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February 26, 2024

CHL (Canadian Hockey League): 2023-24 location-map of the 60 teams (22 WHL teams, 20 OHL teams, 18 QMJHL teams), plus chart: Memorial Cup Tournament Appearances & Titles by current CHL teams (to 2023)./+New team in the WHL for 2023-24…the Wenatchee Wild (of Wenatchee, Washington, USA).

chl_canadian-hockey-league_2023-24_location-map_60-teams_whl_ohl_qmjhl_w-2023-attendances_post_c_.gif
CHL (Canadian Hockey League): 2023-24 location-map of the 60 teams (22 WHL teams, 20 OHL teams, 18 QMJHL teams), plus chart: Memorial Cup Tournament Appearances & Titles by current CHL teams (to 2023)



By Bill Turianski on the 26th of February 2024; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-chl.ca.
-ontariohockeyleague.com.
-theqmjhl.ca. lhjmq.qc.ca (Fr).
-whl.ca.

Canadian Hockey League (CHL): the umbrella-organization for the 3 leagues of Major Junior Hockey in Canada. The 3 leagues are: the Western Hockey League (WHL, est. 1966), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL, est. 1933), and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL/ LMJHQ in French, est. 1969). 60 teams: in the CHL-system, there are 51 teams from Canada (from 9 Canadian provinces), and there are 9 teams from the USA (from 4 American states). The CHL as the umbrella-organization was established in 1975, but as mentioned, the three individual leagues were established earlier; see league side-bars on the upper-part of the map for more info. Also, see this…Quebec Major Junior Hockey League changes name to better represent its 6 Maritime teams (cbc.ca/sports, from 14 Dec. 2023).

CHL teams are for players aged 16-20. Two non-North-American-born players are allowed per team; overage, and underage player-waivers are sometimes allowed. Players receive stipend & board, and believe it or not, this actually qualifies as pay in the NCAA’s monopolistic view, so players who commit to an OHL or QMJHL or WHL team in the CHL-system become ineligible to play later on in the USA in the NCAA-system. Whereas around 30% of NHL players have had a US-collegiate career prior to signing in the NHL, a larger percentage – of around 47-to-48% – of all NHL players originally played in Canadian Major Junior hockey {see this, from the Washington Post}.

The winners of the 3 leagues each season contest the Memorial Cup Tournament (est. 1919), which is usually played in the month of May. The Memorial Cup is a 4-team round-robin competition, which comprises the WHL champion, the OHL champion, the QMJHL champion, plus the host team.

The map is a location-map with the three league’s areas tinted.
The chart on the far-left-hand-side shows: Memorial Cup Tournament Appearances & Titles by current CHL teams (to 2023), and lists 2 things for each team…
-Number of Memorial Cup titles (host-team status noted by italics).
-Number of Memorial Cup tournament appearances (host-team status noted by italics).

26 of the 60 current CHL teams have won a Memorial Cup title.
The reigning champions are the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, who won their third Memorial Cup title on the 4th of June 2023 in Kamloops, British Columbia, beating the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL 5-0. {See this, Quebec Remparts win 2023 Memorial Cup (globalnews.ca/news).} It was the Quebec Remparts’ 3rd Memorial Cup title. The most titles won by a current CHL team is the 5 titles won by the OHL’s Oshawa Generals (who last won it in 2015). The most Memorial Cup tournament appearances is 16 appearances, by the oldest Major Junior hockey team, the WHL’s Regina St. Pats (established in 1917, in Regina, Saskatchewan).

The 2023-24 CHL season, with about 80-to-85% of the season played [as of the 27th of February 2024]…
- QMJHL. chl.ca/lhjmq/en. Standings with avg. attendances: hockeydb.com/[QMJHL].
(Reigning champions: Quebec Remparts.)
The top 3 teams in the QMJHL currently are: Baie-Comeau Drakkar, Drummondville Voltigeurs, and Victoriaville Tigres.
Top attendance draws in QMJHL currently are: Quebec Remparts (at 9.5-K-per-game), Halifax Mooseheads (at 8.2-K-per-game), and Moncton Wildcats (at 4.5-K-per-game).

