The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian

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 ...

league with 21 teams in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the

Hockey Canada Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority ...

framework, until it became independent in

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

. Since becoming independent, the league characterizes itself simply as a

league.

History

1961 to 1993

In 1961, the heads of four Junior "B" hockey teams in the

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of ...

region of

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 Kelowna Buckaroos were a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey team from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. They were a part of the British Columbia Hockey League. :Kelowna Buckaroos 1961 - 1983 :Summerland Buckaroos 1983 - 1988 History The Kelown ...

, the Penticton Jr. Vees, and the Vernon Jr. Canadians.

Early expansion

In 1967, the league expanded out of the Okanagan region, bringing in the

New Westminster Royals The New Westminster Royals was the name of several professional ice hockey teams based in New Westminster, British Columbia, first established in 1911 for the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA). Though nominally based in New Westminster, ...

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 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 ...

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 The Nanaimo Clippers are a junior ice hockey team based in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Island Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Frank Crane Arena. Franchise his ...

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 The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

, 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 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 ...

Rivalry with the PJHL

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 Mowat Cup was donated to the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association by John Mowat in 1927. Since 2024, it is awarded to the championship team from the British Columbia Hockey Conference (BCHC). The BCHC is made up of the Kootenay Interna ...

. 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 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 ...

. The Centennials lost to the Raiders, four games to one.

Merger with the PJHL

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 British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...

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.

National champions

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

. A year later, the BCJHL's Richmond Sockeyes won the league's second consecutive national title.

1993 to 2021

From 1993 to 2021, the league was a member 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 ...

, 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 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 ...

champions in the Doyle Cup for the right to compete for the

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

. The BCJHL was renamed the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) in 1995.

Further expansion and relocations

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 West Kelowna, formerly known as Westside and colloquially known as Westbank, is a city in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley on the west shore of Okanagan Lake. The city encompasses several neighbourhoods, including Casa Loma, Gellatly, Glenros ...

and were later renamed the West Kelowna Warriors. In 2011, the Quesnel Millionaires moved to

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( ) is a city of about 100,000 people and in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located about east of the City of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley. The enumerated population is 93,203 in the city and 113,767 in the gr ...

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.

2021 to present

Withdrawal from CJHL and Hockey Canada

In March 2021, the BCHL withdrew its membership from the

. On May 1, 2023, the BCHL decided not to renew its agreement with governing body

, 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.

Expansion into Alberta

On January 20, 2024, the league announced that five teams from the

would join the BCHL in the 2024-25 season, namely, the Blackfalds Bulldogs,

Brooks Bandits The Brooks Bandits are a Junior ice hockey team in the British Columbia Hockey League (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 (A ...

, 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. 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. The Prince George Spruce Kings, who previously were in the Interior Conference, moved to the Coastal Conference's East division.

VIJHL affiliation

Beginning in 2024–25, the league will have an affiliation agreement with the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL). Following the announcement of the agreement, some BCHL owners acquired an ownership stake in VIJHL clubs. 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.

Current franchises

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.

Franchise history

*1961 – Okanagan-Mainline Junior Hockey League founded with Kamloops Jr. Rockets, Kelowna Buckaroos, Penticton Jr. Vees, and Vernon Jr. Canadians *1962 – Vernon Jr. Canadians become Vernon Blades *1963 – OMJHL changes name to Okanagan Junior Hockey League *1963 – Penticton Jr. Vees leave league *1964 – Penticton returns as Penticton Broncos *1964 – Kamloops Jr. Rockets become Kamloops Kraft Kings *1967 – OJHL changes name to British Columbia Junior Hockey League *1967 – Vernon Blades become Vernon Essos *1967 – Kamloops Kraft Kings become Kamloops Rockets *1967 –

