BCMML

The BC Elite Hockey League (formerly the BC Hockey Major Midget League), or BCEHL, is the highest level of provincial youth ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada. Governed by BC Hockey and inaugurated in 2004 as BC Major Midget League.

The league currently consists of 9 integrated teams (U15,U17,U18) and 5 U18 women's teams. Players range from 14 to 17 years old. BCEHL is part of BC Hockeys' "High Performance" program to develop the best U18 players around the province. The U18 league champion goes on to compete with the top Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) U18 team to represent the Pacific region at the annual Telus Cup, Canada's national U18 championship. The Okanagan Rockets are the current 2023 champions, and the 2022 Vancouver North East Chiefs were the last team to represent the BCEHL at the Telus Cup.

History

Originally established in 2004-05 as the British Columbia Major Midget League for players under 18 years of age, a female division was initialized in 2007-08 and played under the umbrella of the Female Midget AAA League. In 2018 a U16 AAA league was created (now the U17 AAA league), followed by a U15 AAA league in 2019. These four divisions (Female U18 AAA, U18 AAA, U17 AAA and U15 AAA) now comprise the BCEHL.

On September 16, 2021 the league was announced as being renamed the British Columbia Elite Hockey League with the former Major Midget league being specifically renamed the British Columbia Elite Hockey League.

Current teams

Integrated

Cariboo CougarsFraser Valley ThunderbirdsGreater Vancouver CanadiansOkanagan RocketsThompson BlazersVancouver Island RoyalsValley West GiantsVancouver North East ChiefsVancouver North West Hawks

Female

Fraser Valley Rush

Greater Vancouver Comets

Northern Capitals

Thompson Okanagan Lakers

Vancouver Island Seals

Former teams

* North Island Silvertips (merged in 2023 with South Island Royals to form Vancouver Island Royals)
* North Island Pack
* Kootenay Ice (MML)

U18 League champions

^a The Giants earned an automatic bye into the Telus Cup because the Red Deer Optimist Rebels were hosting the tournament

Telus Cup

The Vancouver North West Giants (2007, 2011), Okanagan Rockets (2014) and the Vancouver North East Chiefs (2022) are the only teams to have represented the league at the Telus Cup. Upon the Giants' winning the BC MML championship in 2007, a regional final with the AMHL was not necessary as Red Deer was hosting the Telus Cup that year. The Giants finished fourth in the Telus Cup tournament in 2007 before returning four years later; they again finished fourth in 2011. The 2014 Rockets, meanwhile, won the bronze medal.

Prior to the inauguration of the BC MML, the national midget championship was held in British Columbia twice – hosted by Kelowna in 1996 and Prince George in 2001. The Burnaby Winter Club Travellers represent the only B.C. team to win the national championship, defeating the Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy from Quebec in 1982, as well as winning bronze in 1980.

Timeline of franchises (since 2004)

Source:

DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:2004 till:2025
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#
Colors = id:barcolor
id:line value:pink
id:bg value:white
id:Former value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a former league member
id:Current value:rgb(0.4,0.80,0.67) # Use this color to denote a team that is a current league member
id:lineColor value:gray(0.5)

PlotData=
width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:Current from:01/01/2004 till:end text:Thompson Blazers

bar:2 color:Current from:01/01/2004 till:end text:Okanagan Rockets

bar:3 color:Former from:01/01/2004 till:09/01/2018 text:Vancouver NW Giants
bar:3 color:Current from:09/01/2018 till:end text:Vancouver NW Hawks

bar:4 color:Former from:01/01/2004 till:09/01/2006 text:Vancouver NE Attack
bar:4 color:Current from:09/01/2006 till:end text:Vancouver NE Chiefs

bar:5 color:Former from:01/01/2004 till:09/01/2006 text:Vancouver SW Hawks
bar:5 color:Former from:09/01/2006 till:09/01/2018 text:Valley West Hawks
bar:5 color:Current from:09/01/2018 till:end text:Valley West Giants

bar:6 color:Former from:01/01/2004 till:09/01/2006 text:Cariboo Canucks
bar:6 color:Current from:09/01/2006 till:end text:Cariboo Cougars

bar:7 color:Former from:01/01/2004 till:09/01/2006 text:Vancouver SE Flames
bar:7 color:Former from:09/01/2006 till:09/01/2013 text:Fraser Valley Bruins
bar:7 color:Current from:09/01/2013 till:end text:Fraser Valley Thunderbirds

bar:8 color:Former from:09/01/2005 till:09/01/2007 text:South Island Avalanche
bar:8 color:Former from:09/01/2007 till:09/01/2013 text:South Island Thunderbirds
bar:8 color:Former from:09/01/2013 till:09/01/2023 text:South Island Royals
bar:8 color:Current from:09/01/2023 till:end text:Vancouver Island Royals

bar:9 color:Former from:09/01/2005 till:09/01/2007 text:North Island Pack
bar:9 color:Former from:09/01/2007 till:03/01/2023 text:North Island Silvertips

bar:10 color:Former from:01/01/2004 till:09/01/2006 text:Vancouver Rangers
bar:10 color:Current from:09/01/2006 till:end text:Greater Vancouver Canadians

bar:11 color:Former from:09/01/2006 till:03/01/2021 text:Kootenay Ice

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:3 start:2004

LineData =
at:09/01/2004 color:lineColor layer:back width:0.66 #BCMML begins
at:09/01/2007 color:lineColor layer:back width:0.66 #BCMML Female begins
at:09/01/2018 color:lineColor layer:back width:0.66 #BCEHL begins

See also

* BC Hockey
* Telus Cup
*Alberta Elite Hockey League

References

External links

Official Website
{{Midget AAA Hockey in Canada

Ice hockey leagues in British Columbia
Youth ice hockey leagues in Canada
2004 establishments in British Columbia
Sports leagues established in 2004