The Continental Junior Hockey League (CJHL) was an independent junior

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

league based in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. League President Jim Cashman is the former President of the now defunct semi-pro

Gulf Coast Hockey League The Gulf Coast Hockey League was a short-lived minor professional ice hockey league in the Gulf Coast region of the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is ...

and

North Eastern Hockey League The North Eastern Hockey League was a semi-professional ice hockey league from 2003 until 2008. It was created by entrepreneur Jim Cashman, who served as league president. The NEHL was built to focus on giving players that were not quite ready ...

. League offices were based in

Fort Erie, Ontario Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of N ...

and

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

. The CJHL originally claimed to have 5 teams in

and the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

for the inaugural season in 2010–11 but only ever played with two teams in its only season of operation.

History

Formation

The league was officially announced on May 28, 2010 on the league website. The teams were announced on June 2, 2010 in

and

Indiana, Pennsylvania Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The population was 13,564 at the 2020 census, and since 2013 has been part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. After being a long time par ...

, June 4, 2010 in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

and June 11, 2010 in

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, Johnstown is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropol ...

. The Niagara Fury were announced on June 25, 2010 on the league website. On September 3, 2010 the Alpena Thunder joined the league after their league, the

Northern Junior Hockey League The Northern Junior Hockey League (NJHL) was an independent regional junior ice hockey league based in Jamestown, New York. The league operated from 2008 to 2010. History United Junior Hockey League The United Junior Hockey League (UJHL) was cre ...

folded. Prior to the start of the 2010–11 season it was announced that Johnstown, Indiana, and Syracuse would not play until the 2011–12 season. The league's first ever game was on October 23, 2010, when the Alpena Thunder defeated the Niagara Fury 6-4 in

Alpena, Michigan Alpena ( ') is the only city in and county seat of Alpena County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census. After Traverse City, it is the second most populated city in the Northern Michigan region. The city i ...

. As the only two teams in the league, they played an 18-game season for the 2010–11 season. The 2011–12 season saw Cashman promise and announce many new teams and an affiliation with the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

. At the beginning of the season it became apparent that the league would only have two teams (Erie and Niagara after Alpena folded at the end of the 2010–11 season) and no affiliation with a governing body. Erie announced through the press that it was withdrawing from the league in November, but the team, partially owned by Niagara owner Cashman, later became a founding member of the

Midwest Junior Hockey League The Midwest Junior Hockey League (MWJHL) was an American junior ice hockey league. The MWJHL were members of the United Hockey Union and sanctioned by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). On March 10, 2015, the league announced it would be joining ...

in 2011 but folded before the season.

Amateur Athletic Union

Early in the summer of 2011, the CJHL entered into an agreement with the

for sanctioning. As a part of this agreement the league claimed to have ascended to Tier II Junior A, which would put them on par with the likes of the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

. When hockey blog site ''AmericanJuniorHockey.com'' inquired to the AAU about the Tier II claim, the AAU informed the blog site that they did not have "tiered" hockey structures like

USA Hockey USA Hockey is the national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the Sport governing body, governing body for organized ice ...

and that the claim was therefore false (although the AAU would promote the

Western States Hockey League The Western States Hockey League (WSHL) was a junior ice hockey league established in 1993. It was sanctioned by the United Hockey Union, the junior hockey branch of the Amateur Athletic Union. Previously, it was sanctioned by USA Hockey from 199 ...

to "Tier II" in 2015, however AAU Tier II still required players to pay to play, meaning AAU Tier II was still not equivalent to USA Hockey Tier II). The AAU also has launched an audit into the CJHL's prior roster keeping practices and allegations of using unsigned and uncarded players. Since these allegation, most mentions of the AAU have been removed from the CJHL website.

Teams

Announced teams

* Alpena Pride — Announced replacement for the Alpena Thunder for the 2011–12 season * Columbus Stampede — Announced replacement of the Pittsburgh Stampede for 2011–12 season * Erie Blizzard — Announced for 2010–11 season, merged with Niagara Fury for 2010–11 season; in 2011 became a charter member of the

* Indiana Drillers — Announced for 2010–11 season *

Johnstown Wings The Johnstown Red Wings were a professional ice hockey team based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania They were founded as a member of the Eastern Hockey League in the 1979-80 season. The Red Wings were used as an affiliate to the Adirondack Red Wings of ...

— Announced for 2010–11 season and again for 2011–12 season * Lake Erie/Mentor Ducks — Announced relocation of Indiana Drillers for 2011–12 season * Midwest Maniax — Announced for 2011–12 season * New Jersey Raiders — Announced for 2011—12 season * Pittsburgh Stampede — Announced relocation of the Syracuse Stampede for 2010–11 season *

Syracuse Stampede The New England Knights were a Tier III junior ice hockey team in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The team played out of Raynham IcePlex in Raynham, Massachusetts. The Knights' organization are owned by Lovell Hockey, which also oper ...

— Announced for 2010–11 season, decided to play in the

International Junior Hockey League International Junior Hockey League was an independent Junior B ice hockey league. The League had teams in New England and Mid Atlantic United States. League History The league formed in 2005 out of the Interstate Junior Hockey League with tea ...

in the 2011–12 season

Champions

*2011 Alpena Thunder

References

External links

CJHL League Website
{{Junior Hockey Junior ice hockey leagues in the United States O Continental Sports leagues established in 2010 Sports leagues disestablished in 2011 2010 establishments in North America 2011 disestablishments in North America