A seismic shift in the junior hockey landscape has hit Alberta.
The Okotoks Oilers along with the Brooks Bandits, Blackfalds Bulldogs, Spruce Grove Saints and Sherwood Park Crusaders have agreed to terms to join the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) for the 2024-25 season, as per a BCHL press release issued on Jan. 20.
“The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) has announced that it has come to terms with five Alberta-based teams to join the league for the 2024-25 season,” the statement reads. “The teams that have committed to terms include, the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders and Spruce Grove Saints.
“Further information, such as league structure, will be announced in the coming weeks. There will be no further comment until more information is available.”
The BCHL withdrew from Hockey Canada and became an independent league at the end of the 2022-23 regular season citing a number of concerns including the challenges around recruiting under-18 players, with rules stipulating a U18 player can’t play in another province without the family moving.
The B.C. league withdrew its membership out of the Canadian Junior Hockey League in spring 2021.
The ability to recruit players from CJHL leagues, including the Alberta Junior Hockey League, has led to an influx of talent moving to B.C. during the first season under this new set-up.
Of note, the Okotoks Oilers won the bid to host the 2025 Centennial Cup, the CJHL and Hockey Canada’s National Junior A championship.
When reached for comment, the Oilers had no comment at this time.
The AJHL issued the following statement on social media late Saturday afternoon.
"The AJHL was informed through an announcement from the BCHL of a decision by five member teams to join the British Columbia Hockey for the 2024-25 season. No official notice has been provided to the AJHL from the respective teams.
"As a league we are assessing next steps and schedule implications. The AJHL will continue to provide unprecedented development opportunities for our athletes within our valuable communities."
As part of the statement, the league also announced it was cancelling four games, two on Jan. 20 involving the Olds Grizzlys versus the Bulldogs, Drayton Valley Thunder at Brooks, and two on Jan. 21 involving the Bandits and Whitecourt Wolverines along with the Saints and Calgary Canucks.
The five organizations in question include the top four teams in the AJHL standings along with a Saints team that has been a fixture in the league finals over the past decade.
The last 12 AJHL championships have been won by either Spruce Grove or Brooks, who’ve won seven of 12 including the past three titles.
The Oilers have been a part of the AJHL since the team relocated from the Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves in 2004. Following a season leave of absence to establish the team, the Oilers launched during the 2005-06 campaign and are currently playing their 19th season in the AJHL.
The BCHL has 17 teams in the 2023-24 regular season, nine in the Coastal Division, four of which are based on Vancouver Island and another on the Sunshine Coast, and eight in the Interior Division. Teams in closer proximity to Alberta include the Cranbrook Bucks, Trail Smoke Eaters, Salmon Arm Silverbacks, Vernon Vipers, West Kelowna Warriors and Penticton Vees.
Further details are expected to be released. This story will be updated.