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The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...
league based in
Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada†...
and the
Northwestern United States The Northwestern United States, also known as the American Northwest or simply the Northwest, is an informal geographic region of the United States. The region consistently includes the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. ...
. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hockey in
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 tota ...
. Teams play for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, with the winner moving on to play for the Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship. WHL teams have won the Memorial Cup 19 times since the league became eligible to compete for the trophy. Many players have been drafted from WHL teams, and have found success at various levels of professional hockey, including the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
(NHL). The league was founded in 1966, as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League (CMJHL), with seven western Canadian teams in
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in 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 the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...
and
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
. For its 1967 season, the league was renamed the Western Canada Junior Hockey League (WCJHL). From 1968, the league was renamed the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), before the admission of American-based teams in the league and then renaming as the Western Hockey League (WHL) commencing in 1978, up to present day. The league was the brainchild of Bill Hunter, who intended to build a western league capable of competing with the top leagues in
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
and
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
. Originally considered an "outlaw league" by the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction included ...
, it was not sanctioned as the top junior league in Western Canada until 1970, when Canadian junior hockey was reorganized. The WHL is composed of 22 teams as of 2019, divided into two conferences of two divisions. The Eastern Conference comprises 12 teams from
Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...
, Saskatchewan and Alberta, while the Western Conference comprises ten teams from
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
, and the American states of Washington and
Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
.


History


Formative seasons

Despite winning the 1966 Memorial Cup, the Edmonton Oil Kings' owner, Bill Hunter, was growing concerned about the state of junior hockey in western Canada. Each of the West's four provinces had its own junior league, and Hunter felt that this put them at a disadvantage when competing nationally against the powerful leagues in Ontario and Quebec. Desiring stronger competition, Hunter's Oil Kings competed in the Alberta Senior Hockey League rather than the Alberta Junior Hockey League. During the 1966 Memorial Cup, Hunter made newspaper headlines when he stated his vision for a nation-wide junior ice hockey league competing for the Memorial Cup. The
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction included ...
(CAHA) second vice-president
Lloyd Pollock Lloyd Thompson Pollock (July 26, 1909 – September 9, 1993) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator and businessman. After running the Windsor City Hockey League, he assisted in the foundation of the Windsor Softball League, and later started ...
responded by saying that the idea would be nothing more than a pipe dream, and would not be feasible while the CAHA was renegotiating a development agreement with the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
. The CAHA informed the Oil Kings, which then competed against men in the senior-level Central Alberta Hockey League, that they were required to play in a junior hockey league for the 1966–67 season or would be held ineligible to compete for the Memorial Cup. This led Hunter to form a new junior league with five members of the then-version of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), the Estevan Bruins, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades, Moose Jaw Canucks, and Weyburn Red Wings leaving the SJHL and joining the Oil Kings and the Calgary Buffaloes in a new league known as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League. Despite concerns that CMJHL would see the demise of the Alberta and Saskatchewan leagues (the SJHL did immediately fold), the governing bodies in both provinces sanctioned the new league. The CAHA did not, however, sanction the new league, declaring the CMJHL to be an "outlaw league" and suspending all teams and players from participation in CAHA sanctioned events, including the Memorial Cup. The new league accused the CAHA of overstepping its boundaries and with the support of the players and their families, chose to play the season regardless. The CMJHL began legal action against the CAHA executive in March 1967, fighting to regain eligibility to enter the Memorial Cup playoffs. In May 1967, the CMJHL renamed itself to the Western Canada Junior Hockey League (WCJHL), having previously avoided the term "Western" as some of its founders wanted to keep open the possibility of inviting top Eastern junior clubs to join in a national elite junior league in case negotiations with the CAHA reached a complete impasse. The new CAHA-NHL development agreement came into effect July 1, 1967. The new pact ended direct sponsorship of junior teams by the NHL, which then shifted to paying development fees to the CAHA, and junior players became eligible for the NHL Entry Draft at age 20. In May 1968, Bill Hunter announced the league would use an age limit of 21 in defiance of the CAHA and NHL agreement. The WCJHL stopped short of declaring independence from the CAHA, and claimed that the lower age limit would decrease its talent pool and negatively affect ticket sales. In response, the CAHA suspended league and its players. On June 10, 1968, the WCJHL announced a name change to the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), and that it was leaving the CAHA to affiliate with the rival Canadian Hockey Association (CHA). Hunter became chairman of the board for the WCHL, and Ron Butlin became president of the WCHL and the CHA. Four new teams were added in 1968 to total 11 as the league stretched east into Manitoba. Concerns over the WCHL's relationship with the CAHA led the Pats, Canucks and Red Wings to withdraw before the 1968–69 season, and join the new Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. When the CAHA reorganized junior hockey in 1971, it reunited with the WCHL making it one of three Tier I Major-Junior leagues, along with the
Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...
's Tier I division (now the
Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...
) and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.


