# Kootenay International Junior Hockey League

The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) is a junior ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, USA sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of the Teck Cup competes with the champions of the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) and until the 2024–25 season, the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) for the Cyclone Taylor Cup, the British Columbia Provincial Title.

## History
### Early history: 1966–1980

The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League was founded in 1966 as the West Kootenay Junior Hockey League. Five teams joined the league in its first year and started play in the 1969–70 season. They included the Trail Jr. Smoke Eaters, the Nelson Plaza Oilers, the Castlegar Apollos, the Grand Forks Border Bruins, and the Rossland Warriors. The Smoke Eaters won the inaugural league championship, advancing to the provincial championship. The next year, Castlegar would withdraw from the league, leaving only four teams. In 1971–1972, the Spokane Valley Kings and Cranbrook Colts joined the league, raising the number of teams to six, and incorporating an American team for the first time. Furthermore, the Nelson Plaza Oilers were renamed the Nelson Leafs. For 1972–73, the league was rebranded the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. In this season, the Kimberley Knights joined the league, while the Grand Forks Border Bruins took a leave of absence. In 1973–74 the league expanded again, incorporating a Fernie-based team. The league did not expand for two years after this point, during a period dominated by the Colts. The next expansion occurred in 1976–77, when the Creston Clippers and the Castlegar Rebels joined the league, and the Rebels won the league championship in their debut season. Columbia Valley joined in 1978–79 season, thus bringing the league to a total of 11 teams, an all-time high.

### 1980–1990

In the 1981–82 season, Fernie would withdraw from the league, while the Elk Valley Raiders (Sparwood) would join in their place. The following year, the Beaver Valley Nitehawks would join, bringing the league to a total of 12 teams. Creston would withdraw from the league in 1985, and Nelson, Elk Valley and Grand Forks would do the same in 1986. Elk Valley and Grand Forks would return the next year and Nelson in 1989. The 1980s were largely dominated by the Cranbrook Colts with a 6 championship winning streak.

### 1990–2000

In 1990, the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League was formed, creating a level of competition between the two geographic rival leagues. Cranbrook and Kimberley would depart the league in 1991, while the Golden Rockets would enter. The Rossland Warriors would return to the league the following season after a lengthy absence. In 1993–94, the KIJHL gained two new teams in the form of the North Okanagan Kings and the Revelstoke Grizzlies. North Okanagan won the league title in their first year. The following year, Elk Valley and Nelson would depart the league, while the Sicamous Eagles would join. The Eagles, too, won the league in their debut season. In 1996–97, the Castlegar Rebels relocated to Osoyoos, who played one season under the Rebels name, before being renamed the Heat. Castlegar was granted an expansion franchise in 1998–99, who was named the Rebels. In 1999–2000, the Nelson Leafs rejoined the KIJHL, winning the title in their first season back, and the Rossland Warriors relocated for a single season to Summerland. The 1999–2000 Summerland Warriors had the distinction of never having won a game, finishing their only season with a record of 0-45-0, conceding 485 goals in 45 games.

### 2000–2010

The 2000–01 season saw the folding of the Summerland Warriors and the creation of the Creston Valley Thunder Cats. In 2001–02, the league was split from two to three divisions, the Neil Murdoch, Eddie Mountain, and Okanagan/Shushwap. Along with the division re-alignment, the North Okanagan Kings relocated to Enderby, becoming the Enderby Ice Kings. The Osoyoos Heat took on the name the Osoyoos Storm, and an expansion franchise was granted to Summerland, which took the name Summerland Sting. 2001–02 also saw the presence of the KIJHL's most accomplished alumnus, Shea Weber, who played for the league champions Sicamous Eagles for this single season. In 2002–03, the Princeton Posse joined the league, becoming the furthest west team in the KIJHL, and the Enderby Ice Kings folded after one season. In 2004–05, the Fernie Ghostriders joined the league from the North American Hockey League, and the following year the Golden Rockets were renamed the Golden Xtreme. They were renamed again the following year, this time becoming the Golden Jets. Also, 2006–07 saw the demise of the Osoyoos Storm, who moved to Kamloops Storm, while retaining the Storm name. In 2007–08, the league was divided into two conferences, which were furthermore split into two divisions each, dropping the Okanagan Shushwap, while creating the Eddie Mountain Conference, East and West Divisions, and likewise with the Neil Murdoch Conference. The Golden Xtreme was again renamed, this time reverting to the Rockets name. Furthermore, the Chase Chiefs joined the league in 2007–08, while the Fernie Ghostriders would capture the league title. There were no team changes in 2008–09, and the Nelson Leafs would capture the league title. In 2009–10, however, the Summerland Sting were forced to relocate to nearby Penticton, taking the name Penticton Lakers. Furthermore, an expansion team was granted to Armstrong, and the North Okanagan Knights were founded.

