The Canmore Eagles and Whitecourt Wolverines are not only vying for a league championship but also the right to represent the Alberta Junior Hockey League at the national championship tournament for junior A tier 1 hockey.
The Centennial Cup has been presented to Canada’s best junior A tier 1 team since 1971. The first Canadian Junior Hockey League champion was the Charlottetown Islanders, who defeated the AJHL champion Red Deer Rustlers in a best-of-seven series 4-2.
The battle for the Cup has undergone many reformations on how to claim the trophy, with the current 10-team (nine league champions and a host team) format being implemented in 2022.
Summerside, P.E.I., will host this year’s national championship tournament, May 7-17. Ten teams will represent various regions of Canada. The Calgary Canucks are the defending champion but were knocked out of the running this year by Canmore.
Alberta teams have won the Centennial Cup 12 times led by the Brooks Bandits (now part of the BCHL – more on that later) with four victories: 2013, 2019, 2022, 2023.
The Canucks have twice been national champions (1995, 2025) as were the now defunct Red Deer Rustlers (1971, 1980). The Olds Grizzlys took hold of the Cup in 1994. Bringing the trophy to Alberta in back-to-back years were the Fort McMurray Oil Barons in 2000 and Camrose Kodiaks in 2001. The other Alberta champion was the Spruce Grove Mets (now the BCHL Spruce Grove Saints) in 1975.
Canmore and Whitecourt would like to add their names to the trophy, with their AJHL championship series set to begin Friday, April 17.
Around Canada
The host Summerside Western Capitals are the only team assured of participation at the Centennial Cup. Here is a look at the other leagues and teams vying for entry, along with their national ranking, with best-of-seven series beginning Friday unless otherwise noted. Whitecourt was ranked No. 10 by the CJHL prior to the start of the playoff season while Canmore was not noted among the top 20 teams or as an honourable mention:
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League: The Melfort Mustangs represented this league each of the past two years, losing in the Cup final both times. This year there will be a new representative from the 12-team loop after a pair of Game 7s on Wednesday (April 15) saw the No. 9 Flin Flon Bombers and Yorkton Terriers emerge as the final two contenders for the league’s title.
Manitoba Junior Hockey League: The league is comprised of 13 teams with the No. 2 Niverville Nighthawks taking on the Virden Oil Capitals for the title.
Superior International Junior Hockey League: This league is comprised of seven teams from the most westerly regions of Ontario and Michigan. This year’s league final features the No. 15 Fort Frances Lakers versus the Thunder Bay North Stars.
Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League: The league has eight teams with the Greater Sudbury Cubs – vying for a third consecutive trip to the national tournament – up against the Timmins Rock in the championship series. Game 1 was played Thursday, with the Cubs winning 9-3.
Ontario Junior Hockey League: The league is primarily located in Southern Ontario with one team in Buffalo, N.Y., totalling 24 teams split into two divisions. The championship series has the No. 3 Toronto Patriots, who survived a Game 7 on Wednesday, taking on the Newmarket Hurricanes. The schedule is still to be announced.
Central Canada Hockey League: The Ottawa region 12-team league features the No. 1 Rockland Nationals – who participated in last year’s Centennial Cup, losing a semifinal contest in overtime to Calgary – against the No. 11 Smith Falls Bears in the battle for league supremacy. The series begins Saturday.
Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League: The No. 4 Collège Français de Longueuil face off against the Condors du Cégep Beauce-Appalches as the last two teams standing out of the 13-team league. The series begins Saturday.
Maritimes Junior Hockey League: Also known as the MHL, the league has 12 teams split into two divisions and encompasses the maritime provinces. The No. 19 Truro Bearcats produced a Game 7 victory over No. 20 Summerside on Thursday to keep its hopes alive of participating in the national tournament. The Bearcats will take on the Edmunston Blizzard – seeking a return trip to the championship – for the league title beginning next week. The loss for the Western Capitals puts the team on an enforced three-week break leading into the Centennial Cup.
History Lessons
The Centennial Cup began as the Manitoba Centennial Cup. The Royal Bank of Canada took up title sponsorship from 1996 through 2018, and it was renamed the Royal Bank Cup. In 2019, while the CJHL sought out a new sponsor, the national championship trophy was simply known as the National Junior A Championship. Wiser heads prevailed the following year to give the trophy its rightful historical title “Centennial Cup.”
B.C. is the only junior A hockey region not currently represented at the national tournament after the BCHL, winners of 15 national titles, quit Hockey Canada in 2023. There is sanctioned junior A hockey in that province but the representative leagues – the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and the Pacific Junior Hockey League – do not have tier 1 status.
While one of hockey’s most enduring playoff trophies, the Centennial Cup was not contested in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
OVERTIME: You can follow the Canmore Eagles throughout the playoffs with your local broadcast team – Russ Ullyot (play-by-play) and Zach Amin (analyst) – at flohockey.tv, available on Smart TVs and streaming devices via the FloSports app. … The Eagles are in always in need of volunteers to help with game day experiences, email info@canmoreeagles.com for more information on opportunities and perks that come with being part of the Game Day Crew.
Story by Russ Ullyot
