Canadian Junior Hockey League

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Canadian Junior Hockey League
BCHL) (6)
HeadquartersCalgary, Alberta
Websitehttp://cjhlhockey.com/

The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) is an association of Canadian junior A ice hockey leagues and teams and was formed in November 1993, emerging from the Canada West Association of Junior 'A' Hockey. The champion of the Canadian Junior Hockey League wins the Centennial Cup.

The CJHL spans the majority of Canada, from the

Maritime Junior A Hockey League
.

History

1970s

In 1970, the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Canada Hockey League broke away from the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) and became its own governing body (what would become the Canadian Hockey League). These new "Major Junior" leagues were given exclusive permission to compete for the Memorial Cup, which had been Canada's Junior "A" championship prior to 1970.[citation needed
]

In May 1970, CAHA chairman

Manitoba Centennial Trophy to the new championship in honour of 100 years of ice hockey in Manitoba.[citation needed
]

Leagues The leagues that would be involved in that first year were:[citation needed]

In 1971, the

Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League was created as a rival league to the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League. The SOJHL was more in Southwestern Ontario, while the OPJHL focused more on the Greater Toronto Area. The other new league was the Quebec Junior A Hockey League.[citation needed
]

In 1973, the

Peace-Cariboo Junior Hockey League was promoted from Junior B in East-Central British Columbia. That same year, the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League folded. They were replaced by a single team, the Thunder Bay Kings later to be the two-time Centennial Cup champion Thunder Bay Flyers.[citation needed
]

1980s and 1990s

The summer of 1982 saw the folding of the Quebec Junior A League. In 1983, the

Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League in 1997. In 1989, Newfoundland would take a second shot at Junior A with the promotion of the St. John's Junior Hockey League.[citation needed
]

In 1990, the western Junior A leagues in Canada would form the Canada West Association. This organization would be the catalyst for the creation of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League in 1993. In 2008, the league was rebranded the "Canadian Junior Hockey League".[citation needed]

The CJAHL was formed in November 1993, with Fred Page appointed as chairman of the board, and Ronald Boileau as president. The original leagues included:[1]

The St. John's Junior Hockey League dropped back to Junior B in 1991. Also in 1991, the

Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League and the Metro Junior A Hockey League. By 1998, the two leagues would merge under the Ontario Provincial banner with 37 teams under its belt. In 1999, the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League folded.[citation needed
]

2000s to present

In 2000, the Thunder Bay Flyers folded, having competed strictly in the United States Hockey League since the 1996–97 season. A year later, their void was filled by the Superior International Junior Hockey League. In 2008, the Ontario Provincial League rebranded itself the Ontario Junior Hockey League, just to be divided into two leagues in 2009 (Central Canadian Hockey League and Ontario Junior A Hockey League), and be reunited in time for playoffs that year under the Ontario Junior Hockey League banner. In 2010, the Central Junior A Hockey League became the Central Canada Hockey League.[citation needed]

In 2018, the CJHL introduced a concussion protocol funded by the Co-operators, for the assessment and management of concussion, and digitally tracking a player's concussion history.[2] The CJHL later developed a player safety committee to implement educational videos for players, and for uniform ice hockey rules in the constituent leagues.[3]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the CJHL cancelled the 2019–20 season playoffs for all leagues, the four regional championships, and the national championship.[4][5] Several return-to-play scenarios were proposed for the 2020–21 season, which included staggered registrations and different opening dates for each league.[6] Due to the pandemic, some leagues in the CJHL played games without spectators in attendance with greatly reduced income. The CJHL hoped that the financial assistance given by provincial governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan would be equalled by other provinces.[3] Without national hockey events, some CJHL leagues planned showcases for players to be scouted, and worked with the NHL Central Scouting Bureau to make long-term plans for the NHL Entry Draft.[3]

The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) withdrew from the CJHL prior to the 2021–22 season. The BCHL reportedly sought to import players aged 16 and 17 from other provinces, which was opposed by the remainder of the CJHL. Despite the loss of a league, the other nine league were committed to the CJHL.[7] In 2021, all CJHL leagues agreed to truth and reconciliation games in support of First Nations in Canada. The Dryden Ice Dogs were the first team to arrange such a game.[8]

