Independent media source of BCHL news, history, and analysis
For a city to secure a B.C. Hockey League franchise, it must accomplish several key steps. A city/municipality must possess a modern arena with more than 1,500 seats. A city must also have a sizable population. Ideally, the population should be above 10,000 people. Finally, any team must have a […]
The 2026 BCHL All-Star Weekend has a new home. For the first time, Spruce Grove, Alberta, will host the festivities and — more importantly — the event is taking place outside of British Columbia for the first time in its history. From 2022 to 2024, the Penticton Vees hosted the […]
Last season, the junior hockey pipeline expanded, allowing players from Canadian Hockey League franchises to play at NCAA schools in the United States. The effects on the BCHL were immediate. Players on BCHL teams left to play for Major Junior teams. One BCHL team – the Penticton Vees – joined […]
The BCHL season begins Friday, and with it comes the first real look at how the league’s new roster regulations will shape lineups. The changes represent a notable shift in how teams are constructed. Gone are last year’s quotas tied to “branch” roots and passport categories. In their place are […]
The BCHL continues to carve out its own identity in the Canadian junior hockey landscape, and its latest announcement for the 2025-26 season underscores that direction. On Thursday, the league unveiled its 54-game regular season schedule, a new divisional alignment, and a playoff format designed to stoke rivalries and reduce […]
The 2025 BCHL playoffs are down to the league final, with two teams remaining in the quest for the Fred Page Cup. Under the current BCHL playoff structure, only five teams missed the playoffs. The two Coastal Conference teams that didn’t make the playoffs were the Powell River Kings and […]
British Columbia Hockey League alumni Kent Johnson and Brian Lebler are among those representing their countries at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Hockey Championship. Johnson, a 22-year-old forward from Port Moody, B.C., is representing Canada at the tournament in Sweden and Denmark. Lebler, a 36-year-old veteran who represents Austria internationally, […]
The 2025 Fred Page Cup playoffs are well underway. This year, the format had the top eight teams in each conference making the playoffs, but that wasn’t always the case. Over the last six seasons, the BCHL has used three different playoff formats. For the 2020 playoffs, the Victoria Grizzlies […]
Last month’s 4 Nations Face-Off captivated the hockey world in more ways than one. Most will point to Canada’s thrilling overtime win against the United States, but as an exhibition tournament between the National Hockey League and its Players Association, there was the opportunity to experiment with some different rules. […]
The Victoria Grizzlies conducted two trades and one player signing to open the 2025 calendar year. On Jan. 15, the Grizzlies traded 2004-born defender Oscar Pantzare to the Penticton Vees for future considerations. Later that day, the Grizzlies signed 2004-born Major Junior defender Charles Côté to their roster. Finally, Victoria […]
