2023–24 AJHL season

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]

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

League changes

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.^[4][5] 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.^[6][7][8]

The league began a pilot program for video review on goals at specific arenas.^[9] It subsequently decided to extend the pilot program through the 2024–25 season.^[10][11]

Regular season

Map of AJHL, 2023–24

200km
125miles

Bobcats

Pontiacs

Oil Barons

Bandits

Dragons

Kodiaks

Crusaders

Bulldogs

Saints

Oilers

Canucks

Grizzlies

Thunder

Eagles

Wolverines

Storm

  

   North Division, team played full season

   North Division, team joined BCHL in January

   South Division, team played full season

   South Division, team joined BCHL in January

The standings at the end of the regular season were as follows:

Standings

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

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points

Source: "2022-23 Alberta Junior Hockey League [AJHL] standings". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 22 September 2024.

Scoring leaders

GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, P = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM Caden Cabana Lloydminster Bobcats 53 27 42 69 38 Colby Browne Whitecourt Wolverines 57 26 42 68 44 Luka Sukovic Bonnyville Pontiacs 57 35 32 67 42 Bowden Singleton Calgary Canucks 56 21 46 67 32 Ben Aucoin Lloydminster Bobcats 57 32 31 63 40 Travis Verbeek Whitecourt Wolverines 55 28 32 60 38 Alex Atwill Grande Prairie Storm 57 23 35 58 30 Nicolas Beaudoin Bonnyville Pontiacs 54 23 33 56 32 Adam Grenier Drayton Valley Thunder 55 22 34 56 62 Blake Setter Lloydminster Bobcats 56 24 30 54 38

Leading goaltenders

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.

Player Team GP W L OTL SOL GA Sv% GAA SO Mins Ben Charette Whitecourt Wolverines 34 20 9 4 1 79 0.925 2.40 4 1,974 Sean Cootes Drayton Valley Thunder 26 11 6 3 2 57 0.910 2.43 3 1,406 Julian Molinaro Calgary Canucks 45 27 16 1 1 115 0.916 2.60 6 2,650 Nicholas Jones Grande Prairie Storm 38 16 17 2 2 101 0.907 2.71 1 2,237 Chazz Nixon Drayton Valley Thunder 19 8 9 1 0 51 0.920 2.77 1 1,105 Lukas Renaud Whitecourt Wolverines 20 10 7 0 0 53 0.904 2.84 3 1,118 Bodee Weiss Bonnyville Pontiacs 40 21 14 4 0 112 0.900 2.89 1 2,327 Matthew Malin Canmore Eagles 39 18 16 2 0 100 0.907 2.89 2 2,077 Jack Solomon Lloydminster Bobcats 40 22 16 0 0 115 0.912 3.05 5 2,262 Jameson Kaine Drayton Valley Thunder 37 15 17 2 1 112 0.887 3.32 2 2,025

Post-season

	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

• 2023 in ice hockey
• 2024 in ice hockey
• Centennial Cup

References

1. "Alberta Junior Hockey League 2023-2024 Playoffs". ajhl.ca. Alberta Junior Hockey League. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
2. Saelhof, Todd (4 February 2024). "AJHL moving forward — and 'excited' — after exodus of teams to B.C." Calgary Herald. Postmedia. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
3. "BCHL agrees to terms with five Alberta-based teams". bchl.ca. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
4. Gustafson, Ian (25 January 2024). "Alberta hockey league cancels multiple games after 5 teams defect to BCHL". Penticton Western News. Black Press. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
5. Saelhof, Todd (25 January 2024). "AJHL revamps schedule in wake of losing five teams". Calgary Herald. Postmedia. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
6. Wolf, Sydney (1 February 2024). "Five AJHL teams set to join BCHL, effective immediately". therinklive.com. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
7. "BCHL announces finalized franchise agreements and integration with five Alberta-based teams". bchl.ca. British Columbia Hockey League. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
8. "AJHL statement on five defecting teams". ajhl.ca. Alberta Junior Hockey League. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
9. Gustafson, Ian (29 May 2023). "AJHL announces rule changes for upcoming season". Red Deer Advocate. Black Press Media. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
10. "AJHL hosts successful AGM in Canmore, AB". ajhl.ca. Alberta Junior Hockey League. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
11. "AJHL releases schedule for upcoming 2024-25 season". Red Deer Advocate. Black Press Media. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024.

Further reading

• Gustafson, Ian (26 January 2024). "AJHL seeking clarity, five departing clubs deny agreement with BCHL". Red Deer Advocate. Black Press Media. Retrieved 22 September 2024.

• Chowdhury, Nishat (22 January 2024). "Alberta Junior Hockey League faces shake-up as 5 teams move to independent BCHL". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 22 September 2024.

• Greer, Remy (20 January 2024). "Beyond Local: Five Alberta teams agree to terms to join the BCHL". St. Albert Gazette. Great West Media. Retrieved 22 September 2024.

• "AJHL cancels all games between five BCHL-bound teams and 11 remaining clubs". Sportsnet.ca. Rogers Digital Media. Canadian Press. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.

External links

• Official website