and Victoria Cougars join from Pacific Coast Junior A Hockey League *1969 – Vancouver Centennials join league *1970 – Chilliwack Bruins join league *1971 – New Westminster Royals and Victoria Cougars leave league *1972 – Vancouver Centennials become Vancouver Villas *1972 – Nanaimo Clippers and Bellingham Blazers join league *1973 – Kamloops Rockets move and become White Rock Centennials and then Merritt Centennials *1973 – Vancouver Villas leave league *1973 – Langley Lords join league *1973 – Vernon Essos become Vernon Vikings *1975 – Penticton Broncos become Penticton Vees *1975 – Bellingham Blazers become Maple Ridge Blazers *1976 – Kamloops Braves and Abbotsford Flyers join league *1976 – Maple Ridge Blazers become Bellingham Blazers *1976 – Chilliwack Bruins become Maple Ridge Bruins *1976 – Langley Lords become Langley Thunder *1977 – Maple Ridge Bruins move, renamed Revelstoke Bruins *1977 – Kamloops Braves become Kamloops Chiefs *1978 – Kamloops Chiefs become Kamloops Rockets *1978 – Bellingham Blazers become Bellingham Ice Hawks *1978 – Chilliwack Colts and Delta Suns join league *1979 – Penticton Vees become Penticton Knights *1979 – Revelstoke Bruins and Kamloops Rockets merge to become Revelstoke Bruins/Rockets *1979 – Richmond Sockeyes and Nor'Wes Caps join league from Pacific Junior A Hockey League *1979 – Delta Suns, Langley Thunder, and Vernon Canadians leave league *1980 – Vernon rejoins league as Vernon Lakers *1980 – Cowichan Valley Capitals and Coquitlam Comets join league *1980 – Revelstoke Bruins/Rockets change name to Revelstoke Rockets *1980 – Bellingham Ice Hawks move, renamed Vancouver Blue Hawks *1980 – Chilliwack Colts cease operations mid-season *1981 – Langley Eagles join league *1981 – Coquitlam Comets and Nor'Wes Caps cease operations *1982 – Esquimalt Buccaneers and Shuswap/Salmon Arm Totems join league *1982 – Nanaimo Clippers cease operations *1982 – Vancouver Blue Hawks move, renamed Burnaby Blue Hawks *1983 – Revelstoke Rockets renamed Revelstoke Rangers *1983 – Esquimalt Buccaneers move, renamed Nanaimo Clippers *1983 – Kelowna Buckaroos move, renamed Summerland Buckaroos *1983 – New Westminster Royals cease operations *1984 – Cowichan Valley Capitals move, renamed Sidney Capitals *1984 – Vernon Rockets renamed Vernon Lakers *1985 – Delta Flyers and Kelowna Packers join league *1985 – Burnaby Blue Hawks and Revelstoke Rangers cease operations *1985 – Merritt Centennials renamed Merritt Warriors *1985 – Abbotsford Flyers renamed Abbotsford Falcons *1985 – Salmon Arm Totems renamed Salmon Arm/Shuswap Blazers *1986 – Sidney Capitals move, renamed Juan de Fuca Whalers *1987 – Salmon Arm/Shuswap Blazers renamed Salmon Arm Tigers *1987 – Merritt Warriors renamed Merritt Centennials *1987 – Langley Eagles move, renamed Chilliwack Eagles *1988 – Summerland Buckaroos and Abbotsford Falcons cease operations *1988 – Juan de Fuca Whalers move, renamed Cowichan Valley Whalers *1988 – New Westminster Royals rejoin league *1988 – Delta Flyers move, renamed Powell River Paper Kings *1989 – Kelowna Packers renamed Kelowna Spartans *1989 – Chilliwack Eagles move, renamed Ladner Penguins *1989 – Cowichan Valley Whalers renamed Cowichan Valley Capitals *1989 – Salmon Arm Tigers cease operations *1990 – Penticton Knights renamed Penticton Panthers *1990 – Victoria Warriors join league *1990 – Ladner Penguins move, renamed Bellingham Ice Hawks *1990 – Richmond Sockeyes move, renamed Chilliwack Chiefs *1990 – Cowichan Valley Capitals cease operations *1991 – New Westminster Royals move, renamed Surrey Eagles *1993 – Cowichan Valley Capitals rejoin league *1993 – Victoria Warriors cease operations *1994 – Victoria Salsa, Langley Thunder, Royal City Outlaws join league *1995 – Bellingham Ice Hawks sell franchise rights to Trail Smoke Eaters of the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League; Trail joins BCHL *1995 – Vernon Lakers renamed Vernon Vipers *1995 – Kelowna Spartans cease operations *1996 – Royal City Outlaws sell franchise rights to Prince George Spruce Kings; both Prince George and the Quesnel Millionaires of the RMJHL join the BCHL *1996 – Surrey Eagles renamed South Surrey Eagles *1998 – Burnaby Bulldogs join league *1998 – Powell River Paper Kings renamed Powell River Kings; Langley Thunder renamed Langley Hornets *2001 – Coquitlam Express and Salmon Arm Silverbacks join league *2002 – Williams Lake TimberWolves join league *2002 – Burnaby Bulldogs move to Alberni Valley *2003 – South Surrey Eagles renamed Surrey Eagles *2004 – Penticton Panthers renamed Penticton Vees *2005 – Coquitlam Express move to Burnaby *2006 – Langley Hornets move, renamed Westside Warriors *2006 – Chilliwack Chiefs move to Langley *2006 – Victoria Salsa renamed Victoria Grizzlies *2007 – Williams Lake TimberWolves take leave of absence from league *2009 – Williams Lake TimberWolves active in league *2010 – Williams Lake TimberWolves declared "not in good standing"; operations suspended *2010 – Burnaby Express move to Coquitlam *2011 – Quesnel Millionaires move, become Chilliwack Chiefs *2011 – Langley Chiefs renamed Langley Rivermen *2012 – Westside Warriors renamed West Kelowna Warriors *2015 – Wenatchee Wild join league from the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 50th season of operation in 2024–25. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

