The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) had its Annual General Meeting on Saturday, June 22 in Nelson. One of the key points of interest that arose from the meeting was the Okanagan-Shuswap Conference alignment.
Due to the fact that the Merritt Centennials, Quesnel River Rush and Williams Lake Mustangs are all joining the Board of Governors of the KIJHL approved the following re-alignment of the Doug Birks and Bill Ohlhausen divisions:
Doug Birks Division:
•100 Mile House Wranglers
•Chase Heat
•Kamloops Storm
•Quesnel River Rush
•Williams Lake Mustangs
Bill Ohlhausen Division:
•Kelowna Chiefs
•Merritt Centennials
•Osoyoos Coyotes
•Princeton Posse
•Revelstoke Grizzlies
•Sicamous Eagles
This comes following the announcement in March that the Merritt Centennials would be withdrawing from the BCHL and then that they’d been approved by the KIJHL as an expansion club. The Centennials are joining the Bill Ohlhausen division, taking the place of the Summerland Steam, who relocated to Williams Lake.
This also factors in the sale and relocation of the North Okanagan Knights to Quesnel where they are now known as the River Rush.
The KIJHL was also provided with an update about the ongoing Junior A - Tier 1 application and evaluation process, which is being overseen by Blackfin Sports Group. According to the press release, dated July 2, 12 of the KIJHL’s 21 teams have received their site visit from Blackfin’s assessment group, with the rest scheduled between July and August. The league expects the completed review by November 1.
Another item of note is that the KIJHL has again increased the number of 20-year-old players that are eligible to play on each team, this year raising from six to seven.
The league also has completed a three-year agreement with The Prospects Exchange to become their video analytics provider.
The KIJHL also just released its schedule for the 2024/25 season, which will kick off for 18 of the league's 21 teams on Friday, Sept. 20.
All teams in the league will play a 44-game regular season, featuring 24 games against divisional and conference opponents and one game each against teams from the alternate conference.
The entire season consists of 462 games and concludes on Saturday, Feb. 22, with playoffs beginning on Friday, Feb. 28