The Saskatchewan Male U18 'AAA' Hockey League (SMAAAHL), formerly the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League,) is a U-18 'AAA'
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, with teams based in the province of
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
, Canada. It is the highest level of minor hockey in the province. Players in this league are 18 years of age or younger and often move on to play major junior hockey in the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...
or junior 'A' hockey in the
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
Open to North American-born players 20 years of ...
followed by college hockey in 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 a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Several have eventually gone on to professional hockey careers in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
or in Europe.
Each year's playoff champion advances to the regional U-18 'AAA' championship, the winner of which earns a spot in the
Telus Cup
The Telus Cup is Canada's national under-18 ice hockey club championship. It is an annual event, held by Hockey Canada each April. From 1979 to 2003, the national championship was sponsored by Air Canada.
The current champions are the Monct ...
national championship. Saskatchewan teams have won a combined 14 national titles since 1979. The Notre Dame Hounds won the 2018 Telus Cup becoming the first 5-time Champion.
Teams
SMAAAHL Alumni
External links
SMAAAHL.com{{Midget AAA Hockey in Canada
Ice hockey leagues in Saskatchewan
Youth ice hockey leagues in Canada
Hockey Saskatchewan