-OHL. chl.ca/ohl. Standings with avg. attendances: hockeydb.com/[OHL].
(Reigning champions: Peterborough Petes.)
The top 3 teams in the OHL currently are: London Knights, Saginaw Spirit, and Soo Greyhounds.
Top attendance draws in OHL currently are: London Knights (at 9.0-K-per-game), Kitchener Rangers (at 6.4-K-per-game), and Oshawa Generals (4.9-K-per-game).

-WHL. chl.ca/whl. Standings with avg. attendances: hockeydb.com/[WHL].
(Reigning champions: Seattle Thunderbirds.)
The top 3 teams in the WHL currently are: Saskatoon Blades, Prince George Cougars, and Portland Winterhawks.
Top attendance draws in WHL currently are: Edmonton Oil Kings (at 6.6-K-per-game), Everett Silvertips (at 5.8-K-per-game), and Saskatoon Blades (at 4.9-K-per-game).




The 2024 Memorial Cup tournament will be hosted by the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, at the 5,500-capacity Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan, USA in late May/early June. This will be the 5th time that an American-based team will host the Memorial Cup tournament, and the first time in 26 years. (Years that American-based teams that have previously hosted the Memorial Cup tournament…1983 and 1986: Portland Winterhawks [WHL] of Portland, Oregon; 1992: Seattle Thunderbirds [WHL] of Seattle, Washington; 1998: Spokane Chiefs [WHL] of Spokane, Washington. Of those four tournaments, the host-team, Portland, won it their first time in 1983. The other 3 times the host-team didn’t win. Although in 1998, Spokane hosted it, but Portland, that season’s WHL champion, won it. The Portland Winterhawks have won 2 Memorial Cup titles (1983, 1998); the Spokane Chiefs also have won 2 Memorial Cup titles (1991, 2008). Those 4 titles are the only Memorial Cup titles won by American-based teams, although there have been 4 other times an American-based team was a finalist… the Detroit Junior Red Wings [ex-OHL] in 1985, the Portland Winterhawks again in 2013, the Erie Otters [OHL] in 2017, and the Seattle Thunderbirds [WHL] last season in 2023.

    2 new teams in the CHL for 2023-24: Brantford Bulldogs [OHL]; Wenatchee Wild [WHL]

Temporary new team in the OHL for 2023-24…the Brantford Bulldogs (of Brantford, Ontario).
From 2023-24 to 2025-26 for 3 seasons, due to renovations to the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, the Hamilton Bulldogs will be playing in Brantford, ON as the Brantford Bulldogs. They will play at the Brantford Civic Centre. Brantford, ON is located, by road, 38 km (24 mi) WSW of Hamilton, ON. I have shown both locations on the map. The team has moved from an 17.3-K-capacity venue to a 2.9-K-capacity venue. But the Bulldogs only drew 3.7-K-per-game in Hamilton last season anyway, despite recent success (as 2022 Memorial Cup finalist).

New team in the WHL for 2023-24…the Wenatchee Wild (of Wenatchee, Washington, USA).
WHL Franchise shift…The Winnipeg Ice franchise moved from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Wenatchee, Washington, USA…becoming the Wenatchee Wild. Wenatchee, WA is located, by road, 238 km (148 mi) E of Seattle, WA. After 57 games [up to the 27th of February], Wenatchee have 64 points and are in 3rd in the WHL American division. The Wild are drawing 2.9-K-per-game at their 4.3-K-capacity venue. In the captions below you can see the team’s franchise history, which includes a 2002 Memorial Cup title, when the franchise was located in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and were called the Kootenay Ice.

wenatchee-wild_new_whl-team-2023-24_town-toyota-center_wenatchee-washington_f_.gif"
Photo credits above – Wenatchee, WA (taken from East Wenatchee), photo by Jakekoner at reddit.com/r/Washington. Aerial shot of Town Toyota Center, unattributed at in.daotaonec.edu.vn. Street-side shot of venue, unattributed at wenatcheevalleysports.com.

