Brooks Bandits
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| Brooks Bandits | |
|---|---|
Centennial Regional Arena | |
| Colours | Red, blue and white |
| General manager | Ryan Papaioannou |
| Head coach | Ryan Papaioannou |
| Website | https://www.brooksbandits.ca/ |
The Brooks Bandits are a
History
The Brooks Bandits were awarded an expansion franchise by the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) in 1999 and began play in the 2000–01 season. The franchise secured its expansion fee through what they call "The Founding Fathers", a group of 17 local businesses and individuals who donated the money needed to finance the team in exchange for lifetime benefits with the team.[citation needed]
The first coach for the Brooks Bandits was Nolan Crouse. The first franchise goal was scored by Chris Boyle just under a minute into the first regular season game against the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. The team struggled though most of its first four seasons, failing to make the playoffs. In 2004, the Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves took a leave of absence for one season, and their players were dispersed, adding Judd Blackwater and Neil to the Bandits team. Under head coach Kevin Higo and players such as Brendan Connolly, Spencer Machacek, Ben Wright, and Chad Johnson, the Bandit advanced to the AJHL playoffs for the first time.
In 2008, after three successful years, Higo accepted an assistant coaching position with the
In Papaioannou's second 2010–11 season, the Bandits finished second in the division, but were eliminated in the second round by the
The Bandits continued to dominate the AJHL at the start of the 2012–13 season going 20–0–0 before finally losing a game. The Bandits were one win short of tying the AJHL record for longest winning streak. The Bandits were led by captain Cam Maclise, Mark Reners, and Dakota Mason. The Bandits finished the regular season with a record of 53–4–3, breaking the AJHL record for wins in season, and points in a season (109). In all but one week (week 1), the Bandits were ranked as the number one team in Canada by the
They returned to the Western Canada Cup again in 2016 and 2017, winning the Western Junior A regional in 2017 and was the runner-up qualifier in 2016. They lost the 2017 Junior A national championship game in overtime to the
On January 20, 2024, it was announced that the team, along with four other
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T/OTL = Ties/Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | GP | W | L | T/OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 64 | 18 | 41 | 5 | 41 | 257 | 373 | 7th South | did not qualify |
| 2001–02 | 64 | 14 | 42 | 8 | 36 | 205 | 343 | 7th South | did not qualify |
| 2002–03 | 64 | 12 | 45 | 7 | 31 | 167 | 280 | 7th South | did not qualify |
| 2003–04 | 60 | 11 | 34 | 6 | 28 | 149 | 261 | 7th South | did not qualify |
| 2004–05 | 64 | 36 | 26 | 2 | 74 | 230 | 199 | 2nd South | Won Quarterfinals, 4–3 vs. Calgary Canucks Lost Semifinals, 0–4 vs. Camrose Kodiaks |
| 2005–06 | 60 | 29 | 24 | 7 | 65 | 174 | 188 | 4th South | Won Preliminary series, 3–2 vs. Okotoks Oilers Won Quarterfinals, 4–2 vs. Canmore Eagles Lost Semifinals, 0–4 vs. Fort McMurray Oil Barons |
| 2006–07 | 60 | 27 | 25 | 7 | 61 | 185 | 201 | 4th South | Won Preliminary series, 3–1 vs. Calgary Royals
Lost Quarterfinals, 2–4 vs. Okotoks Oilers |
| 2007–08 | 62 | 23 | 30 | 9 | 55 | 197 | 228 | 6th South | Lost Preliminary series, 0–3 vs. Drumheller Dragons |
| 2008–09 | 62 | 39 | 18 | 5 | 83 | 215 | 182 | 1st South | Won Div. Semifinals, 4–3 vs. Camrose Kodiaks Lost Div. Finals, 1–4 vs. Grande Prairie Storm |
| 2009–10 | 60 | 28 | 27 | 5 | 61 | 218 | 205 | 5th South | Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Calgary Canucks Lost Div. Semifinals, 1–4 vs. Camrose Kodiaks |
| 2010–11 | 60 | 35 | 18 | 7 | 77 | 211 | 185 | 2nd South | Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Canmore Eagles Lost Div. Semifinals, 3–4 vs. Camrose Kodiaks |
| 2011–12 | 60 | 47 | 7 | 6 | 100 | 273 | 131 | 1st South | Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Calgary Canucks Won Div. Finals, 4–0 vs. Olds Grizzlys Won AJHL Championship, 4–2 vs. Fort McMurray Oil Barons Lost Doyle Cup, 1–4 vs. Penticton Vees (BCHL) |
| 2012–13 | 60 | 53 | 4 | 3 | 109 | 289 | 113 | 1st South | Won Div. Semifinals, 4–1 vs. Junior A National Championship |
| 2013–14 | 60 | 39 | 13 | 8 | 86 | 196 | 132 | 1st South | Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Olds Grizzlys Lost Div. Finals, 0–4 vs. Drumheller Dragons |
| 2014–15 | 60 | 43 | 13 | 4 | 90 | 234 | 163 | 2nd South | Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Calgary Mustangs Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Okotoks Oilers Won Div. Finals, 4–3 vs. Camrose Kodiaks Lost AJHL Finals, 1–4 vs. Spruce Grove Saints |
