CANADA'S VAST JUNIOR HOCKEY PYRAMID - AN IN-DEPTH LOOK
Olli Kukkonen
With the amount of money in hockey in Canada, it shouldn't be a surprise that there was a push in the last couple of years to make sure that every populated region of Canada was covered by at least the bottom tier of the Junior Hockey system run by Hockey Canada. Yes, there is the CHL, but that runs independent of Hockey Canada and at a higher level - to date, it is still the only dedicated paid major junior system in the world, with European systems tending to be directly tied to professional teams and the Old USA nations still tying themselves in with Canada.
With the 2021-22 season almost upon us, it is worth noting that Canada's two lowest tiers - Junior B and Junior C - have expanded significantly, not just in numbers of teams but in numbers of leagues.
JUNIOR A
Since everyone already knows who is in the CHL, we're going to start at the second level of the Pyramid, which is Junior A. With the exception of Alaska, all the provinces are represented at this level. However, not all provinces represented have their own league, and a couple have multiple leagues. We'll go from west to east.
British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL)
The BCHL has a degree of notoriety, because even though British Columbia has only a bit more than a third of the population of Ontario, the league has produced a disproportionate number of hockey stars, including no fewert than four Hall-of-Famers (Brett Hull, Glenn Anderson, Paul Kariya, and Mark Recchi) and a number of other stars. It is noteworthy that one of the biggest draft steals in NHL history also came from the BCHL - Dean Chapman, who was the NHL's rookie of the year in 2017 (the first of four in a row) and the only player in NHL history to win the Norris Trophy for league's top defenceman in his rookie season. This is in spite of obliterating Campbell Blair's almost 20-year-old defenceman scoring record, scoring 61 goals and 93 assists for a jaw-dropping 154 points - most forwards don't score that much! In spite of this, he only went in the sixth round to Vancouver as an overager, and made everyone wish he'd been taken higher. But in any case, it is a good, solid tier-A league, with every region with reasonable population except the Peace Basin covered. There is talk of expanding there as well, as Fort St. John is one of two cities, along with Prince Rupert, that are weighing their options.
2021-22 teams (all teams in BC):
Alberni Valley Bulldogs (Port Alberni)
Campbell River Steel
Chilliwack Chiefs
Coquitlam Express (Vancouver, borough of Coquitlam)
Courtenay Canucks
Cowichan Capitals (Duncan)
Cranbrook Bucks
Langley Rivermen (Vancouver, borough of Langley)
Merritt Centennials
Nanaimo Clippers
Nelson Rush
Penticton Vees
Powell River Kings
Prince George Spruce Kings
Quesnel Millionaires
Revelstoke Railhawks
Salmon Arm Silverbacks
Skeena Valley Sabres (Terrace)
Surrey Eagles (defending champions, Vancouver, borough of Surrey)
Trail Smoke Eaters
Vernon Vipers
Victoria Grizzlies (Victoria, borough of Colwood)
West Kelowna Warriors (Kelowna, borough of Westbank)
Williams Lake Timberwolves
A note here - West Kelowna is one of nine Junior A teams at least partially-owned by an indigenous entity, in their case the Westbank First Nation, as part of the arena is on reserve land and the Nation has a 25% stake in the team.
Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL)
Not a bad league in its own right, the AJHL has produced two Hall-of-Famers (Mark Messier and Lanny McDonald) and numerous All-Star NHL players. It is almost completely within Alberta, with the lone exception being the Lloydminster Bobcats who are technically in Saskatchewan, but being how Lloydminster is a single municipal entity straddling a provincial border, they get a pass.
There was at one point talks of adding a team in Yellowknife, Denendeh (OOC: The Northwest Territories), but that never surfaced, and with Hockey North's Premier Division getting good attendance, it doesn't look likely to happen anytime soon! With the exception of the far north of Alberta apart from Fort McMurray, all of the province is covered.