___
Thanks to all at the following…
-Canadian Hockey League (en.wikipedia.org).
-Photo of Memorial Cup (CHL), unattributed at hhof.com.
-Hockey ice photo from dreamstime.com.

June 10, 2022

CHL (Canadian Hockey League): 2021-22 location-map of the 60 teams (18 QMJHL teams, 20 OHL teams, 22 WHL teams), plus chart: Memorial Cup Tournament Appearances & Titles by current CHL teams (2021).

chl_canadian-hockey-league_2021-22_location-map_60-teams_whl_ohl_qmjhl_w-memorial-cup-titles_post_b_.gif
CHL (Canadian Hockey League): 2021-22 location-map of the 60 teams (18 QMJHL teams, 20 OHL teams, 22 WHL teams), plus chart: Memorial Cup Tournament Appearances & Titles by current CHL teams (2021)



By Bill Turianski on the 10th of June 2022; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

Links…
-chl.ca.
-ontariohockeyleague.com.
-theqmjhl.ca. lhjmq.qc.ca (Fr).
-whl.ca.
-en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Memorial_Cup.

Canadian Hockey League (CHL): the umbrella-organization for the 3 leagues of Major Junior Hockey in Canada. The 3 leagues are: the Western Hockey League (WHL, est. 1966), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL, est. 1933), and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL/ LMJHQ in French, est. 1969). 60 teams: in the CHL-system, there are 52 teams from Canada (from 9 Canadian provinces), and there are 8 teams from the USA (from 4 US states). The CHL as the umbrella-organization was established in 1975, but as mentioned, the three individual leagues were established earlier; see league side-bars on the upper-part of the map for more info.

CHL teams are for players aged 16-20. Two non-North-American-born players are allowed per team; overage, and underage player-waivers are sometimes allowed. Players receive stipend & board, and believe it or not, this actually qualifies as pay in the NCAA’s monopolistic view, so players who commit to an OHL or QMJHL or WHL team in the CHL-system become ineligible to play later on in the USA in the NCAA-system. Whereas around 30% of NHL players have had a US-collegiate career prior to signing in the NHL, a solid 47-to-48% of all NHL players originally played in Canadian Major Junior hockey {see this, from the Washington Post}.

The winners of the 3 leagues each season contest the Memorial Cup Tournament (est. 1919), which is usually played in the month of May. The Memorial Cup is a 4-team round-robin competition, which comprises the WHL champion, the OHL champion, the QMJHL champion, plus the host team. The past two tournaments were cancelled due to COVID, so this is the first tournament since 2018-19, when the Quebec league’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies were Memorial Cup champions. Rouyn-Noranda is a small and isolated mining community of 42,000, 320 miles NW of Montreal. The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies beat the Halifax Mooseheads 4-2, in Halifax on May the 26th 2019, to win the title.

This year’s tournament [2022] will take place in St. John, New Brunswick from June 20-29, at the 6.3-K-capacity TD Station. The St. John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL are the host team. The St. John Sea Dogs won the Memorial Cup in 2011; this will be the team’s 4th appearance in the tournament.
•so, the St. John Sea Dogs are already in the tournament as host team. The other 3 teams to qualify are down to the following…
•WHL: Edmonton Oil Kings or Seattle Thunderbirds.
•OHL: Windsor Spitfires or Hamilton Bulldogs.
•QMJHL: Shawinigan (Quebec) Cataractes or Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island) Islanders.
Scores…CHL.ca.



The map is a location-map with the three league’s areas tinted.

