Canadian Junior Hockey League
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The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), an association of Canadian Junior A ice hockey leagues and teams, formed in November 1993, emerging from the Canada West Association of Junior 'A' Hockey.
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[edit] History
In reality, the CJAHL received its start in 1970 when the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association officially split Junior "A" hockey into Tier I and Tier II. The leagues deemed Tier I Junior "A" only competed against each other, ultimately for the Memorial Cup in what later became the Canadian Hockey League. The Tier II Junior "A" teams, spread across the country, could only play against other Tier II teams. Even in the very first year, the many Tier II league formed a national championship and competed for the Manitoba Centennial Cup. The leagues that would be involved in that first year were the British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCJHL), Kootenay Junior Hockey League (KJHL), Alberta Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League (SOJHL), Central Junior A Hockey League (CJHL), and Island Junior Hockey League (PEIJHL).
Some of these leagues formed a formal precursor to the CJAHL in 1990 that would be known as the Canada West Association. This organization would be the catalyst for the creation of the CJAHL in 1993. In 2008, the league was rebranded the "Canadian Junior Hockey League".
There are currently ten competing leagues in the CJAHL: the BCHL, AJHL, SJHL, MJHL, the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL), the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (OPJHL), CJHL, the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (QJAAAHL), and the Maritime Junior A Hockey League (MJAHL).
Leagues that have been involved in the CAHA Tier II playoff structure have been: the Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League (PCJHL), the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League (RMJHL), KJHL, the Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League (TBJHL), SOJHL, the Metro Junior A Hockey League (MetJHL), and the PEIJHL. Also, a single team from the United States Hockey League known as the Thunder Bay Flyers, which originated in the TBJHL, played sporadically in the National structure between 1984 and 1995.
To determine a Grand Champion, the winners of each league playdown in four regional championships -- the Fred Page Cup, the Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Anavet Cup, and the Doyle Cup. The winners of the four regionals playoff with a host city for the Royal Bank Cup to determine the National Champion.
[edit] Leagues
[edit] Royal Bank Cup 2008
Click Here to see the Canadian Junior A Hockey League's Playoff and National Championship.
[edit] 2008 Championships
| Trophy | Region | Champion | Host |
| Royal Bank Cup | National | Humboldt Broncos | Cornwall Colts |
| Anavet Cup | Prairie | Humboldt Broncos | Best of Seven |
| Doyle Cup | Pacific | Camrose Kodiaks | Best of Seven |
| Dudley Hewitt Cup | Central | Oakville Blades | Newmarket Hurricanes |
| Fred Page Cup | Eastern | Weeks Crushers | Weeks Crushers |
[edit] National Hockey League Draft
The leagues of the CJAHL have been quite active in the National Hockey League Entry Draft since the organization's inception in 1993. In fourteen drafts, 137 players have been drafted directly off of CJAHL teams and into the NHL, including 7 first round picks. The following chart shows how many players have been picked from each charter league over the past fourteen drafts and how many picks are drafted on average from each league per year. These numbers do not include the hundreds of players who played in the CJAHL, moved up to Canadian Hockey League, NCAA, or United States Hockey League and were then drafted.
(*) BCHL totals includes picks from defunct Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League
(**) OPJHL totals include picks from defunct Metro Junior A Hockey League
[edit] President's Cup
The President's Cup is awarded to the winning team at the CJAHL Prospects Game. Teams East (CJHL, MJAHL, NOJHL, OPJHL, and QJAAAHL players) and Team West (AJHL, BCHL, MJHL, SJHL, and SIJHL players) playoff in an annual event for the trophy at a host city in front of scores of fans and scouts.
- 2007 Team East defeated Team West 5-3 in Winkler, Manitoba
- 2006 Team West defeated Team East 6-2 in Vernon, British Columbia
- 2005 Team West defeated Team East 5-4 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan
[edit] Former Competing Leagues & Entities
- Island Junior Hockey League
- Metro Junior A Hockey League
- Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (1972-1987)
- Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League
- Quebec Provincial Junior A Hockey League
- Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League
- Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League
- Thunder Bay Flyers (USHL)
- Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League
[edit] See also
- Royal Bank Cup 2007
- Royal Bank Cup
- Dudley Hewitt Cup
- Fred Page Cup
- Anavet Cup
- Doyle Cup
- World Junior A Challenge
- Ontario Hockey Association
- List of ice hockey leagues
