An unjustified and heavy-handed response.
Mincing no phrases, the 5 groups closely punished by the Alberta Junior Hockey League this week following information they had been allegedly leaving for the BCHL issued a bunch assertion after having their season schedules severely altered.
On Thursday, the AJHL all however exiled the 5 groups — the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders and Spruce Grove Saints — by reducing off entry to the remainder of the league.
The AJHL stated the 5 groups had been free to play video games, however solely in opposition to one another and never in opposition to the league’s remaining 11 groups.
In response, the 5 groups stated of their assertion that they don’t agree with the AJHL’s choice.
“Our 5 groups stay members in good standing of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, Canadian Junior Hockey League, Hockey Alberta and Hockey Canada,” reads the assertion.
“We now have not entered into any settlement to depart any of these organizations, nor have we made any announcement to that impact.”
That’s true.
Nonetheless, final Friday, rumours started swirling that the 5 had been wanting westward in direction of British Columbia. And on Saturday, the BCHL issued a press release saying “it has come to phrases with 5 Alberta-based groups to affix the league for the 2024-25 season.”
Additionally, an Alberta newspaper printed a remark from one of many group’s presidents, saying the information wasn’t supposed to return out till Could 1.
The group assertion continued, saying “We don’t agree that any AJHL video games needs to be cancelled or postponed. We share within the public’s disappointment within the present state of affairs.
Get the newest Nationwide information.
Despatched to your e-mail, day-after-day.
“We strongly consider that our gamers needs to be again on the ice taking part in hockey and competing for an Inter Pipeline Cup, and we are going to do every little thing we will to carry this unlucky state of affairs to a optimistic decision.”
In flip, the AJHL issued a response on Friday morning.
“The AJHL is conscious of the contradictory statements coming from the BCHL and 5 defecting golf equipment, and the unfavorable affect they’re having on our gamers and their households. The denial made late Thursday evening by the 5 golf equipment immediately contradicts the BCHL itself, which stated final Saturday that the unsanctioned league and the golf equipment had ‘dedicated to phrases’ for the groups to affix the BCHL beginning within the 2024-25 season.”
The AJHL additionally talked about the media remark about Could 1, including “Given the suggestion by the 5 golf equipment that the BCHL issued a false assertion, and the inconsistent and conflicting data coming from the 5 golf equipment themselves, the AJHL is looking on the BCHL and the golf equipment to offer fast clarification.
“Till such time because the AJHL is happy that there are not any plans for the 5 golf equipment to depart the league to play unsanctioned hockey, the present scheduling selections stay in place.”
The president and normal supervisor of the Sherwood Park Crusaders was adamant Friday that “no binding choice” had been made with the BCHL.
“We now have not signed a doc that binds us to taking part in in that league subsequent 12 months,” Adam Sergerie informed World Information.
Sergerie is fearful that the gamers are those struggling proper now. He added the Crusaders “at all times had each intention on ending out the season within the Alberta Junior Hockey League.”
“I’m seeing a bunch of younger males within the dressing room wrestle to maintain their feelings in test, there’s a lot uncertainty,” Sergerie stated.
“We’ve obtained some guys which have made quite a lot of headway and have completed quite a lot of actually good issues they usually’re lastly getting the eye that they deserve, and we have to get them again taking part in to allow them to additional their profession.”
Sergerie stated the group has had some “forwards and backwards” dialog with the AJHL and hopes the 2 sides can come to a decision.
“They’ve requested for some solutions, we’ve requested for some solutions, and I believe it’s simply finding out the responses from each other,” he stated.
“Hopefully inside the subsequent 5 to seven days now we have a clearer image of what’s going to occur.”
Sergerie added the Crusaders have till Could 1 to resolve whether or not the group shall be getting into the BCHL.
In AJHL standings, 4 of the 5 groups occupy first by means of fourth place.
Final summer time, the BCHL introduced it was turning into an impartial league and would not be sure by Hockey Canada guidelines — a transfer that some hockey insiders name going rogue.
By turning into impartial, the BCHL can play by its personal recruitment guidelines. The league’s purpose is to extend NCAA recruitment with American junior hockey leagues, such because the USHL.
The BCHL is Canada’s high league for NCAA commitments. In December, the league introduced that it set a brand new benchmark with 193 commitments, eclipsing the outdated mark of 190.
The AJHL had a record-setting 121 commitments final summer time.
Nonetheless, these numbers pale compared to the 16-team USHL, which had 346 NCAA commitments final February.
In response to the USHL, of the 1,800 gamers in NCAA Div. 1, 50.4 per cent performed within the USHL. Additionally, the 32-team NAHL had 186 faculty commitments as of this week.
© 2024 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
