BCHL adds five Alberta-based teams, effective immediately

A big shift in Junior A hockey in Canada will see one its top leagues add a few more teams.

On Wednesday, the British Columbia Hockey League announced that five Alberta-based teams signed franchise agreements to become immediate members of the league.

The new members are the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders and Spruce Grove Saints.

“We are pleased to officially welcome these five franchises into the fold as members of our league,” Chris Hebb, Chief Executive Officer of the BCHL, said in a release. “All five are strong organizations from great communities and we look forward to the immediate boost they will give our league. We were encouraged by their belief in our model and think that adding these teams will strengthen the development of all our players.”

The move comes after the five franchises announced their plans to leave the Alberta Junior Hockey League at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. However, the AJHL responded by canceling a number of games, leaving the departing teams searching for action. The league has since released a statement on the five teams that left.

For the remainder of this season, the five Alberta teams will each play nine games, starting on Friday, and will eventually crown a provincial champion. At the conclusion of the BCHL Playoffs, the B.C. champion will face the Alberta champ in year-end competition, which will be determined at a later date.

“With the unfortunate situation the Alberta teams have faced in recent weeks with having games cancelled in their previous league, it was imperative to us to get these players back on the ice in meaningful competition,” said BCHL Commissioner Steven Cocker. “This five-team schedule and postseason will give these athletes the chance to get in a full set of games for the remainder of the year, which is the most important thing to us.”

With the addition of the five franchises, the BCHL now was 22 teams. There had been speculation for a while that the teams would move out of the AJHL, which hurts the Alberta league, as the Bandits and Saints have combined for the last 12 league titles.

The BCHL has grown to be one of the best leagues for NCAA schools to recruit from. 404 ‘BC’ alumni were on opening night rosters as the beginning of the 2023-24 NCAA D-I season.