The Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) is a Junior Aice hockey league under Hockey Canada, a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. It consists of six teams from New Brunswick, which make up the EastLink North Division (formerly Roger Meek), five teams from Nova Scotia, and one team from Prince Edward Island which make up the Eastlink South Division. The winner of the MHL playoffs competes for the Centennial Cup against the winners of the 8 other tier 2 junior A leagues across Canada (host team also participates). Prior to the pandemic the MHL champions would participate in the Fred Page Cup. This tournament involved the Bogart Cup champions from the CCHL(Ontario), the Kent Cup champions from the MHL(Maritimes) and the winner of the La Coupe Napa of the QJHL(Québec) as well as a predetermined host. The winner would move on to compete for the Canadian National Junior A Championship. However with the departure of the BCHL whom ended affiliation with the CJHL in March 2021 as well as Hockey Canada in June 2023 becoming an independent league. No Centennial Cup qualifying tournaments such as the Kent Cup have been played since 2022 and instead all the league champions have directly advanced to the Centennial Cup.
Originally known as the Metro Valley Junior Hockey League, the league was founded in 1967 by Fred McGillivray and Louie Lewis of Halifax, Nova Scotia and Don Stewart of Berwick, Nova Scotia as a Junior "B" level hockey league. Originally an exclusively Nova Scotia hockey league, it included six teams: East Hants Junior Penguins, Halifax Colonels, Dartmouth Hoyts, Windsor Royals, Kentville Riteways, and Berwick Shell Juniors. 1968 saw the Truro Bearcats and Amherst Ramblers replace the teams from Kentville and Berwick. In 1971–72 the New Glasgow Bombers and the Pictou Maripacs entered the league. Stellarton and a new Kentville franchise entered the league in 1973 and 1974 respectively.
In 1977, still known as the "Metro Valley", the league entered into the Tier II Junior "A" level. The jump to Junior "A" was, in theory, to be a catalyst for the development of the league. However The budgets necessary to play at the Jr. 'A' level resulted in the immediate withdrawal of the Chester Ravens and the East Hants Penguins. The Cole Harbour Colts (Scotia Colts), who entered the league in 1976, became the first team in league history to host the national championship, then known as the Centennial Cup, in 1980.
In 1991, Summerside and Charlottetown of Prince Edward Island left the IJHL and joined the newly dubbed "Maritime Junior A Hockey League". The IJHL is still PEI's premier Junior league, but now is only a Junior "B" league. The winner of the IJHL's playoffs compete for the Don Johnson Cup, the Maritime Junior "B" Championship.
For the 1996–97 season, the league added the Cape Breton Islanders and Restigouche River Rats. In 1996–97 the league consisted of the Amherst Ramblers, Antigonish Bulldogs, Charlottetown Abbies, East Hants Penguins, Dartmouth Oland Exports, Moncton Gagnon Beavers, Saint John Alpines, and Summerside Western Capitals. The Saint John Alpines folded in January. With financial losses totalling $40,000 and an additional $50,000 shortfall projected should the team finish the season, they simply ran out of money. The Summerside Western Capitals won the league's first ever national title. The Capitals hosted the Royal Bank Cup at Cahill Stadium and won the championship game 4–3 over the South Surrey Eagles.
Truro and Bathurst received approval for new teams to start in 1997–98 but due to the relocation of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Laval Titan to Bathurst, the Truro Bearcats would be the sole new team. The Cape Breton Islanders moved to Glace Bay and became the Glace Bay Miners, but with the arrival of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, they folded in December of that season, leaving the league with nine teams again.
During the 1998–99 season two teams changed their names. The first was the Dartmouth Oland Exports when they moved to the Halifax Forum to become the Halifax Oland Exports. The second was the 1998–99 MJAHL champions, the Restigouche River Rats, as they changed their name to the Campbellton Tigers.
Old Logo
A tenth team was added for the 2000–01 season, the Miramichi Timberwolves. At the same time, the East Hants Penguins moved to Dartmouth and became the Scotia Dairy Queen Blizzard. At the end of the 2001–02 season, the league approved the transfer of the Blizzard to Yarmouth. The Yarmouth Motormart Mariners began play in September 2002. In early 2003 the league governors approved expansion into Woodstock, N.B., with the Slammers beginning play in the 2003–04 season.
The league hired its first professional full-time league president in 2003, Vernon Doyle.
The league got their second national Championship when the Halifax Oland Exports won the 2002 Royal Bank Cup on home ice. One year later, after financial trouble with Oland Brewery, the franchise's name was changed to Halifax Team Pepsi. In the spring of 2004, the Weeks Hockey Organization bought the club, moved it to New Glasgow and renamed it the Pictou County Weeks Crushers. On that same day Halifax was granted an expansion franchise, the Halifax Wolverines.
