Five AJHL teams set to join the BCHL next season

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

So Cranbrook plays in a division with Sherwood Park and Spruce Grove and not Penticton? Who did they piss off?

Not much difference distance wise.

[TheScorpion]

Cranbrook would probably be happy to not play against Penticton as much. The Vees are a powerhouse.

[Sylvanfan]

Cranbrook is a schite town that's lost in time. Its the same dump it was when I lived there 35 years ago despite the advantageous natural surroundings. Both leagues would do well to tell them to get lost and let them play in a third rate league of all East Kootenay teams.

[DoubleK]

This really sucks for the on ice officials. That's a lot of assignments out the window that will be scooped up by the WHL guys.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Not much difference distance wise.

I guess you mean travel time.

It's a good point, I'd forgotten how convoluted the route was. Driving to Kokanee for golf used to take forever, I guess that hasn't changed.

[puffnstuff]

Where has anyone seen that the teams announced as leaving have been suspended?
The games cancelled yesterday and today were all between a Stay team and a Leave team. Like was said two Leave teams played each other.
But no announcement I could find about anything other than games this weekend.

Okotoks is or was scheduled to host the Centennial Cup next year.

[EldrickOnIce]

The only league statement was about those games canceled.
'Suspended' was not a word ever used. Publicly.
Clearly Okotoks will not be hosting RBC cup

[Derek Sutton]

Sadly this could be the end of the AJHL as we know it. I don't get the hard on these teams have with the BCHL and their reason for wanting to join and leave Hockey Canada, not sure what the "archaic rules" are that these teams don't like, at least thats what reasoning is on social media.



Regarding travel, this year the AJHL more than doubled travel costs by moving to a full interlocking schedule meaning 4 games, two home and two away vs every other team in the league. In orevious years south teams and north teams only played two games vs each other (one home and one away) and 6 vs teams in their own division. A team like Canmore wich previoulsy only had two real road trips each year now has 4 big swings up north AND has lost out on their out and back trips requiring no hotel to Okotoks, Calgary, Brooks and such, they would only have to hotel 5-7 nights the entire year. The reason behind this was to create increase the amount of competetive games by adding Spruce Grove and Sherwood Park vs Brooks rather than having Brooks steamroll Olds and Canmore again and again and again. So overall by adding Cranbrook to this loop travel will not increase as much as some are thinking would be about even for Brooks and Okotoks and Blackfalds and a bit more for Spruce Grove and Sherwood Park.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Deegee

I think the owners of Silent Ice already own the Spruce Grove Saints, so interesting to hear this.

This makes sense as I believe they (with Ryan Smyth being one of the owners) also own the JPHL which operates outside of Hockey Alberta and Hockey Canada.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Derek Sutton

Sadly this could be the end of the AJHL as we know it. I don't get the hard on these teams have with the BCHL and their reason for wanting to join and leave Hockey Canada, not sure what the "archaic rules" are that these teams don't like, at least thats what reasoning is on social media.



Regarding travel, this year the AJHL more than doubled travel costs by moving to a full interlocking schedule meaning 4 games, two home and two away vs every other team in the league. In orevious years south teams and north teams only played two games vs each other (one home and one away) and 6 vs teams in their own division. A team like Canmore wich previoulsy only had two real road trips each year now has 4 big swings up north AND has lost out on their out and back trips requiring no hotel to Okotoks, Calgary, Brooks and such, they would only have to hotel 5-7 nights the entire year. The reason behind this was to create increase the amount of competetive games by adding Spruce Grove and Sherwood Park vs Brooks rather than having Brooks steamroll Olds and Canmore again and again and again. So overall by adding Cranbrook to this loop travel will not increase as much as some are thinking would be about even for Brooks and Okotoks and Blackfalds and a bit more for Spruce Grove and Sherwood Park.

Well there are a number things. Like I said earlier, they’re not allowed to recruit Europeans, and they’re losing players to the BCHL because it’s perceived as a better league. So, if you’re a top team in the AJHL it’s attractive. I think there are/were other options here, but I can see the rationale.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

The only league statement was about those games canceled.
'Suspended' was not a word ever used. Publicly.
Clearly Okotoks will not be hosting RBC cup

I suspect their lawyers are reviewing everything and will determine exactly what the league can do, but I don't think they would have cancelled this weekend's games if suspending the teams wasn't being considered. If they were going to play out the season as scheduled, there would have been no reason to cancel these games.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Slava

Well there are a number things. Like I said earlier, they’re not allowed to recruit Europeans, and they’re losing players to the BCHL because it’s perceived as a better league. So, if you’re a top team in the AJHL it’s attractive. I think there are/were other options here, but I can see the rationale.

