The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) achieved a record number of post-secondary commitments in the 2022-23 season with a total of 121 players having secured their future as student-athletes, including a record 90 NCAA Division I committed players.
NCAA Division I scholarships made up the majority of all commitments with the remainder coming from NCAA Division III, USports and the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC). The Alberta Junior Hockey League continues to be the premier developmental League in Canada for student-athletes striving to capitalize on their athletic and academic abilities.
The path leading from the province of Alberta to NCAA Division I men’s hockey has arguably never been more prolific. This season there were 102 men from Alberta playing NCAA Division I hockey across 44 teams, which is the most ever. Alberta trails only Ontario among Canadian provinces that send men to NCAA Division I hockey, and considering population, there were more Albertans playing NCAA Division I men’s hockey in 2022-23 than any other province on a per capita basis. Of the 102 Albertans playing NCAA Division I hockey, 92 of them played in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and six were Captain of their respective team.
In the 2022-23 season, a total of 485 AJHL alumni competed on the rosters of post-secondary programs in the NCAA, USports, ACAC and BCIHL. The NCAA is home to the most AJHL alumni with 158 in Division I and 116 in Division III. In Canada, there were 115 alumni playing USports men’s hockey with an additional 76 in Alberta on ACAC rosters.
The Alberta Junior Hockey League has a record eight players listed on the NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings for the upcoming 2023 NHL Entry Draft later this month, with seven of the players already committed to a post-secondary program following their AJHL career.
The Alberta Junior Hockey League will celebrate its 60th Anniversary in the 2023-24 season. The schedule for the 2023 Exhibition Season and 2023-24 Regular Season will be announced on June 15th, 2023.
