The Manitoba Junior Hockey League and its three partner leagues, the SJHL, AJHL and BCHL have selected the community of Dauphin to host the 2014 Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup, the Canadian Junior Hockey League announced today.
“Dauphin is one of the strongest Junior A teams and communities in the CJHL and is well-deserving of the opportunity to host one of Canada's premier junior events,” said CJHL President Kirk Lamb. “The community and the leaders of the host committee have a strong track record of hosting great events, including the 2010 RBC Cup, which is widely regarded as one of the best in recent memory.”
The Western Canada Cup Championship will include a host team and the champion from each of the four western leagues. The 13-game tournament will include a round-robin schedule followed by two semifinal games and a championship game. The Western Canada Cup Champion and the runner-up will both represent Western Canada at the RBC Cup National Junior A Championship. The 2014 Crescent Point Energy WCC event will be held from April 26 – May 4.
The inaugural Crescent Point Energy WCC in 2013 will be held this spring in Nanaimo, B.C. from April 27 to May 5. The event will then rotate among the four leagues with hosts from the MJHL (2014), AJHL (2015), and SJHL (2016). A Site Selection Committee made up of representatives from the four leagues is responsible for selecting a host team annually, upon the recommendation of the host league.
“There were three solid bids from within the league membership for the right to host the 2014 Crescent Point Energy WCC,” said Kim Davis. “The winning proposal from Dauphin with its recent major event experience, strong host committee and fan/corporate support within the region bodes well for the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup as the four western Junior A leagues try to establish a winning brand presence for this major regional playoff format event.”
The Western Canada Cup regional playoff format arose amongst the four participating Junior A leagues out of a common desire to establish a major event brand presence in the west that could benefit the four leagues locally within their markets, but also more broadly across the western region of Canada. Prior to the 2012 – 2013 season the four Junior A leagues competed in two regional playoff championships with the winner in each case earning the right to participate in the national Junior A championship, the RBC Cup. The BCHL/AJHL championship was known as the Doyle Cup and the SJHL/MJHL championship was known as the ANAVET Cup.