2023–24 BCHL season

2023–24 BCHL season
League	BCHL
Sport	Hockey
Duration	Regular season 22 September – 31 March Post-season 5 April – 26 May Rocky Mountain Challenge 31 May - 1 June
Number of games	54
Number of teams	17 (BC) 5 (AB)
Regular season
Season champions	Surrey Eagles (BC) Brooks Bandits (AB)
Post-season
BC champions	Surrey Eagles
BC runners-up	Penticton Vees
AB champions	Brooks Bandits
AB runners-up	Sherwood Park Crusaders
Rocky Mountain Challenge
Champions	Brooks Bandits
Runners-up	Surrey Eagles

The 2023–24 BCHL season was the 62nd season of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). The 17 teams from the Coastal and Interior Divisions played 54 scheduled games, including two games as part of the BCHL showcase, which were held in Seattle from October 22 to October 26 2023, in partnership with the NHL's Seattle Kraken. The 5 teams in the stand-alone Alberta Division, which was created mid-season, played between 65 and 69 season games.

League changes

The 2023–24 season was the BCHL's first season as an independent league, following its departure from Hockey Canada.

In an effort to limit the number of games decided by shootout, overtime was lengthened from five minutes to ten minutes. Games would still be decided by shootout if they remained tied after one period of 3-on-3 sudden victory overtime.

Team rosters must have a minimum of three players under the age of 18. Previously, they required one player under the age of 18.

Russian and Belarussian players were barred from the league.

The Wenatchee Wild folded after its owners acquired the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Winnipeg Ice and moved it to Wenatchee.

On January 20, 2024, the league announced that five teams from the Alberta Junior Hockey League would join the BCHL in the 2024-25 season, namely, the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders, and Spruce Grove Saints. The league had planned to wait until the end of the season to make the announcement, however rumours had already begun to circulate online.

The AJHL responded to the announcement by cancelling most of the five teams' remaining scheduled matches except those between each other. It was then decided that the five Alberta-based teams would play out the rest of the 2023-24 season as a stand-alone division under the aegis of the BCHL.

For the post-season, the Okotoks Oilers and Spruce Grove Saints, respectively the 4th and 5th placed teams in the Alberta division, played a best-of-5 wildcard series, with the winner advancing to the Alberta division semi-finals along with the top-3 Alberta teams. The rankings for the Alberta division were determined by winning percentage including their regular season records from the AJHL. The semi-final and final rounds each consisted of a best-of-7 series. The Brooks Bandits defeated the Spruce Grove Saints in the final round 4 games to 1.

The Surrey Eagles won the BCHL Fred Page Cup championship after defeating the Penticton Vees in 6 games. The Surrey Eagles and Brooks Bandits then met for a best-of-3 competition hosted by Brooks and branded as the Rocky Mountain Challenge. The Brooks Bandits swept the Surrey Eagles in 2 games.

Standings

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points

British Columbia

Coastal Division

TEAM NAMES	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	Pts
Surrey Eagles	54	48	8	2	0	90
Chilliwack Chiefs	54	32	17	4	1	69
Alberni Valley Bulldogs	54	33	20	1	0	67
Victoria Grizzlies	54	29	22	1	2	61
Nanaimo Clippers	54	27	23	3	1	58
Coquitlam Express	54	21	29	1	3	46
Langley Rivermen	54	19	28	7	0	45
Cowichan Valley Capitals	54	16	34	3	1	36
Powell River Kings	54	14	35	5	0	33

Interior Division

TEAM NAMES	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	Pts
Penticton Vees	54	38	10	3	3	82
West Kelowna Warriors	54	33	10	11	0	77
Salmon Arm Silverbacks	54	34	17	0	3	71
Vernon Vipers	54	33	19	20	0	68
Trail Smoke Eaters	54	28	20	6	0	62
Merritt Centennials	54	22	26	5	1	50
Cranbrook Bucks	54	20	31	3	0	43
Prince George Spruce Kings	54	16	35	3	0	35

Alberta

Alberta Division

TEAM NAMES	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	Pts
Brooks Bandits	65	58	6	1	0	117
Sherwood Park Crusaders	67	49	16	2	0	100
Blackfalds Bulldogs	68	39	22	6	1	85
Okotoks Oilers	69	38	28	3	0	79
Spruce Grove Saints	66	26	34	5	1	58

Alberta team standings are displayed separately from the rest of the BCHL on the league website.

