Canadian Junior Hockey League facts for kids

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Canadian Junior Hockey League

Countries	Canada, United States
President	Andy Harkness
Former name(s)	Canada West Hockey Association (1990-1993) Canadian Junior A Hockey League (1993-2008)
Founded	1993; 32 years ago (1993)
Divisions	9 Leagues
Conferences	4 Regions
No. of teams	132
Championship	Centennial Cup
Recent Champions	Brooks Bandits (AJHL) (4th)
Most successful club	Vernon Vipers (BCHL) (6)
Headquarters	Calgary, Alberta
Website	http://cjhlhockey.com/

The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) is a group of Canadian Junior A ice hockey leagues and teams. It was created in November 1993. The best team in the CJHL wins the Centennial Cup, which is like their national championship!

The CJHL covers most of Canada, from the Prairies to the Atlantic Coast. Most parts of Canada have teams or leagues that are part of the CJHL.

History of Junior A Hockey
Current Leagues
National Championships and Trophies
CJHL Prospects Game
Players Who Made It Big
- Player of the Year Award
- RBC National Junior A Scholarship
See also

History of Junior A Hockey

How it Started

Back in 1970, some of the biggest junior hockey leagues, like the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, decided to form their own group. This group later became the Canadian Hockey League. These "Major Junior" leagues were the only ones allowed to play for the famous Memorial Cup.

Because of this, the other Junior A leagues needed their own championship. So, in May 1970, a new national championship was created just for them. It was called the Manitoba Centennial Trophy, in honor of 100 years of hockey in Manitoba. This trophy is now known as the Centennial Cup.

Forming the CJHL

In 1990, the Junior A leagues in Western Canada formed a group called the Canada West Association. This group helped lead to the creation of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League (CJAHL) in 1993. In 2008, the league changed its name to the "Canadian Junior Hockey League" (CJHL), which is what it's called today.

When the CJAHL first started in 1993, it included many leagues from across Canada. Over the years, some leagues joined, and some left or merged with others. For example, the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) left the CJHL before the 2021–22 season. They wanted to bring in younger players from other provinces, which the rest of the CJHL didn't agree with. Even with this change, the other nine leagues stayed committed to the CJHL.

Hockey and the Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the CJHL had to cancel many games and championships. This included the 2019–20 season playoffs and the national championship. For the next season, they tried different plans to play safely. Some leagues even played without fans in the stands, which meant they lost a lot of money. The CJHL worked with the NHL Central Scouting Bureau to help players get noticed by professional teams, even without big national events.

Current Leagues

Locations of Regions and Leagues of the CJHL (2021-22 season).

The CJHL is made up of nine different leagues across Canada. Each league has its own teams and plays for its own championship. The winners then compete for the national Centennial Cup.

League	Provinces	Teams	2021-22 Champion
Pacific Zone
Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL)	Alberta	11	Brooks Bandits
Western Zone
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL)	Saskatchewan	12	Estevan Bruins
Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL)	Manitoba	13	Dauphin Kings
Central Zone
Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL)	Northwestern Ontario	7	Red Lake Miners
Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL)	Northeastern Ontario	12	Soo Thunderbirds
Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL)	Southern Ontario	22	Pickering Panthers
Eastern Zone
Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL)	Eastern Ontario	12	Ottawa Jr. Senators
Quebec Junior Hockey League (LHJQ)	Quebec	12	Longueuil Collège Français
Maritime Junior A Hockey League (MHL)	Atlantic Canada	12	Summerside Western Capitals

National Championships and Trophies

The Centennial Cup (formerly the Royal Bank Cup) is the championship trophy of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.

To find the national champion, the winners of each league first play in regional championships. These are:

The Fred Page Cup for the Eastern Region (Maritimes, Quebec, Ottawa District).
The Dudley Hewitt Cup for the Central Region (Southern, Northeastern, and Northwestern Ontario).
The ANAVET Cup for the Western Region (Manitoba and Saskatchewan).
The Doyle Cup for the Pacific Region (Alberta and British Columbia, though the BCHL is no longer part of the CJHL).

The winners of these four regional playoffs, along with a host city team, then compete in the Centennial Cup national championship.

The Manitoba Centennial Cup was the main championship from 1970 until 1995. Then, it was called the Royal Bank Cup (or RBC Cup) because of a sponsor. After the 2017–18 season, the sponsorship ended, and it went back to being called the Centennial Cup.

