There was another big change in BC junior hockey this week, with the Vancouver Island league confirming plans to become independent.
The 11-team Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League announced Monday that it is terminating its relationship with BC Hockey and Hockey Canada for the 2024-25 season.
The move was partially motivated by the VIJHL's desire to resume cooperation with the BC Hockey League, which was banned last season after the BCHL completed its own divorce with the sport's regulatory body.
“As an Island League, it might be a little bit more unique than the Lower Mainland League or the Kootenay League. This is really a player-driven decision, and a lot of players and families are trying to get to the next level of hockey. “We were frustrated that we had to consider the option of going to Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba,” VIJHL Executive Director Sean Vincent told Nanaimo News Matters.
The VIJHL was part of the three-league BC Hockey Conference, along with the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and the Pacific Junior Hockey League.
The latter two plan to continue operating the business independently.
“The BCHC and its member leagues are fully committed to operating under the umbrella of Hockey Canada and BC Hockey,” KIJHL Commissioner Jeff Dubois said in a separate release.
“Over the past year, we have committed ourselves to the effort and investment necessary to advance to the Junior A level, with the ultimate goal of providing our players with a path to competing in the Centennial Cup, Canada’s national Junior A championship. I went.”
Following the British Columbia Hockey League's separation from Hockey Canada, the KIJHL's tier has been raised from Junior B to Junior A, Tier 2, for the start of the 2023-24 season.
The league hired Blackfin Sports Group, led by three former Canucks Sports & Entertainment executives, to develop a process for determining which teams are designated Junior A, Tier 1. Details will be announced in early 2025.
KI is also welcoming three new franchises for the 2024-25 season. The North Okanagan Knights moved to Quesnel. Summerland Steam has moved to Williams Lake. And the Merritt Centennials made the switch from the BCHL.
