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| Countries | Canada, United States |
|---|---|
| President | Andy Harkness |
| Former names |
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| Founded | 1993; 32 years ago (1993) |
| Divisions | 9 leagues |
| Conferences | 4 regions |
| No. of teams | 117 |
| Championship | Centennial Cup |
| Recent champions | Collingwood Blues (OJHL) (1st) |
| Most successful club | Vernon Vipers (BCHL) (6) |
| Headquarters | Calgary, Alberta |
| Website | cjhlhockey |
TheCanadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) is an association of Canadianjunior 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 theCentennial Cup.
The CJHL spans the majority of Canada, from thePrairies to the Atlantic Coast. The only regional organizations ofHockey Canada to currently not have member teams or a league areBC Hockey,Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador (Hockey NL), andHockey North. In addition to BC Hockey, Hockey NL, and Hockey North,Hockey New Brunswick andHockey PEI do not have their own leagues, but have teams from their region playing underHockey Nova Scotia within theMaritime Junior Hockey League (MHL).
In 1970, theOntario Major Junior Hockey League,Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, andWestern Canada Hockey League broke away from theCanadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) and became its own governing body (what would become theCanadian Hockey League). These new "Major Junior" leagues were given exclusive permission to compete for theMemorial Cup, which had been Canada's Junior "A" championship prior to 1970.[citation needed]
In May 1970, CAHA chairmanFrank McKinnon tabled a motion at the organization's Annual General Meeting to allow the remaining Junior "A" leagues to compete at a national level for their own championship. The motion was granted and McKinnon and theManitoba Amateur Hockey Association donated theManitoba Centennial Trophy to the new championship in honour of 100 years of ice hockey inManitoba.[citation needed]
LeaguesThe leagues that would be involved in that first year were:[citation needed]
In 1971, theNewfoundland Amateur Hockey Association jumped on board by allowing their provincial Junior champion to compete in the Centennial Cup playdowns. This lasted until 1977. Also in 1971, the Maritime Junior A Hockey League folded, leaving theCharlottetown Islanders (the defendingDudley Hewitt Cup champions) to enter the Centennial Cup playdowns as an independent team. Also in 1971, theNewfoundland Junior A Hockey League entered the fray. In 1972, theNorthern Ontario Junior Hockey Association folded when two of its teams (Sudbury Wolves andSault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) jumped to Major Junior. The Charlottetown Islanders closed their doors after a marginal performance in the 1972 playdowns. Two new leagues came in 1972, theOntario Provincial Junior A Hockey League was created as a rival league to the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League. The SOJHL was more inSouthwestern Ontario, while the OPJHL focused more on theGreater Toronto Area. The other new league was theQuebec Junior A Hockey League.[citation needed]
In 1973, theIsland Junior Hockey League ofPrince Edward Island made the jump from Junior B to Junior A. In 1975, theEastern Junior A Hockey League ascended to Junior A from the Junior B ranks inCape Breton Island. Then, in 1977, theMetro Valley Junior Hockey League jumped from Junior B to Junior A in mainlandNova Scotia. After one year of playing head-to-head for the provincial Junior A title, the EJHL folded and left the MVJHL as the only league in Nova Scotia. After various attempts to create a stable Junior A system in Newfoundland, the NAHA and its teams pulled out of National play in 1977. The Southern Ontario league folded in 1977, theNorthern Ontario Junior Hockey League was promoted to Junior A in 1978 and theNorMan Junior Hockey League was promoted to Junior A inManitoba in 1979. A second league was founded inBritish Columbia in 1974, thePacific Coast Junior Hockey League was created to compete with the British Columbia Junior Hockey League - this league was absorbed by the BCJHL in 1979. A year later, thePeace-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, theThunder Bay Kings later to be the two-timeCentennial Cup championThunder Bay Flyers.[citation needed]
The summer of 1982 saw the folding of the Quebec Junior A League. In 1983, theNew Brunswick Junior Hockey League folded and merged with the Metro Valley Junior Hockey League. In 1985, the NorMan Junior Hockey League faltered and folded. In 1987, the OPJHL, then known as the Ontario Junior Hockey League, folded after dropping to only four teams. During the1988 Centennial Cup playoff run, theBlack Lake Miners ofQuebec were allowed to enter as an independent team. That summer, theQuebec Provincial Junior Hockey League was formed, rebranded theQuebec Junior AAA Hockey League in 1997. In 1989, Newfoundland would take a second shot at Junior A with the promotion of theSt. 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, withFred Page appointed as chairman of the board, andRonald 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, theIsland Junior Hockey League folded and merged with the Metro Valley league. The Metro Valley League now had all three Maritime provinces incorporated in it and decided to change its name to theMaritime Junior A Hockey League. Out West in 1991, the Peace-Cariboo league expanded south into theKootenays and rebranded itself as theRocky Mountain Junior Hockey League. In 1993,Southern Ontario came back in a big way with two leagues—theOntario Provincial Junior A Hockey League and theMetro 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]