In the spring of 2008, the MJAHL had some big changes.
On April 15, the Antigonish Bulldogs announced that they were applying for a leave of absence for one year.[2] On April 26, the Bulldogs had to choose between two groups trying to buy the team and relocate it. The first group would move the franchise to New Richmond, Quebec. The other group would relocate the team to the Halifax area. At the Board of Governors meeting that day, the proposal to relocate the Antigonish franchise to New Richmond, Quebec was not considered to be in the best interests of the league and its members. The Governors did leave the door open to the sale to a Halifax group and a move to Metro Halifax. The sale and relocation of the franchise to Halifax was later approved.
At the same Governors meeting, in response to the decision to leave the door open on the sale of the Bulldogs, the owners of the Halifax Wolverines announced their plans to move to Bridgewater. The Governors voted on the decision and it was approved.[3] Following a name the team contest, the franchise was dubbed the Bridgewater Lumberjacks.
Later that week on April 29, the Moncton Beavers announced that they had failed to come to terms on a new lease for the Tim Hortons 4-Ice centre and had subsequently moved themselves to the neighboring city of Dieppe. The team was renamed the Dieppe Commandos.[4]
Rounding out this very busy month in the history of the MJAHL was the Charlottetown Abbies' decision on May 1 to apply for a leave of absence for one year, which was accepted.[5]
The Halifax franchise (former Antigonish Bulldogs) announced on August 22 that the club would be known as the Halifax Lions. This was the name of the successful Halifax team in the 1980s.[6]
In 2010, the MJAHL changed its name to the Maritime Junior Hockey League and unveiled a new logo.
In 2011, the Halifax Lions moved to Dartmouth and were renamed the Metro Marauders. Two years later the Marauders were renamed the Metro Shipbuilders for the 2012–13 season. That season was a disaster for the Shipbuilders, as they only recorded four wins in their 52-game schedule and averaged just 232 fans per game.[7] The relocation rumours had them moving back to Halifax after three years in Dartmouth but they finally moved to Kentville and were renamed the Valley Wildcats. After one season in Kentville they moved to Berwick.
In 2014 the league approved an expansion team in St. Stephen named the County Aces. As a result of the expansion, the league was back up to 12 teams for the first time since the folding of the Charlottetown Abbies in April 2008.
In November 2014, the league took over the ownership of the Bridgewater Lumberjacks after owner Ken Petrie left the team because of financial trouble. The team was sold two weeks later to a local businessman and the team was renamed the South Shore Lumberjacks.[8]
The current MHL has twelve teams, six in each division. The league has hosted the Royal Bank Cup and Centennial Cup seven times, winning twice. MHL teams have also won seven Fred Page Cups as the Junior "A" Eastern Canadian champions to earn the right to compete for the Royal Bank Cup.
In 1991, the Callaghan Cup became exclusive to the MJAHL. The Callaghan Cup was their championship trophy until after the 2006 playoffs, when it was replaced by the Kent Cup,
In the Kent Cup era the bold team indicates the Kent Cup winner.
Valley Wildcats (1980–1984) (Awarded new team after the relocation of the Metro Shipbuilders)
Windsor Royals
Timeline of teams in the MHL
1967 – Metro Valley Junior Hockey League is founded at Junior B level
1967 – East Hants Junior Penguins, Halifax Colonels, Dartmouth Hoyts Arrows, Windsor Royals, Kentville Riteway Rangers, and Berwick Shell Junior Bruins are founding members of the league.
1968 – Kentville Riteway Rangers move to Truro and are renamed the Truro Bearcats
1968 – Berwick Shell Junior Bruins move to Amherst and are renamed the Amherst Ramblers
1969 – The Halifax Colonels become the Halifax Blazers sometime between the inaugural season and the 1972–73 season.
1972 – Chester Ravens enter league?
1972 – New Glasgow Bombers enter league
1972 – Pictou Maripacs enter league
1973 – Stellarton Spitfires join league
1974 – Kentville Colonels join league
1975 – Stellarton Spitfires leave league
1975 – Pictou Maripacs leave league
1975 – Halifax Blazers are renamed Halifax Centennials
1976 – Cole Harbour Colts join league
1976 – New Glasgow Bombers leave league
1977 – League is promoted to Junior A
1977 – East Hantz Penguins leave league
1977 – Chester Ravens leave league but franchise is demoted to Jr. B in 1980
1977 – Halifax Centennials are renamed Halifax Lions
1978 – Windsor Royals expelled from league mid-season for short roster
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 Fred Page Cup was a championship ice hockey trophy, won by a tournament conducted by the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The award was given to the winner of a round-robin and playoff between the Bogart Cup champions of the Central Canada Hockey League, the Kent Cup champions of the Maritime Junior Hockey League, La Coupe NAPA Champions of the Quebec Junior Hockey League, and a predetermined host team. The winner of the Fred Page Cup moves on to the Centennial Cup, the national Junior A championship. The trophy was donated by the then-called Quebec Provincial Junior Hockey League in 1994–95.
