The Alberta Elite Hockey League or AEHL (formerly the Alberta Midget Hockey League) is the provincial U18 "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 ...

league for

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 T ...

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 to ...

. The league consists of 17 teams split into the North and South Divisions. League champions go on to compete with the BC Elite Hockey League champions to represent the Pacific at the annual

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 Mon ...

, Canada's national U18 championship. The Calgary Buffaloes are the current league champions. Red Deer is the last AEHL team to win a national title, having won in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

. The current league champions are the Calgary Buffaloes

Current teams

North Division

*Canadian (CAC) Gregg Distributors (

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city an ...

) *

Fort Saskatchewan Fort Saskatchewan is a city along the North Saskatchewan River in Alberta, Canada. It is northeast of Edmonton, the provincial capital. It is part of the Edmonton census metropolitan area and one of 24 municipalities that constitute the Edmo ...

Straightline Dodge Rangers *Grande Peace Ernie's Sports Storm (

Grande Prairie Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highway), a ...

) * Leduc Wilhauk Jerky Oil Kings *

Lloydminster Lloydminster is a city in Canada which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city is incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administrati ...

Inland Steel Bobcats *Maple Leaf (MLAC) Beverly Optimists (Edmonton) * St. Albert Nektar Raiders *

Sherwood Park Sherwood Park is a large hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Strathcona County that is recognized as an urban service area. It is located adjacent to the City of Edmonton's eastern boundary, generally south of Highway 16 ( Yellowhead Trail) ...

Ennis Kings *South Side (SSAC) BP Athletics (Edmonton)

South Division

* Airdrie CFR Bisons *

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

Buffaloes *Calgary (NW) Flames *Calgary Northstars *Calgary Royals *

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian Rocky Mountains contribute to t ...

Hurricanes *

Okotoks Okotoks (, originally ) is a town in the Calgary Region of Alberta, Canada. It is on the Sheep River, approximately south of Calgary. Okotoks has emerged as a bedroom community of Calgary. According to the 2016 Census, the town has a population ...

Bow Mark Oilers *

Red Deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of ...

Optimist Chiefs

League awards

League champions

Most championships

Telus Cup

The Calgary Northstars (1991 and 2003), Calgary Buffaloes (1989), and Red Deer Optimist Rebels/Chiefs (2012 & 2013), represent the only AMHL teams to have won the national midget title. The AMHL has represented the Pacific at the tournament every year since 1985, with the exceptions of 1986, 1992, 2007, and 2012, when

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

n teams won representation. Alberta has hosted the national championship three times:

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

, and

in Leduc.

Alumni

Many players move on from the AEHL to play

Junior A Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each ...

or Major Junior in Western Canada. The league's

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) alumni include Jarome Iginla,

Dany Heatley Daniel "Dany" James Heatley (born January 21, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the National H ...

, Jason Smith,

Trent Hunter Trent Hunter (born June 5, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He played for the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Originally drafted in the sixth round, ...

, Joffery Lupul,

Trevor Linden Trevor John Linden (born April 11, 1970) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former president of hockey operations and alternate governor of the Vancouver Canucks. He spent 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), play ...

Geoff Sanderson Geoffrey M. Sanderson (born February 1, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger, most notably for the Hartford Whalers and Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Drafted by the Hartford W ...

, Scottie Upshall,

Brian Sutherby Brian Sutherby (born March 1, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who is currently a scout for the Washington Capitals. He played in the National Hockey League with the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks and the Dallas Sta ...

Mike Comrie Michael William Comrie (born September 11, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. During his 13-year National Hockey League (NHL) career he played with the Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Ottawa Senators ...

Nick Tarnasky Nick Tarnasky (born November 25, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He most recently played for the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL) during the 2016–17 season. Tarnasky previously played in the Nation ...

Jonathan Filewich Jonathan Filewich (born October 2, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player of Croatian ancestry Filewich was born in Kelowna, British Columbia. Playing career Filewich was drafted 70th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft b ...

and

Bryan McCabe Bryan McCabe (born June 8, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in over 1,000 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) playing for the New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple ...

References

External links

Official web site
{{Midget AAA Hockey in Canada Ice hockey leagues in Alberta Youth ice hockey leagues in Canada