National Junior Hockey Alliance
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The National Junior Hockey Alliance (NJHA) is an organizational ice hockey collaboration between the management of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League and the WHA Junior West Hockey League.
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[edit] History
Announced to the public on November 15, 2006, the Alliance is between the two major non-aligned Junior hockey leagues in Canada. The key figures in this alliance are the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League's President Bob Russell and the WHA Junior West Hockey League's President Rick Smith. Neither league is aligned with Hockey Canada and will not participate in Hockey Canada events. The leagues have banded together to increase national exposure for their players and to create a national title for the two leagues as they are not permitted to compete in the Royal Bank Cup. It is likely that the World Hockey Association's Eastern League, planned for next season, will compete in the 2008 championship as well.
The two leagues and the NJHA were created to provide an alternative to Hockey Canada's Canadian Development Model. In response, Hockey Canada has set forth a series of rules for players switching back from the NJHA's leagues to Hockey Canada, including a one-year-ban for any player who walks off a Hockey Canada club without a release to join a NJHA team.
Currently, the NJHA includes two leagues and thirteen teams: seven in Ontario, five in British Columbia, and one in Washington State.
[edit] Top Teams
As of November 29th, 2006.
| Rank | Team | Centre | League | W-L-T-OTL | Win% |
| 1 | Bradford Rattlers | Bradford, Ontario | GMHL | 18-0-0-2 | 0.950 |
| 2 | New Westminster Whalers | New Westminster, British Columbia | WHA | 13-5-0-4 | 0.682 |
| 3 | Lumby Fighting Saints | Lumby, British Columbia | WHA | 11-5-0-1 | 0.676 |
| 4 | Richmond Hill Rams | Richmond Hill, Ontario | GMHL | 12-7-0-1 | 0.675 |
| 5 | King Wild | King City, Ontario | GMHL | 12-7-0-1 | 0.675 |
[edit] National Championship
The national title, as-of-yet unnamed, will take place on April 1, 2007 and will be hosted by the GMHL. The one game playoff should prove to be a landmark for the two leagues who many thought would never get off the ground. The 2008 championship will be hosted by the WHA-West.
