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The Canadian-American Junior Hockey League (CAJHL) is a junior hockey league with teams based in Canada. The league is independently operated and insured; it is not sanctioned by Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, or the Amateur Athletic Union. The league initially used the title Can-Am Junior Hockey League but their website later changed to Canadian-American Junior Hockey League.
 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2022 |
| Commissioner | Norm Shaw |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Most recent champion(s) | Vegreville Vipers (2023–24) |
| Official website | https://www.cajhl.com/ |
History
editThe league was founded in January 2022 when six teams that were competing in the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) severed ties with the Amateur Athletic Union-sanctioned league to form their own.[1][2][3] Five of the teams were based in Alberta, Canada, while one was based in Utah, United States. The founding teams were the Barrhead Bombers, Cold Lake Aeros, Edmonton Eagles, Hinton Timberwolves, Vegreville Vipers, and Vernal Oilers.
On March 22, 2022, the league announced that AMP Hockey Academy from Calgary, Alberta, would be the first expansion team named the AMP Warriors and would play at WinSport Canada Olympic Park. On May 6, 2022, the Vernal Oilers joined the United States Premier Hockey League along with former WSHL teams the Seattle Totems, Bellingham Blazers, and Rogue Valley Royals. In August 2022, the Edmonton Eagles were removed from the teams listing on the league website.
By April 2023, the AMP Warriors started using the name Calgary Warriors on the league website. After the 2022–23 season, the league added the Northern Alberta Lightning in Viking, Alberta, the Southern Alberta Mustangs in Stavely, Alberta, and the Vulcan Rampage in Vulcan, Alberta. The Calgary Warriors left the league. The Northern Alberta Lightning were removed from the league prior to playing a game and joined the National Junior Hockey League (NJHL).[4] The Vulcan Rampage quit the league prior to playing a game and also joined the NJHL.[5]
On July 23, 2024 the league announced suspension of the 2024-2025 season with the intention to continue operations in the future. The Barrhead Bombers' ownership announced they would not continue.[6]
Teams
editCurrent teams
edit| Team | City | Arena | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrhead Bombers | Barrhead, Alberta | Barrhead Agrena | 2021 |
| Cold Lake Aeros | Cold Lake, Alberta | Cold Lake Energy Centre | 2018 |
| Hinton Timberwolves | Hinton, Alberta | Dr. Duncan Murray Recreation Centre | 2019 |
| Southern Alberta Mustangs | Stavely, Alberta | Stavely Arena | 2023 |
| Vegreville Vipers | Vegreville, Alberta | Wally Fedun Arena | 2021 |
Former teams
edit| Team | City | Arena | Established | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary Warriors | Calgary, Alberta | WinSport Canada Olympic Park | 2022 | 2022–2023 |
| Edmonton Eagles | Enoch, Alberta | Enoch Community Centre | 2021 | 2021–2022 |
| Northern Alberta Lightning | Viking, Alberta | Viking Carena Complex | 2023 | Did not play |
| Vernal Oilers | Vernal, Utah | Western Park Arena | 2021 | 2021–2022 |
| Vulcan Rampage | Vulcan, Alberta | Vulcan Arena | 2023 | Did not play |
Champions
edit| Season | Regular season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Cold Lake Aeros | Cold Lake Aeros |
| 2022–23 | Hinton Timberwolves | Hinton Timberwolves |
| 2023–24 | Hinton Timberwolves | Vegreville Vipers |
References
edit- ^ "Teams leave WSHL to form new Can-Am league". JuniorHockey.com. January 5, 2022.
- ^ "Vegreville Vipers Among Can-Am Junior Hockey League's Six Founding Teams". CKVG Country 106.5. January 9, 2022.
- ^ "Cold Lake Aeros and member teams leave WSHL to start new league". Lakeland Connect. January 12, 2022.
- ^ "News: Welcome Northern Alberta Lightning - National Tier 2 Jr A Hockey League". www.njhlhockey.com. 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ "News: Vulcan Rampage join the NJHL for the 2023/24 season - Vulcan Rampage". vulcan.hockeyshift.com. 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ "Town and Country". Retrieved 2024-09-29.