Current leagues

Locations of Regions and Leagues of the CJHL (2021-22 season).
League Provinces Teams 2021-22 Champion
Pacific Zone
Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) Alberta[a 1] 11 Brooks Bandits
Western Zone
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) Saskatchewan[a 2] 12 Estevan Bruins
Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) Manitoba 13 Dauphin Kings
Central Zone
Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) Northwestern Ontario[a 3] 7 Red Lake Miners
Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) Northeastern Ontario[a 4] 12 Soo Thunderbirds
Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) Southern Ontario[a 5] 22 Pickering Panthers
Eastern Zone
Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) Eastern Ontario 12 Ottawa Jr. Senators
Quebec Junior Hockey League (LHJQ) Quebec 12 Longueuil Collège Français
Maritime Junior A Hockey League
(MHL)
Atlantic Canada 12 Summerside Western Capitals
Notes
  1. ^ One team plays on the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster, a city bisected by the Alberta–Saskatchewan border.
  2. ^ One team plays on the Manitoba side of Flin Flon, a city bisected by the Manitoba–Saskatchewan border.
  3. ^ Includes one U.S. team in Spooner, Wisconsin.
  4. ^ Includes one U.S. team in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
  5. ^ Includes one U.S. team in Buffalo, New York.

Former leagues

Former leagues competing within the CJHL:[citation needed]

Administrators

Kirk Lamb was named the first full-time chairman and president in 2012.[9][10] Rick Morocco served as executive director from 2014 to 2016, when he was succeeded by Brent Ladds who became president while Lamb continued as chairman. The CJHL sought to restructure its administration to assist the chairman of the board. Ladds was tasked with overseeing all administration, events, planning and corporate partnerships.[11] Kevin Abrams was appointed chairman in 2017, followed by Robert Mazzuca who was appointed in 2021.[10] Andy Harkness succeeded Ladds as CJHL president on November 7, 2022.[12]

National playoffs and trophies

Ornate gold-plated bowl mounted on a wooden plinth atop a two-tier rectangular wooden base adorned with name plates
The Centennial Cup (formerly the Royal Bank Cup) is the championship trophy of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.

To determine a National Champion, the winners of each league playdown in three regional championships—the

Maritimes, Quebec, Ottawa District), the Dudley Hewitt Cup (Central Region - Southern Ontario, Northeastern Ontario, Northwestern Ontario), the ANAVET Cup (Western Region - Manitoba and Saskatchewan), and the Doyle Cup (Pacific Region - Alberta and British Columbia). The winners of the four regional playoffs and a host city play in the Centennial Cup national Junior A championship.[citation needed
]

There are a variety of trophies no longer used for the national playdown system. The

Quebec Provincial Junior Hockey League donated the Fred Page Cup to create an Eastern Canadian championship between the Maritimes, Quebec, and the Ottawa District of Ontario. The Dudley Hewitt Cup used to represent all of Ontario and Quebec, but with so many leagues in that region in the mid-1990s and the MJAHL's champion getting a direct ride to the National Championship, the Fred Page Cup became a necessity.[citation needed
]

The Manitoba Centennial Cup was the Grand Championship of Junior "A" hockey in Canada from 1970 until 1995, when it was replaced by the corporately sponsored

Royal Bank Cup, later known as the RBC Cup. The sponsorship ended after the 2017–18 season; the championship is once again known as the Centennial Cup.[citation needed
]

The

Estevan, Saskatchewan. IT was the first national championship awarded since 2019. The format changed into a 10-team event, which included the host Estevan Bruins, and the nine league champions. The CJHL chose not to have the four regional championships, and gave each league champion a berth in the Centennial Cup.[13]

CJHL Prospects Game

In 2005, the CJAHL created the CJAHL Prospects Game (now called the CJHL Prospects Game) where top players compete in a Team West versus Team East format for the President's Cup in front of the scouting community. In 2006, in conjunction with the Hockey Canada, the World Junior A Challenge was formed. At the WJAC, a prospects team from the five western leagues and the five eastern leagues of the CJHL host national prospect teams from around the world in an international tournament hosted by a town with a CJHL franchise. From 2011 on, the CJHL Prospects Game became an event at the World Junior A Challenge.[citation needed]

The President's Cup is awarded to the winning team at the CJHL Prospects Game. Team East (CHL, MHL, NOJHL, OJHL, and QJAAAHL players) and Team West (AJHL, BCHL, MJHL, SJHL, and SIJHL players) playoff in an annual event for the President's Cup at a predetermined host city in front of scores of fans and scouts. From 2005 until 2008, the event ran as a single game, but starting in 2009 the President's Cup will be played for in a two-game series where the combined score of the games determines the winner of the event.[citation needed]