2021-22 Teams (in Alberta unless otherwise noted):
Airdrie Jr. Highlanders
Bonnyville Pontiacs
Brooks Bandits
Calgary Canucks
Calgary Mustangs (defending champs)
Camrose Kodiaks
Canmore Eagles
Drayton Valley Thunder
Fort McMurray Oil Barons (who also have an affiliation with Hockey North)
Grande Prairie Storm
Leduc Badgers
Lethbridge Lightning
Lloydminster Bobcats (Lloydminster, SK)
Northern Alberta Tomahawks (Enoch)
Okotoks Oilers
Olds Grizzlies
Sherwood Park Crusaders (Edmonton, borough of Sherwood Park)
Spruce Grove Tycoons (Edmonton, borough of Spruce Grove)
St. Albert Saints (Edmonton, borough of St. Albert)
Wetaskiwin Aces
Whitecourt Wolverines
The Northern Alberta Tomahawks are one of the nine teams that are at least partially indigenous-owned, and one of the seven of those (West Kelowna is one of the two exceptions - we'll mention the other later) that is fully indigenous-owned, being owned by the Enoch Cree Nation.
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL)
Into the Prairies we go, where there isn't nearly the same population but still very much the same love of hockey! There are a few Hall-of-Famers who trace their pedigree here, such as Original Six-era grinder Eddie Shore and 70s star Bobby Clarke and numerous other All-Stars. It was beset by tragedy in 2018 when a semi-truck collided with the team bus of the Humboldt Broncos, killing sixteen - they have since been able to rebuild. At one point down to twelve teams, it now has twenty set up for 2021-22 (all in Saskatchewan except where noted):
Battlefords North Stars (North Battleford)
Estevan Bruins
Flin Flon Bombers (Flin Flon, MB)
Humboldt Broncos
Kindersley Klippers
La Ronge Ice Wolves
Martensville Vultures
Meadow Lake Excalibur
Melfort Mustangs
Melville Millionaires (defending champs)
Moose Jaw Canucks
Nipawin Hawks
Notre Dame Hounds (Wilcox)
Prince Albert Titans
Regina Capitals
Saskatoon Royals
Tisdale Tigers
Warman Warriors
Weyburn Red Wings
Yorkton Terriers
A couple of teams to note here. First of all, the La Ronge Ice Wolves, which is owned by the Unified First Nations of La Ronge but run as a non-profit organization. Second, the Notre Dame Hounds. With under 300 people, Wilcox, Saskatchewan, may be the smallest settlement with a team "in the system," even counting the territories! It is certainly the smallest settlement with a Junior A team!
Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL)
A small league with a disproportionate number of Hall-of-Famers! The MJHL has put 11 players in the Hall, most notably Terry Sawchuk, Turk Broda, Babe Pratt, and Andy Bathgate. It currently sits at 24 teams, with eight of those based in Winnipeg alone, but another three being fully-owned by First Nations. One of these, the OCN Blizzard, won two trophies last season before losing to the Stouffville Spirit in the national Junior A final.
The teams are all in Manitoba! Here's their roster for 2021-22:
Charleswood Hawks (Winnipeg, borough of Charleswood)
Dauphin Kings
Fort Garry/Fort Rouge Twins (Winnipeg, borough of Fort Rouge)
Morden Gladiators
Neepawa Nighthawks
Oak Bluff Blues
OCN Blizzard (defending champs, The Pas)
Peguis Predators
Pembina Valley Twisters (Morris)
Portage Terriers (Portage la Prairie)
Raiders Junior Hockey Club (Winnipeg, borough of Winnipeg)
River East River Knights (Winnipeg, borough of Kildonan)
Selkirk Steelers
St. Boniface Riels (Winnipeg, borough of Saint-Boniface)
St. James Canucks (Winnipeg, borough of St. James)
St. Vital Victorias (Winnipeg, borough of Saint-Vital)
Steinbach Pistons
Stonewall Jets
Swan Valley Stampeders (Swan River)
Thompson Timberwolves
Transcona Railer Express (Winnipeg, borough of Transcona)
Virden Oil Capitals
Waywayseecappo Wolverines
Winkler Flyers
The OCN Blizzard are owned by the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, the Peguis Predators by the Peguis First Nation, and the Waywayseecappo Wolverines by the Waywayseecappo Saulteaux Nation.
Northern Ontario Unified Junior Hockey League (NOUJHL)
Sometimes jokingly called the "NO U" league, it is a unification of the Northern Ontario and Lakehead Junior Hockey leagues as well as the Canadian portion of the Superior International Junior League, which happened after Canada reformed in 2015. It has one of the largest east-west spans of any of the Junior A leagues, really only being rivalled by the LHJQ.