Logo timeline

File:WHLlogo1968.gif, 1968–1978 File:WHLlogo1978.gif, 1978–2002 File:Western Hockey League.svg, 2002–present


Early years

The first decade of the WCHL saw constant expansion and franchise movement as the league spread throughout the West. The Flin Flon Bombers became the league's first powerhouse team, led by future
NHL 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 ...
stars
Bobby Clarke Robert Earle Clarke (born August 13, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played his entire 15-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently an executive with the team. Pop ...
and Reggie Leach. The Brandon Wheat Kings and Swift Current Broncos joined in 1967, the Medicine Hat Tigers in 1970. The WCHL truly became a western league in 1971 when the Estevan team moved to B.C. to become the New Westminster Bruins, joined by expansion franchises the Victoria Cougars and
Vancouver Nats The Vancouver Nats were a major junior ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia that played two seasons in the Western Canada Hockey League from 1971 to 1973. The team relocated in 1973 to Kamloops to become the Kamloops Chiefs before ...
. In the mid-1970s, the New Westminster Bruins became the WCHL's first true dynasty, capturing four consecutive championships between 1975 and 1978. The Bruins also won back-to-back Memorial Cups in 1977 and 1978. In 1976, the Oil Kings succumbed to the competing
Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
of the World Hockey Association and relocated to
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
to become the Winter Hawks, the WCHL's first American franchise. With the addition of American teams in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
and Billings a year later, the WCHL shortened its name to the ''Western Hockey League''.


The Brawling '80s

The 1980s were marked by several brawls that involved police intervention, one of the most bizarre trades in hockey history, and the tragic deaths of four players in a bus crash. Early in the 1980–81 WHL season, Medicine Hat Tigers GM/Coach Pat Ginnell traded blows with a linesman during a bench clearing brawl against the Lethbridge Broncos. Ginnell was found guilty of assault, fined $360, and suspended for 36 games by the WHL. In March 1982 a violent brawl between the Regina Pats and Calgary Wranglers saw the two teams collectively fined $2250 and players suspended for 73 games combined. Pats coach Bill LaForge would end up in a courtroom later that season when he got into an altercation with a fan. LaForge was acquitted when the judge noted that it was hard to convict a man for assault when faced with "an obnoxious person trying to get into the coach's area." LaForge resigned following the season after serving three separate suspensions. On January 19, 1983, the Seattle Breakers dealt Tom Martin and $35,000 to the Victoria Cougars for the Cougars' team bus. The deal made perfect sense upon further examination: the Breakers were unable to sign Martin, who wanted to play in his home town of Victoria, and the Cougars were unable to use the bus (which they had purchased from the folded
Spokane Flyers Spokane Flyers could mean: * Spokane Flyers (senior), a former senior ice hockey team in the Western International Hockey League *Spokane Flyers (junior) The Spokane Flyers were a junior ice hockey team that played one and a half seasons in the W ...
) because they were unwilling to pay the taxes and duties required to register the vehicle in Canada. On December 30, 1986, tragedy struck the Swift Current Broncos when their bus slid off an icy highway and rolled on the way to Regina for a game. Scott Kruger, Trent Kresse, Brent Ruff, and Chris Mantyka were killed. The Broncos retired their numbers, and still wear a commemorative patch in remembrance of the four players who died. The WHL later renamed its award for most valuable player as the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy in their honour.