The 2022 Centennial Cup was held in Estevan, Saskatchewan. It was the first national championship since 2019 because of the pandemic. For this event, the format changed: instead of regional championships, all nine league champions and the host team went straight to the Centennial Cup.

CJHL Prospects Game

Since 2005, the CJHL has hosted the CJHL Prospects Game. This is where some of the best young players from the league get to show off their skills. They play in a "Team West" versus "Team East" game for the President's Cup. Many scouts from professional hockey teams come to watch these games to find future stars!

This game helps players get noticed for the NHL Entry Draft. Sometimes, the Prospects Game is even part of the World Junior A Challenge, which is an international tournament where CJHL prospects play against teams from other countries.

Players Who Made It Big

Many players from the CJHL have gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL) or the World Hockey Association (WHA). This shows how important Junior A hockey is for developing talented players.

League	Seasons	Total Players Drafted
BCHL	44	143
AJHL	44	79
SJHL	44	47
OJHL	21	39
CCHL	44	31
MJHL	44	18
QJHL	26	2
NOJHL	36	2
MHL	37	2
SIJHL	13	0
OPJHL 72-87	15	19
SOJHL	7	15
MetJHL	8	9
Thunder Bay Flyers	20	8
MJAHL 70-71	1	4
TBJHL	10	4
NOJHA	2	3
Charlottetown Islanders	1	2
QJAHL	10	1
RMJHL	19	1
Total	44	429

Some Top Players Drafted from CJHL Leagues:

Kyle Turris - Drafted 3rd overall in 2007 by the Phoenix Coyotes (from Burnaby Express BCHL)
Cale Makar - Drafted 4th overall in 2017 by the Colorado Avalanche (from Brooks Bandits AJHL)
Tyson Jost - Drafted 10th overall in 2016 by the Colorado Avalanche (from Penticton Vees BCHL)
Dainius Zubrus - Drafted 15th overall in 1996 by the Philadelphia Flyers (from Caledon Canadians MetJHL)
Joe Colborne - Drafted 16th overall in 2008 by the Boston Bruins (from Camrose Kodiaks AJHL)
Dante Fabbro - Drafted 17th overall in 2016 by the Nashville Predators (from Penticton Vees BCHL)
Travis Zajac - Drafted 20th overall in 2004 by the New Jersey Devils (from Salmon Arm Silverbacks BCHL)
Beau Bennett - Drafted 20th overall in 2010 by the Pittsburgh Penguins (from Penticton Vees BCHL)
Dennis Cholowski - Drafted 20th overall in 2016 by the Detroit Red Wings (from Chilliwack Chiefs BCHL)
Riley Nash - Drafted 21st overall in 2007 by the Edmonton Oilers (from Salmon Arm Silverbacks BCHL)
Kris Chucko - Drafted 24th overall in 2004 by the Calgary Flames (from Salmon Arm Silverbacks BCHL)
Andrew Cogliano - Drafted 25th overall in 2005 by the Edmonton Oilers (from St. Michael's Buzzers OPJHL)
Brendan Smith - Drafted 27th overall in 2007 by the Detroit Red Wings (from St. Michael's Buzzers OPJHL)
Dylan Olsen - Drafted 28th overall in 2009 by the Chicago Blackhawks (from Camrose Kodiaks AJHL)

Many other famous players have also come from Junior A hockey, like Chris Chelios, Ray Ferraro, and Brett Hull.

Player of the Year Award

This award is given to the best player in the CJHL each year. Here are some of the recent winners:

1992 Paul Kariya - Penticton Panthers (BCHL)
1998 Mike Comrie - St. Albert Saints (AJHL)
1999 Dany Heatley - Calgary Canucks (AJHL)
2007 Kyle Turris - Burnaby Express (BCHL)
2008 Joe Colborne - Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL)
2011 Zach Hyman - Hamilton Red Wings (OJHL)
2016 Tyson Jost - Penticton Vees (BCHL)
2017 Cale Makar - Brooks Bandits (AJHL)
2019 Alex Newhook - Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)
2020 Devon Levi - Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL)
2022 Ryan McAllister - Brooks Bandits (AJHL)
2023 Aiden Fink - Brooks Bandits (AJHL)

RBC National Junior A Scholarship

Every year, the CJHL gives out a special scholarship to a player who is great at hockey and also does well in school. One player from the ten leagues is chosen to win the $5000 CAD RBC National Junior A Scholarship.