5 Alberta AJHL teams to join BCHL

The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) acquired five Alberta Junior Hockey League teams (AJHL), including the Brooks Bandits, it announced Saturday.

The league says it has agreed to terms with the Brooks Bandits and four other teams from the AJHL, which are the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders, and Spruce Grove Saints.

The BCHL says it will provide more information, including league structure, in the “coming weeks.”

This is the first time Alberta clubs have ever been a part of the BCHL, and this addition brings the league to 22 teams, the largest in its history.

Meanwhile, the AJHL claims it learned of the move from the announcement itself, and had not been warned by the BCHL or any of the five teams involved.

“No official notice has been provided to the AJHL from the respective teams,” a statement reads.

As a result of the teams leaving, the AJHL says will be assessing the next steps and “schedule implications.”

“The AJHL will continue to provide unprecedented development opportunities for our athletes within our valuable communities,” the AJHL said.

Amid the shakeup, several games were cancelled, including two games on Saturday, and two games on Sunday that involved the Calgary Canucks facing the Spruce Grove Saints and the Brooks Bandits squaring off against the Whitecourt Wolverines.

The Bandits, which were supposed to have a game on Saturday, held a three-on-three game instead.

President of the Brooks Bandits Paul Seaton says the decision to spit from the AJHL was a business one decided with the board of directors, saying “If you stand still, you’re you’re moving backwards.”

“We always look for self-improvement, basically. And what we’re doing is, is offering young hockey players an opportunity to show their skills. And the move we’re proposing to make is we believe a better option provides them with a better opportunity” he said.

Regarding the AJHL decision to cancel games, the president is calling it vengeful on the part of the league and in general “mystifying.”

“We’re in the middle of the season. This is a bit mystifying. Without an explanation, we’ve asked for reasons and not the season,” he told The Leader Spirit.

Seaton says the announcement wasn’t supposed to come out until May 1 and feels the league is being vengeful and utilizing a sort of “disciplinary action.”

“The people that are suffering are the youngsters that are developing their skills and most of them move on to colleges. So the suffering is, unfortunately, from whatever action — we have no idea,” Seaton said.

“We haven’t really heard anything directly from the league at all. They’re not really talking to us.”

He’s concerned about the team being allowed to finish the season.

When The Leader Spirit asked for more information from the league about the cancellations, the AJHL declined to comment.

The Bandits are AJHL seven-time champions, winning in 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023. They also won the national junior championship in 2013, 2019, 2022 and 2023.