*2020 – Cranbrook Bucks join the league as an expansion team *2023 – Wenatchee Wild join the WHL *2024 – Blackfalds Bulldogs,

, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders, and Spruce Grove Saints switch from the AJHL to the BCHL *2024 – Merritt Centennials leave the BCHL *2025 – Penticton Vees join the WHL

League championships

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.

National championships

The

(known as the Royal Bank Cup from 1996 to 2018) is the

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. * 1986: Penticton Knights *

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

: Richmond Sockeyes *

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

: Vernon Lakers *

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

: Vernon Lakers *

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

: Kelowna Spartans *

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

: Vernon Vipers *

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

: South Surrey Eagles *

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

: Vernon Vipers *

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

: Burnaby Express *

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

: Vernon Vipers *

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

: Vernon Vipers *

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

: Penticton Vees *

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

: West Kelowna Warriors *

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

: Chilliwack Chiefs

BCHL records

Individual records *Most goals in a season: 105,

Brett Hull Brett Andrew Hull (born August 9, 1964) is a Canadians, Canadian–Americans, American former ice hockey player and general manager, and currently an executive vice president of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played f ...

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley of the British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan Lake, Okanagan and Skaha Lake, Skaha lakes. In the 2021 Canadian Census, its population was 36,885, while its Census geographic un ...

, 1983–84 *Most assists in a season: 111, Bob Ginetti,

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...

, 1986–87 *Most points in a season: 188,

, 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,

, 1984–85 *Most points in a season, defenceman: 109, Campbell Blair, Vernon, 1986–87 *Most goals in a season, rookie: 84, John Newberry,

Nanaimo 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 ...

, 1979–80 *Most assists in a season, rookie: 103, Doug Berry,

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley in the British Columbia Interior, southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna ...

, 1974–75 *Most points in a season, rookie: 185, John Newberry,

, 1979–80 *Most shorthanded goals in a season: 14, Greg Hadden,

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the cap ...

, 1988–89 *Most powerplay goals in a season: 32, Dan Bousquet,

, 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,

, 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

Notable alumni

, a

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 ...

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. 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.

List of NHL alumni

* Al Cameron * Al Hill * Alan Kerr * Alexander Kerfoot * Andrew Hammond * Andy Moog * Barry Beck * Barry Pederson * Beau Bennett * Bill Lindsay * Bill Muckalt * Blair Chapman * Bob Gassoff * Bob Hess * Bob McGill * Bob Nicholson * Bob Nystrom * Brad Bombardir * Brad Hunt * Brad Maxwell * Brad Palmer * Brandon Yip * Brendan Morrison *

* Bruce Affleck * Bruce Cowick * Butch Deadmarsh * Byron Dafoe * Chris Jensen * Chris Murray * Cliff Ronning * Colin Greening * Craig Redmond * Curt Brackenbury * Curt Fraser * Dallas Drake * Dan Hodgson * Dan Kesa * Dane Jackson * Daryl Stanley * Dave Williams * Dave Lewis * David Jones * David Oliver * Dean Evason * Don Ashby * Don Barber *

Don Murdoch Donald Walter Murdoch (born October 25, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, and Detroit Red Wings between 1976 and 1982. He was featured in ...

