2023-24 AJHL season

This is the 2023-24 Alberta Junior Hockey League season. This is the league's 60th season dating back to its founding in 1964.
The league goes to a single table balanced schedule with each team playing each other four times and two teams once more at the AJHL showcase.
As a result of five teams being expelled from the league, the league announced on February 7th that the regular season schedule will be changed to 57 games and that all eleven teams will participate in a post-season playoff with the top five teams advancing to the quarterfinal round of the Inter Pipeline Cup AJHL Playoffs and the sixth through 11th place teams will be matched up in best-of-five play-in series with the winners being re-seeded as sixth through eighth seeds. The remaining three rounds are best-of-seven series.
==Membership Changes==
*None, for 2023-24.
*On January 20, 2024 the British Columbia Hockey League announced the addition of the the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders and Spruce Grove Saints from the Alberta Junior Hockey League for the 2024-25 season.https://bchl.ca/bchl-agrees-to-terms-with-five-alberta-based-teams
*As a result of that announcement the league cancelled all games involving those teams on the following weekend and then on January 25th announce they were cancelling all upcoming games involving the five teams until further notice. The release also stated that games involving the five teams will be allowed between one another under league sanctioning and with AJHL officials.https://thejuniorhockeynews.com/ajhl-schedule-update-january-25/
*On February 1st, the BCHL announced that the five teams are expelled from the league as a result of formally signing an agreement with the BCHL on January 31st. The five teams will play each other over the rest of the season to determine an Alberta division champion of the BCHL, which will play the champion of the rest of the BCHL.https://bchl.ca/bchl-announces-finalized-franchise-agreements-and-integration-with-five-alberta-based-teams
*In early April of 2024 word of an expansion team being awarded to the community of Devon, Alberta. The team will be based out of the Dale Fisher Arena. The team is expected to begin play with the 2024-25 season.https://thejuniorhockeynews.com/ajhl-to-expand-by-one-team-in-2024-2025-season/ The formal announcement of the Devon Xtreme was made on April 26, 2024. Based upon the wording of the new organization's involvement with the Whitecourt Wolverines the league is looking for new ownership of that organization. At the same meeting the league's Board of Governors also reviewed an application from the community of Cold Lake, Alberta to be based out of the Cold Lake Energy Centre. The league stated it would work with the group to establish a team potentially for the 2025-26 season.https://www.ajhl.ca/ajhl-announces-expansion-franchise
==Teams==
Alberta Junior Hockey League	Alberta Junior Hockey League	Alberta Junior Hockey League 	Alberta Junior Hockey League 	Alberta Junior Hockey League	Alberta Junior Hockey League	Alberta Junior Hockey League	Alberta Junior Hockey League	Alberta Junior Hockey League	Alberta Junior Hockey League	Alberta Junior Hockey League
Team 	City 	Arena 	Joined AJHL 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Blackfalds Bulldogs 	Blackfalds, Alberta 	Eagle Builders Centre 	2010 (as Calgary Mustangs), originally joined as The Pass Red Devils in 1972) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Bonnyville Pontiacs 	Bonnyville, Alberta 	R. J. Lalonde Arena 	1991 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Brooks Bandits 	Brooks, Alberta 	Centennial Regional Arena 	2000 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Calgary Canucks 	Calgary, Alberta 	Max Bell Centre - Ken Bracko Arena	1971 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Camrose Kodiaks 	Camrose, Alberta 	Edgeworth Centre (Encana Arena) 	1997 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Canmore Eagles 	Canmore, Alberta 	Canmore Recreation Centre 	2001 (as Canmore Eagles, originally joined 1995 as Bow Valley Eagles) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Drayton Valley Thunder 	Drayton Valley, Alberta 	Drayton Valley Omni-Plex 	1998 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Drumheller Dragons 	Drumheller, Alberta 	Drumheller Memorial Arena 	2003 