| 2015–16 | 60 | 49 | 9 | 2 | 100 | 306 | 135 | 1st of 8, South 2nd of 16, AJHL |
Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Canmore Eagles Won Div. Finals, 4–0 vs. Camrose Kodiaks Won AJHL Championship, 4–1 vs. Spruce Grove Saints Advanced to 2016 Royal Bank Cup as Western Canada Cup runner-up |
| 2016–17 | 60 | 51 | 5 | 4 | 106 | 294 | 107 | 1st of 8, South 1st of 16, AJHL |
Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Royal Bank Cup as Western Canada Cup champions
|
| 2017–18 | 60 | 45 | 14 | 1 | 91 | 255 | 131 | 2nd of 8, South 3rd of 16, AJHL |
Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Canmore Eagles Won Div. Semifinals, 4–2 vs. Drumheller Dragons Lost Div. Finals, 2–4 vs. Okotoks Oilers |
| 2018–19 | 60 | 57 | 3 | 0 | 114 | 334 | 125 | 1st of 8, South 1st of 16, AJHL |
Won Div. Semifinals, 4–1 vs. 2019 National Junior A Championship
|
| 2019–20 | 58 | 46 | 10 | 2 | 94 | 290 | 145 | 2nd of 7, South 3rd of 15, AJHL |
Postseason cancelled |
Western Canada Cup
The
The tournament began with round-robin play between the five team followed by the top two teams playing in championship game and the third and fourth place teams playing in a semifinal game. The loser of the championship game then faced the winner of the semifinal game for the runner-up qualifier. The winner of the championship and the runner-up game advanced to the
| Year | Round-robin | Record | Standing | Semifinal | Championship game | Runner-up game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | W, 4–2 vs. Surrey Eagles (BCHL) L, 2–7 vs. Nanaimo Clippers (Host) OTW, 2–1 vs. Yorkton Terriers (SJHL) W, 3–0 vs. Steinbach Pistons (MJHL) |
3–1–0 (W–L–OTL) |
1st of 5 | — | L, 1–4 vs. Surrey Eagles | W, 1–0 vs. Yorkton Terriers Western Canada Cup Runner-up |
| 2016 | W, 4–2 vs. West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL) W, 3–0 vs. Melfort Mustangs (SJHL) W, 9–3 vs. Portage Terriers (MJHL) W, 6–4 vs. Estevan Bruins (Host) |
4–0–0–0 (W–OTW–L–OTL) |
1st of 5 | — | L, 0–6 vs. West Kelowna Warriors | W, 2–1 vs. Portage Terriers Western Canada Cup Runner-up |
| 2017 | W, 5–2 vs. Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) SOW, 2–1 vs. Penticton Vees (Host) W, 4–1 vs. Battlefords North Stars (SJHL) W, 5–0 vs. Portage Terriers (MJHL) |
3–1–0–0 (W–OTW–L–OTL) |
1st of 5 | — | W, 6–1 vs. Chilliwack Chiefs Western Canada Cup Champion |
— |
Junior A National Championship
The
The tournament begins with round-robin play between the five teams followed by the top four teams playing a semifinal game, with the top seed facing the fourth seed and the second facing the third. The winners of the semifinals then face each other in final game for the national championship. In some years, the losers of the semifinal games face each other for a third place game.
| Year | Round-robin | Record | Standing | Semifinal | Championship game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | W, 7–1 vs. Truro Bearcats (Eastern) W, 6–3 vs. Minnesota Wilderness (Central) L, 1–3 vs. Summerside Western Capitals (Host) W, 5–2 vs. Surrey Eagles (Western #1) |
3–0–0–1 (W–OTW–OTL–L) |
1st of 5 | OTW, 5–4 vs. Minnesota Wilderness | W, 3–1 vs. Summerside Western Capitals National Junior A Champions |
| 2016 | L, 2–3 vs. Trenton Golden Hawks (Central) W, 5–1 vs. West Kelowna Warriors (Western #1) W, 4–3 vs. Lloydminster Bobcats (Host) W, 5–4 vs. Carleton Place Canadians (Eastern) |
3–0–0–1 (W–OTW–OTL–L) |
2nd of 5 | L, 1–4 vs. West Kelowna Warriors | — |
| 2017 | W, 6–3 vs. Terrebonne Cobras (Eastern) OTW, 2–1 vs. Penticton Vees (Western #2) W, 8–0 vs. Trenton Golden Hawks (Central) L, 2–5 vs. Cobourg Cougars (Host) |
2–1–0–1 (W–OTW–OTL–L) |
2nd of 5 | W, 4–0 vs. Terrebonne Cobras | OTL, 2–3 vs. Cobourg Cougars |
| 2019 Host |
W, 7–3 vs. Oakville Blades (Central) W, 5–3 vs. Portage Terriers (Western) W, 2–1 vs. Ottawa Jr. Senators (Eastern) W, 3–1 vs. Prince George Spruce Kings (Pacific) |
4–0–0–0 (W–OTW–OTL–L) |
1st of 5 | W, 4–3 vs. Ottawa Jr. Senators | W, 4–3 vs. Prince George Spruce Kings National Junior A Champions |
Notable alumni
The following alumni have gone on in their career to play in the National Hockey League or similar achievements in international hockey.
- Curtis Glencross
- Chad Johnson
- Spencer Machacek
- Cale Makar
- Ty Rattie
- Jeff Malott
- Parker Foo
- Brandon Scanlin
See also
References
- ^ "BCHL agrees to terms with five Alberta-based teams". bchl.ca. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Brooks Bandits Mourn the Passing of Nick Crosby". Alberta Junior Hockey League. July 8, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-08.
- ^ "BCHL agrees to terms with five Alberta-based teams". bchl.ca. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
External links
