2023–24 AJHL season
2023–24 AJHL season | |
---|---|
League | Alberta Junior Hockey League |
Sport | Ice hockey |
Duration | Pre-season August - September Regular season September - March Post-season March - April |
Number of games | 57 |
Number of teams | 16 (August-January) 11 (February-April) |
Regular season | |
Season champions | Whitecourt Wolverines |
Post-season | |
Finals champions | Calgary Canucks |
Runners-up | Whitecourt Wolverines |
The 2023–24 AJHL season was the 60th season of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). The season began with 16 teams and ended with 11 teams after the surprise mid-season departure of five teams to join the BCHL. The Calgary Canucks swept the Whitecourt Wolverines in 4 games to win the league championship.[1]
League changes
[edit]The season began with 16 teams distributed between 2 divisions of 8 teams each. On January 20, 2024, the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) announced that the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders, and Spruce Grove Saints would move from the AJHL to the BCHL in the 2024-25 season.[2] The BCHL had planned to wait until the end of the season to make the announcement, however rumours had already begun to circulate online.[3] 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 by the BCHL that the five teams would play out the rest of the season as a stand-alone division under the aegis of the BCHL. The AJHL then consolidated the remaining teams from its North and South divisions into a single unit for the rest of the season.[4][5][6]
The league began a pilot program for video review on goals at specific arenas. It subsequently decided to extend the pilot program through the 2024–25 season.[7][8]
Regular season
[edit]The standings at the end of the regular season were as follows:[9]
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points
Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whitecourt Wolverines | 57 | 34 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 73 |
Lloydminster Bobcats | 57 | 33 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 66 |
Calgary Canucks | 57 | 31 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 65 |
Bonnyville Pontiacs | 57 | 30 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 64 |
Drumheller Dragons | 57 | 26 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 60 |
Grande Prairie Storm | 57 | 24 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 55 |
Canmore Eagles | 57 | 25 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 53 |
Camrose Kodiaks | 57 | 22 | 28 | 0 | 7 | 51 |
Drayton Valley Thunder | 57 | 19 | 35 | 2 | 1 | 41 |
Fort McMurray Oil Barons | 57 | 17 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 40 |
Olds Grizzlys | 57 | 10 | 41 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
Scoring leaders
[edit]GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, P = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes
|
Leading goaltenders
[edit]Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, GA = Goals Against, Sv% = Save Percentage, GAA = Goals Against Average, SO = Shutouts, Mins = Minutes played.
|
Post-season
[edit]1st round | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||
Whitecourt | 4 | ||||||||||
Camrose | 1 | ||||||||||
Whitecourt | 4 | ||||||||||
Canmore | 3 | ||||||||||
Lloydminster | 2 | ||||||||||
Canmore | 4 | ||||||||||
Whitecourt | 0 | ||||||||||
Calgary | 4 | ||||||||||
Calgary | 4 | ||||||||||
Grande Prairie | 2 | ||||||||||
Calgary | 4 | ||||||||||
Drumheller | 1 | ||||||||||
Bonnyville | 0 | ||||||||||
Drumheller | 4 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Alberta Junior Hockey League 2023-2024 Playoffs". ajhl.ca. Alberta Junior Hockey League. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ Saelhof, Todd (4 February 2024). "AJHL moving forward — and 'excited' — after exodus of teams to B.C." Calgary Herald. Postmedia. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "BCHL agrees to terms with five Alberta-based teams". bchl.ca. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Wolf, Sydney (1 February 2024). "Five AJHL teams set to join BCHL, effective immediately". therinklive.com. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ "BCHL announces finalized franchise agreements and integration with five Alberta-based teams". bchl.ca. British Columbia Hockey League. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "AJHL statement on five defecting teams". ajhl.ca. Alberta Junior Hockey League. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "AJHL hosts successful AGM in Canmore, AB". ajhl.ca. Alberta Junior Hockey League. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ "AJHL releases schedule for upcoming 2024-25 season". Red Deer Advocate. Black Press Media. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ "AJHL stats 2023–24 regular season". ajhl.ca. Alberta Junior Hockey League. Retrieved 24 June 2024.