### 2010–2020

In the 2010–11 season, the Osoyoos Coyotes were formed, and won the league title in their debut season, while the Chase Chiefs relocated to Rutland, Kelowna to become the Kelowna Chiefs. The following year, two expansion franchises were granted to Chase and Summerland, and the Chase Heat and Summerland Steam were formed. The 2012–13 season saw no team changes, while the Castlegar Rebels won the league title. The following year, 2013–14, the Penticton Lakers were forced into relocation to 100 Mile House due to low ticket sales, which stemmed from playing in the neighbouring arena to that of the Jr. A Penticton Vees, whose national success offered difficult competition. The new team was branded the 100 Mile House Wranglers. The following year again saw no team changes, and the Kimberley Dynamiters won the league title. In 2015–16, the Grand Forks Border Bruins made the playoffs for the first time in 19 years, a provincial Jr. B record and the 100 Mile House Wranglers won the Keystone Cup; the Cyclone Taylor Cup and the KIJHL Championship in their third only season against the previous year's champion, the Dynamiters. The 2016–17 season marks the KIJHL's 50th anniversary, with the Creston Valley Thunder Cats hosting the Cyclone Taylor Cup. Prior to the 2019–20 KIJHL season, the Okanagan Division was renamed the Bill Ohlhausen Division along with the KIJHL Championship renamed the Teck Cup for sponsorship reasons.

### 2020–present

The Teck Cup was not awarded in 2020 due to the league suspended operations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeff Dubois was later named the new commissioner. In June 2023, following the BCHL's decision to leave Hockey Canada sanctioning, the KIJHL applied for Junior A status from BC Hockey, on July 25, 2023, BC Hockey announced that three BC Junior B leagues, the KIJHL, PJHL, and VIJHL, were being promoted to "Junior A Tier 2". BC Hockey further announced that it hired a consulting firm to evaluate all Junior A Tier 2 teams for promotion to "Junior A Tier 1" to form a new league to fill the "Junior A" vacuum left by the BCHL. The Spokane Braves also returned to the KIJHL for the 2023–24 hockey season for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that shortened the KIJHL 2019–20 season, ending their nearly four season hiatus from the KIJHL due to travel restrictions from international travel. The 2023–24 hockey season also raised the limit of 20-year-old players from five to six players per team. The last Junior "B" player transaction from the KIJHL occurred on July 24, 2023, with a defenceman traded from the Grand Forks Border Bruins of the KIJHL to the Regina Capitals of the Prairie Junior Hockey League (PJHL) in Saskatchewan for future considerations.
In 2022, the KIJHL and PJHL entered a partnership known as the British Columbia Hockey Conference (BCHC). This involved the creation of a shared Department of Player Safety to oversee enhanced supplementary disciplinary procedures, and an annual showcase event for the leagues' top players known as the Prospects Game. The first Prospects Game took place at the Sardis Sports Complex in Chilliwack.
In 2023, governing body BC Hockey announced plans to restructure its junior hockey framework following the departure of its only Junior A league. The three Junior B leagues (PJHL, KIJHL and VIJHL) were summarily designated as "Junior A Tier 2", with plans to conduct an independent evaluation of those teams seeking to be promoted to "Junior A Tier 1". It was expected that those teams promoted to Tier 1 would eventually apply for membership in the CJHL. The league expected the evaluations to be completed during the 2024–25 season.
On March 22, 2024, it was announced that the Summerland Steam franchise has been sold and relocated to Williams Lake for the 2024-25 season, where they will now be known as the Williams Lake Mustangs and play out of the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Centre.
On 31 March 2024, it was announced that the Merritt Centennials of the BCHL would join the KIJHL under new ownership beginning in the 2024–25 season as part of the Bill Ohlhausen Division. According to the announcement, the team would keep the same name and continue to play out of the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena under a 5-year lease.
In April 2024, the North Okanagan Knights franchise was announced to have been sold to a Quesnel-based ownership group where they would be rebranded as the Quesnel River Rush. With these changes, the league moved the Revelstoke Grizzlies and the Sicamous Eagles from the Doug Birks Division to the Bill Ohlhausen Division, expanding it from four to six teams.
On November 26, 2024, The KIJHL announced via facebook that the BCHC had created social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) as "thebchc" deepening the social media presence of the BCHC.

