BCHL adding 5 Alberta teams

[hockeyguy0022]

One thing I've always found funny, USA hockey/NCAA plays in the world juniors/world championships against players who have signed NHL contracts, heck, some of the even play in the NHL....

It's always been a dumb rule a 300 dollar stipend is "professional"

What the rule should actually say, is if you've signed a "professional contract" but as I just mentioned, the NCAA doesn't even abide by that standard now, if you count the world juniors NCAA players. lol

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

I agree that an expanded player pool would not be a primary factor in a college choosing to form a D-1 hockey team but can you not at least entertain the notion that it could be at least a minor factor? Perhaps there is another Stonehill out there who is looking at the lack of competitiveness/success Stonehill is having and saying perhaps we should wait in going in that direction? If a larger pool were available that school might conclude that they could achieve success on the ice much quicker than Stonehill and that could bring about more sponsorship, increased attendance and greater buy in from the student body and surrounding community.

Perhaps you are entirely correct and what I posted makes no sense but maybe an increased player pool could provide a tiny nudge??

Stonehill's lack of success is entirely due to them not being a NCAA DI team in transition from DII/DIII, playing in a piss poor rec rink about 20 minutes from campus, lack of a conference, and a schedule where they are largely non-competitive. They are not a program that is capable of attracting any noticeable talent. Stonehill's lack of success is not due to a limited talent pool. If the entirety of major juniors was opened up for recruitment, Stonehill would receive a less than negligible amount of the newly available talent.

More sponsors? A roster with 3-4 more players from major juniors isn't getting new sponsors.
Increased attendence? Have you even looked up where they play? Even the low end high school teams in the area get more fans.
Greater buy in from the student body? Coming from a handful of more guys from major juniors? That doesn't even logically make sense.

An increased player pool is a complete non-factor. Shame you're unable to see that considering the rest of your original post is dead on.

 

[Corso]

An increased player pool is a complete non-factor. Shame you're unable to see that considering the rest of your original post is dead on.

Well, consider it wild speculation on my part then....

 

[BigFatCat999]

Any news of a name change?

 

[Bubbles]

Any news of a name change?

It's going to be called the FYHCHL.

 

[Isaac Nootin]

Hockey Canada attemps to take a childish shot at the BCHL for the amount of American players in the league.

Yet what they fail to realize is the numbers stated in the article for this year (23.7%) is lower than the other number stated from 2019/20 when under the Hockey Canada umbrella (24.5%)

Rules for thee, not for me.

Hockey Canada takes shot at BCHL for abundance of American players on rosters

The Junior A loop, which features 23.7 per cent of U.S. players this year, left Hockey Canada to become an independent league last summer.

theprovince.com

 

[WarriorofTime]

Hockey Canada attemps to take a childish shot at the BCHL for the amount of American players in the league.

...and people really want to claim that the mysteriously vague and thus far entirely 1-sided from the Canadian side "leak" about "maybe CHL players will be allowed to play in the NCAA" had nothing to do with the BCHL breakaway...

 

[Bubbles]

Hockey Canada attemps to take a childish shot at the BCHL for the amount of American players in the league.

Yet what they fail to realize is the numbers stated in the article for this year (23.7%) is lower than the other number stated from 2019/20 when under the Hockey Canada umbrella (24.5%)

Rules for thee, not for me.

Hockey Canada takes shot at BCHL for abundance of American players on rosters

The Junior A loop, which features 23.7 per cent of U.S. players this year, left Hockey Canada to become an independent league last summer.

theprovince.com

I can't see what the actual Hockey Canada statement was, do you have a link to it?

...and people really want to claim that the mysteriously vague and thus far entirely 1-sided from the Canadian side "leak" about "maybe CHL players will be allowed to play in the NCAA" had nothing to do with the BCHL breakaway...

Exactly. HC is so damn petty. BCHL is making solid plans and moving forward but HC is still sitting there doing nothing.

 

[Isaac Nootin]

Looks like this might be happening in Southern Ontario as well.

Rumours of the GOJHL voting in regards to leaving the Hockey Canada umbrella.

I hope this happens. They've had dirt kicked in there face for years now by the OJHL and OHA regarding Jr A status.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Looks like this might be happening in Southern Ontario as well.

Rumours of the GOJHL voting in regards to leaving the Hockey Canada umbrella.

I hope this happens. They've had dirt kicked in there face for years now by the OJHL and OHA regarding Jr A status.

Not familiar with the situation... what has been going on there?

 

[cg98]

Not familiar with the situation... what has been going on there?

Theyre having an interorganizational vote to leave Hockey Canada and the OHA to go independent, because of the OJHL, CJHL, OHA, and Hockey Canadas refusal to designate them as Junior A instead of Junior B, thus losing college eligible players to the OJHL, NAHL or USHL. Its basically the OHLs farm league and has loads of Jr A calibre players there. Theres no reason it shouldnt be Junior A.

It shows how tone deaf Hockey Canada is with Junior hockey that they didnt even bother to designate a Junior A calibre league as such after the loss of the BCHL and 5 AJHL teams and how they bumped up the Jr B teams in those regions to Jr A instead before the GOJHL.

 

[Isaac Nootin]

Just to add to the above. Since they aren't designated Jr. A status, the OJ will pillage players year after year for pennies on the dollar. All they need to do is pay the Jr. B team a "development fee", which I believe is only $1000. There's nothing these Jr. B teams can do to stop it.

