British Columbia Hockey League

British Columbia Hockey League

Current season, competition or edition: 2024–25 BCHL season
Formerly	BCJHL (1967–1995) OJHL (1964–1967) OMJHL (1961–1963)
Association	Independent
Classification	Junior
Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	1961; 63 years ago (1961)
CEO	Chris Hebb
No. of teams	21
Country	Canada
Headquarters	Langley, British Columbia
Region	British Columbia Alberta
Most recent champion(s)	Surrey Eagles (2023–24)
Most titles	Penticton Vees (14)
Official website	bchl.ca

The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independent in 2023. Since becoming independent, the league characterizes itself simply as a Junior ice hockey league.

In 1961, the heads of four Junior "B" hockey teams in the Okanagan region of British Columbia got together and formed the first Junior "A" league in British Columbia's history. The Okanagan-Mainline Junior "A" Hockey League (OMJHL) originally consisted of the Kamloops Jr. Rockets, the Kelowna Buckaroos, the Penticton Jr. Vees, and the Vernon Jr. Canadians.

In 1967, the league expanded out of the Okanagan region, bringing in the New Westminster Royals and the Victoria Cougars of the original (1962–1967) Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League. With the expansion, the league decided that since it was no longer solely in the Okanagan region that it need a new name, becoming the British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCJHL). A year later, the Vancouver Centennials joined the league. In the 1970s, the Victoria Cougars jumped to the Western Hockey League and the New Westminster team was forced to fold due to the relocation of the Estevan Bruins into their arena. In 1972, the Bellingham Blazers and the Nanaimo Clippers expanded the league to eight teams.

In the early 1970s, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association separated the two tiers of Junior A hockey. The BCJHL, being a Tier II league, was then disallowed from competing for the Memorial Cup, which had traditionally been the National Junior A Championship trophy. Consequently, the Tier II Junior A leagues across Canada agreed to compete for a new trophy called the Centennial Cup.

The 1970s also saw the rise of a rival league for the BCJHL, the Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League (PCJHL), which briefly existed in the 1960s and was resurrected for the 1971–72 season. The PCJHL was promoted to a Junior "A" league for the 1973–74 season and changed its name to the Pacific Junior A Hockey League. The PJHL champions competed with the BCJHL champions for the provincial championship, the Mowat Cup.

The existence of the two Junior A leagues in British Columbia caused an unusual turn of events in the 1977–78 season postseason. The BCJHL sent their regular season champion, the Merritt Centennials, to play as the BC representative in the Pacific region (BC and Alberta) interprovincial Doyle Cup, excusing them from the BCJHL playoffs. The BCJHL continued their league playoffs without them, crowning Nanaimo as the playoff champion after Penticton Jr. Vees refused to finish the playoff finals due to a series of brawls in the third game of the series. Meanwhile, the Merritt Centennials won the Doyle Cup and advanced to the Abbott Cup (the Western Canada Championship) against the winner of the ANAVET Cup, the Western region champion Prince Albert Raiders of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The Centennials lost to the Raiders, four games to one.

The PJHL and the BCJHL merged for the 1979–80 season.

During the 1980–81 season, the Coastal division season was interrupted by a strike at BC Ferries in late January. Since the mainland teams could no longer reach the island teams, the Coastal Division stopped playing, and began extended playoff rounds in place of the regular season.

In 1986, the Penticton Vees became the BCJHL's first Junior A national championship team, defeating the Metro Valley Junior Hockey League's Cole Harbour Colts by a score of 7–4 to win the Centennial Cup. A year later, the BCJHL's Richmond Sockeyes won the league's second consecutive national title.

From 1993 to 2021, the league was a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League, an association of Junior A leagues across Canada that would play for the National Junior A Championship. The winner of the BCHL Fred Page Cup (not to be confused with the CJHL Fred Page Cup) would continue on to play the Alberta Junior Hockey League champions in the Doyle Cup for the right to compete for the national championship. The BCJHL was renamed the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) in 1995.

The Burnaby Bulldogs joined as an expansion team in 1998 and moved to Port Alberni in 2002. The Coquitlam Express and the Salmon Arm Silverbacks joined in 2001. The Williams Lake TimberWolves joined in 2002 and folded in 2010.

