WHA Junior Hockey League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WHA Junior Hockey League | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sport | Hockey |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Commissioner | Bobby Hull (Commissioner) Rick Smith (President) |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country(ies) |  Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Oliver Jets |
| Official website | WHA Junior Hockey League |
The WHA Junior Hockey League is a Canadian Tier II Junior A ice hockey league based out of British Columbia, Canada. The league is not sanctioned by Hockey Canada, nor by USA Hockey. The league is an independent league that has its own rules, processes and procedures, and has been marked by franchise instability. The team logos are mostly based on the old WHA pro league of the 1970's.
Contents |
[edit] History
The first game in league history (when it was known as the WHA Junior West Hockey League) took place on September 21, 2006, between the Lumby Fighting Saints and the Armstrong Sharks in Armstrong, British Columbia. The result of the game was a 6-4 victory for Lumby.
On November 15, 2006, the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League announced on its official site its affiliation with the World Hockey Association and the creation of the National Junior Hockey Alliance, an agreement to play for the "Alliance Cup" between the GMHL playoff champion and the winner of the WHA Junior West Hockey League. On March 2, 2007, the final was awarded to New Westminster after winning the best of five series. Lumby pulled out of the league final after a financial dispute between Lumby's coach and the league; the league chose to remove Lumby's coach and continued the series without him. The Whalers won the last two games to take the league title [1]. The Whalers moved on to compete for the NJHA Alliance Cup against the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League's Bradford Rattlers, and were swept three games straight by the GMJHL champion.
The WHA lost its Bellingham franchise in the fall of 2007, but gained the Fort Vancouver Pioneers. The Pioneers received much scrutiny in USA Hockey's NorPac league due to allegations of "over-compensating" their players and violating their amateur status. The team was founded in 2003 as the Portland Pioneers and won two league championships. On October 28, 2007, the Fort Vancouver Pioneers ceased operations following the WHA reneging on travel arrangements made with the club. [1] The Pioneers had a league best 7-1-0-0 record with 61 goals for and 27 goals against. Late in November, the transplanted 2007 champion Whalers (3-6-0-0 with 40 GF and 49 GA) seemingly folded and their players were moved in with the Osoyoos Spurs franchise. Amidst cancelled games and rumors of unpaid bills [2], the remaining teams played little more than half the schedule before the season was cut short [3], and a "championship" series played between the Oliver Jets and the Armstrong Sharks.
After a second season cut short and the playoffs won by the Oliver Jets with little notice, it is uncertain if there will be a third WHA season. A month after the season has ended, there has been no sign of any renewal of the "Alliance Cup."
The real victims of the 2007-08 season seem to be the Barrhead River Kings. Formerly known as the Edmonton River Kings of the Capital Junior Hockey League, they were former Keystone Cup Canadian Western Junior B champions. Offered a chance at Junior A, the Kings jumped to the WHA only to be given half the games they were offered and no shot at the playoffs. As the only remaining privately owned club, the future of this storied franchise is in limbo. [4]
[edit] WHAJHL Teams
| Team | Centre | Operated |
| Armstrong Sharks | Armstrong, British Columbia | 2006-08 |
| Barrhead River Kings | Barrhead, Alberta | 2007-08* |
| Bellingham Bulls | Bellingham, Washington | 2006-07 |
| Fort Vancouver Pioneers | Fort Vancouver, Washington | 2007* |
| Lumby Fighting Saints | Lumby, British Columbia | 2006-08 |
| Oliver Jets | Oliver, British Columbia | 2007-08 |
| Osoyoos Spurs** | Osoyoos, British Columbia | 2006-08 |
| Squamish Cougars | Squamish, British Columbia | 2006-08 |
| New Westminster Whalers*** | New Westminster, British Columbia | 2006-07 |
(*) Team predates their expansion to WHAJHL.
(**) Spurs later merged with Vancouver Whalers, and became Osoyoos Whalers.
(***) Whalers moved temporarily to Burnaby and Vancouver before folding in 2007.
[edit] Champions
- 2008 Oliver Jets
- 2007 New Westminster Whalers
