The Alberta Junior Hockey League held its Annual League Meetings on May 22nd-23rd in Red Deer, Alberta. The weekend opened with the League Marketing Meeting, Coaches Meeting and the first annual Trainers Meeting on Friday, followed by the 2015 Annual General Meeting of the AJHL Board of Governors on Saturday.
The 2014-2015 season was another successful campaign as the League reported increases in sponsorship revenue, post-secondary player commitments, website traffic and AJHL Web TV viewership. The 2014 AJHL Showcase was the highest attended event in its 8-year history, as both the number of fans and scouts reached new levels.
A brief summary of the decisions approved at the 2015 AJHL Annual General Meeting are listed below:
The 2015-2016 AJHL Regular Season will commence on Friday, September 11th. The 480-game schedule will include 16 teams participating in 60 regular season games apiece, including two games at the 9th Annual AJHL Showcase. The complete 2015-2016 League Schedule will be announced on June 4th, 2015.
The AJHL Board of Governors will be presented with alternate options for a regular season schedule format at the 2015 Semi-Annual Meeting in November. The options, including the status quo, would take effect in the 2016-2017 AJHL season.
The League will continue with its current overtime format for the upcoming season. The innovative 3-on-3 format combined with a shootout has been a popular component of the game for the past three years and is currently being explored by several leagues across North America.
The Camrose Kodiaks will host the 2015 AJHL Showcase in Camrose, Alberta. The 9th Annual Showcase will take place from October 1st – 3rd, 2015. Details surrounding the event will be released over the coming weeks, including scouting packages, tickets, volunteer opportunities and the tournament schedule.
The Lloydminster Bobcats will host the 2016 RBC Cup National Junior A Championship from May 14th – 21st, 2016.
The Grande Prairie Storm have submitted a bid to host the 2017 RBC Cup National Junior A Championship. Hockey Canada will announce the host committee at the 2015 Hockey Canada Annual General Meeting on May 29th – June 31st, 2015.
The 2015-2016 AJHL Management Committee will include Rod Knelsen (Drumheller Dragons), Wayne Lauinger (Okotoks Oilers) and Kevin Pratt (Camrose Kodiaks) as the South Division representatives. The North Division will be represented by Kyle Chase (Sherwood Park Crusaders), Ray Mildenberger (Grande Prairie Storm), and Darren Myshak (Spruce Grove Saints). Thank you to Dave Britt (Fort McMurray Oil Barons) and Paul Seaton (Brooks Bandits) for your service over the past three years.
The Alberta Junior Hockey League is currently operating under the direction of Chairman Greg Wood and Commissioner Ryan Bartoshyk. The AJHL Staff consists of Fran Gow (Vice President of Hockey Operations), Charla Flett (Vice-President, Communications), George McCorry (Vice President, Officiating), Dean Laschowski (Video Review Manager), Curtis Nichols (Supervisor of Officials) and Ken Dentzien (Referee Assignor).
The 2015 AJHL Semi-Annual Meeting will take place in Red Deer, Alberta on November 21st, 2015.