BCHL Announces finalized addition of five Alberta based teams

LANGLEY – The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) has made it official.

five Alberta-based teams have signed franchise agreements and are now officially members of the league, as of January 31st 2024.

Before the agreement was set in stone the teams had a rough agreement of what joining the league would look like. This didn’t go well with the AJHL as they suspended all five teams for the rest of the season, a devastating blow to many junior hockey players career paths.

20 year old veterans were left wondering if they had played their final game in junior hockey, but that seems to be the case no more.

Effective immediately, the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders and Spruce Grove Saints are members of the BCHL.

“We are pleased to officially welcome these five franchises into the fold as members of our league,” said Chris Hebb, Chief Executive Officer of the BCHL.

“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 five teams will engage in competition with each other for the remainder of the season and will eventually crown an Alberta champion.

Following the conclusion of the BCHL Playoffs, there will be an opportunity for the champion from Alberta to meet the champion from B.C. in a year-end competition.

“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.”

The schedule for the Alberta teams starts tomorrow and can be viewed here.

Details for the post-season competition will be announced at a later date.

For a list of Frequently Asked Questions about this decision, visit our FAQ page here.