The Truro Bearcats are a Junior "A" ice hockey team based out of Truro, Nova Scotia. The Bearcats are one of six Nova Scotia teams in the Maritime Junior Hockey League.
Les Braves de Valleyfield are a Junior ice hockey team from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada. They were a part of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League for 25 seasons. Another franchise relocated and took over their market and former moniker in 2014.
The West Kent Steamers are a Junior A Ice Hockey team from Bouctouche, New Brunswick. They play their home games at the 1,100 seat J.K. Irving Regional Centre in Bouctouche, New Brunswick. The team is a member of the Maritime Hockey League and play in the Eastlink North Division.
The Weeks Jr 'A' Crushers are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. They are in the Maritime Junior Hockey League's Eastlink South Division along with five other clubs. The Crushers play their home games at the Pictou County Wellness Centre.
The Yarmouth Mariners are a Junior "A" team based in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. They play in the Maritime Junior Hockey League. All home games are played out of the 1,501 seat Mariners Centre. The season usually runs from mid-September to early March every year.
The Charlottetown Abbies were a Tier II Junior "A" team based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They played in the IJHL and the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. Their home rink from 2003 to 2008 was the MacLauchlan Arena on the campus of UPEI. Before then, it was the Charlottetown Civic Centre.
The Miramichi Timberwolves are a Junior "A" hockey team based in Miramichi, New Brunswick. They play in the Maritime Junior Hockey League. The team was founded in 2000 and plays their home games at the Miramichi Civic Centre.
The Edmundston Blizzard are a junior ice hockey team from Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada. They play in the Maritime Junior Hockey League.
The Summerside Western Capitals are a Junior "A" hockey team based in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. They are members of the Maritime Junior Hockey League, and they play their home games at the Consolidated Credit Union Place. Until 2007 the team played at the former Cahill Stadium.
The Woodstock Slammers were a junior "A" hockey team based in Woodstock, New Brunswick. They played as part of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL). The team played their home games at the Carleton Civic Centre, formally known to fans as "Slammerland" or "Slammertown, Canada". The Slammers were a relatively successful team in their 18 year history, winning a NB Junior B League title and Don Johnson Cup (2000), three Kent Cups, one Fred Page Cup (2012) and a silver medal at the RBC Cup (2012). In 2018, the franchise relocated to Grand Falls, New Brunswick, changing their name to the Grand Falls Rapids.
The Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League is an amateur baseball league located in Nova Scotia. The league is the highest level of amateur baseball in the province, it is for players 18 and over. The league champion traditionally represents Nova Scotia at the following year's Canadian Senior Baseball Championships. An exception was in 2005 when the league sent an all-star team to the Nationals.
The Valley Wildcats are a Canadian junior ice hockey franchise from the Annapolis Valley region of Nova Scotia. The team is a member of the Maritime Junior Hockey League and plays in the EastLink Division. They play their home games in the Kings Mutual Century Centre in Berwick, Nova Scotia.
The Truro Bearcats were a Junior "A" Hockey team based in Truro, Nova Scotia, that played out of the Metro Valley Junior Hockey League. Originally a founding member of the league, and then known as the Kentville Riteway Rangers in 1967, the franchise later moved to Truro and became the Bearcats in 1968. The Bearcats competed until 1983 when they folded mid-season.
The original Maritime Junior A Hockey League was a Canadian Junior ice hockey league from 1968 until 1971 in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The league competed for the Memorial Cup until 1970 when it was relegated to Tier II Junior A and then competed one year for the Centennial Cup before becoming defunct.
The Island Junior Hockey League (IJHL), also sometimes called the PEI Junior A Hockey League, was a Junior ice hockey league in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Originally Junior B, the league was promoted to Junior A in 1973 after the folding of the Charlottetown Islanders in 1972.
The Eastern Junior A Hockey League was a Junior "A" ice hockey league from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Eastern Junior A Hockey League was in competition for the Manitoba Centennial Cup, the National Junior A Championship from 1975 until 1978.
The 2013–14 Maritime Junior Hockey League season was the 47th season in league history. The season consisted of 52 games played by each MHL team.
The 2014–15 Maritime Junior Hockey League season was the 48th season in league history. The season consisted of 48 games played by each MHL team.
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2022–23 MHL season 
