# 2023–24 BCHL season

The 2023–24 BCHL season was the 62nd season of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). The 17 teams from the Coastal and Interior Divisions played 54 scheduled games, including two games as part of the BCHL showcase, which were held in Seattle from October 22 to October 26 2023, in partnership with the NHL's Seattle Kraken. The 5 teams in the stand-alone Alberta Division, which was created mid-season, played between 65 and 69 season games.

## League changes

The 2023–24 season was the BCHL's first season as an independent league, following its departure from Hockey Canada.
In an effort to limit the number of games decided by shootout, overtime was lengthened from five minutes to ten minutes. Games would still be decided by shootout if they remained tied after one period of 3-on-3 sudden victory overtime.
Team rosters were required to have a minimum of three players under the age of 18. Previously, they required one player under the age of 18.
Russian and Belarussian players were barred from the league.
The Wenatchee Wild folded after its owners acquired the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Winnipeg Ice and moved it to Wenatchee.
On January 20, 2024, the league announced that five teams from the Alberta Junior Hockey League would join the BCHL in the 2024–25 season, namely, the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders, and Spruce Grove Saints. The league had planned to wait until the end of the season to make the announcement; however, rumours had already begun to circulate.
The AJHL responded to the announcement by cancelling most of the five teams' remaining scheduled matches except those between each other. It was then decided that the five Alberta-based teams would play out the rest of the 2023–24 season as a stand-alone division under the aegis of the BCHL.
For the post-season, the Okotoks Oilers and Spruce Grove Saints, respectively the 4th and 5th placed teams in the Alberta division, played a best-of-5 wildcard series, with the winner advancing to the Alberta division semi-finals along with the top-3 Alberta teams. The rankings for the Alberta division were determined by winning percentage including their regular season records from the AJHL. The semi-final and final rounds each consisted of a best-of-7 series. The Brooks Bandits defeated the Sherwood Park Crusaders in the final round 4 games to 1.
The Surrey Eagles won the BCHL Fred Page Cup championship after defeating the Penticton Vees in 6 games. The Eagles and Brooks Bandits then met for a best-of-3 competition hosted by Brooks and branded as the Rocky Mountain Challenge. The Bandits swept the Eagles in 2 games.

## Standings

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points

### British Columbia

Coastal Division :
| TEAM NAMES | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts |
| Surrey Eagles | 54 | 48 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 90 |
| Chilliwack Chiefs | 54 | 32 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 69 |
| Alberni Valley Bulldogs | 54 | 33 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 67 |
| Victoria Grizzlies | 54 | 29 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 61 |
| Nanaimo Clippers | 54 | 27 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 58 |
| Coquitlam Express | 54 | 21 | 29 | 1 | 3 | 46 |
| Langley Rivermen | 54 | 19 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 45 |
| Cowichan Valley Capitals | 54 | 16 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 36 |
| Powell River Kings | 54 | 14 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 33 |
Interior Division :
| TEAM NAMES | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts |
| Penticton Vees | 54 | 38 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 82 |
| West Kelowna Warriors | 54 | 33 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 77 |
| Salmon Arm Silverbacks | 54 | 34 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 71 |
| Vernon Vipers | 54 | 33 | 19 | 20 | 0 | 68 |
| Trail Smoke Eaters | 54 | 28 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 62 |
| Merritt Centennials | 54 | 22 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 50 |
| Cranbrook Bucks | 54 | 20 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 43 |
| Prince George Spruce Kings | 54 | 16 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 35 |

### Alberta

Alberta Division :
| TEAM NAMES | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts |
| Brooks Bandits | 65 | 58 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 117 |
| Sherwood Park Crusaders | 67 | 49 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 100 |
| Blackfalds Bulldogs | 68 | 39 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 85 |
| Okotoks Oilers | 69 | 38 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 79 |
| Spruce Grove Saints | 66 | 26 | 34 | 5 | 1 | 58 |
Alberta team standings are displayed separately from the rest of the BCHL on the league website.

## Post-season
### 2024 BCHL Fred Page Cup playoffs

| First round | First round | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Fred Page Cup Final | Fred Page Cup Final |
| Surrey | 4 | | | | | | | |
| Cowichan Valley | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Cowichan Valley | 1 | Surrey | 4 | | | | | |
| | | Victoria | 2 | | | | | |
| Victoria | 4 | Victoria | 2 | | | | | |
| Nanaimo | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Nanaimo | 1 | | | Surrey | 4 | | | |
| | | | | Alberni Valley | 3 | | | |
| Chilliwack | 4 | | | | | Alberni Valley | 3 | | | |
| Langley | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Langley | 0 | Chilliwack | 0 | | | | | |
| | | Alberni Valley | 4 | | | | | |
| Alberni Valley | 4 | Alberni Valley | 4 | | | | | |
| Coquitlam | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Coquitlam | 3 | | | | | | Surrey | 4 |
| | | | | | | | Penticton | 2 |
| Penticton | 4 | | | | | | | | Penticton | 2 |
| Prince George | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Prince George | 0 | Penticton | 4 | | | | | |
| | | Vernon | 1 | | | | | |
| Vernon | 4 | Vernon | 1 | | | | | |
| Trail | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Trail | 1 | | | Penticton | 4 | | | |
| | | | | Salmon Arm | 3 | | | |
| West Kelowna | 4 | | | | | Salmon Arm | 3 | | | |
| Cranbrook | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Cranbrook | 3 | West Kelowna | 1 | | | | | |
| | | Salmon Arm | 4 | | | | | |
| Salmon Arm | 4 | Salmon Arm | 4 | | | | | |
| Merritt | 2 | | | | | | | |