## Teams

| Conference | Division | Team | City | Arena |
| Kootenay | Eddie Mountain | Columbia Valley Rockies | Invermere, BC | Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena |
| Kootenay | Eddie Mountain | Creston Valley Thunder Cats | Creston, BC | Johnny Bucyk Arena |
| Kootenay | Eddie Mountain | Fernie Ghostriders | Fernie, BC | Fernie Memorial Arena |
| Kootenay | Eddie Mountain | Golden Rockets | Golden, BC | Golden Arena |
| Kootenay | Eddie Mountain | Kimberley Dynamiters | Kimberley, BC | Kimberley Civic Centre |
| Kootenay | Neil Murdoch | Beaver Valley Nitehawks | Fruitvale, BC | Beaver Valley Arena |
| Kootenay | Neil Murdoch | Castlegar Rebels | Castlegar, BC | Castlegar Rec Centre |
| Kootenay | Neil Murdoch | Grand Forks Border Bruins | Grand Forks, BC | Jack Goddard Memorial Arena |
| Kootenay | Neil Murdoch | Nelson Leafs | Nelson, BC | Nelson Community Complex |
| Kootenay | Neil Murdoch | Spokane Braves | Spokane, WA | Eagles Ice Arena |
| Okanagan | Doug Birks | 100 Mile House Wranglers | 100 Mile House, BC | South Cariboo Recreation Centre |
| Okanagan | Doug Birks | Chase Heat | Chase,BC | Art Holding Memorial Arena |
| Okanagan | Doug Birks | Kamloops Storm | Kamloops,BC | McArthur Island Sports & Events Centre |
| Okanagan | Doug Birks | Williams Lake Mustangs | Williams Lake, BC | Cariboo Memorial Recreation Center |
| Okanagan | Doug Birks | Quesnel River Rush | Quesnel,BC | West Fraser Arena |
| Okanagan | Bill Ohlhausen | Kelowna Chiefs | Kelowna, BC | Rutland Arena |
| Okanagan | Bill Ohlhausen | Merritt Centennials | Merritt, BC | Nicola Valley Memorial Arena |
| Okanagan | Bill Ohlhausen | Osoyoos Coyotes | Osoyoos, BC | Osoyoos Sunbowl Arena |
| Okanagan | Bill Ohlhausen | Princeton Posse | Princeton, BC | Princeton District Arena |
| Okanagan | Bill Ohlhausen | Revelstoke Grizzlies | Revelstoke, BC | Revelstoke Forum |
| Okanagan | Bill Ohlhausen | Sicamous Eagles | Sicamous, BC | Sicamous District Recreation Centre |

## Team map

* Kootenay Conference
* Eddie Mountain Division
* 1 Golden Rockets
* 2 Columbia Valley Rockies
* 3 Fernie Ghostriders
* 4 Kimberley Dynamiters
* 5 Creston Thundercats
* Neil Murdoch Division
* 6 Nelson Leafs
* 7 Castlegar Rebels
* 8 Beaver Valley Nitehawks
* 9 Spokane Braves
* 10 Grand Forks Border Bruins
* Okanagan/Shuswap Conference
* Bill Ohlhausen Division
* 11 Osoyoos Coyotes
* 12 Princeton Posse
* 13 Merritt Centennials
* 14 Kelowna Chiefs
* 15 Sicamous Eagles
* 16 Revelstoke Grizzlies
* Doug Birks Division
* 17 Chase Heat
* 18 Kamloops Storm
* 19 100 Mile House Wranglers
* 20 Williams Lake Mustangs
* 21 Quesnel River Rush

