Contact Info
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After the NCAA changed its eligibility regulations earlier this month, people understandably have questions about how that affects the BCHL.
What is the BCHL’s mandate?
- Unity & Growth
The BCHL Board of Governors is committed to a strength-in-numbers approach and to continue growing the league moving forward. - Players Choice
We have, and will always, support player choice, which is why we do not have a draft. - Academics
As a feeder league to the NCAA, we care as much about our players in the classroom as we do on the ice and in the gym. That will remain a key focus of our league going forward, ensuring our athletes are prepared for the next level. - Independence
As an independent league, we have the autonomy to make decisions in the best interest of our athletes and their development. - Meeting the needs of our athletes and of NCAA Division I programs
We have made significant improvements in all of our programs to better serve our athletes’ development and their aspirations for higher education. When a player comes out of the BCHL, they are already prepared for the NCAA.
Has there been a mass exodus of players going from the BCHL to the CHL?
To date, less than four per cent of the league has left for the CHL. As usual, there is movement between other leagues like the USHL, CJHL, etc. which happens every season. Since the rule change has been in place, our teams have replaced players that left for the CHL with highly skilled athletes from other leagues with college aspirations. We have always supported player choice. If an athlete wants to leave, they have that right. As our teams have shown, there is a lineup of players ready to take roster spots, if needed.
Why did you call a special Board meeting on Nov. 20?
We called the meeting to give our Ad Hoc Committee focused on the NCAA eligibility change the chance to go over its recent findings and allow our Governors the chance to give feedback on the strategic direction of the league.
What was the outcome of the meeting?
The outcome was a very positive discussion of how the BCHL can be unified in its approach to continue to thrive as a pipeline for NCAA Division I players going forward.
How will the BCHL continue to attract top-end talent?
We will continue to attract top-end talent through our focus on academics, which many NCAA Division I programs significantly value. We have also modeled our schedule after college hockey with the vast majority of games on Fridays and Saturdays and development time in the gym, on the ice and in the classroom throughout the week. We also have great relationships with NCAA Division I programs with many schools wanting their players to come to our league.
Through our league scorecard, we have upped league standards on and off the ice by a large margin. In addition, our league continues to promote player choice. We do not have a draft. You get to choose which of our 21 programs are the best fit for you. None of our teams will have the ability to charge players as of 2025-26 and the vast majority already do not charge. Lastly, the work by our committees and the dedication of our Board will ensure that this league continues to thrive going forward.
What is the BCHL’s differentiator now that the eligibility rule has changed?
- Our league is specifically designed to prepare our players for college hockey, on and off the ice
- We have 21 teams in Western Canada already geared to get players to the NCAA
- We have modeled our schedule after the NCAA with the vast majority of games on Fridays and Saturdays and development time in the gym, on the ice and in the classroom throughout the week
- Our on-ice rule book is identical to the Big Ten conference rules
- We have great relationships with NCAA Division I programs with many schools wanting their players to come to our league
Are the five Alberta teams regretting their decision to join the BCHL?
No. This rule change affects all of junior hockey, so it’s not as if they would be unaffected if they remained in their previous league. The Alberta teams remain happy with their decision to join the BCHL and recognize that being a part of our league puts their organizations in the best position possible to thrive under the new regulations. The BCHL remains the clear top producer of NCAA Division I players in Canada.
Have you received feedback from any NCAA programs or conferences about where this leaves the BCHL?
Yes, we have held multiple meetings with NCAA Division I programs and conferences and the response has been encouraging. In no way do they feel the BCHL is irrelevant under the new regulations. They recognize the track record our league has and the high-end talent of our players. They also acknowledge the fact that our academic standards are at a high level, which makes it easier for them to recruit. Their players speak highly of their experience in the BCHL.
What do you say to people saying this rule change is the end of the BCHL?
With our track record and the current talent level of our league, our strategic plan going forward will keep this league thriving.
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Key data:
- 448 alumni currently playing NCAA Division I hockey (25% of all Div. I players)
- 247 NCAA Division I committed players currently in the league
- Set an NCAA commitment record every year since 2019-20 (COVID-19 shortened season excluded)
- 13.4 college committed players per team last year (compared to 10.6 the year prior)
- BCHL alumni make up 42% of Ivy League men’s hockey players
- ECAC Hockey conference has an average of 10.5 BCHL alumni per team
- Rest to game ratio is second only to NCAA (3.37:1)
- Teams are permitted to fly to out-of-conference games
BCHL History
1960s
Today, British Columbia’s top junior league is known as the BC Hockey League (BCHL), or as some of the more old-school fans call it, the BC Junior Hockey League (BCJHL) as it was known from 1967 to 1995. But, when the league was formed in 1961, it was called the Okanagan-Mainline Junior Hockey League or the OMJHL.