The Chilliwack Chiefs moved to Langley in 2006 and were later renamed the Langley Rivermen. That team replaced the Langley Hornets who moved to West Kelowna and were later renamed the West Kelowna Warriors. In 2011, the Quesnel Millionaires moved to Chilliwack and were renamed the Chilliwack Chiefs.

The Wenatchee Wild joined in 2015 and ownership moved operations up to the WHL in 2023, following the BCHL move to go independent. The Cranbrook Bucks joined the league in 2020.

In March 2021, the BCHL withdrew its membership from the Canadian Junior Hockey League.^[1][2][3]

On May 1, 2023, the BCHL decided not to renew its agreement with governing body Hockey Canada, and thus became an independent league. The reasons for the decision included more control over their scheduling, particularly the timing of the playoffs, and allowing BCHL teams to recruit players under the age of 18 from outside BC Hockey's territorial jurisdiction.^[4]

On January 20, 2024, the league announced that five teams from the Alberta Junior Hockey League would join the BCHL in the 2024-25 season, namely, the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders, and Spruce Grove Saints.^[5][6][7] In the interim, it was decided that the five Alberta-based teams would play out the rest of the 2023-24 season as a separate division under the aegis of the BCHL, and that there would be a year-end competition with the winner of the Alberta-based teams playing the winner of the BC-based teams.^[8][9] Beginning in the 2024–25 BCHL season, the five Alberta-based teams, along with the Cranbrook Bucks, will form the East division of the Interior conference.^[10] The Prince George Spruce Kings, who previously were in the Interior Conference, moved to the Coastal Conference's East division.^[11]

Beginning in 2024–25, the league will have an affiliation agreement with the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL).^[12][13] Following the announcement of the agreement, some BCHL owners acquired an ownership stake in VIJHL clubs.^[13][14][15] However, sources reported that there will be no club-specific affiliations, and that BCHL teams will be allowed to call players up from, or send players down to, any VIJHL team.^[16]

The league's 21 teams are organized into four divisions, and two conferences: with 10 teams making up the Coastal Conference, and 11 teams making up the Interior Conference.^[17]

Map of BCHL teams

200km
125miles

Saints

Crusaders

Oilers

Bucks

Bandits

Bulldogs

Warriors

Vipers

Smoke Eaters

Silverbacks

Vees

Eagles

Spruce Kings

Rivermen

Express

Chiefs

Grizzlies

Kings

Clippers

Capitals

Bulldogs

  

Coastal West Coastal East Interior West Interior East

Map of BCHL teams in the Salish Sea region

50km
30miles

Eagles

Spruce Kings

Rivermen

Express

Chiefs

Grizzlies

Kings

Clippers

Capitals

Bulldogs

  

Coastal West Coastal East Interior West Interior East

The top eight teams from each conference at the end of the regular season advance to the playoffs to compete for the league championship Fred Page Cup.

The Centennial Cup (known as the Royal Bank Cup from 1996 to 2018) is the Canadian Junior Hockey League championship tournament. It was awarded to BCHL teams 14 times in its history. BCHL teams are no longer eligible to play in the tournament since the league withdrew from the CJHL in 2021.^[20]

• 1986: Penticton Knights
• 1987: Richmond Sockeyes
• 1990: Vernon Lakers
• 1991: Vernon Lakers
• 1993: Kelowna Spartans
• 1996: Vernon Vipers
• 1998: South Surrey Eagles
• 1999: Vernon Vipers
• 2006: Burnaby Express
• 2009: Vernon Vipers
• 2010: Vernon Vipers
• 2012: Penticton Vees
• 2016: West Kelowna Warriors
• 2018: Chilliwack Chiefs

Individual records

• Most goals in a season: 105, Brett Hull, Penticton, 1983–84
• Most assists in a season: 111, Bob Ginetti, Burnaby, 1986–87
• Most points in a season: 188, Brett Hull, Penticton, 1983–84
• Most goals in a season, defenceman: 38, Campbell Blair, Vernon, 1986–87
• Most assists in a season, defenceman: 77, Bruce Harris, Bellingham, 1978–79; Ian Kidd, Penticton, 1984–85
• Most points in a season, defenceman: 109, Campbell Blair, Vernon, 1986–87
• Most goals in a season, rookie: 84, John Newberry, Nanaimo, 1979–80
• Most assists in a season, rookie: 103, Doug Berry, Kelowna, 1974–75
• Most points in a season, rookie: 185, John Newberry, Nanaimo, 1979–80
• Most shorthanded goals in a season: 14, Greg Hadden, New Westminster, 1988–89
• Most powerplay goals in a season: 32, Dan Bousquet, Penticton, 1993–94
• Longest consecutive shutout streak: 250 minutes, 25 seconds, Brad Thiessen, Prince George, 2005–06

