It’s the same old regular-season championship hardware the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League teams will be chasing beginning tonight — the Andy Hebenton Trophy, named after the former NHL Ironman record holder with the New York Rangers and Victoria pro-hockey great.
But it’s a brave new world they are jumping into this season.
The 11 VIJHL franchise owners voted unanimously in April to leave Hockey Canada and B.C. Hockey to go independent, continuing what has been a seismic shift of the national hockey landscape that began when the higher junior-level B.C. Hockey League began the shift the year before.
The move by the VIJHL means it can affiliate with the BCHL, which it has done. The affiliation is universal, not team to team, meaning BCHL teams can pick up players from any VIJHL team during the season. It is already having an impact with VIJHL rosters more youthful than they have ever been. Younger, aspirational players have joined VIJHL teams because they now see them as stepping stones to the BCHL, the latter which in turn produces a large number of players for the U.S. collegiate NCAA Division 1, with several having being selected in the NHL draft.
“We are not Junior B [Junior A Tier II] anymore and we are a much younger league. This affiliation gives younger guys a chance to race up to the BCHL,” said Cody Carlson, head coach of the defending VIJHL-champion Saanich Predators.
That means less room for guys just playing out the string in junior.
“There are 10 less 20-year-olds in the league this season,” noted Carlson.
Chris Lynn, general manager of the Victoria Cougars of the VIJHL, has also noticed the change: “We’ve seen the benefits, for sure. The league is a lot younger now. Younger players who might have gone elsewhere are looking at the BCHL affiliation and staying with our league. That affiliation has made our league more attractive.”
That was the idea when the VIJHL owners voted to join the movement that has upset the established Canadian hockey eco-system.
“This decision to move the VIJHL into a new space in junior hockey will allow players more opportunities for development going forward,” said VIJHL president Simon Morgan, when the decision was made last spring to go independent, which allowed for the association with the independent BCHL.
The VIJHL regular-season openers tonight feature the Cougars hosting the Kerry Park Islanders at Archie Browning Sports Centre and the Port Alberni Bombers travelling to the Nanaimo Ice Centre to play the Buccaneers. The Predators host the Oceanside Generals on Friday night at Pearkes Arena in Saanich in a meeting between the last two league champions.
“We are younger but we are going to be the same hard-nosed Saanich team,” said bench-boss Carlson, of his defending champion Predators.
The Friday tripleheader also has the Peninsula Panthers hosting the Westshore Wolves at Panorama Recreation Centre, while the Lake Cowichan Kraken travel to play the Campbell River Storm at Rod Brind’Amour Arena. The Saturday triple-header has Saanich at Kerry Park, Port Alberni at Oceanside and Campbell River at Comox Valley to take on the Glacier Kings.
“The league is wide open and is going to be very fun and competitive this season,” said Cougars GM Lynn.
Individually, the top players will be vying for the Jamie Benn MVP Award, named after the Dallas Stars captain, Olympic gold medallist and VIJHL alumnus, and the Clayton Stoner Award as best defenceman, named after the former NHL blue-liner from Port McNeill.
The biggest rule change this season concerns fighting. Five fights will be allowed per player before suspensions kick in with the sixth fight and accumulating for any fights after that, replacing the old rule where players were suspended for one game following any fight.