The 1990s to today

Since the early 1990s, the WHL has seen another period of expansion and the return of the league to Western Canada's major cities. The Kamloops Blazers became the WHL's second dynasty in the early 1990s when they won both the WHL Championship and Memorial Cup three times in four years between 1992 and 1995. The Kelowna Rockets became the third dynasty, winning three WHL titles in 2003, 2005, and 2009; and winning the Memorial Cup as host city in 2004. The Portland Winter Hawks won their second Memorial Cup in 1998. In 1995, the Calgary Hitmen, founded by a group of investors including
Bret "the Hitman" Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...
from whom the team got its name, were granted an expansion franchise. Despite early fears that the WHL could not succeed in an NHL city, the Hitmen were a success, averaging as many as 10,000 fans per game in 2004–05. The Hitmen were followed one year later by the Edmonton Ice, but that team failed after only two seasons because of conflicts with the
Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
. The team became the Kootenay Ice and had better success in
Cranbrook, British Columbia Cranbrook ( ) is a city in southeast British Columbia, Canada, located on the west side of the Kootenay River at its confluence with the St. Mary's River. It is the largest urban centre in the region known as the East Kootenay. As of 2016, Cra ...
, including winning the 2002 Memorial Cup, despite being one of the smallest markets in the league. In the 2000s, the league expanded with four more teams — the Vancouver Giants in 2001, the Everett Silvertips in 2003, the Chilliwack Bruins in 2005 (who relocated in 2011 to become the Victoria Royals), and the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2007, as the Oilers have taken an interest in cultivating a junior team within their home market in the Alberta capital. Since 2006 Shaw TV has become the television partner with the league in Canada airing a game every Friday night and other select games throughout the season as well as one round of every playoff series. From 2008 to 2015, FSN Northwest (now Root Sports Northwest) aired some games throughout the northwest
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 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. On February 21, 2011, the Calgary Hitmen hosted the Regina Pats, Canada's oldest major junior hockey team, at McMahon Stadium for an outdoor game in conjunction with the 2011 Heritage Classic. The WHL teams wore retro inspired jerseys. The Spokane Chiefs also hosted the Kootenay Ice outdoors on January 15, 2011. The 2010–11 season was the first for the league to be featured in video game, EA Sports' '' NHL 11'', and included all the teams and rosters. On January 29, 2019, the Kootenay Ice announced the team would be relocated to Winnipeg for the 2019–20 season as the Winnipeg Ice.


Member teams

For the 2021–22 season, the WHL comprises 22 teams divided into two conferences, making it the largest league in the CHL; the
Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...
has 20 teams and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has 18. The WHL has member teams across four Canadian provinces and two American states. The Eastern Conference comprises teams from
Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...
,
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in 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 the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...
, and
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
. The Western Conference is made up of teams based in
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
, Washington, and
Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
. The top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs, with the division winners declared the top two seeds in the first round of the post-season. The four remaining teams in each conference are reseeded by regular season points in the second round of the playoffs. The Saskatoon Blades, one of the original WHL teams, are the only team to never have won a league championship since their inception in 1966.


Timeline of franchises (since 1966)

DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:09/01/1966 till:2021 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:Former from:09/01/1966 till:06/01/1977 text:Calgary Buffaloes / Centennials bar:1 color:Former from:09/01/1977 till:06/01/1982 text:Billings Bighorns bar:1 color:Former from:09/01/1982 till:06/01/1983 text:Nan. bar:1 color:Former from:09/01/1983 till:06/01/1988 text: New West. bar:1 color:Current from:09/01/1988 till:end text:Tri-City Americans bar:2 color:Former from:09/01/1966 till:06/01/1976 text:Edmonton Oil Kings bar:2 color:Current from:09/01/1976 till:end text:Portland Winterhawks bar:3 color:Former from:09/01/1966 till:06/01/1971 text:Estevan Bruins bar:3 color:Former from:09/01/1971 till:06/01/1981 text:New Westminster Bruins bar:3 color:Current from:09/01/1981 till:end text:Kamloops Junior Oilers / Blazers bar:4 color:Former from:09/01/1966 till:06/01/1968 text:Moose Jaw Canucks bar:5 color:Current from:09/01/1966 till:06/01/1968 text:Regina Pats bar:5 color:Current from:09/01/1970 till:end text: bar:6 color:Current from:09/01/1966 till:end text:Saskatoon Blades bar:7 color:Former from:09/01/1966 till:06/01/1968 text:Weyburn Red Wings bar:8 color:Current from:09/01/1967 till:end text:Brandon Wheat Kings bar:9 color:Former from:09/01/1967 till:06/01/1978 text:Flin Flon Bombers bar:9 color:Former from:09/01/1978 till:06/01/1979 text:Ed. bar:9 color:Former from:09/01/1979 till:06/01/1980 text:GF bar:9 color:Former from:09/01/1980 till:06/01/1982 text: Spokane Flyers bar:10 color:Current from:09/01/1967 till:06/01/1974 text:Swift Current Broncos bar:10 color:Former from:09/01/1974 till:06/01/1986 text:Lethbridge Broncos bar:10 color:Current from:09/01/1986 till:end text:Swift Current Broncos bar:11 color:Former from:09/01/1967 till:06/01/1977 text:Winnipeg Jets / Clubs / Monarchs bar:11 color:Former from:09/01/1977 till:06/01/1987 text:Calgary Wranglers bar:11 color:Current from:09/01/1987 till:end text:Lethbridge Hurricanes bar:12 color:Current from:09/01/1970 till:end text:Medicine Hat Tigers bar:13 color:Former from:09/01/1971 till:06/01/1973 text:Van. bar:13 color:Former from:09/01/1973 till:06/01/1977 text:Kamloops bar:13 color:Current from:09/01/1977 till:end text:Seattle Breakers / Thunderbirds bar:14 color:Former from:09/01/1971 till:06/01/1994 text:Victoria Cougars bar:14 color:Current from:09/01/1994 till:end text:Prince George Cougars bar:15 color:Former from:09/01/1980 till:06/01/1984 text:Winnipeg bar:15 color:Current from:09/01/1984 till:end text:Moose Jaw Warriors bar:16 color:Former from:09/01/1982 till:06/01/1985 text:Kelowna bar:16 color:Current from:09/01/1985 till:end text:Spokane Chiefs bar:17 color:Current from:09/01/1982 till:end text:Prince Albert Raiders bar:18 color:Former from:09/01/1991 till:06/01/1995 text:Tacoma bar:18 color:Current from:09/01/1995 till:end text:Kelowna Rockets bar:19 color:Current from:09/01/1992 till:end text:Red Deer Rebels bar:20 color:Current from:09/01/1995 till:end text:Calgary Hitmen bar:21 color:Former from:09/01/1996 till:06/01/1998 text:Ed. bar:21 color:Former from:09/01/1998 till:06/01/2019 text:Kootenay Ice bar:21 color:Current from:09/01/2019 till:end text:Winnipeg bar:22 color:Current from:09/01/2001 till:end text:Vancouver Giants bar:23 color:Current from:09/01/2003 till:end text:Everett Silvertips bar:24 color:Former from:09/01/2006 till:06/01/2011 text:Chilliwack Bruins bar:24 color:Current from:09/01/2011 till:end text:Victoria Royals bar:25 color:Current from:09/01/2007 till:end text:Edmonton Oil Kings ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1970 LineData = at:07/15/1968 color:lineColor layer:back width:0.66 #WCHL begins at:07/15/1978 color:lineColor layer:back width:0.66 #WHL begins TextData = pos:(35,125) tabs:(60-left) fontsize:S text:WCHL pos:(212,125) tabs:(60-left) fontsize:S text:WHL