## Teck Cup champions

| Year | Winning team | Losing team |
| 1968 | Trail Smoke Eaters | Nelson Leafs |
| 1969 | Nelson Leafs | Trail Smoke Eaters |
| 1970 | Trail Smoke Eaters | Rossland Warriors |
| 1971 | Trail Smoke Eaters | Rossland Warriors |
| 1972 | Trail Smoke Eaters | Cranbrook Colts |
| 1973 | Cranbrook Colts | Rossland Warriors |
| 1974 | Cranbrook Colts | Grand Forks Border Bruins |
| 1975 | Cranbrook Colts | Trail Smoke Eaters |
| 1976 | Cranbrook Colts | Rossland Warriors |
| 1977 | Castlegar Rebels | Cranbrook Colts |
| 1978 | Castlegar Rebels | Creston Clippers |
| 1979 | Trail Smoke Eaters | Spokane Flames |
| 1980 | Kimberley Knights | Trail Smoke Eaters |
| 1981 | Trail Smoke Eaters | Cranbrook Colts |
| 1982 | Cranbrook Colts | Trail Smoke Eaters |
| 1983 | Cranbrook Colts | Trail Smoke Eaters |
| 1984 | Cranbrook Colts | Spokane Flames |
| 1985 | Cranbrook Colts | Trail Smoke Eaters |
| 1986 | Cranbrook Colts | Trail Smoke Eaters |
| 1987 | Cranbrook Colts | Castlegar Rebels |
| 1988 | Columbia Valley Rockies | Trail Smoke Eaters |
| 1989 | Columbia Valley Rockies | Nelson Leafs |
| 1990 | Columbia Valley Rockies | Nelson Leafs |
| 1991 | Trail Smoke Eaters | Columbia Valley Rockies |
| 1992 | Nelson Leafs | Spokane Braves |
| 1993 | Nelson Leafs | Columbia Valley Rockies |
| 1994 | North Okanagan Kings | Castlegar Rebels |
| 1995 | Sicamous Eagles | Castlegar Rebels |
| 1996 | Castlegar Rebels | Sicamous Eagles |
| 1997 | Beaver Valley Nitehawks | Columbia Valley Rockies |
| 1998 | Revelstoke Grizzlies | Osoyoos Rebels |
| 1999 | Beaver Valley Nitehawks | Revelstoke Grizzlies |
| 2000 | Nelson Leafs | Sicamous Eagles |
| 2001 | Beaver Valley Nitehawks | Revelstoke Grizzlies |
| 2002 | Sicamous Eagles | Beaver Valley Nitehawks |
| 2003 | Beaver Valley Nitehawks | Sicamous Eagles |
| 2004 | Beaver Valley Nitehawks | Columbia Valley Rockies |
| 2005 | Osoyoos Storm | Beaver Valley Nitehawks |
| 2006 | Sicamous Eagles | Beaver Valley Nitehawks |
| 2007 | Fernie Ghostriders | Nelson Leafs |
| 2008 | Fernie Ghostriders | Kamloops Storm |
| 2009 | Nelson Leafs | Kamloops Storm |
| 2010 | Revelstoke Grizzlies | Nelson Leafs |
| 2011 | Osoyoos Coyotes | Castlegar Rebels |
| 2012 | Beaver Valley Nitehawks | Kelowna Chiefs |
| 2013 | Castlegar Rebels | North Okanagan Knights |
| 2014 | Beaver Valley Nitehawks | Kamloops Storm |
| 2015 | Kimberley Dynamiters | Kamloops Storm |
| 2016 | 100 Mile House Wranglers | Kimberley Dynamiters |
| 2017 | Beaver Valley Nitehawks | Chase Heat |
| 2018 | Kimberley Dynamiters | Revelstoke Grizzlies |
| 2019 | Revelstoke Grizzlies | Kimberley Dynamiters |
| 2020 | Not awarded | Not awarded |
| 2021 | Not awarded | Not awarded |
| 2022 | Revelstoke Grizzlies | Nelson Leafs |
| 2023 | Kimberley Dynamiters | Princeton Posse |
| 2024 | Revelstoke Grizzlies | Fernie Ghostriders |
* ↑ Cancelled due to public health restrictions

## NHL alumni

* Greg Adams
* Ron Areshenkoff
* Doug Barrault
* Kris Beech
* Drayson Bowman
* Steve Bozek
* Shane Churla
* Craig Cunningham
* Adam Deadmarsh
* Dallas Drake
* Wade Dubielewicz
* Andrew Ebbett
* Neil Eisenhut
* Ray Ferraro
* Rob Flockhart
* Travis Green
* Jamie Huscroft
* Barret Jackman
* Dane Jackson
* Steve Junker
* Alan Kerr
* Jon Klemm
* Chuck Kobasew
* Jeff Lank
* Tim Lenardon
* Scott Levins
* Bill Lindsay
* Jake Livingstone
* Jake Lucchini
* John Ludvig
* Brad Lukowich
* Jason Marshall
* Derek Mayer
* Steve McCarthy
* Glenn Merkosky
* David Oliver
* Scott Parker
* Steve Passmore
* Rudy Poeschek
* Craig Redmond
* Derek Ryan
* Kevin Sawyer
* Brian Skrudland
* Dan Smith
* Rob Tallas
* Steve Tambellini
* Gord Walker
* Shea Weber
* Mike Zanier