BC Elite Hockey League explained

Sport:Ice hockey
Founded:2004
Teams:14
Country:Canada
Champion:Okanagan Rockets
BC Elite Hockey League
Related Comps:Telus Cup

The British Columbia Elite Hockey League (BCEHL) is the highest level of provincial youth ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada. The league is governed by BC Hockey and was inaugurated in 2004 as the British Columbia Hockey Major Midget League (BCMML).

The league currently consists of 9 integrated teams (U15, U17, U18) and 5 U18 women's teams. Players range from 14 to 17 years old.[1] BCEHL is part of BC Hockeys' "High Performance" program to develop the best U18 players around the province. The U18 league champion goes on to compete with the top Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) U18 team to represent the Pacific region at the annual Telus Cup, Canada's national U18 championship. The Okanagan Rockets are the current 2023 champions,[2] and the 2022 Vancouver North East Chiefs[3] were the last team to represent the BCEHL at the Telus Cup.

History

Originally established in 2004–05 as the British Columbia Major Midget League[4] for players under 18 years of age, a female division was initialized in 2007–08 and played under the umbrella of the Female Midget AAA League. In 2018, a U16 AAA league was created (now the U17 AAA league), followed by a U15 AAA league in 2019. These four divisions (Female U18 AAA, U18 AAA, U17 AAA and U15 AAA) now comprise the BCEHL.

On September 16, 2021, the league was announced as being renamed the British Columbia Elite Hockey League.[5]

Current teams

Integrated

Female

Former teams

U18 League champions

Year Champion Pacific Championship Result in Telus Cup
2024 Vancouver North East Chiefs Lost to Calgary Buffaloes
2023 Okanagan Rockets Lost to Calgary Flames
2022 Vancouver North East Chiefs Defeated Calgary Buffaloes Sixth
2021 Was not played Was not played Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020 Okanagan Rockets Was not played Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019 Cariboo Cougars Lost to Calgary Buffaloes
2018 Fraser Valley Thunderbirds Lost to Lethbridge Hurricanes
2017Cariboo CougarsLost to Leduc Oil KingsSixth
2016Valley West Hawks Lost to Lloydminister Bobcats
2015Vancouver North East Chiefs Lost to UFA Bisons
2014Okanagan Rockets Defeated Red Deer Chiefs Bronze
2013Vancouver North West Giants Lost to Red Deer Chiefs
2012Vancouver North West Giants Lost to Red Deer Optimist Rebels
2011Vancouver North West Giants Defeated Red Deer Optimist Rebels Fourth
2010Vancouver North West Giants Lost to Red Deer Optimist Rebels
2009Vancouver North West Giants Lost to Calgary Buffaloes[6]
2008Cariboo Cougars Lost to Calgary Buffaloes[7]
2007Vancouver North West Giants N/A Fourth
2006Okanagan Rockets Lost to Calgary Buffaloes[8]
2005Thompson Blazers Lost to SSAC Boston Pizza Athletics

Telus Cup

The Vancouver North West Giants (2007, 2011), Okanagan Rockets (2014) and the Vancouver North East Chiefs (2022) are the only teams to have represented the league at the Telus Cup. Upon the Giants' winning the BC MML championship in 2007, a regional final with the AMHL was not necessary as Red Deer was hosting the Telus Cup that year.[9] The Giants finished fourth in the Telus Cup tournament in 2007 before returning four years later; they again finished fourth in 2011. The 2014 Rockets, meanwhile, won the bronze medal.

Prior to the inauguration of the BC MML, the national midget championship was held in British Columbia twice – hosted by Kelowna in 1996 and Prince George in 2001. The Burnaby Winter Club Travellers represent the only B.C. team to win the national championship, defeating the Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy from Quebec in 1982, as well as winning bronze in 1980.[10]

Timeline of franchises (since 2004)

Source:[11]

DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyyImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20Period = from:2004 till:2025TimeAxis = orientation:horizontalPlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#Colors = id:barcolor id:line value:pink id:bg value:white id:Former value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a former league member id:Current value:rgb(0.4,0.80,0.67) # Use this color to denote a team that is a current league member id:lineColor value:gray(0.5)

PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:Current from:01/01/2004 till:end text:Thompson Blazers

bar:2 color:Current from:01/01/2004 till:end text:Okanagan Rockets

bar:3 color:Former from:01/01/2004 till:09/01/2018 text:Vancouver NW Giants bar:3 color:Current from:09/01/2018 till:end text:Vancouver NW Hawks bar:4 color:Former from:01/01/2004 till:09/01/2006 text:Vancouver NE Attack bar:4 color:Current from:09/01/2006 till:end text:Vancouver NE Chiefs

bar:5 color:Former from:01/01/2004 till:09/01/2006 text:Vancouver SW Hawks bar:5 color:Former from:09/01/2006 till:09/01/2018 text:Valley West Hawks bar:5 color:Current from:09/01/2018 till:end text:Valley West Giants

bar:6 color:Former from:01/01/2004 till:09/01/2006 text:Cariboo Canucks bar:6 color:Current from:09/01/2006 till:end text:Cariboo Cougars

bar:7 color:Former from:01/01/2004 till:09/01/2006 text:Vancouver SE Flames bar:7 color:Former from:09/01/2006 till:09/01/2013 text:Fraser Valley Bruins bar:7 color:Current from:09/01/2013 till:end text:Fraser Valley Thunderbirds

bar:8 color:Former from:09/01/2005 till:09/01/2007 text:South Island Avalanche bar:8 color:Former from:09/01/2007 till:09/01/2013 text:South Island Thunderbirds bar:8 color:Former from:09/01/2013 till:09/01/2023 text:South Island Royals bar:8 color:Current from:09/01/2023 till:end text:Vancouver Island Royals

bar:9 color:Former from:09/01/2005 till:09/01/2007 text:North Island Pack bar:9 color:Former from:09/01/2007 till:03/01/2023 text:North Island Silvertips

bar:10 color:Former from:01/01/2004 till:09/01/2006 text:Vancouver Rangers bar:10 color:Current from:09/01/2006 till:end text:Greater Vancouver Canadians

bar:11 color:Former from:09/01/2006 till:03/01/2021 text:Kootenay Ice

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:3 start:2004

LineData = at:09/01/2004 color:lineColor layer:back width:0.66 #BCMML begins at:09/01/2007 color:lineColor layer:back width:0.66 #BCMML Female begins at:09/01/2018 color:lineColor layer:back width:0.66 #BCEHL begins

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Q&A . 2009-03-30 . BC Hockey Major Midget League.
  2. Web site: Past Championships and Awards BC Elite Hockey League . 2023-09-13 . www.bcehl.net.
  3. Web site: Rosters 2022 TELUS Cup . 2023-09-13 . www.hockeycanada.ca . en-ca.
  4. Web site: Program & History BC Elite Hockey League . 2023-09-13 . www.bcehl.net.
  5. Web site: BC Hockey AAA Leagues Rebrand as British Columbia Elite Hockey League . 2023-09-13 . BC HOCKEY.
  6. Web site: Pacific Midget Regional's - Game 3. 2009-04-08. BC Hockey.
  7. Web site: National Playoff Bracket. 2009-03-26. Hockey Canada. PDF.
  8. Web site: Road to the Telus Cup. 2009-03-26. Hockey Canada. PDF.
  9. Web site: 2007 Telus Cup. 2009-03-26. Hockey Canada.
  10. Web site: Telus Cup. 2009-03-26. Hockey Canada.
  11. Web site: Elite Prospects - BCEHL U18 - Season 2023-2024 . 2023-09-14 . www.eliteprospects.com . en.