I just dont get burning that bridge over a bottom pairing kid from Finland. They will also be able to add more US born kids now too but outside of Brooks only a handful of US kids have ever played for any of the other four teams.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by Slava

Well there are a number things. Like I said earlier, they’re not allowed to recruit Europeans, and they’re losing players to the BCHL because it’s perceived as a better league. So, if you’re a top team in the AJHL it’s attractive. I think there are/were other options here, but I can see the rationale.

The main sticking point was the BCHL wanted Hockey Canada and the CJHL to change the rules around U18 players to be same as the WHL ( U18 players being able to move outside their home province to play Jr. A.)

The BCHL didn't like the maximum $ you could pay for a player in a trade or transfer from another team under Hockey Canada. Now they have no limits on what they pay for a player.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Derek Sutton

I just dont get burning that bridge over a bottom pairing kid from Finland. They will also be able to add more US born kids now too but outside of Brooks only a handful of US kids have ever played for any of the other four teams.

Right but the other issue (in terms of players) is losing their best players to that league. So, sure maybe the recruitment issue isn’t as big, but if you’re looking at your best players leaving because agents (and advisors) are saying the BCHL is better it’s a problem.

It’s going to be interesting though.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by Drake

The main sticking point was the BCHL wanted Hockey Canada and the CJHL to change the rules around U18 players to be same as the WHL ( U18 players being able to move outside their home province to play Jr. A.)



The BCHL didn't like the maximum $ you could pay for a player in a trade or transfer from another team under Hockey Canada. Now they have no limits on what they pay for a player.

Both the BCHL and Brooks were losing NCAA players to the USHL the last year before they went to college.

That will largely end now and the BCHL will be on par with the USHL.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

This really sucks for the on ice officials. That's a lot of assignments out the window that will be scooped up by the WHL guys.

Will be interesting to see how that aspect shakes out. My understanding from what I have seen/heard in the BCHL is the officials that work that league cannot work any Hockey Canada sanctioned events. Tough choice for some of them to make.

I would also be curious to see how it will work with players and where they are coming from. Could look at the BCHL now I suppose and get a feel. Current AJHL players are drawn from Hockey Alberta teams and their affiliate players all play U18 AAA for the most part. They will no longer be able to draw from this pool of players (for affiliates) and not sure how a AAA kid can try out for a team and return to AAA if they are cut (answer, I don't think they can). So that's the end of tryouts from AAA kids? Are sports schools governed under Hockey Canada? Maybe that's where the pool of players will come from. Maybe that's moot if most AJHL players have graduated from minor hockey?

[bagofpucks]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

Both the BCHL and Brooks were losing NCAA players to the USHL the last year before they went to college.

That will largely end now and the BCHL will be on par with the USHL.

Could you expand on this a bit? This stuff used to be in my wheelhouse, but the landscape has changed a ton in the last 15 years and I am curious why NCAA bound players would make a stop in the USHL first.

[TheScorpion]

As someone who works in the league it is wild to be sitting here on a Monday morning not knowing whether our game tomorrow will happen. We (Okotoks) are supposed to play against Canmore tomorrow night. Who knows.

[#-3]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Will be interesting to see how that aspect shakes out. My understanding from what I have seen/heard in the BCHL is the officials that work that league cannot work any Hockey Canada sanctioned events. Tough choice for some of them to make.

I would also be curious to see how it will work with players and where they are coming from. Could look at the BCHL now I suppose and get a feel. Current AJHL players are drawn from Hockey Alberta teams and their affiliate players all play U18 AAA for the most part. They will no longer be able to draw from this pool of players (for affiliates) and not sure how a AAA kid can try out for a team and return to AAA if they are cut (answer, I don't think they can). So that's the end of tryouts from AAA kids? Are sports schools governed under Hockey Canada? Maybe that's where the pool of players will come from. Maybe that's moot if most AJHL players have graduated from minor hockey?

I don't think these guys are worried about feeder leagues, they already have ~40 club/high school teams outside of Hockey Canada in Alberta/BC in leagues they operate.

This has been a slow moving 10+ year project to take over developmental hockey in Western Canada, and seemingly abandon recreational hockey, and I kind of doubt the BCHLs departure and AJHLs implosion will be the last steps.

I don't have a strong opinion on the impact of this but at a glance I would guess it's some combination of more expensive, better development for the guys who do move onto the next level, and a less balanced approach for the guys who don't end up moving on.

[Drake]

Rumours three BCHL teams have already talked to BC Hockey about coming back to sanctioned hockey next year. Could be upwards of 5. Could end up in the Kootenay league.