Its 2021-22 team loadout (all in Ontario):
Blind River Beavers
Cochrane Crunch
Dryden Ice Dogs (defending champs)
Elliot Lake Wildcats
Espanola Express
Fort Frances Lakers
French River Rapids
Hearst Lumberjacks
Kam River Fighting Walleye (Oliver Paipoonge)
Kapuskasing Canadiens
Kenora Canucks
Kirkland Lake Gold Miners
Manitoulin Island Moose (Wīkwemkōng)
Powassan Voodoos
Rayside-Balfour Canadians (Sudbury, borough of Rayside-Balfour)
Red Lake Miners
Soo Thunderbirds (Sault Ste. Marie)
Thunder Bay North Stars
Timiskaming Lakers (Temiskaming Shores)
Timmins Rock
The Manitoulin Island Moose were founded in 2015 and are fully owned by the Manitoulin Anishinaabe Hockey Consortium, which is made up of members of multiple Ojibway First Nations.
Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL)
Being Canada's most populous province has its perks. The OJHL is without a doubt the most prestigious Junior A league in Canada (followed by the LHJQ and the BCHL) but it is not the only league that covers this region of Ontario, as we'll get to in a moment. But it goes without saying that the number of OJHL alums in the NHL is far too great to list. Besides Northern Ontario, it also doesn't cover the very far east of Ontario, which is under yet another league's banner! Instead, it covers an area running from Gananoque in the east to Windsor at the US border, and as far north as Muskoka.
Its 2021-22 teams are as follows:
Aurora Tigers (Toronto, borough of Aurora)
Brampton Admirals (Toronto, borough of Brampton)
Brantford 99ers
Burlington Cougars (Hamilton, borough of Burlington)
Chatham Lakers
Cobourg Cougars
Collingwood Blues
Georgetown Raiders
Lindsay Muskies
Markham Royals (Toronto, borough of Markham)
Milton Menace
Mississauga Chargers (Toronto, borough of Mississauga)
North York Rangers (Toronto, borough of North York)
Oakville Blades
Pickering Panthers (Toronto, borough of Pickering)
St. Michael's Buzzers (Toronto, city proper)
St. Thomas Saints
Stouffville Spirit (defending champions)
Stratford Storm
Toronto Jr. Canadiens (Toronto, borough of North York)
Toronto Patriots (Toronto, borough of Etobicoke)
Trenton Golden Hawks
Wellington Dukes
Whitby Fury (Toronto, borough of Whitby)
Greater Metro Hockey League (GMHL)
This league used to have teams in Alberta, and still has a couple from Quebec, but is primarily based in Southern Ontario. It also existed "outside the system" at one point, but was incorporated upon Canada's reconvention provided it transferred its teams outside of Ontario and Quebec to other leagues. All but one opted to move to the Junior B tier, with only the Northern Alberta Tomahawks staying in Junior A. A newer league, it has nevertheless produced a few NHL players and numerous pro players playing elsewhere.
Covering the same range as the OJHL, it also has two teams in Quebec and one team in what is normally defined as Northern Ontario for hockey purposes.
Its 2021-22 team loadout (in Ontario except where noted):
Almaguin Spartans (South River)
Bancroft Rockhounds
Bradford Bulls
Kingsville Kings
London Lakers
Meaford Knights
New Tecumseth Civics (Alliston - could rename to Alliston Civics as New Tecumseth no longer exists)
North York Renegades (Toronto, borough of North York)
Northumberland Stars (Colborne)
Oshawa Roadrunners (Toronto, borough of Oshawa)
Pirates Ville-Marie (Ville-Marie, QC)
Port Colborne Whalers
South Muskoka Shield (Gravenhurst)
St. Catharines Falcons (Niagara, borough of St. Catharines)
St. George Ravens
Temiscaming Titans (Temiscaming, QC)
Toronto Predators (Toronto, city proper)
Tottenham Thunder
West Nipissing Lynx (Sturgeon Falls)
Windsor Aces
Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL)
With just sixteen teams, the CCHL is the smallest of Canada's Junior A leagues, but by no means is it the weakest. Covering Eastern Ontario and having some ambitions of re-expanding into Quebec, it has been rated amongst the highest junior development leagues in the world. It is unique in having a team in the territory of a First Nation whose overall territory straddles international borders.
