJHL teams between Dec. 10 and New Year’s […]
BCHL roster rules for 2023-24
The 2023-24 British Columbia Hockey League season starts Friday with 16 of the circuit’s 17 teams in action. The only team not on the ice to open the season that day is Prince George, and the Spruce Kings open their season on Saturday in Salmon Arm. Although the BCHL started […]