CANMORE – Six of the Canmore Eagles final 13 games will be cancelled with five of the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s 16 teams leaving the league at the end of the season.
Of the six games, four will be home games in February, potentially financially impacting the Eagles and other impacted AJHL teams as the regular season winds down.
The AJHL announced Thursday (Jan. 25) that the five teams set to leave the league for the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) for the 2024-25 will not play the teams remaining in the Alberta league.
“Until further notice, we have cancelled all upcoming games scheduled to be played between these five defecting teams and the remaining 11 teams at the core of our league,” noted a statement released from the AJHL.
“Games previously scheduled among these 11 teams will continue as scheduled. Out of respect for the players on the five defecting teams, we will allow scheduled games among these clubs to proceed.”
On Jan. 20, the BCHL announced the Brooks Bandits, Sherwood Park Crusaders, Blackfalds Bulldogs, Okotoks Oilers and Spruce Grove Saints will join the independent league for the 2024-25 season.
Four of the teams top the ranks of the AJHL. The neighbouring BCHL is frequently considered the top Junior A development league in Canada.
Dan Mason, a professor with the University of Alberta's Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, told the Outlook earlier in the week the change is a continued movement of teams at all levels of hockey due to players wanting the best way to move to the next stage in their careers.
“I think that’s what we’re seeing here with the BCHL; breaking away from Hockey Canada is the way they see they can have more ownership and control over the process of players moving to the next level, which in this case is the NCAA.”
Last year, the 18-team BCHL separated from Hockey Canada, meaning it operates outside of its system, and then boasted about sending more players to NCAA Division I teams than the rest of the junior hockey leagues in Canada combined. The BCHL said its alumni made up nearly a quarter of all NCAA Division I college hockey in the 2022-23 season.
Historically, the BCHL is stronger than other junior leagues, and with a better pool of players, which results in more eyes from scouts and greater opportunities to go to the next level of development.
“The teams that are leaving from the AJHL have sort of used that same kind of model in terms of positioning themselves as the ideal place to be scouted or the ideal place to play if you want to get scouted to play in the NCAA,” said Mason, whose research focuses on sports leagues and franchises, in an interview with the Outlook.
“I think that's something that fits logically, where you could go and play against other teams that are going to be heavily scouted.
“We're seeing the attraction of players from all over North America to the B.C. hockey league, and I think that's something that they wanted.”
The AJHL said it’s working with the Canadian Junior Hockey League, Hockey Canada and Hockey Alberta to “find a resolution” and will update as further decisions are made.
Before the 2023-24 season, the AJHL announced it would be adopting a full interlock schedule, or moving down to one division, which some teams opposed, including the Eagles.
As per Hockey Canada, the AJHL also adopted rule changes recently, such as the mandatory face cage rule for every player by 2025-26.
By becoming a league separate from Hockey Canada, BCHL teams can also recruit the best 16- and 17-year-old players outside of the province, which isn’t allowed under Hockey Canada rules.
The Eagles will play tonight (Jan. 25) at home against Whitecourt and again Saturday (Jan. 27) on the road versus Calgary.
- With files from Jordan Small