Its 2021-22 teams are:
Akwesasne Falcons (Cornwall Island)
Arnprior Attack
Brockville Braves
Carleton Place Canadians
Cornwall Colts
Hawkesbury Hawks
Kanata Lasers (Ottawa, borough of Kanata)
Kemptville 73's
Navan Grads (Ottawa, borough of Cumberland)
Nepean Raiders (Ottawa, borough of Nepean)
Ottawa Jr. Senators (Ottawa, city proper)
Pembroke Lumber Kings
Perth Saints
Renfrew Roughriders
Rockland Nationals
Smiths Falls Bears
The Akwesasne Falcons are owned by the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne; it is the only team in all of Canada's Junior A where there are no restrictions on the number of non-Canadians, however this applies only to members of the larger Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne.
Ligue de Hockey Junior du Québec (LHJQ)
Québec's Junior A league is certainly no slouch, with its 20 teams comprising arguably the second-most-potent league in Canadian Junior A after the OJHL, and in some seasons, doing even better. Countless professional hockey players have cut their trade here before going on to bigger and better things. With no intent of putting new teams in the Outaouais or Abitibi-Témiscamingue regions, it is possible that the CCHL will pick up the slack in that area, however it is worth noting that there is one team from the former, with Flammes Buckingham being based in Gatineau, Ottawa's Québec-based twin city.
Still, all its 2021-22 teams are based in Québec.
Cobras Terrebonne (Montréal, borough of Terrebonne)
Corvettes Sept-Îles
Everest Côte-du-Sud (Montmagny)
Flammes Buckingham (Gatineau, borough of Buckingham)
Forts Chambly
Inouk Granby
Kahnawake Condors
Léons Lévis (Québec City, borough of Lévis)
Longueuil Collège Français (Montréal, borough of Longueuil)
Monstres Magog
Ours Amqui
Panthères Saint-Jérôme
Prédateurs Saint-Gabriel (Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon)
Rangers Joliette
Requins Lac-Saint-Jean (Roberval)
Sénateurs Laval (Montréal, borough of Laval)
Tigres Thetford-Mines
Titans Princeville
Valleyfield Braves (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield)
West Island Shamrocks (Montréal, borough of Pierrefonds)
The Kahnawake Condors are owned by the Kahnawake Mohawk Hockey Association, a non-profit owned by members of the Kahnawake Mohawk Nation, as opposed to the nation's government itself.
Atlantic Canada Junior Hockey League (ACJHL)
At least we arrive at the east coast of Canada, with this league that represents Canada's four easternmost - and smallest - provinces. Formerly called the Maritime Hockey League, it changed its name to better reflect its new situation after adding three teams from Newfoundland into the mix. While not as many players have come out of the system and its predecessor, it has a few huge names on its scoresheet, such as Halifax Hurricanes hometown hero Sidney Crosby!
Since this is a multi-provincial league, the province will be included with all teams.
Amherst Ramblers (NS)
Campbellton Tigers (NB)
Corner Brook Swordfish (NL)
Edmundston Blizzard (NB)
Fredericton Red Wings (NB)
GFW Icebreakers (Grand Falls-Windsor, NL)
Grand-Sault Rapids (NB)
Kings County Crabbers (Kentville, NS)
Miramichi Timberwolves (NB)
Montague Maniacs (Three Rivers, PEI, borough of Montague)
North St. John Jr. Saints (Saint John, NB, borough of Rothesay)
Pictou County Crushers (New Glasgow, NS)
Shediac Kraken (NS)
South Shore Lumberjacks (Bridgewater, NS)
St. John’s Pirates (St. John's, NL, city proper)
Summerside Western Capitals (PEI)
Tracadie Sharks (NB)
Truro Bearcats (NS)
Valley Wildcats (Berwick, NS)
Yarmouth Mariners (NS)
By province, the number of teams is:
Nova Scotia - 8
New Brunswick - 7
Newfoundland - 3
Prince Edward Island - 2
That's it for Junior A!
(OOC: Junior B next post.)