### Alberta Division

| Wildcard (Bo5) | Wildcard (Bo5) | Semifinals (Bo7) | Semifinals (Bo7) | Final (Bo7) | Final (Bo7) |
| | | Brooks | 4 | | |
| | | Okotoks | 3 | | |
| Okotoks | 3 | Okotoks | 3 | | |
| Spruce Grove | 0 | | | | |
| Spruce Grove | 0 | | | Brooks | 4 |
| | | | | Sherwood Park | 1 |
| | | Sherwood Park | 4 | | |
| | | Blackfalds | 0 | | |

### Rocky Mountain Challenge

| Best of 3 | Best of 3 |
| Brooks | 2 |
| Surrey | 0 |

## Scoring leaders

GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, P = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Caden Cranston | Surrey Eagles | 51 | 30 | 56 | 86 | 16 |
| Aaron Schwartz | Surrey Eagles | 51 | 34 | 47 | 81 | 10 |
| Felix Caron | West Kelowna Warriors | 54 | 31 | 38 | 69 | 54 |
| Mike Murtagh | Nanaimo Clippers | 53 | 27 | 36 | 63 | 51 |
| Nicholas Beneteau | Alberni Valley Bulldogs | 54 | 17 | 46 | 63 | 36 |
| Michael Felsing | Merritt Centennials | 53 | 16 | 42 | 58 | 32 |
| Hayden Stavroff | Alberni Valley Bulldogs | 46 | 35 | 20 | 55 | 82 |
| Luke Buss | Nanaimo Clippers | 52 | 29 | 26 | 55 | 20 |
| Anthony Yu | Powell River Kings | 53 | 18 | 37 | 55 | 16 |
| Callum Arnott | Penticton Vees | 53 | 18 | 37 | 53 | 8 |

## Leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games Played, Mins = Minutes Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, GA = Goals Against, SO = Shutouts, Sv% = Save Percentage, GAA = Goals Against Average.
| Player | Team | GP | Mins | W | L | OTL | GA | SO | Sv% | GAA |
| Will Ingemann | Penticton Vees | 32 | 1817 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 56 | 6 | .919 | 1.85 |
| Ajeet Gundarah | Surrey Eagles | 33 | 1904 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 68 | 2 | .931 | 2.14 |
| Andrew Ness | Penticton Vees | 25 | 1419 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 52 | 2 | .915 | '2.20 |
| Eli Pulver | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | 38 | 2320 | 23 | 13 | 0 | 89 | 3 | .915 | 2.20 |
| Rorke Applebee | West Kelowna Warriors | 41 | 2396 | 24 | 6 | 8 | 105 | 3 | .902 | 2.30 |

## Award winners

* Brett Hull Trophy (Top Scorer): Caden Cranston (Surrey Eagles)
* Campbell Blair Trophy (Top Defencemen): Isaiah Norlin (West Kelowna Warriors)
* Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Chase Pirtle (Victoria Grizzlies)
* Bob Fenton Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike): Josh Nadeau (Penticton Vees)
* Michael Garteig Trophy (Top Goaltender): Ajeet Gundarah (Surrey Eagles)
* Wally Forslund Memorial Trophy (Best Goaltending Duo): Will Ingemann & Andrew Ness (Penticton Vees)
* Vern Dye Memorial Trophy (regular-season MVP): Caden Cranston (Surrey Eagles)
* Jeff Tambellini Trophy (Playoff MVP): Micah Berger (Surrey Eagles)
* Joe Tennant Memorial Trophy (Coach of the Year): Cam Keith (Surrey Eagles)
* Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy (Best Regular Season Record): Surrey Eagles
* Cliff McNabb Memorial Trophy (Coastal Conference champions): Surrey Eagles
* Ryan Hatfield Trophy (Interior Conference champions): Penticton Vees
* Fred Page Cup (League Champions): Surrey Eagles
* Alberta Division Champions: Brooks Bandits
* Rocky Mountain Challenge Champions: Brooks Bandits
* Jim Hughson Award (Broadcaster of the Year): Dan Marshall (Nanaimo Clippers)