At the 2011 Royal Bank Cup it was announced that starting with the 2011 World Junior A Challenge that the CJHL Prospects Game would take place at the WJAC. Following the 2013 World Junior A Challenge, the game was reverted to a stand-alone event starting with the 2014–15 season, as well as taking place post-New Years for the first time ever.[citation needed]

Single Game Event

2005 Team West defeated Team East 5-4 in
Yorkton, Saskatchewan
2006 Team West defeated Team East 6-2 in Vernon, British Columbia
2007 Team East defeated Team West 5-3 in Winkler, Manitoba
2008 Team East defeated Team West 6-3 in Summerside, Prince Edward Island

Two Game Series

2009 Team West defeated Team East 8-3 (8-1, 0-2) in Winkler, Manitoba
2010 Team East defeated Team West 9-2 (2-1 SO, 7-1) in Dauphin, Manitoba
2011 Team West defeated Team East 9-6 (4-3 OT, 5-3) in Langley, British Columbia at 2011 World Junior A Challenge[14]
2012 Team West defeated Team East 8-6 (5-0, 3-6) in
2013 Team East defeated Team West 8-4 (4-2, 4-2) in

Single Game Event

2015 Team West defeated Team East 3-2 in Oakville, Ontario
2016 Team East defeated Team West 3-1 in Surrey, British Columbia
2017 Team West defeated Team East 4-3 in Cornwall, Ontario
2018 Team West defeated Team East 5-2 in
Mississauga, Ontario
2019 Team West defeated Team East 5-2 in
Okotoks, Alberta

Players

Professional league draftees

This is a list of players per league/independent team drafted since the inception of Junior A in 1970 directly from a Junior A team into the

NCAA, or United States Hockey League and were then drafted.[citation needed
]

Other notable players to be drafted directly from Junior A hockey include:

]

Player of the Year Award

Recipients of the Player of the Year Award:[citation needed]

RBC National Junior A Scholarship

Every year, each of the ten leagues of the CJHL choose their scholastic player of the year. One of these ten players is chosen to win the $5000 CAD RBC National Junior A Scholarship.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ "CJAHL History". Esportsdesk.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  2. ^ "CJHL announces concussion program". British Columbia Hockey League. September 25, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "CJHL Q&A with Brent Ladds". Maritime Junior Hockey League. March 2, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  4. ^ McNeill, Susan (March 12, 2020). "Junior hockey cancelled over pandemic". The Beacon Herald. Stratford, Ontario. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  5. ^ Thomas, Josh (March 13, 2020). "CJHL shuts down operations, national championship officially cancelled". The Observer. Sarnia, Ontario. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  6. ^ "A Q&A with CJHL President Brent Ladds". Canadian Junior Hockey League. June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  7. ^ Ewen, Steve (April 12, 2021). "BCHL bolting from CJHL, but what it will look like is still to be determined". The Province. Vancouver, British Columbia. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  8. ^ Laskaris, Sam (September 13, 2021). "Ice Dogs gearing up to host Truth and Reconciliation game in Dryden". Windspeaker. Edmonton, Alberta: Aboriginal Multi-Media Society. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  9. ^ "Canadian Junior Hockey League Hires Kirk Lamb as First Full-time Chairman and President". Hockey Canada. October 1, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "History". Canadian Junior Hockey League. 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  11. ^ "Brent Ladds named President of the CJHL". Superior International Junior Hockey League. September 27, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2022.; "Brent Ladds named President of the CJHL". Central Canada Hockey League. September 27, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  12. ^ "Andy Harkness Appointed New CJHL President". Canadian Junior Hockey League. November 7, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  13. ^ "All 9 CJHL member-league champions to compete in 2022 Centennial Cup". Canadian Junior Hockey League. March 22, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  14. ^ "Yarmouth picked 2012 host for world challenge - Hockey - the Vanguard". Archived from the original on 2012-03-25. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  15. ^ "Yarmouth picked 2012 host for world challenge - Hockey - the Vanguard". Archived from the original on 2012-03-25. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  16. ^ RBC Awards & Scholarships Archived 2018-09-26

External links