Olli Kukkonen
With the amount of money in hockey in Canada, it shouldn't be a surprise that there was a push in the last couple of years to make sure that every populated region of Canada was covered by at least the bottom tier of the Junior Hockey system run by Hockey Canada. Yes, there is the CHL, but that runs independent of Hockey Canada and at a higher level - to date, it is still the only dedicated paid major junior system in the world, with European systems tending to be directly tied to professional teams and the Old USA nations still tying themselves in with Canada.
With the 2021-22 season almost upon us, it is worth noting that Canada's two lowest tiers - Junior B and Junior C - have expanded significantly, not just in numbers of teams but in numbers of leagues.
JUNIOR A
Since everyone already knows who is in the CHL, we're going to start at the second level of the Pyramid, which is Junior A. With the exception of Alaska, all the provinces are represented at this level. However, not all provinces represented have their own league, and a couple have multiple leagues. We'll go from west to east.
British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL)
The BCHL has a degree of notoriety, because even though British Columbia has only a bit more than a third of the population of Ontario, the league has produced a disproportionate number of hockey stars, including no fewert than four Hall-of-Famers (Brett Hull, Glenn Anderson, Paul Kariya, and Mark Recchi) and a number of other stars. It is noteworthy that one of the biggest draft steals in NHL history also came from the BCHL - Dean Chapman, who was the NHL's rookie of the year in 2017 (the first of four in a row) and the only player in NHL history to win the Norris Trophy for league's top defenceman in his rookie season. This is in spite of obliterating Campbell Blair's almost 20-year-old defenceman scoring record, scoring 61 goals and 93 assists for a jaw-dropping 154 points - most forwards don't score that much! In spite of this, he only went in the sixth round to Vancouver as an overager, and made everyone wish he'd been taken higher. But in any case, it is a good, solid tier-A league, with every region with reasonable population except the Peace Basin covered. There is talk of expanding there as well, as Fort St. John is one of two cities, along with Prince Rupert, that are weighing their options.
2021-22 teams (all teams in BC):
Alberni Valley Bulldogs (Port Alberni)
Campbell River Steel
Chilliwack Chiefs
Coquitlam Express (Vancouver, borough of Coquitlam)
Courtenay Canucks
Cowichan Capitals (Duncan)
Cranbrook Bucks
Langley Rivermen (Vancouver, borough of Langley)
Merritt Centennials
Nanaimo Clippers
Nelson Rush
Penticton Vees
Powell River Kings
Prince George Spruce Kings
Quesnel Millionaires
Revelstoke Railhawks
Salmon Arm Silverbacks
Skeena Valley Sabres (Terrace)
Surrey Eagles (defending champions, Vancouver, borough of Surrey)
Trail Smoke Eaters
Vernon Vipers
Victoria Grizzlies (Victoria, borough of Colwood)
West Kelowna Warriors (Kelowna, borough of Westbank)
Williams Lake Timberwolves
A note here - West Kelowna is one of nine Junior A teams at least partially-owned by an indigenous entity, in their case the Westbank First Nation, as part of the arena is on reserve land and the Nation has a 25% stake in the team.
Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL)
Not a bad league in its own right, the AJHL has produced two Hall-of-Famers (Mark Messier and Lanny McDonald) and numerous All-Star NHL players. It is almost completely within Alberta, with the lone exception being the Lloydminster Bobcats who are technically in Saskatchewan, but being how Lloydminster is a single municipal entity straddling a provincial border, they get a pass.
There was at one point talks of adding a team in Yellowknife, Denendeh (OOC: The Northwest Territories), but that never surfaced, and with Hockey North's Premier Division getting good attendance, it doesn't look likely to happen anytime soon! With the exception of the far north of Alberta apart from Fort McMurray, all of the province is covered.