The chart on the far-left-hand-side:
Memorial Cup Tournament Appearances & Titles by current CHL teams (2021)
-Number of Memorial Cup titles (including host-team status noted by italics).
-Number of Memorial Cup tournament appearances (including host-team status noted by italics).
26 of the 60 current CHL teams have won a Memorial Cup title. The most titles won by a current team is the 5 titles won by the Oshawa Generals (who last won it in 2015). The most tournament appearances is 16 appearances, by the oldest Major Junior hockey team, the Regina St. Pats (est. 1917). Note: in the chart, teams are listed, not franchises, thus Kootenay Ice’s one Memorial Cup title and 3 tournament-appearances do not carry over, when the franchise moved from British Columbia, to Winnipeg Manitoba, as the Winnipeg Ice, in 2019. So that makes it 7 for 7 in Canada: now all 7 Canadian cities with NHL teams (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Winnipeg) also have a Major Junior hockey team. And with the debut of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken this season, Seattle is also in this category.

Other changes in teams and their gear since 2019 are the following…
-Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, in 2019, dropped the Screaming from their name and unveiled a smart new logo {Cape Breton Eagles}.
-Portland Winterhawks unveiled a new logo in 2021, dropping their long-time Chicago Blackhawks-derived logo, for one that features a hawk’s head superimposed over a grey mountain range with subtle ‘WH’ inscribed in the mountain’s crags {Portland Winterhawks}.
-Sarnia Sting dropped the disc logo and went back to classic full-wasp-with-hockey-stick design {sportslogos.net/[Sarnia Sting]}.
-Erie Otters went back to their original otter-with-helmet-&-stick logo, in just yellow-gold and navy (no red) {sportslogos.net/[Erie Otters].
-Everett Silvertips’s primary logo is now the green-silver-and-pale-brown shield-with-grizzley-head-&-mountain design {Everett Silvertips}, and their original primary logo (grizzley-with-stick-wordmark) is now their shoulder-patch logo.
___
Thanks to all at the following…
-en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Memorial_Cup.
-Canadian Hockey League (en.wikipedia.org).
-Photo of Memorial Cup (CHL), unattributed at hhof.com.
-Hockey ice photo from dreamstime.com.

May 15, 2019

2019 CHL Memorial Cup tournament (in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada from May 17 to May 26) – the 4 teams: the Halifax Mooseheads, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, the Guelph Storm, the Prince Albert Raiders.

By Bill Turianski on 16 May 2019; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.

-Scores: chl.ca. -en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Memorial_Cup#Schedule

    2019 CHL Memorial Cup tournament (in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada from May 17 to 26). The 4 teams: the Halifax Mooseheads, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, the Guelph Storm, the Prince Albert Raiders.

Halifax Mooseheads (host team) (Halifax, Nova Scotia).
(It is the 25th anniversary of the Halifax Mooseheads (est. 1994-95). It is also the 50th anniversary of the QMJHL (est. 1969-70).) 2019 CHL Memorial Cup. May 17-26, 2019 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a metro-area population of around 403,000, is the 13th-largest city in Canada, and is the largest city in the Maritime provinces. In 2018-19, the Halifax Mooseheads drew 3rd-best in the CHL, at 8,149 per game in the 10.5-K-capacity Scotiabank Centre.

Click on image below for full screen view.
halifax-mooseheads_scotiabank-centre_2019-chl-memorial-cup_k_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
2018-19 Mooseheads jersey, from mooseshop.ca. Halifax, NS, aerial photo from wolterland.com. Scotiabank Centre, exterior shot, photo by Tony Webster at flickr.com. Scotiabank Centre, front entrance, photo by Greg Johnston at stadiumjourney.com. Samuel Asselin, photo from halifaxmooseheads.ca. Antoine Morand, photo from halifaxmooseheads.ca. Jared McIsaac, photo unattributed at signalhfx.ca. Alexis Gravel, photo from halifaxmooseheads.ca.

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec).
Rouyn-Noranda is located 632 km (393 mi) NW of Montreal (by road). Rouyn-Noranda became populated after copper was discovered there in 1917. For forty years (1926-66), the area was completely governed by the Noranda mining company. Eight mines and the copper smelter are still in operation. The Horne smelter in Noranda is the largest smelter of precious metals in the world. Rouyn-Noranda sits among a string of mining towns (the Abitibi gold belt) in northeast Ontario/northwest Quebec that includes Timmins, ON, Kirkland Lake, ON, and Val d’Or, QC.

