Kelowna Chiefs

Last updated
Kelowna Chiefs
City Kelowna, British Columbia
League Kootenay International Junior Hockey League
ConferenceOkanagan/Shuswap
DivisionBill Ohlhausen
Founded2010 (2010)
Home arenaRutland Arena
ColoursRed, Black and White
   
Owner(s)Darren Tymchyshy
General managerDavid Whistle
Head coachDavid Whistle
CaptainVacant
Website kelownachiefs.com
Franchise history
2007-10 Chase Chiefs
2010-presentKelowna Chiefs

The Kelowna Chiefs are a Junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Bill Ohlhausen Division of the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). They play their home games at Rutland Arena.

Contents

History

Chase

The Chiefs were founded as the Chase Chiefs in 2007. They did not qualify for the playoffs in their opening season, finishing with a record of 26-20-5. The following year, they finished 25-23-4, qualifying for the playoffs, where they lost in the second round to the Sicamous Eagles. In the 2009-10 season, they finished with a record of 26-20-4, finishing third in the Okanagan Division. They defeated the Kamloops Storm in the opening round, 3-1, before bowing out to Revelstoke in the second. The 2009-10 season marked the end of the Chase Chiefs, however, as the franchise relocated to Rutland, in Kelowna for the 2010-11 season. In three seasons, the Chase Chiefs compiled a total record of 77-63-13. They were last coached by Brad Fox before the relocation. However, the town of Chase was awarded an expansion franchise for the KIJHL in 2011-12, only a year after the departure of the Chiefs. The Chase Heat joined the league along with the Summerland Steam in 2011-12.

Kelowna

The new Chiefs team played in Kelowna for the 2010-11 season, and finished with a record of 26-21-1-0-2 in their opening season, second in the Okanagan Division. They would lose in the second round of the playoffs, 4-0, to the Osoyoos Coyotes. In their second season, the Chiefs finished with an almost identical record, 26-22-0-0-4, finishing fourth in the Okanagan Division. They surprisingly played all the way to the league championship, before being swept 4-0 by the Beaver Valley Nitehawks. The following year, the Chiefs finished with a record of 35-15-1-0-1, first in the Okanagan Division. They were defeated, however, in the second round of the playoffs by Osoyoos again. In 2013-14, the Chiefs finished 2nd in the Okanagan Division, before losing in the first round to Osoyoos again. The next year, the Chiefs finished with a record of 23-24-2-0-2, 2nd in the Okanagan Division. They lost, however, in the first round again, this time to the Summerland Steam. The 2015-16 season was almost identical, with the Chiefs' compiling a record of 24-23-2-2-1, and losing in the first round again to Summerland. [1]

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, PTS = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

SeasonGPWLTOTLPTSGFGAFinishPlayoffs
2010-11 50262112551781762nd of 4, Okanagan
7th of 18, KIJHL
Lost Div Finals, 0-4 (Coyotes)
2011–1252262204562212084th of 5, Okanagan
13th of 20, KIJHL
Lost finals, 0-4 (Nitehawks)
2012–1352351511722051351st of 5, Okanagan
3rd of 20, KIJHL
Lost Div Finals, 2-4 (Coyotes)
2013–1452311704662011702nd of 5, Okanagan
6th of 20, KIJHL
Lost Div Semifinals, 0-4 (Coyotes)
2014–1552232422501611733rd of 5, Bill Olhausen
14th of 20, KIJHL
Lost Div Semifinals, 3-4 (Steam)
2015–1652242321511441583rd of 5, Bill Olhausen
12th of 20, KIJHL
Lost Div Semifinals, 2-4 (Steam)
2016–1747202223451571563rd of 5, Bill Olhausen
13th of 20, KIJHL
Lost Div Semifinals, 3-4 (Steam)
2017–1847271514592211712nd of 5, Bill Olhausen
8th of 20, KIJHL
Lost Div Finals, 2-4 (Coyotes)
2018–194943312892761111st of 5, Bill Olhausen
1st of 20, KJHL
Lost Conference Finals, 2-4 (Grizzlies)
2019–2049321232691861301st of 5, Bill Olhausen
4th of 20, KIJHL
Playoffs interrupted by COVID-19
2020-214220041111Season cancelled due to COVID-19 [2]
2021-2242261303551581352nd of 5, Bill Ohlhausen
7th of 19, KIJHL
Lost Div Semifinals, 1-4 (Steam)
2022-23446340316952055th of 5, Bill Ohlhausen
19th of 19 KIJHL
Did not qualify for playoff season
2023-24441632401361231924th of 5, Bill Ohlhausen
15th of 20 KIJHL
Lost Div Semifinals, 1-4 (Posse)
2024-2544192113421611885th of 6, Bill Ohlhausen
8th of 11, O/S Conference
13th of 21 KIJHL
Did not qualify for playoff season

Playoffs

SeasonDivision SemifinalsDivision FinalsConference FinalsKIJHL Championship
2010-11 W, 4-3, Princeton L, 0-4, Osoyoos
2011-12W, 4-2, Osoyoos W, 4-1, Princeton W, 4-1, Sicamous L, 0-4, Beaver Valley
2012-13W, 4-2, Summerland L, 2-4, Osoyoos
2013-14L, 0-4, Osoyoos
2014-15L, 3-4, Summerland
2015-16L, 2-4, Summerland
2016-17L, 3-4, Summerland
2017-18W, 4-3, Summerland L, 2-4, Osoyoos
2018-19W, 4-0, Osoyoos W, 4-1, Summerland L, 2-4, Revelstoke
2019-20W, 4-1, North Okanagan 1-1, Princeton Playoffs cancelled due to COVID-19
2020-21Playoffs not held due to COVID-19
2021-22L, 1-4, Summerland
2022-23Did not qualify
2023-24L, 1-4, Princeton
2024-25Did not qualify

References

  1. "Summerland Eliminates Chiefs With KIJHL Shutout Victory | KelownaNow". kelownanow.com. 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  2. KIJHL.ca. "KIJHL announces cancellation of 2020/21 season". www.kijhl.ca. Retrieved 2022-03-04.