After a board vote by the 11 Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) franchises, the league has announced that it will become an independent league starting 2024-25 and will no longer be affiliated with Hockey Canada or BC Hockey.
This decision was made to enhance the development opportunities for VIJHL players and their families and to give the league greater autonomy over its future path.
“The VIJHL is pleased to announce our move to become an independent league starting next season and to operate outside of Hockey Canada’s umbrella going forward,” said VIJHL President Simon Morgan. “After months of hard work behind the scenes by the ownership group of our 11 franchises, this decision to move the VIJHL into a new space in junior hockey will allow players more opportunities for development going forward.”
The benefits of this move for the VIJHL include, greater development opportunities for players through affiliation agreements with higher levels of hockey, the ability to make decisions that are in the best interest of the VIJHL, an increased player pool that will raise the level of play in the league and much more.
“We would also like to thank our former league partners in the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) and the Kootenay Interior Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) for their years of partnership and we wish them nothing but the best going forward,” said Morgan.
For more information about the VIJHL’s decision to become an independent league, please visit our Information Hub.
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