Five AJHL teams set to join the BCHL next season

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by 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.

How do BCHL teams handle call-ups and affiliates, etc.?

[Julio]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

How do BCHL teams handle call-ups and affiliates, etc.?

They don't really do callups etc. They expanded their rosters to 25 players, including 3 goalies, to make up for it.

[puffnstuff]

AJ has canceled three more games

Okotoks tomorrow and then 2 on Wednesday with SP and SG

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by bagofpucks

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.

I don't know the details but I can point to several players who have left Brooks for the USHL for a year before they go to their college.

I would suspect that the college is pushing for it as those players had committed before they left.

I was poking around the website and have noticed some USHL players have moved to Brooks too. Presumably they were cut, can't see why anyone would come to the AJHL from the USHL. The USHL is a vastly better league.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

AJ has canceled three more games

Okotoks tomorrow and then 2 on Wednesday with SP and SG

Funny enough, the AJHL did not give Okotoks any notice of tomorrow's game being cancelled before releasing that statement. The exact thing they (wrongly) said the five teams did.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

By cancelling all these games, aren't they screwing all the returning teams out of future gate revenue?

[puffnstuff]

They arent just cancelling Leaving teams home games, which is one part of where they generate their revenue.
These cancellations are hurting Stay teams as well.
No idea why theyve decided to cancel games this way except for maybe thinking there is an insurance liability thing, which is weird because all these AJ games are run under the HC umbrella, which they specifically pointed out in the last statement. These teams havent left yet, they are still members of HC. Makes the AJ looks super petty.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Funny enough, the AJHL did not give Okotoks any notice of tomorrow's game being cancelled before releasing that statement. The exact thing they (wrongly) said the five teams did.

You could have been calling my games back in the day.

Would have been very interested on how awful you thought I was.

[bagofpucks]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

You could have been calling my games back in the day.

Would have been very interested on how awful you thought I was.

I feel like you and I might know each other…Pat Steinberg called some games for the Calgary Canucks while I was in the league.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by bagofpucks

I feel like you and I might know each other…Pat Steinberg called some games for the Calgary Canucks while I was in the league.

I reffed for 8 years out of Calgary. Seemed to do more than my share of Okotoks games for some reason.

[bagofpucks]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

I reffed for 8 years out of Calgary. Seemed to do more than my share of Okotoks games for some reason.

Ah, cool. I bet you have some pretty crazy stories for sure; reffing junior A would not be for the faint of heart. I played two years in the south and one year in the north, and yah, the north was completely bananas in comparison. Nothing like a completely full rink booing you in warm ups in Fort Mac.

[TheScorpion]

Some of the stories I am hearing of things happening behind the scenes are insane. Essentially a full-on schism between the two sides. Just a mess.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Some of the stories I am hearing of things happening behind the scenes are insane. Essentially a full-on schism between the two sides. Just a mess.

Sounds like a normal day in the office. Anyone who's been near minor hockey knows that sports brings out the worst in people ( volunteers).

[bagofpucks]

I’m not in the loop anymore, but I do know some of the folks involved in this and there are MASSIVE egos on both sides, so it’s no surprise it’s going to be a complete gong show.

[Drake]

From a scout.

@HaroldNixon72:
UPDATE: The AJHL has NOT suspended any teams at the moment. The 11 teams who are remaining in the league have decided to refuse to play the 5 who are leaving & the league is yet to declare these games as forfeits, saying they have been “cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.”

[TheScorpion]

That's an understatement ^

[puffnstuff]

That makes no sense. If a team refuses to play, they forfeit. If they continue to refuse then wouldnt they be in breach of the bylaws?

[habernac]

Originally Posted by bagofpucks

Ah, cool. I bet you have some pretty crazy stories for sure; reffing junior A would not be for the faint of heart. I played two years in the south and one year in the north, and yah, the north was completely bananas in comparison. Nothing like a completely full rink booing you in warm ups in Fort Mac.

Grew up there and saw many, many games in that barn. 15 year old Chris Phillips, players scaling the glass to fight the crowd, always a full house. Good times.

[Drake]

Spruce Grove has exactly 0 GAMES left against the other 4 teams. So their season is effectively over. I see lawsuits coming for lost revenue in some team's future.

[puffnstuff]

New statement out from the AJ. Cancelling all games between the 11 stay and the 5 leavers.
So petty.
And allowing the 5 teams play each other, for the sake of the kids...when like Drake said SG has 0 games left