The British Columbia Hockey League held its annual general meeting June 5 to 7 in Richmond and has confirmed solidarity from all clubs on issues regarding roster composition, player safety, scheduling and playoff structure.
Roster stability and reduction of player transactions are primary goals for the BCHL. Representatives of each club at the AGM strongly supported the league’s direction to keep players on the teams they are recruited to for the start of each season.
The league will continue following the Junior A Supplement document which determines discipline on dangerous hits and fighting. Players will be ejected from a game following a fight. The Supplement was created by the four western junior A leagues and will be followed by all 128 Canadian Junior Hockey League teams across the 10 junior A leagues next season.
The BCHL will continue with the same playoff format as this past season. Again, this will see best-of-seven playoff action in Rounds 1 and 2, a three-team round robin in Round 3 designed to eliminate one team and a best-of-seven Fred Page Cup final between the two teams surviving Round 3. Dates of game nights and structure of the best-of-seven series will be determined by competing playoff clubs when matchups are determined.
A scheduling committee was established that will meet during the 2014-15 regular season. The committee’s mandate will be to review, establish guidelines and to make recommendations to the BCHL Board of Governors for consideration and possible implementation in preparation for the 2015 BCHL AGM scheduling sessions. The Scheduling Committee is made up of governors and coaches from each of the three BCHL Divisions.
For the third-straight season, the Bauer BCHL Showcase will take place at Prospera Centre in Chilliwack from Sept. 19 to 21. All games played at the Showcase will count in the regular-season standings and a large contingent of NCAA coaches, professional scouts and Canadian university representatives are again expected to attend.
BCHL regular-season games will begin Sept. 26 and finish March 1, 2015.
Congratulations to Chilliwack Chiefs governor Glen Ringdal who was named the 2014 BCHL Executive of the Year. Ringdal, whose career has seen him work for the B.C. Lions and Vancouver Canucks, is a tireless worker on the league’s Strategic Planning committee and has developed several valuable initiatives that will grow the BCHL brand into the future.
Check the Western News for more on this story.