The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) acquired 5 Alberta Junior Hockey League groups (AJHL), together with the Brooks Bandits, it introduced Saturday.
The league says it has agreed to phrases with the Brooks Bandits and 4 different groups from the AJHL, that are the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders, and Spruce Grove Saints.
The BCHL says it’ll present extra info, together with league construction, within the “coming weeks.”
That is the primary time Alberta golf equipment have ever been part of the BCHL, and this addition brings the league to 22 groups, the most important in its historical past.
In the meantime, the AJHL claims it realized of the transfer from the announcement itself, and had not been warned by the BCHL or any of the 5 groups concerned.
“No official discover has been offered to the AJHL from the respective groups,” an announcement reads.
On account of the groups leaving, the AJHL says will probably be assessing the subsequent steps and “schedule implications.”
“The AJHL will proceed to offer unprecedented growth alternatives for our athletes inside our precious communities,” the AJHL mentioned.
Amid the shakeup, a number of video games have been cancelled, together with two video games on Saturday, and two video games on Sunday that concerned the Calgary Canucks going through the Spruce Grove Saints and the Brooks Bandits squaring off towards the Whitecourt Wolverines.
The Bandits, which have been purported to have a recreation on Saturday, held a three-on-three recreation as an alternative.
President of the Brooks Bandits Paul Seaton says the choice to spit from the AJHL was a enterprise one determined with the board of administrators, saying “In case you stand nonetheless, you’re you’re transferring backwards.”
“We at all times search for self-improvement, principally. And what we’re doing is, is providing younger hockey gamers a chance to point out their expertise. And the transfer we’re proposing to make is we consider a greater possibility offers them with a greater alternative” he mentioned.
Relating to the AJHL determination to cancel video games, the president is asking it vengeful on the a part of the league and normally “mystifying.”
“We’re in the midst of the season. It is a bit mystifying. With out an evidence, we’ve requested for causes and never the season,” he advised CityNews.
Seaton says the announcement wasn’t supposed to come back out till Could 1 and feels the league is being vengeful and using a type of “disciplinary motion.”
“The individuals which might be struggling are the kids which might be growing their expertise and most of them transfer on to high schools. So the struggling is, sadly, from no matter motion — we do not know,” Seaton mentioned.
“We haven’t actually heard something instantly from the league in any respect. They’re probably not speaking to us.”
He’s involved in regards to the workforce being allowed to complete the season.
When CityNews requested for extra info from the league in regards to the cancellations, the AJHL declined to remark.
The Bandits are AJHL seven-time champions, successful in 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023. Additionally they received the nationwide junior championship in 2013, 2019, 2022 and 2023.