* Don Nachbaur * Doug Berry * Doug Lidster * Duncan Keith * Dwight Mathiasen * Ed Beers * Eddie Johnstone * Errol Rausse * Frank Spring * Fred Berry * Garry Howatt * Gary Lupul * Gary Nylund * Gene Carr * Geoff Courtnall * Glen Metropolit * Glenn Anderson * Glenn Merkosky * Grant Mulvey * Greg C. Adams * Greg “Gus” Adams * Greg Fox * Harold Phillipoff * Howard Walker * Ian Kidd * Jack McIlhargey * Jamie Benn * Jan Bulis * Jason Krog * Jason Marshall * Jeff Finley * Jeff Tambellini * Jerry Holland * Jim Harrison * Joe Murphy * John Craighead * John Ogrodnick * John-Paul Kelly * Justin Schultz * Ken Berry * Ken Priestlay * Kevin Maxwell * Kyle Turris * Larry Hale * Larry Melnyk *

Larry Playfair Larry William Playfair (born June 23, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played for the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings in the NHL and he has worked as a color analyst for Sabres television broadcasts since his 199 ...

* Link Gaetz * Mark Lofthouse * Mark Recchi * Mark Taylor * Matt Ellison * Matt Irwin * Matt Pettinger * Mel Bridgman * Milan Lucic * Miles Zaharko * Murray Baron * Nathan Lieuwen * Olaf Kölzig * Paul Cyr * Paul Kariya * Paul Kruse * Paul Mulvey *

Paul Shmyr Paul Shmyr (January 18, 1946 – September 2, 2004) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and National Hockey League (NHL). He featured in the 1971 Stanley Cup Finals with the Chicago Bl ...

* Randy Rota * Ray Ferraro * Reg Kerr * Richard Kromm * Rick Lapointe * Rick Shinske * Robert Dirk * Ron Delorme * Ron Flockhart * Ron Greschner * Rudy Poeschek * Ryan Johansen * Ryan Walter * Scott Gomez * Scott Levins * Shawn Horcoff * Stan Smyl * Steve Kariya * Steve Passmore * Steve Tuttle * Tanner Glass * Tim Hunter * Tim Watters * Todd Ewen * Tom Martin * Tom McMurchy * Tony Currie * Torrie Robertson * Troy Stecher * Tyler Bozak * Tyson Barrie * Tyson Jost * Wade Campbell * Wayne Bianchin * Wayne Van Dorp * Willie Mitchell

Withdrawal from Hockey Canada

In March 2021, the league withdrew its membership from the

. The league cited a financial dispute as one of the reasons. It said that there was a long-standing practice of the

NHL 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 ...

compensating

when their players are drafted by the

. If the draft pick comes from a

Major Junior Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National List of members of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's nationa ...

club, the team receives compensation from

. However, if the draft pick comes from a Junior A club, compensation is awarded to the CJHL, not the club. On May 1, 2023, the BCHL made the controversial decision not to renew its agreement with governing body

, 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. Under

regulations: The residential qualification did not apply to CHL

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 The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

. Therefore, the BCHL sought to attract elite 16- and 17-year-old players who were capable of playing

but wanted to retain their NCAA eligibility. In 2024 the

changed its position and decided that CHL players were no longer ineligible as of the 2025–26 season. The decision was made after a

class action A class action is a form of lawsuit. Class Action may also refer to: * ''Class Action'' (film), 1991, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio * Class Action (band), a garage house band * "Class Action" (''Teenage Robot''), a 2002 e ...

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. 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. 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

framework. Because of this, the BCHL increased the number of players that teams could include in their regular roster. 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

framework and operate as an independent farm league for the BCHL beginning in the 2024–25 season.

References

External links

British Columbia Hockey LeagueHockey CanadaBC Hockey
{{Junior Hockey Ice hockey leagues in British Columbia B Canadian Junior Hockey League members Sports leagues established in 1961 1961 establishments in British Columbia

History

1961 to 1993

Early expansion

Rivalry with the PJHL

Merger with the PJHL

National champions

1993 to 2021

Further expansion and relocations

2021 to present

Withdrawal from CJHL and Hockey Canada

Expansion into Alberta

VIJHL affiliation

Current franchises

Franchise history

League championships

National championships

BCHL records

Notable alumni

List of NHL alumni

Withdrawal from Hockey Canada

References

Further reading

External links