BC Hockey, when dealing with the BCHL’s departure from Hockey Canada and the CJHL has done everything seemingly possible to make what was already a mess, an even bigger mess.
The departure of the BCHL was due to thier wanting to be designated as a “Tier 1′ level league over all the other Junior A leagues in the country. They wanted this even though, Canada does not use the “Tier” system, and when none of the teams would meet the Tier 1 standards as determined by USA Hockey and the USHL.
Tier standards were introduced and developed by USA Hockey, not Hockey Canada, and technically each “Tier” is a business operations model. Those models in turn also then set the level of performance and talent playing at each “Tier”.
After the BCHL’s departure, BC Hockey, Hockey Canada’s Western arm of oversight, decided it would take on the challenge by elevating Junior B leagues to Junior A. Giving the KIJHL, PJHL and VIJHL a junior A label, without addressing any of the underlying issues that made those leagues Junior B.
The VIJHL left after a year to become a Junior B league for the BCHL to develop players. The VIJHL announced zero player movement to the BCHL, and rarely even updates their website. Problems that existed for years, and continue forward today. Lipstick on a pig when calling it a development league.
BC Hockey though has continued forward with their “plan”. That plan? To create “Tier 1 and Tier 2” Junior A hockey in British Columbia. The exact thing the BCHL wanted to have happen in the first place. Now the only two leagues remaining in the “process” are the KIJHL, and PJHL.
The KIJHL looks to continue to play along with this bad joke BC Hockey is maintaining. While it looks like the PJHL will not move forward with the continued bad idea and worse implementaion of said bad joke.
Last week, insiders are reporting that the PJHL voted on having the league split into two sections. One at the “Tier 1” level and one at “Tier 2”. The results of that vote were 8 in favor, and 7 against of the split. By the rules and bylaws of the league, this result means that there will be no division of the league, and no one will have the “Tier 1” label that BC Hockey was proposing. The PJHL rules require a two thirds majority in order for any changes to be made.
This is just another example of how poorly organized these branches of Hockey Canada are. Who in their right mind would want to allow their competitors to vote on anything that any one team owner would want to do with his team? Who is the raging moron who thought teams would simply agree to be labeled as being lower level than other teams?
Would Burger King allow for McDonalds to vote on who Burger King says makes the better burger? Would General Motors allow Ford or Mercedes to vote on anything?
Teams, all teams in each league or in separate leagues are competing for players. Why would any team vote in favor of being seen as being at a lower level that another team that they have been playing against for years? No owner in their right mind is going to accept being seen as lower than before, and no owner is going to accept the devaluing of his franchise in that way.
This whole idea has been so poorly designed from the beginning that it is no surprise that the vote ended in this way. BC Hockey hasnt even published a list of standards any teams would have to meet in order to become “Tier 1”. They are, as they always have, making things up as they go along.
This while the KIJHL announced five additional teams are moving forward with “Tier 1” status evaluations to join the eleven approved for “Tier 1” status in 2026-2027. They are seeking expansion for the “Tier 2” level in 2026-2027. Does this come at a discount for being lower level? Again all this while BC Hockey fails to publish what those “Tier 1” standards actually are.
Tier 1 Standards in the USA, mean that the player pays for nothing. Not for skates, sticks, or any meal. There is no way possible any team in Western Canada outside of the WHL is going to meet Tier 1 standards. The USHL is the only standard. Not some made up label by BC Hockey where no other league in the country uses any “Tier” labels.
Why BC Hockey hired a company to help look into whether or not teams could be considered for “Tier 1” is another example of the bafoonery of BC Hockey. The Tier 1 standards already exist in the USHL, they are public information. Pretty easy to see them and then see what teams in Canada meet them. They did not do this because they want to continue to put lipstick on a pig and try to make their own standards which wont come close to the real standards.
BC Hockey has only done one thing during this whole fiasco. They have shown that the BCHL was right to give them the middle finger and leave.
Meanwhile, the KIJHL at the “Tier 2” level produced a grand total of seven NCAA D3 players for next season. A league total smaller than an individual top level Tier 3 team in the United States. Not one NCAA D1 player, and that is the standard used by players and parents making decisions on where to play.
Until BC Hockey finds a way to eliminate geographical barriers that keep scouts from attending games in the Great White North of Western Canada, there is no label they will be able to make up for themselves that will solve the issues. But, lipstick is on sale, so look for plenty of that to be used in BC Hockey offices.
