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Kootenay International Jr "B"

The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League is a Junior "B" ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of the KIJHL playoffs competes with the champions of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League and the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League for the Cyclone Taylor Cup, the British Columbia Provincial Title. Until the 2016-17 season, the winner of the Cyclone Taylor Cup moved on to compete for the Western Canada "B" Crown, the Keystone Cup.

History[]

Founded in the early 1960s, the league was represented by the Trail Smoke Eaters in 1962, 1964, 1965, and 1966 for the Mowat Cup. In the '60s, the Mowat Cup determined the British Columbia seed in the Memorial Cup playdowns.

In July 2016, the league announced for the 2016-17 season that the inter-conference play between the Okanagan-Shuswap Conference and the Kootenay Conference would be eliminated during the regular season and that the schedule would be reduced from 52 to 47 games.  The reduction in the number of games also nearly eliminated the use of week night games.  The moves served two purposes for the players and the owners first to reduce the strain on the players with much less travel and time to spend on their studies and the reduction of travel expenses and the elimination of unprofitable games held in the middle of the week.

The Fernie Ghostriders were forced to temporarily relocate to the Elk Valley Leisure Centre in nearby Sparwood for the 2017-18 season when the Fernie Memorial Arena was made unusable due to an ammonia leak at the arena which killed three people on October 17, 2017.[1]

As a response to the British Columbia Hockey League withdrawing from Hockey Canada effective June 1, 2023; the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League announced on June 17, 2023 that it had applied with BC Hockey to be classified as Junior A for the 2023-24 season along with all of its' membership.[2] This followed an application from the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League to do the same on July 11th,[3] with the Pacific Junior Hockey League expected to do the same shortly there after.[4]


Teams[]

Eddie Mountain Division
Team Centre Arena
Columbia Valley Rockies Invermere Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena
Creston Valley Thunder Cats Creston Johnny Bucyk Arena
Fernie Ghostriders Fernie Fernie Memorial Arena
Golden Rockets Golden Golden and District Arena
Kimberley Dynamiters Kimberley Kimberley Civic Centre
Neil Murdoch Division
Team Centre Arena
Beaver Valley Nitehawks Fruitvale Beaver Valley Arena
Castlegar Rebels Castlegar Castlegar and District Community Complex
Grand Forks Border Bruins Grand Forks Jack Goddard Memorial Arena
Nelson Leafs Nelson Nelson and District Community Complex
Spokane Braves Spokane Eagles Ice-A-Rena
Okanagan Division
Team Centre Arena
Kelowna Chiefs Kelowna Rutland Arena
North Okanagan Knights Armstrong Nor-Val Centre
Osoyoos Coyotes Osoyoos Osoyoos Sunbowl Arena
Princeton Posse Princeton Princeton District Multipurpose Arena
Summerland Steam Summerland Summerland Arena
Doug Birks Division
Team Centre Arena
100 Mile House Wranglers 100 Mile House South Cariboo Recreation Centre
Chase Heat Chase Art Holding Memorial Arena
Kamloops Storm Kamloops McArthur Island Sports & Events Centre
Revelstoke Grizzlies Revelstoke Revelstoke Forum
Sicamous Eagles Sicamous Sicamous District Recreation Centre

Pre-KIJHL Champions[]

Year Team
1961-62 Trail Smoke Easters
1962-63 Trail Smoke Easters
1963-64 Trail Smoke Easters
1964-65 Trail Smoke Easters
(only team in region)
1965-66 Trail Smoke Easters
1966-67 Trail Smoke Easters


Past KIJHL League Champions[]

Year Team
1967-68 Trail Jr. Smokies
1968-69 Nelson Jr. Maple Leafs
1969-70 Trail Jr. Smokies
1970-71 Trail Jr. Smokies
1971-72 Trail Jr. Smokies
1972-73 Cranbrook Colts
1973-74 Cranbrook Colts
1974-75 Cranbrook Colts
1975-76 Cranbrook Colts
1976-77 Castlegar Rebels
1977-78 Castlegar Rebels
1978-79 Trail Smoke Eaters
1979-80 Kimberley Knights
1980-81 Trail Smoke Eaters
1981-82 Cranbrook Colts
1982-83 Cranbrook Colts
1983-84 Cranbrook Colts
1984-85 Cranbrook Colts
1985-86 Cranbrook Colts
1986-87 Cranbrook Colts
1987-88 Columbia Valley Rockies
1988-89 Columbia Valley Rockies
1989-90 Columbia Valley Rockies
1990-91 Trail Smoke Eaters
1991-92 Nelson Jr. Maple Leafs
1992-93 Nelson Jr. Maple Leafs
1993-94 North Okanagan Kings
1994-95 Sicamous Eagles
1995-96 Castlegar Rebels
1996-97 Beaver Valley Nitehawks
1997-98 Revelstoke Grizzlies
1998-99 Beaver Valley Nitehawks
1999-00 Nelson Leafs
2000-01 Beaver Valley Nitehawks
2001-02 Sicamous Eagles
2002-03 Beaver Valley Nitehawks
2003-04 Beaver Valley Nitehawks
2004-05 Osoyoos Storm
2005-06 Sicamous Eagles
2006-07 Fernie Ghostriders
2007-08 Fernie Ghostriders
2008-09 Nelson Leafs
2009-10 Revelstoke Grizzlies
2010-11 Osoyoos Coyotes
2011-12 Beaver Valley Nitehawks
2012-13 Castlegar Rebels
2013-14 Beaver Valley Nitehawks
2014-15 Kimberley Dynamiters
2015-16 100 Mile House Wranglers
2016-17 Beaver Valley Nitehawks
2017-18 Kimberley Dynamiters
2018-19 Revelstoke Grizzlies
2019-20 Playoffs Cancelled
2020-21 Season Cancelled
2021-22 Revelstoke Grizzlies
2022-23 Kimberley Dynamiters

NHL Alumni[]


See also[]

External links[]

References[]

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