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Fort McMurray Oil Barons 	Fort McMurray, Alberta 	Centerfire Place 	1981 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Grande Prairie Storm 	Grande Prairie, Alberta 	Bonnetts Energy Centre 	1995 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Lloydminster Bobcats 	Lloydminster, Saskatchewan 	Centennial Civic Centre 	1988 (founded in 1982 as SJHL team) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Okotoks Oilers 	Okotoks, Alberta 	Pason Centennial Arena 	2005 (as Okotoks Oilers, originally joined 1998 as Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves)	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Olds Grizzlys 	Olds, Alberta 	Olds & District Sports Complex 	1981 (as Olds Grizzlys, originally joined 1974 as Taber Golden Suns) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Sherwood Park Crusaders 	Sherwood Park, Alberta 	Randy Rosen Rink 	1976 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Spruce Grove Saints 	Spruce Grove, Alberta 	Grant Fuhr Arena 	2004 (as Spruce Grove Saints, 1963 originally for franchise as Edmonton Movers)	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Whitecourt Wolverines 	Whitecourt, Alberta 	Scott Safety Centre 	2012 (as Whitecourt Wolverines, 1976 as Fort Saskatchewan Traders) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==Standings==
Team 	GP	W 	L 	OL	SL	GF 	GA 	Pts
Whitecourt Wolverines 	57	34	18	4 	1 	191	152	73
Lloydminster Bobcats 	57	33	24	0 	0 	211	199	66
Calgary Canucks 	57	31	23	1 	2 	176	190	65
Bonnyville Pontiacs 	57	30	23	4 	0 	202	173	64
Drumheller Dragons 	57	26	23	5 	3 	190	181	60
Grande Prairie Storm 	57	24	26	4 	3 	173	191	55
Canmore Eagles 	57	25	29	2 	1 	176	204	53
Camrose Kodiaks 	57	22	28	0 	7 	147	200	51
Drayton Valley Thunder 	57	19	35	2 	1 	147	225	41
Fort McMurray Oil Barons	57	17	34	3 	3 	150	246	40
Olds Grizzlys 	57	10	41	3 	3 	123	278	26
Brooks Bandits 	45	41	4 	0 	0 	242	87 	82
Sherwood Park Crusaders 	47	37	9 	1 	0 	137	99 	75
Okotoks Oilers 	49	33	14	1 	1 	218	144	68
Blackfalds Bulldogs 	48	30	15	2 	1 	193	153	63
Spruce Grove Saints 	46	19	24	2 	1 	114	129	41
Note:Standings for expelled teams taken from eliteprospects.com website, overtime and shootout were compiled from ajhl.ca website by reviewing season results as the Elite Prospects website didn't differentiate between overtime and shootout losses.
==2024 Inter Pipeline AJHL Playoffs==
===Original Format===
The top fourteen teams in qualify for the playoffs with the top two teams in the league earning a first round bye. The 3rd place team play the 14th place team, etc., in best of seven series.
===Revised Format===
The format was later modified due to the five teams being expelled; now all eleven teams will participate in a post-season playoff with the top five teams advancing to the quarterfinal round of the Inter Pipeline Cup AJHL Playoffs and the sixth through 11th place teams will be matched up in best-of-five play-in series with the winners being re-seeded as sixth through eighth seeds. The remaining three rounds are best-of-seven series.
The playoff winning team win the Inter Pipeline Cup will earn a spot in the 2024 Centennial Cup held May 9-19, 2024 in Oakville, Ontario.
===Play-In Round=== 
*Grande Prairie Storm defeated Olds Grizzlys 3 games to 1 (4-0, 2-3, 4-3 (ot), 5-2)
*Canmore Eagles defeated Fort McMurray Oil Barons 3 games to none (5-0, 4-1, 3-2 (ot)) 
*Camrose Kodiaks defeated Drayton Valley Thunder 3 games to 1 (4-5 (ot), 2-1, 5-3, 3-2 (ot))
===Quarterfinals=== 
*Whitecourt Wolverines defeated Camrose Kodiaks 4 games to 1 (3-2, 3-2 (ot), 5-1, 1-4, 7-1) 
*Canmore Eagles defeated Lloydminster Bobcats 4 games to 2 (8-3, 3-4 (2ot), 4-3, 3-0, 3-4, 5-0)
*Calgary Canucks defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4 games to 2 (4-3 (ot), 4-3, 2-3, 3-4, 4-1, 5-4 (ot))
*Drumheller Dragons defeated Bonnyville Pontiacs 4 games to none (4-2, 4-3 (ot), 4-3, 5-4 (ot))
===Semifinals=== 
*Whitecourt Wolverines defeated Canmore Eagles 4 games to 3 (3-0, 3-4, 5-2, 4-5, 4-0, 0-2, 3-1)
*Calgary Canucks defeated Drumheller Dragons 4 games to 1 (5-2, 3-2 (ot), 3-6, 4-0, 3-2)
===Inter Pipeline Cup Final===
*Calgary Canucks defeated Whitecourt Wolverines 4 games to none (5-1, 5-2, 5-4, 5-2)
The Calgary Canucks advance to the 2024 Centennial Cup.
==References==
Category:2023-24 in ice hockey
Category:Alberta Junior Hockey League