Post-season

2024 BCHL Fred Page Cup playoffs

	First round				Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Fred Page Cup Final
	Surrey	4
	Cowichan Valley	1
					Surrey	4
					Victoria	2
	Victoria	4
	Nanaimo	1
									Surrey	4
									Alberni Valley	3
	Chilliwack	4
	Langley	0
					Chilliwack	0
					Alberni Valley	4
	Alberni Valley	4
	Coquitlam	3
													Surrey	4
													Penticton	2
	Penticton	4
	Prince George	0
					Penticton	4
					Vernon	1
	Vernon	4
	Trail	1
									Penticton	4
									Salmon Arm	3
	West Kelowna	4
	Cranbrook	3
					West Kelowna	1
					Salmon Arm	4
	Salmon Arm	4
	Merritt	2

Alberta Division

	Wildcard (Bo5)				Semifinals (Bo7)				Final (Bo7)
					Brooks	4
					Okotoks	3
	Okotoks	3
	Spruce Grove	0
									Brooks	4
									Sherwood Park	1
					Sherwood Park	4
					Blackfalds	0

Rocky Mountain Challenge

	Best of 3
	Brooks	2
	Surrey	0

Scoring leaders

GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, P = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM Caden Cranston Surrey Eagles 51 30 56 86 16 Aaron Schwartz Surrey Eagles 51 34 47 81 10 Felix Caron West Kelowna Warriors 54 31 38 69 54 Mike Murtagh Nanaimo Clippers 53 27 36 63 51 Nicholas Beneteau Alberni Valley Bulldogs 54 17 46 63 36 Michael Felsing Merritt Centennials 53 16 42 58 32 Hayden Stavroff Alberni Valley Bulldogs 46 35 20 55 82 Luke Buss Nanaimo Clippers 52 29 26 55 20 Anthony Yu Powell River Kings 53 18 37 55 16 Callum Arnott Penticton Vees 53 18 37 53 8

Leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games Played, Mins = Minutes Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, GA = Goals Against, SO = Shutouts, Sv% = Save Percentage, GAA = Goals Against Average.

Player Team GP Mins W L OTL GA SO Sv% GAA Will Ingemann Penticton Vees 32 1817 22 6 1 56 6 .919 1.85 Ajeet Gundarah Surrey Eagles 33 1904 25 6 1 68 2 .931 2.14 Andrew Ness Penticton Vees 25 1419 16 3 2 52 2 .915 '2.20 Eli Pulver Salmon Arm Silverbacks 38 2320 23 13 0 89 3 .915 2.20 Rorke Applebee West Kelowna Warriors 41 2396 24 6 8 105 3 .902 2.30

Award winners

• Brett Hull Trophy (Top Scorer): Caden Cranston (Surrey Eagles)
• Campbell Blair Trophy (Top Defencemen): Isaiah Norlin (West Kelowna Warriors)
• Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Chase Pirtle (Victoria Grizzlies)
• Bob Fenton Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike): Josh Nadeau (Penticton Vees)
• Michael Garteig Trophy (Top Goaltender): Ajeet Gundarah (Surrey Eagles)
• Wally Forslund Memorial Trophy (Best Goaltending Duo): Will Ingemann & Andrew Ness (Penticton Vees)
• Vern Dye Memorial Trophy (regular-season MVP): Caden Cranston (Surrey Eagles)
• Jeff Tambellini Trophy (Playoff MVP): Micah Berger (Surrey Eagles)
• Joe Tennant Memorial Trophy (Coach of the Year): Cam Keith (Surrey Eagles)
• Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy (Best Regular Season Record): Surrey Eagles
• Cliff McNabb Memorial Trophy (Coastal Conference champions): Surrey Eagles
• Ryan Hatfield Trophy (Interior Conference champions): Penticton Vees
• Fred Page Cup (League Champions): Surrey Eagles
• Alberta Division Champions: Brooks Bandits
• Rocky Mountain Challenge Champions: Brooks Bandits
• Jim Hughson Award (Broadcaster of the Year): Dan Marshall (Nanaimo Clippers)

See also

• 2023 in ice hockey
• 2024 in ice hockey

External links

• Official Website of the British Columbia Hockey League
• "Ottawa Senators Goalie Prospect Scores a Goal". thehockeynews.com. The Hockey News. Retrieved 13 March 2024.