Franchise history

* Calgary Buffaloes (1966–67) → Calgary Centennials (1967–77) →
Billings Bighorns The Billings Bighorns were a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League who played from 1977 to 1982. The team was originally the Calgary Centennials. They played at the MetraPark Arena in Billings, Montana. The team wore uniforms based ...
(1977–82) → Nanaimo Islanders (1982–83) → New Westminster Bruins (1983–88) →
Tri-City Americans The Tri-City Americans are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League, based in Kennewick, Washington. The team plays its home games at Toyota Center. Every game is broadcast locally on the Tri-City Americans' flagship radio st ...
(1988–present) * Edmonton Oil Kings (1966–76) → Portland Winterhawks (1976–present) * Estevan Bruins (1966–71) → New Westminster Bruins (1971–81) → Kamloops Junior Oilers (1981–84) → Kamloops Blazers (1984–present) * Moose Jaw Canucks (1966–68) * Regina Pats (1966–68, 1970–present) * Saskatoon Blades (1966–present) * Weyburn Red Wings (1966–68) * Brandon Wheat Kings (1967–present) * Flin Flon Bombers (1967–78) → Edmonton Oil Kings (1978–79) → Great Falls Americans (1979–80) →
Spokane Flyers Spokane Flyers could mean: * Spokane Flyers (senior), a former senior ice hockey team in the Western International Hockey League *Spokane Flyers (junior) The Spokane Flyers were a junior ice hockey team that played one and a half seasons in the W ...
(1980–82) *Swift Current Broncos (1967–74) → Lethbridge Broncos (1974–86) → Swift Current Broncos (1986–present) *Winnipeg Jets (1967–73) → Winnipeg Clubs (1973–76) → Winnipeg Monarchs (1976–77) → Calgary Wranglers (1977–87) → Lethbridge Hurricanes (1987–present) * Medicine Hat Tigers (1970–present) *
Vancouver Nats The Vancouver Nats were a major junior ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia that played two seasons in the Western Canada Hockey League from 1971 to 1973. The team relocated in 1973 to Kamloops to become the Kamloops Chiefs before ...
(1971–73) → Kamloops Chiefs (1973–77) → Seattle Breakers (1977–85) → Seattle Thunderbirds (1985–present) * Victoria Cougars (1971–94) → Prince George Cougars (1994–present) * Winnipeg Warriors (1980–84) → Moose Jaw Warriors (1984–present) * Kelowna Wings (1982–85) → Spokane Chiefs (1985–present) * Prince Albert Raiders (1982–present) *
Tacoma Rockets The Tacoma Rockets were a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1991 to 1995. They played at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington. The Rockets were granted as an expansion franchise, and were named after the defunct pr ...
(1991–95) → Kelowna Rockets (1995–present) * Red Deer Rebels (1992–present) * Calgary Hitmen (1995–present) * Edmonton Ice (1996–98) → Kootenay Ice (1998–2019) → Winnipeg Ice (2019–present) * Vancouver Giants (2001–present) * Everett Silvertips (2003–present) * Chilliwack Bruins (2006–11) → Victoria Royals (2011–present) * Edmonton Oil Kings (2007–present)


Education

The WHL has taken a much greater role in its players educational needs in recent years. The league operates a scholarship program that offers one full year of tuition, textbooks and compulsory fees for each season they play in the WHL. Since the program was introduced in 1993, more than 3000 scholarships of this calibre have been handed out at a total value of . Each team maintains an academic advisor, who monitors the academic progress of all players along with the league's Director of Education Services. Canadian universities and colleges recruit extensively from the WHL, affording graduating players the opportunity to continue playing hockey as they attend post-secondary institutions. The U.S.
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athlete, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic sports, ...
(NCAA), though, considers graduates of the WHL (and the other two CHL members, the OHL and QMJHL) to be professionals and thus ineligible to participate in college hockey programs in the United States. Players hoping to receive scholarships to, and play for, American universities must play Junior A hockey in one of the Canadian Junior Hockey League's member organizations or the
United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictl ...
to retain their NCAA eligibility.