 

[Al48]

Theyre having an interorganizational vote to leave Hockey Canada and the OHA to go independent, because of the OJHL, CJHL, OHA, and Hockey Canadas refusal to designate them as Junior A instead of Junior B, thus losing college eligible players to the OJHL, NAHL or USHL. Its basically the OHLs farm league and has loads of Jr A calibre players there. Theres no reason it shouldnt be Junior A.

It shows how tone deaf Hockey Canada is with Junior hockey that they didnt even bother to designate a Junior A calibre league as such after the loss of the BCHL and 5 AJHL teams and how they bumped up the Jr B teams in those regions to Jr A instead before the GOJHL.

It looks like even bumping those BC leagues to Jr A isn’t going to help retain those leagues entirely. From what I’ve heard, the VIJHL is dropping from HC to become the BCHL feeder league.

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

 

[Isaac Nootin]

Not surprising.

Merritt games are incredibly poorly attended, by far the worst in the BCHL.

They don't have the cash flow the other teams would. The added expenses of further travel most likely made it no longer viable.

 

[Takuto Maruki]

It's hard not to draw comparisons between the BCHL's split from Hockey Canada (and the subsequent knock on effects and defections) and the growing rift between D1 colleges and the NCAA, over NIL and especially the Great CFB Swindle. But one thing that is undoubtedly clear in those comparisons is that it leaves smaller programs nowhere near the big dogs in terms of financial power out in the lurch.

 

[GKJ]

Doesn’t bode well for expansion if teams are dropping out.

 

[Isaac Nootin]

Doesn’t bode well for expansion if teams are dropping out.

Adding 5 teams and losing 1 seems like expansion to me.

Plus, the BCHL now sits at 21 teams, how much further can they expand?

They have by far more teams than any other Jr A league outside of the OJHL (which is incredibly watered down).

 

[GKJ]

Adding 5 teams and losing 1 seems like expansion to me.

Plus, the BCHL now sits at 21 teams, how much further can they expand?

They have by far more teams than any other Jr A league outside of the OJHL (which is incredibly watered down).

If you're losing one while expanding, it suggests that maybe you shouldn't be expanding, and whether or not some other clubs think this is prudent. Also doesn't have to mean one has to do with the other, but they also lost one last year as well.

 

[Isaac Nootin]

Also doesn't have to mean one has to do with the other, but they also lost one last year as well.

Wenatche left to head to the WHL. That's completely different than a crumbling franchise like Merritt leaving for an inferior league, IMO.

Realistically, how much further expansion would you like to see from the BCHL?

 

[Bubbles]

Damn, what a shame. And they were celebrating their 50th year.

Just reading more of the news article, they're joining the KIJHL. Probably for the best and there's way less travel. Also they will be back in Junior A.

 

[GKJ]

Wenatche left to head to the WHL. That's completely different than a crumbling franchise like Merritt leaving for an inferior league, IMO.

Realistically, how much further expansion would you like to see from the BCHL?

I know they were for different reasons but one of them seemed to be the owner didn’t want to get dragged into the fight with Hockey Canada and seized the opportunity when he could buy a team.

I don’t know enough about the league or its economics to know how much they should expand, a healthy league should expand as much as it thinks is viable. There seems to be a seismic shift in that though if the NCAA decides to make CHL players eligible.

 

[Corso]

Damn, what a shame. And they were celebrating their 50th year.

Just reading more of the news article, they're joining the KIJHL. Probably for the best and there's way less travel. Also they will be back in Junior A.

I would imagine that this is but the beginning of the "lesser" teams leaving the BCHL as they will not be able to afford the costs for the new model of play. Remember, the BCHL did not make the decision to leave H.C. to compete directly with the CHL but rather the USHL. In order to do so, all pay to play fees would have to be eliminated, the cost of billeting would be placed on the individual teams rather than players, and coaching staffs would receive significant pay increases. In a nutshell, the BCHL is showing the lower revenue generating franchises the door and wishing them good luck.

 

[Bubbles]

I would imagine that this is but the beginning of the "lesser" teams leaving the BCHL as they will not be able to afford the costs for the new model of play. Remember, the BCHL did not make the decision to leave H.C. to compete directly with the CHL but rather the USHL. In order to do so, all pay to play fees would have to be eliminated, the cost of billeting would be placed on the individual teams rather than players, and coaching staffs would receive significant pay increases. In a nutshell, the BCHL is showing the lower revenue generating franchises the door and wishing them good luck.

Unfortunately, that's the way it's going to be if the league wants to get stronger and attract the best players. Langley should probably be next. Their rink is decades old and have consistently been at the bottom of attendance.

 

[GKJ]

I would imagine that this is but the beginning of the "lesser" teams leaving the BCHL as they will not be able to afford the costs for the new model of play. Remember, the BCHL did not make the decision to leave H.C. to compete directly with the CHL but rather the USHL. In order to do so, all pay to play fees would have to be eliminated, the cost of billeting would be placed on the individual teams rather than players, and coaching staffs would receive significant pay increases. In a nutshell, the BCHL is showing the lower revenue generating franchises the door and wishing them good luck.

Unfortunately, that's the way it's going to be if the league wants to get stronger and attract the best players. Langley should probably be next. Their rink is decades old and have consistently been at the bottom of attendance.

Interesting way to look at it. So, youse think that the BCHL want to weed out the weak franchises and figure out who is serious.