In 1996, the QMJHL team from Sainte-Hyacinthe (50 km/30 mi E of Montreal) moved to Rouyn-Noranda. The franchise moved up north to Rouyn-Noranda because it knew it would find solid support there, as well as a built-in local rivalry with the nearby QMJHL team the Val d’Or Foreurs (who are located 105 km (65 mi) E of Rouyn-Noranda). Rouyn-Noranda play in a tiny arena, Aréna Iamgold (aka Aréna Dave-Keon), which has just 2,150 seats, but they fill it up to standing-room-only on a regular basis.

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies were the #1-ranked team in the QMJHL going into the playoffs. And the Huskies beat Halifax 4 games to 2 to win the 2019 President’s Cup (QMJHL title). Rouyn-Noranda have now won 2 QMJHL titles in 4 years.

Click on image below for full screen view.
rouyn-noranda-huskies_arena-iamgold_2019-chl-memorial-cup_r_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies jersey (3rd/alt), photo from huskies-de-rouyn-noranda.monpanierdachat.com. Aerial shot of Rouyn-Noranda, photo by Point du Jour Avaiation, here via gigi461.canalblog.com. Shot of Rouyn-Noranda, photo by Mathieu Dupuis at ville.rouyn-noranda.qc.ca. Shot of Northern Lights above Rouyn-Noranda, photo by Charles Schiele Photography at coolnaturephotos.com/aurora-borealis-at-rouyn-noranda-qc-canada-by-charles-schiele-photography. Shot of exterior of Iamgold Arena, photo by Benjamin Mougin at flickr.com. Shot of interior of Aréna Iamgold, photo by François Fortin at . Huskies jersey, photo from collectosports.com. Peter Abbandonato, photo from chl.ca/article/huskies-peter-abbandonato-named-chl-player-of-the-week. Raphael Harvey-Pinard, photo from rds.ca/hockey/lhjmq. Noah Dobson, photo unattributed at chl.ca. Joël Teasdale, photo from rds.ca/hockey. Huskies celebrate winning the QMJHL title (2019 Presidents Cup), photo from twitter.com/[@Huskies_Rn].




Guelph Storm (Guelph, Ontario).
The Guelph Storm sit amidst the most concentrated area of major junior teams in Canada, with the Kitchener Rangers only about 28 km (17 mi) to the west of Guelph, and with the Mississauga Steelheads and the Hamilton Bulldogs both within 55 km (34 mi) of Guelph. The original OHL franchise from Guelph, ON was the Guelph Platers (7 seasons in OHL, from 1982-89, winning 1 OHL title in 1986). In 1989 the Guelph Platers moved to Owen Sound, ON, as the Owen Sound Platers (2000: name changed to Owen Sound Attack).

In 1991, two years after losing their OHL team, the city of Guelph was able to lure another OHL franchise, and the Guelph Storm were established in 1991-92. The franchise the city of Guelph lured began as the storied Toronto Marlboros (1904-1989), who won 5 Memorial Cup titles (1955, 1956, 1964, 1967, 1973). The Toronto Marlboros (1904-89) were a minor league affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs for 40 years (to 1967); and were in the OHA/OHL (from 1937-89). The Marlboros franchise had moved to Hamilton, ON in 1989, as the Dukes of Hamilton, but that did not work out. Two years later in 1991, the franchise moved to Guelph, filling the void left there by the Platers’ move.

The Guelph Storm won an OHL title in their 6th season (1997). In 2000, in their 9th season, the Guelph Storm moved into the new Sleeman Centre, built on the site of a former Eatons department store, in a shopping mall, in downtown Guelph. The Sleeman Centre has a seated capacity of 4.8 K, and has a nice set-up that boasts steeply raked seating and a concourse above the seating bowl that allows a view of the ice (and ample standing-room space). The Guelph Storm usually draw around 4 K per game; in 2018-19, en route to a 2nd-place finish, Guelph drew 4,146 per game (which was a solid 91.5 percent-capacity).