Team records

• Winning streak in a season: 42 Games Penticton Vees 2011–2012
• Most wins in a season: 54 Penticton Vees, 2011–2012; 52, New Westminster Royals, 1989–90; Vernon Vipers, 1998–99
• Most points in a season: 110, Penticton Vees, 2011–2012
• Most goals scored in a season: 498, Penticton Knights, 1984–85
• Fewest goals against in a season: 130, Penticton Knights, 48-game schedule, 1981–82; 115, Powell River Kings, 60-game schedule, 2010–11

Brett Hull, a National Hockey League Hall of Famer, played for the Penticton Knights and holds the BCHL record for most goals in a season (105), which he set in 1983–84.^[21] Other NHLers who played in the BCHL include Chuck Kobasew of the Penticton Panthers, Scott Gomez of the Surrey Eagles, Carey Price of the Quesnel Millionaires, Willie Mitchell of the Kelowna Spartans, Shawn Horcoff of the Chilliwack Chiefs, and Paul Kariya of the Penticton Panthers.

In March 2021, the league withdrew its membership from the Canadian Junior Hockey League.^[1][2][3] The league cited a financial dispute as one of the reasons. It said that there was a long-standing practice of the NHL compensating Hockey Canada when their players are drafted by the NHL. If the draft pick comes from a Major Junior club, the team receives compensation from Hockey Canada. However, if the draft pick comes from a Junior A club, compensation is awarded to the CJHL, not the club.^[22]

On May 1, 2023, the BCHL made the controversial decision not to renew its agreement with governing body Hockey Canada, and thus became an independent league. The reasons for the decision included the aim of allowing BCHL teams to recruit players under the age of 18 from outside BC Hockey's territorial jurisdiction.^[4] Under Hockey Canada regulations:

Players seventeen (17) years of age and below must register in the Member where their Parent(s) reside, unless the Player is registered in a Hockey Canada School With Residence or Hockey Canada Accredited School, and registers with one (1) of that school’s Teams.

— Hockey Canada, By-laws, Regulations and History, regulation c(1), (June 2023)^[23]

The residential qualification did not apply to CHL Major Junior clubs, therefore they had the advantage of being able to recruit 16- and 17-year-old players from any jurisdiction in Canada. However, players who signed with CHL clubs were historically deemed ineligible to play college hockey in the United States because they were considered to be professionals by the NCAA. Therefore, the BCHL sought to attract elite 16- and 17-year-old players who were capable of playing Major Junior but wanted to retain their NCAA eligibility.^[22] In 2024 the NCAA changed its position and decided that CHL players were no longer ineligible as of the 2025–26 season.^[24][25] The decision was made after a class action was filed on behalf of a player who was declared ineligible after having played two exhibition games in the OHL when he was 16 years old.^[26]

As a consequence of becoming an independent, or non-sanctioned, league, anyone—including players, coaches, trainers, managers and referees—involved with the BCHL after the 30 September cut-off date, is barred from participating in any sanctioned games and programs for the remainder of the season under Hockey Canada's Non-Sanctioned Leagues policy.^[27] Players who are cut from BCHL rosters after 30 September would have limited options to play elsewhere. Further, BCHL teams would not be able to recruit affiliate players, i.e. players from a lower tier league that may be selected to play a limited number of games at the higher level, from leagues that are within the Hockey Canada framework. Because of this, the BCHL increased the number of players that teams could include in their regular roster.^[23][28] This was intended to reduce the likelihood of players being cut after the deadline, but also resulted in some players getting less playing time.

In 2024, the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) announced that it would also withdraw from the Hockey Canada framework and operate as an independent farm league for the BCHL beginning in the 2024–25 season.^[29][30]

• British Columbia Hockey League
• BCHL History
• BCJHL on the Internet Hockey Database
• Hockey Canada
• BC Hockey