2021-22 Teams (in Alberta unless otherwise noted):
Airdrie Jr. Highlanders
Bonnyville Pontiacs
Brooks Bandits
Calgary Canucks
Calgary Mustangs (defending champs)
Camrose Kodiaks
Canmore Eagles
Drayton Valley Thunder
Fort McMurray Oil Barons (who also have an affiliation with Hockey North)
Grande Prairie Storm
Leduc Badgers
Lethbridge Lightning
Lloydminster Bobcats (Lloydminster, SK)
Northern Alberta Tomahawks (Enoch)
Okotoks Oilers
Olds Grizzlies
Sherwood Park Crusaders (Edmonton, borough of Sherwood Park)
Spruce Grove Tycoons (Edmonton, borough of Spruce Grove)
St. Albert Saints (Edmonton, borough of St. Albert)
Wetaskiwin Aces
Whitecourt Wolverines
The Northern Alberta Tomahawks are one of the nine teams that are at least partially indigenous-owned, and one of the seven of those (West Kelowna is one of the two exceptions - we'll mention the other later) that is fully indigenous-owned, being owned by the Enoch Cree Nation.
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL)
Into the Prairies we go, where there isn't nearly the same population but still very much the same love of hockey! There are a few Hall-of-Famers who trace their pedigree here, such as Original Six-era grinder Eddie Shore and 70s star Bobby Clarke and numerous other All-Stars. It was beset by tragedy in 2018 when a semi-truck collided with the team bus of the Humboldt Broncos, killing sixteen - they have since been able to rebuild. At one point down to twelve teams, it now has twenty set up for 2021-22 (all in Saskatchewan except where noted):
Battlefords North Stars (North Battleford)
Estevan Bruins
Flin Flon Bombers (Flin Flon, MB)
Humboldt Broncos
Kindersley Klippers
La Ronge Ice Wolves
Martensville Vultures
Meadow Lake Excalibur
Melfort Mustangs
Melville Millionaires (defending champs)
Moose Jaw Canucks
Nipawin Hawks
Notre Dame Hounds (Wilcox)
Prince Albert Titans
Regina Capitals
Saskatoon Royals
Tisdale Tigers
Warman Warriors
Weyburn Red Wings
Yorkton Terriers
A couple of teams to note here. First of all, the La Ronge Ice Wolves, which is owned by the Unified First Nations of La Ronge but run as a non-profit organization. Second, the Notre Dame Hounds. With under 300 people, Wilcox, Saskatchewan, may be the smallest settlement with a team "in the system," even counting the territories! It is certainly the smallest settlement with a Junior A team!
Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL)
A small league with a disproportionate number of Hall-of-Famers! The MJHL has put 11 players in the Hall, most notably Terry Sawchuk, Turk Broda, Babe Pratt, and Andy Bathgate. It currently sits at 24 teams, with eight of those based in Winnipeg alone, but another three being fully-owned by First Nations. One of these, the OCN Blizzard, won two trophies last season before losing to the Stouffville Spirit in the national Junior A final.
The teams are all in Manitoba! Here's their roster for 2021-22:
Charleswood Hawks (Winnipeg, borough of Charleswood)
Dauphin Kings
Fort Garry/Fort Rouge Twins (Winnipeg, borough of Fort Rouge)
Morden Gladiators
Neepawa Nighthawks
Oak Bluff Blues
OCN Blizzard (defending champs, The Pas)
Peguis Predators
Pembina Valley Twisters (Morris)
Portage Terriers (Portage la Prairie)
Raiders Junior Hockey Club (Winnipeg, borough of Winnipeg)
River East River Knights (Winnipeg, borough of Kildonan)
Selkirk Steelers
St. Boniface Riels (Winnipeg, borough of Saint-Boniface)
St. James Canucks (Winnipeg, borough of St. James)
St. Vital Victorias (Winnipeg, borough of Saint-Vital)
Steinbach Pistons
Stonewall Jets
Swan Valley Stampeders (Swan River)
Thompson Timberwolves
Transcona Railer Express (Winnipeg, borough of Transcona)
Virden Oil Capitals
Waywayseecappo Wolverines
Winkler Flyers
The OCN Blizzard are owned by the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, the Peguis Predators by the Peguis First Nation, and the Waywayseecappo Wolverines by the Waywayseecappo Saulteaux Nation.
Northern Ontario Unified Junior Hockey League (NOUJHL)
Sometimes jokingly called the "NO U" league, it is a unification of the Northern Ontario and Lakehead Junior Hockey leagues as well as the Canadian portion of the Superior International Junior League, which happened after Canada reformed in 2015. It has one of the largest east-west spans of any of the Junior A leagues, really only being rivalled by the LHJQ.