The Founding Four
The league began when the owners of four Okanagan-based Junior B teams decided to join forces and create their own league. The owners of the Kamloops Rockets, Kelowna Buckaroos, Penticton Junior Vees and Vernon Junior Canadians met in a Vernon hotel and Canadians owner Bill Brown persuaded his three colleagues to create the province’s first ever Junior A hockey league. The Okanagan-Mainline Junior Hockey League played its first games in the fall of 1961 and Brown served for two years as the league’s first President.
Kamloops dominated the early years of the league, winning the league championship four out of the first five seasons. The Kelowna Buckaroos were also a top-end team. They won the title in 1965 after finishing second the three years prior.
The OMJHL underwent many changes throughout the ’60s as it tried to find its footing as a league. The Penticton Junior Vees went on hiatus after the 1962-63 season and returned a year later as the Broncos. Name changes seemed to be a theme at that time as well. In 1963, the league officially changed its name to the Okanagan Junior Hockey League or the OJHL (not to be confused with the current-day Ontario Junior Hockey League which uses the same abbreviation). Kamloops changed its name from the Junior Rockets, to the Kraft Kings and then back to the Rockets all within a six-year span. It was the same thing in Vernon as the Junior Canadians rebranded to the Blades and then the Essos during the decade.
Tom Williamson was a member of the Blades and the Essos and got the opportunity to play for his hometown team in Vernon from 1966 to 1968. He remembers a league that was bursting with a sense of community, even though the players at the time had to be tough as nails.
“My first year, I was 10th in scoring, but I also was 10th in penalties, so if you add the two, I was the leading scorer,” Williamson said with a chuckle. “There were no helmets, so the attitude was, don’t pretend to be tough unless you are.”
“It was a community then. The other cities were the same too. One of the reasons why we attracted a lot of fans in those days is we were all Vernon kids. We all played minor hockey together. There was that sense of community there.”
Another good way to gauge how different the game of hockey and life in general was back then is a quote from the late Vern Dye, who was one of the founders of the BCHL, an owner of Vernon’s franchise for decades and the current namesake of the league’s Most Valuable Player trophy.
“In our first year, our budget was $15,000.00,” he said. “We traveled by car to road games and we did pay the players a bit. They got $20 to $40 a month and room and board. Back then, skates cost $50 and sticks were $1.10.”
First Expansion
The rebranding of teams and the Penticton hiatus wasn’t even the biggest change of the decade. That came in the form of expansion.
Just like the NHL, the league decided to add teams in 1967. They introduced the New Westminster Royals and the Victoria Cougars both in the same year. Since the league expanded beyond just the Okanagan, a new name was needed. Thus, the BC Junior Hockey League or BCJHL was born and the league would be known as such for the next 28 years. Before the end of the decade, one more team was added when the short-lived Vancouver Centennials joined the fold in 1969, only to cease operations three years later.
The BCJHL also crowned new champions late in the decade as the Penticton Broncos won back-to-back titles in ’67 and ’68 and the Victoria Cougars became the first expansion team to win the league in 1969.
Looking Back
Three of the founding four teams are still alive today. Although there was the brief hiatus and several name changes, the Penticton Junior Vees live on today and are back under the Vees name. The Vernon Junior Canadians experienced the same thing with a brief hiatus in the 1970s and several name changes, but are currently known as the Vernon Vipers.
You may think the Kamloops Junior Rockets are defunct, but that is not the case. After a brief move to White Rock in the 1973-74 season, the team packed up and headed to Merritt where they have been known as the Centennials ever since. They are the longest continuously-run franchise in the BCHL.
The Kelowna Buckaroos weren’t so lucky. After winning the 1965 and 1974 league championships, they moved to Summerland in 1983 and eventually folded in 1988 after a 27-year run. BCJHL hockey came back to Kelowna shortly after the Buckaroos left and now days they are able to cheer for the West Kelowna Warriors franchise.
When he reflects on the BCHL’s 60 years, Williamson says the league’s longevity and ability to withstand adversity in those early days is what is most impressive.
“What stands out the most is the fact that [the league] has sustained itself over time,” he said. “I know Penticton had to drop out at one point and Vernon suspended operations for a period as well. Different owners came along and really made it roll.”
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