Player eligibility

The WHL Bantam Draft is an annual event which teams select players from bantam hockey league age groups, 14 or 15 years old. The order of selection depends on the final standings of the teams, the last place team selects first the second to last will choose second and so on. Players aged 15–20 are eligible to play in the WHL, though 15-year-olds are permitted to play only five games unless their midget team's season has ended. Also, each team is allowed to have only three 20-year-olds on their rosters, unless there is an expansion team, in which case five 20-year-olds are eligible to play. Each team is permitted to carry only two non-North American players. Each of the CHL's three member leagues are granted exclusive territorial rights to players from within North America. The WHL holds rights to players from the four western provinces, the U.S. Pacific Northwest, all other U.S. states west of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...
(except Missouri), and the
Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
,
Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
and
Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the '' Nunavut Act'' and the '' Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act'' ...
.


Memorial Cup champions

The Memorial Cup has been captured by a WHL team 19 times since the league's founding.


Records

Individual * Most goals in a season: 108, Ray Ferraro, 1983–84 * Most assists in a season: 136, Rob Brown, 1986–87 * Most points in a season: 212, Rob Brown, 1986–87 * Most penalty minutes in a season: 511, Brent Gogol, 1977–78 * Most points in a season, rookie: 145,
Petr Nedved Petr is a Czech given name for males and a Czech surname. Petr is the Czech form of ''Peter''. For information on Petr as a first name, see Peter (given name). Given name * Petr Aven (born 1955), Russian billionaire banker, economist and politic ...
, 1989–90 * Most points in a season, defenceman: 140, Cam Plante, 1983–84 * Most hat-tricks in a season: 15, Ray Ferraro, 1983–84 * Most goals in a single game: 7, Five times, last by Kimbi Daniels, 1990–91 Team * Most wins in a season: 60, Victoria Cougars, 1980–81 * Most wins in an inaugural season: 35, Everett Silvertips, 2003–04 * Most points in a season: 125, Brandon Wheat Kings, 1978–79 * Most goals in a season: 496, Kamloops Blazers, 1986–87 * Fewest goals against in a season: 125, Kelowna Rockets, 2003–04 * Most powerplay goals in a season: 180, Swift Current Broncos, 1988–89


Trophies and awards

* Ed Chynoweth Cup—playoff champions * Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy—regular season champions * Four Broncos Memorial Trophy—player of the year * Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy—scholastic player of the year * Bob Clarke Trophy—top scorer * Brad Hornung Trophy—most sportsmanlike player * Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy—top defencemen * Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy—rookie of the year * Del Wilson Trophy—top goaltender * Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy—coach of the year * Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy—executive of the year * Allen Paradice Memorial Trophy—top official * St. Clair Group Trophy—marketing/public relations award * Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy—humanitarian of the year * WHL Plus-Minus Award * airBC Trophy—most valuable player in the playoffs


Commissioners

* Frank Boucher (Commissioner) – 1966–1968 * Ron Butlin (President) – 1968–1971 * Jim Piggott (President) & Tom Fisher (Executive Secretary) – 1971–1972 * Del Wilson (President) & Tom Fisher (Executive Secretary) – 1972–1973 – 1973 was transition period to Chynoweth & League office in Saskatoon * Ed Chynoweth (President) – 1973–1979 * David Descent (President) – 1979–1980 – resigned March 3, Board of Governors for balance of season * Ed Chynoweth (President) – 1980–1995 * Dev Dley (Commissioner) – 1995–2000 * Ron Robison (Commissioner) – 2000–present


See also

*
List of ice hockey leagues This is a list of ice hockey leagues, both professional and amateur, from around the world; parentheses denote year of establishment and, where applicable, year of disestablishment. North America Major professional * National Hockey League (1917 ...
*
Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...
* Quebec Major Junior Hockey League


References

;General * * * ;Specific


External links


Official website

Official website of the Canadian Hockey League
{{Junior Hockey Sports leagues established in 1966 1 Junior ice hockey leagues in the United States 1966 establishments in Canada