The Brooks Bandits are a
Junior ice hockey
Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...
team in the
British Columbia Hockey League
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 independe ...
(BCHL) based in
Brooks, Alberta. The teams plays its home games at the
Centennial Regional Arena. The team was formerly in the
Alberta Junior Hockey League
The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams, however 5 ...
(AJHL), until they joined the BCHL in February 2024.
History
The Brooks Bandits were awarded an expansion franchise by the
Alberta Junior Hockey League
The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams, however 5 ...
(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.
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
Moose Jaw Warriors in the major junior
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...
. With the head coach and general manager positions vacant, the Bandits hired ECHL head coach and former NHL
enforcer Brian Curran. Under Curran's leadership of a hard-hitting team, the Bandits finished in first place in the South Division before losing in the cross-over division playoff finals against the
Grande Prairie Storm. On October 16, 2009, Curran was released by the Bandit and replaced by assistant Ryan Papaioannou. The Bandits finished fifth in the south division in 2009–10 and a second round playoff loss. During the season on January 20, 2010, the Bandits moved from the smaller Centennial Arena in the
Lakeside Leisure Centre, to the brand new
Centennial Regional Arena.
In Papaioannou's second 2010–11 season, the Bandits finished second in the division, but were eliminated in the second round by the
Camrose Kodiaks in seven games. In the off-season on July 5, 2011, forward Nick Crosby was killed in a car accident returning home from a Bandits camp.
After Crosby's death, the Bandits dedicated the 2011–12 season in his honour and retired his #23 jersey. The Bandits had statistically their best season to date with a record of 47–7–8. In the playoffs, they
swept both the
Calgary Canucks and the
Olds Grizzlys in four games, advancing to their first league playoff championship series against the
Fort McMurray Oil Barons. The Bandits won the series four games to two for their first league championship. In the
Doyle Cup, the Bandits faced the
British Columbia Hockey League
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 independe ...
(BCHL) champion
Penticton Vees for the right to participate in the Junior A national championship tournament, the
Royal Bank Cup. The Vees defeated the Bandits four games to one and went on to win the
2012 Royal Bank Cup Jr. A national championship.
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
Canadian Junior Hockey League
The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) is an association of Canadian junior ice hockey#Junior A, junior A ice hockey leagues and teams and was formed in November 1993, emerging from the Canada West Association of Junior 'A' Hockey. The champi ...
. In the playoffs, the Bandits defeated the
Drumheller Dragons and
Okotoks Oilers before winning a second straight AJHL championship over the
Spruce Grove Saints. 2013 was the first year of the
Western Canada Cup qualifying tournament to advance to the national championship and was held in
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...
. The Bandits finished first in the round-robin portion of the tournament, but lost to the
Surrey Eagles 4–1 in the championship game. As the Western Canada Cup qualified two teams to the
Royal Bank Cup, the Bandits played the
Yorkton Terriers in the runner-up game the following day and won 1–0. They went 3–1 in the round-robin at the
2013 Royal Bank Cup and won their first Junior A national championship over the
Summerside Western Capitals, becoming the first team to win the championship without either being the host or a regional champion.
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
Cobourg Cougars. The Western Canada Cup discontinued after the 2017 tournament and the AJHL qualified through the Doyle Cup again beginning in 2018. The Brooks Bandits were also selected as the host city for the
2019 National Junior A Championship. The Bandits then won the AJHL championship for a fifth time in 2019, but lost the Doyle Cup to the
Prince George Spruce Kings in which both teams were also already qualified to advance to the national championship. Brooks then went undefeated in the championship tournament, winning the final game over the Spruce Kings 4–3, for their second Junior A national championship title. Brooks won the
2022 Centennial Cup in Estevan, SK by defeating the
Pickering Panthers 4-1.
On January 20, 2024, the
BCHL announced that five teams from the
AJHL would join the
BCHL in the
2024-25 season, namely, the
Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits,
Okotoks Oilers,
Sherwood Park Crusaders, and
Spruce Grove Saints. 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.
On May 25th, 2025, the Brook Bandits defeated the
Chilliwack Chiefs in 6 games in the BCHL Playoffs to win their first ever
Fred Page Cup in franchise history.
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''
Western Canada Cup
The
Western Canada Cup was a postseason tournament between the playoff champions of the
Alberta Junior Hockey League
The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams, however 5 ...
(AJHL),
British Columbia Hockey League
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 independe ...
(BCHL),
Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL),
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
Open to North American-born players 20 years o ...
(SJHL), and a previously selected host team from one of the leagues. It ran from 2013 to 2017 with the top two teams qualifying for the
Royal Bank Cup Junior A national championship tournament. It replaced the
Doyle Cup, which had been the qualifier for the AJHL and BCHL champions, and the
ANAVET Cup, which had been the qualifier for the MJHL and SJHL champions. The qualifying system reverted the Doyle and ANAVET Cups in 2018.
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
Royal Bank Cup.
Junior A National Championship
The
National Junior A Championship, known as the
Centennial Cup
The Centennial Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament organized by Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), which determines the national champion of Junior ice hockey#Junior A, junior A ice hockey. It consists of a ten-team ...
and formerly as the Royal Bank Cup or RBC Cup, is the postseason tournament for the Canadian national championship for Junior A hockey teams that are members of the
Canadian Junior Hockey League
The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) is an association of Canadian junior ice hockey#Junior A, junior A ice hockey leagues and teams and was formed in November 1993, emerging from the Canada West Association of Junior 'A' Hockey. The champi ...
. The tournament consists of the regional Junior A champions and a previously selected host team. Since 1990, the national championship has used a five-team tournament format when the regional qualifiers were designated as the
ANAVET Cup (Western),
Doyle Cup (Pacific),
Dudley Hewitt Cup (Central), and
Fred Page Cup (Eastern). From 2013 to 2017, the qualifiers were the
Dudley Hewitt Cup (Central),
Fred Page Cup (Eastern), and the
Western Canada Cup champions and runners-up (Western #1 and #2).
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.
Centennial Cup - ''Revised format 2022''
Canadian Jr. A National Championships''
Maritime Junior Hockey League,
Quebec Junior Hockey League,
Central Canada Hockey League,
Ontario Junior Hockey League
The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).
The league dates back to 1954 where i ...
,
Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League,
Superior International Junior Hockey League,
Manitoba Junior Hockey League,
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
Open to North American-born players 20 years o ...
,
Alberta Junior Hockey League
The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams, however 5 ...
, and Host''. The BCHL declared itself an independent league and there is no BC representative.
Round-robin play in two 5-team pools with top three in pool advancing to determine a Champion.
Notable alumni
The following alumni have gone on in their career to play in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
or similar achievements in international hockey.
*
Curtis Glencross
*
Chad Johnson
*
Spencer Machacek
*
Cale Makar
Cale Douglas Makar (born October 30, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and Captain (ice hockey)#Alternate captains, alternate captain for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected with the f ...
*
Ty Rattie
*
Jeff Malott
*
Brandon Scanlin
*
Parker Foo
See also
*
List of ice hockey teams in Alberta
References
External links
Brooks Bandits websiteAlberta Junior Hockey League website
{{Alberta Sports
British Columbia Hockey League teams
Brooks, Alberta
Ice hockey teams in Alberta
Ice hockey clubs established in 2000
2000 establishments in Alberta