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The Canadian Hockey League is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three member leagues, the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. For the 2023–24 season, its three leagues and 60 teams represent nine Canadian provinces as well as four American states.
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada, alongside the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Teams play for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, with the winner moving on to play for the Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship. WHL teams have won the Memorial Cup 19 times. The WHL is composed of 22 teams divided into two conferences of two divisions. The Eastern Conference comprises 11 teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, while the Western Conference comprises eleven teams from British Columbia and the American states of Washington and Oregon.
The Calgary Hitmen are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL), hosting their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "Hitman" Hart, a professional wrestler and Calgary native, was a founding owner and the inspiration for the team's name. Established in 1994, the team has been owned by the Calgary Flames hockey club since 1997. They are the third WHL team based in Calgary, after the Centennials and Wranglers.
The Swift Current Broncos are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1967, the Broncos relocated to Lethbridge, Alberta in 1974, and were known as the Lethbridge Broncos, before returning to Swift Current in 1986. The team plays in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, and hosts games at Innovation Credit Union iPlex. Swift Current is the smallest city with a team in the WHL, and the second smallest across the entire Canadian Hockey League. The Broncos are three-time WHL playoff champions, and won the 1989 Memorial Cup. Before any of their championships, the Broncos were known for a 1986 team bus crash that resulted in the deaths of four players.
The Ed Chynoweth Trophy is awarded to the leading scorer at the Memorial Cup tournament. It was first awarded in 1996. In the case of a tie in points, the award is given to the player with the fewest games played. If they have played the same number of games, the award goes to the player with the most goals scored.
The Four Broncos Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the Western Hockey League's Player of the Year.
The William Hanley Trophy is awarded annually by Ontario Hockey League to the most sportsmanlike player. It is named for Bill Hanley, a former secretary-manager of the Ontario Hockey Association who served in that capacity for twenty-five years. The William Hanley Trophy was first awarded in 1975. The winner of the William Hanley Trophy is nominated for the CHL Sportsman of the Year.
The Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy is presented annually to the Western Hockey League player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition. The award is named after Saskatoon Blades founder Jim Piggott, one of the founding fathers of what is today the Western Hockey League.
The Del Wilson Trophy is presented annually to the Western Hockey League's goaltender judged to be the best at his position. The award is named after Del Wilson for his many years of service to both the Regina Pats and the League. Wilson was an owner, Governor, and General Manager of the Pats and served 6 years as Chairman of the Board of the WHL. Wilson led the WHL into a partnership with Ontario and Quebec Major Junior Leagues.
The Bob Clarke Trophy is awarded annually to the player who leads the Western Hockey League in points scoring during the regular season. In both years Bob "Bobby" Clarke played in the WHL, he captured the League scoring title. In 1968–69, Clarke's Flin Flon Bombers captured the League Championship. His NHL career spanned 15 seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, in which time he captained the team to a pair of Stanley Cups. He was awarded the Hart Trophy as the NHL's MVP three times, the Masterton Trophy and the Selke Trophy once each, and was also named an All-Star four times. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.
The CHL Player of the Year award is given out annually to the player judged to be the most outstanding in the Canadian Hockey League. It is selected from three most valuable players of the respective leagues; the Red Tilson Trophy of Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the Michel Brière Memorial Trophy of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
The Ed Chynoweth Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy awarded to the playoff champion of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally called the President's Cup when the league was founded in 1966, the trophy was renamed in 2007 to honour Ed Chynoweth's long service to junior hockey in Canada. The WHL champion earns a berth into the Memorial Cup tournament, Canada's junior hockey championship. The Kamloops Blazers have won the most WHL championships with six, followed by the Medicine Hat Tigers with five. The Spokane Chiefs were the first team to win the renamed trophy in the 2007–08 WHL season. The current (2023–24) holders of the Ed Chynoweth Cup are the Moose Jaw Warriors.
The Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award is given out annually to the coach of the year in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Originally called the CHL Coach of the Year Award, the trophy was renamed in 2003 to honour Brian Kilrea when he won his 1,000th game as the coach of the Ottawa 67's. Kilrea has won more games than any other coach in Canadian junior hockey history, two Memorial Cup championships and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003. He was named the OHL's top coach five times in his 32-year coaching career, and won the CHL Coach of the Year Award once, in 1996–97.
The CHL Sportsman of the Year Award is given out annually to the most sportsmanlike player in the Canadian Hockey League. It is chosen from the winner of the William Hanley Trophy of the Ontario Hockey League, the Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, or the Brad Hornung Trophy of the Western Hockey League.
The 1986–87 WHL season was the 21st season for the Western Hockey League. Fourteen teams completed a 72-game season. The Medicine Hat Tigers won the President's Cup before going on to also capture the Memorial Cup.
The Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy is an annual award given to the Western Hockey League humanitarian of the year. The winner is the player who best shows a commitment to his community and to humanitarian values. The award received its current name in May 2001 when it was renamed in honour of Doug Wickenheiser, who died of cancer in 1999.
Hnat A. Domenichelli is a Canadian-born former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the fourth round, 83rd overall, of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He played 267 National Hockey League (NHL) games for the Whalers, Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and Minnesota Wild between 1996 and 2003 before moving to Switzerland where he has played for the remainder of his career in the National League A. After becoming a Swiss citizen in 2009, he would play for Switzerland at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Aaron Gagnon is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets.
The Victoria Royals are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Victoria, British Columbia. The Royals play in the B.C. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team began play during the 2011–12 season after the league announced the relocation of the Chilliwack Bruins to Victoria. It marked the return of the WHL to Vancouver Island, 17 years after the departure of the Victoria Cougars. The Royals play their home games at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
Logan Stankoven is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL)). He was drafted in the second round, 47th overall, by the Stars in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.