The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major 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. Many players have been drafted from WHL teams, and have found success at various levels of professional hockey, including the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) is an association of Canadian junior A ice hockey leagues and teams and was formed in November 1993, emerging from the Canada West Association of Junior 'A' Hockey. The champion of the Canadian Junior Hockey League wins the Centennial Cup.
The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the OHF include the Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Northwestern Ontario. The OHA controls three tiers of junior hockey; the "Tier 2 Junior "A", Junior "B", Junior "C", and one senior hockey league, Allan Cup Hockey.
The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 22 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior 'A' league within the Hockey Canada framework until it became independent in 2023. Since becoming independent, the league characterizes itself simply as a Junior ice hockey league.
The Centennial Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament organized by Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), which determines the national champion of junior A ice hockey. It is a ten-team round robin featuring the winners of all nine CJHL member leagues as well as a pre-selected host city.
The Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) is a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league operating in eastern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The winner of the CCHL playoffs competes for the Fred Page Cup — the Eastern Region championship of the Canadian Junior Hockey League — with the winners of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League and the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. The winner of the Fred Page Cup then moves on to compete for the national Centennial Cup.
Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 15- to 20-year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) is a Junior A Tier 2 ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of the Teck Cup competes with the champions of the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) and the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League(VIJHL) for the Cyclone Taylor Cup, the British Columbia Provincial Title.
The Capital Junior Hockey League is a Junior "B" ice hockey league in Alberta, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The league was established in 1972 as the Edmonton Metropolitan Junior Hockey League.
The Keystone Junior Hockey League (KJHL) is a Junior 'B' ice hockey league in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The league, sanctioned by Hockey Manitoba, was formerly known as the Manitoba Junior 'B' Hockey League.
The Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a Junior Tier 2 ice hockey league of 11 franchised member clubs, all of which are based on Vancouver Island. The Brent Patterson Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. The winner of the Brent Patterson Memorial Trophy competes with the champions of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and the Pacific International Junior Hockey League for the Cyclone Taylor Cup, the British Columbia Junior B championship.
Hockey Alberta is the governing body of all ice hockey in Alberta, Canada and is affiliated with Hockey Canada. It was founded in 1907 as the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) to be the governing body for Alberta intra-city ice hockey play. As of the 2018–19 hockey season, the Chair of the Board of Directors was Terry Engen, and the Chief Executive Officer for operations management was Rob Litwinski.
The Keystone Cup is the Junior B ice hockey championship and trophy for Western Canada. From 1983 to 2017, the championship was the culmination of the champions of 12 hockey leagues in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwestern Ontario. In 2018, citing costs for travel and accommodations, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan withdrew from competition for the Keystone Cup, making it a championship between Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.
The Russ Barnes Trophy is a trophy awarded by Hockey Alberta to the Alberta Junior B Provincial champion. The gold medallist advances to the Keystone Cup Western Canada Junior B championship.
The history of ice hockey in Calgary extends back well over a century to the first recorded ice hockey game in Alberta in 1893. Imported from eastern Canada, the game's popularity rapidly grew in the city, with teams at every level playing for and capturing Canada's national championships. Calgary is known today as one of Canada's best ice hockey cities with the Calgary Flames and Calgary Hitmen receiving immense support from the city. The Calgary Oval X-Treme is one of the most dominant women's ice hockey teams in the country, while Junior A ice hockey is also well supported with two teams in the city. Calgary is home to the Mac's AAA midget hockey tournament, one of the most prestigious midget hockey tournaments in the world which has seen dozens of future National Hockey League players play in this city before their professional careers began.
Hockey Calgary is the governing body for ice hockey in the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada at the Junior "B", Junior "C", and Minor levels. The organization is a subsection of Hockey Alberta and Hockey Canada.
The Whitecourt Wolverines are a junior "A" ice hockey team in North Division of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) based in Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada. The 2012–13 season was their inaugural season in Whitecourt.
The St. Albert Merchants are a Canadian Junior B ice hockey team located in St. Albert, Alberta. They play in the Capital Junior Hockey League out of the Jarome Iginla Arena. They are coached by Niall O'Donoghue and Ian McFatridge.
Brent Ladds is a Canadian former ice hockey administrator. He served as president of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) from 2016 to 2022, president of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1980 to 2012, commissioner of Allan Cup Hockey from 2013 to 2016, and chairman of the Hockey Canada junior hockey council from 2014 to 2016. He marketed the CJHL as a development program for players seeking a professional career or an education, with exposure to National Hockey League talent scouts at the annual CJHL Prospects Game and World Junior A Challenge. He also sought to increase marketing opportunities, have consistent administrative practices, and to co-ordinate public relations across the CJHL. His tenure as president also saw the withdrawal of the British Columbia Hockey League, and subsequent format change of the Centennial Cup tournament to include all nine league champions.
Canada