In 2000, the Thunder Bay Flyers folded, having competed strictly in theUnited States Hockey League since the 1996–97 season. A year later, their void was filled by theSuperior 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 theCentral Canada Hockey League.[citation needed]
In 2018, the CJHL introduced a concussion protocol funded bythe 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 uniformice hockey rules in the constituent leagues.[3]
During theCOVID-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, which greatly reduced league 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 theNHL Central Scouting Bureau to make long-term plans for theNHL Entry Draft.[3]
TheBritish 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 totruth and reconciliation games in support ofFirst Nations in Canada. TheDryden Ice Dogs were the first team to arrange such a game.[8]
| League | Provinces | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Zone | ||
| Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) | Alberta[a 1] | 12 |
| Western Zone | ||
| Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) | Saskatchewan[a 2] | 12 |
| Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) | Manitoba | 13 |
| Central Zone | ||
| Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) | Northwestern Ontario[a 3] | 7 |
| Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) | Northeastern Ontario[a 4] | 12 |
| Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) | Southern Ontario[a 5] | |
| Eastern Zone | ||
| Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) | Eastern Ontario | 12 |
| Quebec Junior Hockey League (LHJQ) | Quebec | 13 |
| Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) | Atlantic Canada | 12 |
Former leagues competing within the CJHL:[citation needed]
Atlantic Canada
Quebec | Ontario | Manitoba British Columbia
|
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 byBrent 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]
To determine a National Champion, the winners of each league playdown in three regional championships—theFred Page Cup (Eastern Region -Maritimes,Quebec,Ottawa District), theDudley Hewitt Cup (Central Region -Southern Ontario,Northeastern Ontario,Northwestern Ontario), theANAVET Cup (Western Region -Manitoba andSaskatchewan), and theDoyle Cup (Pacific Region -Alberta andBritish Columbia). The winners of the four regional playoffs and a host city play in theCentennial Cup national Junior A championship.[citation needed]
There are a variety of trophies no longer used for the national playdown system. TheAbbott Cup andDudley Hewitt Cup were awarded to Western and Eastern Canadian Champions respectively, the winners of which would square off for theManitoba Centennial Cup, the National Championship. The Abbott Cup was no longer a major trophy after the1989 Centennial Cup when both theDoyle Cup andANAVET Cup champions were granted entrance into the Centennial Cup round robin. The western leagues briefly returned to an all-western Canadian championship known as theWestern Canada Cup from 2013 to 2017. The Dudley Hewitt Cup became the Central Canada championship after the1978 Centennial Cup, but might have been awarded to an All-Eastern Champion briefly after 1982. In the early 1990s, theCallaghan Cup was replaced by theFred Page Cup. The Callaghan Cup was originally awarded to the Atlantic Junior "A" Champion between the winner ofNewfoundland,Prince Edward Island,New Brunswick, andNova Scotia, but after the three majorMaritime leagues merged and Newfoundland's final league departed the trophy had no real use. In 1995, theQuebec Provincial Junior Hockey League donated theFred Page Cup to create an Eastern Canadian championship between the Maritimes, Quebec, and theOttawa District ofOntario. TheDudley 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 sponsoredRoyal 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]
The2022 Centennial Cup, presented byTim Hortons, was played inEstevan, Saskatchewan. IT was the first national championship awarded since 2019. The format changed into a 10-team event, which included the hostEstevan 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]
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 theHockey Canada, theWorld 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 the2011 Royal Bank Cup it was announced that starting with the2011 World Junior A Challenge that the CJHL Prospects Game would take place at the WJAC. Following the2013 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
Two Game Series
Single Game Event
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 theNational Hockey League or theWorld Hockey Association. Any league or independent team with a grey background is defunct. These numbers do not include the hundreds of players who played in the CJHL, moved up toCanadian Hockey League,NCAA, orUnited States Hockey League and were then drafted.[citation needed]
Other notable players to be drafted directly from Junior A hockey include:Al MacAdam,Ken Houston,Cam Botting,Troy Murray,Chris Chelios,Dave Ellett,Ray Ferraro,Tony Hrkac,Brett Hull,Tom Tilley,Danton Cole,Mike Eastwood,Garry Valk,Dixon Ward,Greg Johnson,Anson Carter,Ryan Johnson, andBates Battaglia.[citation needed]
Recipients of the Player of the Year Award:[citation needed]
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]