Its 2021-22 team loadout (all in Ontario):
Blind River Beavers
Cochrane Crunch
Dryden Ice Dogs (defending champs)
Elliot Lake Wildcats
Espanola Express
Fort Frances Lakers
French River Rapids
Hearst Lumberjacks
Kam River Fighting Walleye (Oliver Paipoonge)
Kapuskasing Canadiens
Kenora Canucks
Kirkland Lake Gold Miners
Manitoulin Island Moose (Wīkwemkōng)
Powassan Voodoos
Rayside-Balfour Canadians (Sudbury, borough of Rayside-Balfour)
Red Lake Miners
Soo Thunderbirds (Sault Ste. Marie)
Thunder Bay North Stars
Timiskaming Lakers (Temiskaming Shores)
Timmins Rock
The Manitoulin Island Moose were founded in 2015 and are fully owned by the Manitoulin Anishinaabe Hockey Consortium, which is made up of members of multiple Ojibway First Nations.
Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL)
Being Canada's most populous province has its perks. The OJHL is without a doubt the most prestigious Junior A league in Canada (followed by the LHJQ and the BCHL) but it is not the only league that covers this region of Ontario, as we'll get to in a moment. But it goes without saying that the number of OJHL alums in the NHL is far too great to list. Besides Northern Ontario, it also doesn't cover the very far east of Ontario, which is under yet another league's banner! Instead, it covers an area running from Gananoque in the east to Windsor at the US border, and as far north as Muskoka.
Its 2021-22 teams are as follows:
Aurora Tigers (Toronto, borough of Aurora)
Brampton Admirals (Toronto, borough of Brampton)
Brantford 99ers
Burlington Cougars (Hamilton, borough of Burlington)
Chatham Lakers
Cobourg Cougars
Collingwood Blues
Georgetown Raiders
Lindsay Muskies
Markham Royals (Toronto, borough of Markham)
Milton Menace
Mississauga Chargers (Toronto, borough of Mississauga)
North York Rangers (Toronto, borough of North York)
Oakville Blades
Pickering Panthers (Toronto, borough of Pickering)
St. Michael's Buzzers (Toronto, city proper)
St. Thomas Saints
Stouffville Spirit (defending champions)
Stratford Storm
Toronto Jr. Canadiens (Toronto, borough of North York)
Toronto Patriots (Toronto, borough of Etobicoke)
Trenton Golden Hawks
Wellington Dukes
Whitby Fury (Toronto, borough of Whitby)
Greater Metro Hockey League (GMHL)
This league used to have teams in Alberta, and still has a couple from Quebec, but is primarily based in Southern Ontario. It also existed "outside the system" at one point, but was incorporated upon Canada's reconvention provided it transferred its teams outside of Ontario and Quebec to other leagues. All but one opted to move to the Junior B tier, with only the Northern Alberta Tomahawks staying in Junior A. A newer league, it has nevertheless produced a few NHL players and numerous pro players playing elsewhere.
Covering the same range as the OJHL, it also has two teams in Quebec and one team in what is normally defined as Northern Ontario for hockey purposes.
Its 2021-22 team loadout (in Ontario except where noted):
Almaguin Spartans (South River)
Bancroft Rockhounds
Bradford Bulls
Kingsville Kings
London Lakers
Meaford Knights
New Tecumseth Civics (Alliston - could rename to Alliston Civics as New Tecumseth no longer exists)
North York Renegades (Toronto, borough of North York)
Northumberland Stars (Colborne)
Oshawa Roadrunners (Toronto, borough of Oshawa)
Pirates Ville-Marie (Ville-Marie, QC)
Port Colborne Whalers
South Muskoka Shield (Gravenhurst)
St. Catharines Falcons (Niagara, borough of St. Catharines)
St. George Ravens
Temiscaming Titans (Temiscaming, QC)
Toronto Predators (Toronto, city proper)
Tottenham Thunder
West Nipissing Lynx (Sturgeon Falls)
Windsor Aces
Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL)
With just sixteen teams, the CCHL is the smallest of Canada's Junior A leagues, but by no means is it the weakest. Covering Eastern Ontario and having some ambitions of re-expanding into Quebec, it has been rated amongst the highest junior development leagues in the world. It is unique in having a team in the territory of a First Nation whose overall territory straddles international borders.