In the 2019 OHL playoffs, the Guelph Storm were comeback-kings. In the 1st round, Guelph swept the Kitchener Rangers. Then in the next three rounds Guelph came back from multiple-game deficits. In the 2nd round, Guelph came back from 3 games down, to upset the London Knights. Then in the 3rd round/Western final, Guelph fell behind the Saginaw Spirit 3-1, before winning three straight. And then in the OHL Championship Series, Guelph lost the first two against the Ottawa 67′s, but then won four straight, to win the OHL title (2019 J. Ross Robertson Cup). Guelph Storm have now won 4 OHL titles (1997, 2004, 2014, 2019). Four OHL titles in 28 seasons is a pretty decent run.

Click on image below for full screen view.
guelph-storm_sleeman-centre_2019-chl-memorial-cup_d_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Guelph Storm jersey front, paste-up including illustrations from sportslogos.net. Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate church, photo from guelphtoday.com. Exterior shot of Sleeman Centre, photo by Tabercil at File:Sleeman Centre in Guelph ON 3.jpg (commons.wikimedia.org). Nate Schnarr, photo by Terry Wilson/OHL Images via guelphmercury.com. Nick Suzuki, photo by Tony Saxon/Guelph Today at guelphtoday.com. Isaac Ratcliffe, photo by Terry Wilson/OHL Images via guelphmercury.com. Dmitri Samorukov, photo by Tony Saxon/Guelph Today at guelphtoday.com. Storm players including Suzuki, Ratcliffe, Samorukov, celebrate, photo from twitter.com/[@Sportsnet].

Prince Albert Raiders (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan).
Prince Albert, SK is known as the “Gateway to the North”…it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan. Prince Albert (with a metro-area population of 42,600), has supplanted Moose Jaw as the 3rd-largest city in Saskatchewan. The Prince Albert Raiders play at the 2.5-K-capacity Art Hauser Centre. Prince Albert fills their small arena the best of all the 60 teams in the 3 leagues of the CHL, at 101.35 percent-capacity in 2018-19.

The Raiders were established in 1971 as a junior hockey team, in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The Raiders junior team won 4 titles in 6 seasons (from 1977 to 1982). This was good enough to get the attention of the WHL. And so in 1982, the city of Prince Albert was granted an expansion franchise in the WHL. Three years later, the Prince Albert Raiders were WHL champions, and then the Raiders won the 1985 Memorial Cup (beating Shawingun 6-1 in the final).

The 2018-19 Prince Albert Raiders were the #1-ranked team going into the WHL playoffs. They came through in the end, but almost stumbled in the Championship series, losing a 3-games-to-1 lead to the Vancouver Giants. In the 7th game, up in Prince Albert, it went to overtime, with the winning goal scored 18 minutes into OT, by Dante Hannoun {see screenshots below}. So the Prince Albert Raiders won their first WHL title in 34 years.

Click on image below for full screen view.
prince-albert-raiders_art-hauser-centre_2019-chl-memorial-cup_d_.gif
Photo and Image credits above – Raiders jersey illustration from sportslogos.net. Prince Albert, Saskatchewan skyline and the North Saskatchewan River, photos uploaded by Rhino at skyscrapercity.com/[thread: Prince Albert Saskatchewan. Exterior shot of Art Hauser Centre unattributed at stadiumjourney.com. Dante Hannoun scoring & celebration, 1st screenshot from globalnews.ca; 2nd screenshot from twitter.com/[@TheWHL] via bardown.com/prince-albert-raiders-win-whl-championship…. Dante Hannoun, photo from whl.ca. Brett Leason, photo by Marissa Baecker/Getty Images via gettyimages.com. Noah Gregor, photo unattributed at bladesofteal.com. Ian Scott, photo by Lucas Chudleigh/Apollo Multimedia via raiderhockey.com/article.

___
Thanks to the contributors at 2019 Memorial Cup (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to QMJHL, OHL, WHL.

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