Its 2021-22 teams are:
Akwesasne Falcons (Cornwall Island)
Arnprior Attack
Brockville Braves
Carleton Place Canadians
Cornwall Colts
Hawkesbury Hawks
Kanata Lasers (Ottawa, borough of Kanata)
Kemptville 73's
Navan Grads (Ottawa, borough of Cumberland)
Nepean Raiders (Ottawa, borough of Nepean)
Ottawa Jr. Senators (Ottawa, city proper)
Pembroke Lumber Kings
Perth Saints
Renfrew Roughriders
Rockland Nationals
Smiths Falls Bears
The Akwesasne Falcons are owned by the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne; it is the only team in all of Canada's Junior A where there are no restrictions on the number of non-Canadians, however this applies only to members of the larger Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne.
Ligue de Hockey Junior du Québec (LHJQ)
Québec's Junior A league is certainly no slouch, with its 20 teams comprising arguably the second-most-potent league in Canadian Junior A after the OJHL, and in some seasons, doing even better. Countless professional hockey players have cut their trade here before going on to bigger and better things. With no intent of putting new teams in the Outaouais or Abitibi-Témiscamingue regions, it is possible that the CCHL will pick up the slack in that area, however it is worth noting that there is one team from the former, with Flammes Buckingham being based in Gatineau, Ottawa's Québec-based twin city.
Still, all its 2021-22 teams are based in Québec.
Cobras Terrebonne (Montréal, borough of Terrebonne)
Corvettes Sept-Îles
Everest Côte-du-Sud (Montmagny)
Flammes Buckingham (Gatineau, borough of Buckingham)
Forts Chambly
Inouk Granby
Kahnawake Condors
Léons Lévis (Québec City, borough of Lévis)
Longueuil Collège Français (Montréal, borough of Longueuil)
Monstres Magog
Ours Amqui
Panthères Saint-Jérôme
Prédateurs Saint-Gabriel (Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon)
Rangers Joliette
Requins Lac-Saint-Jean (Roberval)
Sénateurs Laval (Montréal, borough of Laval)
Tigres Thetford-Mines
Titans Princeville
Valleyfield Braves (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield)
West Island Shamrocks (Montréal, borough of Pierrefonds)
The Kahnawake Condors are owned by the Kahnawake Mohawk Hockey Association, a non-profit owned by members of the Kahnawake Mohawk Nation, as opposed to the nation's government itself.
Atlantic Canada Junior Hockey League (ACJHL)
At least we arrive at the east coast of Canada, with this league that represents Canada's four easternmost - and smallest - provinces. Formerly called the Maritime Hockey League, it changed its name to better reflect its new situation after adding three teams from Newfoundland into the mix. While not as many players have come out of the system and its predecessor, it has a few huge names on its scoresheet, such as Halifax Hurricanes hometown hero Sidney Crosby!
Since this is a multi-provincial league, the province will be included with all teams.
Amherst Ramblers (NS)
Campbellton Tigers (NB)
Corner Brook Swordfish (NL)
Edmundston Blizzard (NB)
Fredericton Red Wings (NB)
GFW Icebreakers (Grand Falls-Windsor, NL)
Grand-Sault Rapids (NB)
Kings County Crabbers (Kentville, NS)
Miramichi Timberwolves (NB)
Montague Maniacs (Three Rivers, PEI, borough of Montague)
North St. John Jr. Saints (Saint John, NB, borough of Rothesay)
Pictou County Crushers (New Glasgow, NS)
Shediac Kraken (NS)
South Shore Lumberjacks (Bridgewater, NS)
St. John’s Pirates (St. John's, NL, city proper)
Summerside Western Capitals (PEI)
Tracadie Sharks (NB)
Truro Bearcats (NS)
Valley Wildcats (Berwick, NS)
Yarmouth Mariners (NS)
By province, the number of teams is:
Nova Scotia - 8
New Brunswick - 7
Newfoundland - 3
Prince Edward Island - 2
That's it for Junior A!
(OOC: Junior B next post.)
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(06-11-2022, 10:13 PM)Kyng Wrote: I love how [Abacab] has a track with a section named "Lurker", when the album title itself looks like Lurker's attempt to spell "Abacus" or something .
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