Penticton Vees & Chilliwack Chiefs

March 24 - that ownership of the Penticton Vees has acquired a Western Hockey League (WHL) expansion team, beginning in the 2025-26 season, and the City of Chilliwack has been identified as a WHL expansion location for 2026-27. Vees ownership will retain its membership in the BCHL and will look to relocate in the near future, while the Chiefs organization, who had no involvement in the city's WHL expansion process, remains committed to the BCHL and has already formally indicated they will play in the league in 2025-26, expressing their commitment beyond that as well.

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The BCHL Board of Governors Annual General Meeting (AGM) May 29 and 30 in Richmond, B.C.

Education Initiatives

The governors discussed the league's new Academic Readiness Program, designed to be the gold standard for preparing student athletes for the classroom.

The program focuses on team and league mandates, academic partnerships, as well as the league's track record as the number-one producer of collegiate athletes in all of Canada. It aims to ensure every BCHL athlete has the necessary resources and support to succeed on and off the ice.

Further details about the Academic Readiness Program will be shared in a follow-up release.

League Growth

The Board of Governors discussed in detail plans to continue league growth through expansion and increase the BCHL's reach throughout Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest.

While no expansion franchise is imminent, the Governors reiterated their desire to add franchises in the near future, as well as a plan to implement a long-term growth strategy, while ensuring the on-ice product remains strong.

This will include working with current members who wish to relocate their franchise.

Executive of the Year

For the second year in a row, Trail Smoke Eaters owner and Chairman of the Board of Governors Rich Murphy was voted by his peers as the Executive of the Year.

Along with his wife Annie, the Murphys have owned the Smoke Eaters since 2016. 2024-25 was his first season as Board Chair after he was elected to the position at the 2024 AGM.

Marketer of the Year

After a tie in voting, the 2024-25 Marketer of the Year award went to two individuals - Barry Douglas of the Chilliwack Chiefs and Todd Miller of the Vernon Vipers.

Douglas started with the Chiefs organization in the 1994-95 season when he was their colour commentator on broadcasts and is now the team's Governor and Vice President of Business Operations. This is the third time he has won this award.

Miller, who is the team's Executive Vice President and Alternate Governor, has been with the Vipers organization since 2003. This is the second time he has been named Marketer of the Year, after winning last season as well.

Standards Scorecard

The Board approved several updates to the BCHL's Standards Scorecard, after gathering feedback from across the league. Introduced in 2021, the scorecard acts as a measurable to gauge team operations on and off the ice and has resulted in a significant increase of quality around the BCHL. Teams have added arena features like high-quality video boards and in-game video review capabilities, while also making improvements to team facilities like dressing rooms, team gyms and more to enhance the development resources available to BCHL athletes.

Alliance Leagues

The league approved a formal affiliation and development agreement with the Junior Prospects Hockey League (JPHL) that will facilitate player movement between the two leagues more freely, in order to provide eligible athletes with more opportunities for development and injury rehabilitation.

The BCHL is also excited to build upon a successful first year working with the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) through their affiliation agreement and will once again host them at league events next season to provide exposure in front of BCHL and other junior league scouts.

Strategic Planning

The Board passed two separate five-year strategic plans at the AGM.

The first is a five-year Communications Plan that will see the BCHL focus on investing in and modernizing communications, while also leaning on more of an analytics-based approach when it comes to decision making.

The Board also passed a five-year plan for Officiating and the Department of Player Safety, analyzing current strengths and opportunities and setting measurable goals for the future growth of both programs.

Committee Elections

The following members were elected to league committees at the AGM.

• Executive Committee
• Mike Hawes (Prince George)
  John Dewar (Cowichan Valley)
• Competition Committee
• Brendan Kenny (Spruce Grove)
  Competition Committee Chair Position Mike Hawes (Prince George)
• Franchise Committee
• David Michaud (Victoria)
  Franchise Committee Chair Position Rich Murphy (Trail)
• Marketing Committee
• Shane Muche (Langley)
• Futures Committee
• Stefanie Weber (Alberni Valley)

League Staffing

Formerly the Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner before that, Chris Hebb has shifted his role to Chief Strategic Officer, focusing on bigger picture league items as well as sponsorship.

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August 7, 2025 - BCHL extends streaming partnership with FloSports

The BCHL announced today that the league has signed a two-year extension with FloSports to remain the league's exclusive streaming partner.

All BCHL preseason, regular season and postseason games will be available to stream on the FloHockey platform for the third straight season.

Viewers can expect increased quality on the broadcast starting this season on FloHockey with new technology that allows for a higher resolution image.

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August 8, 2025 - BCHL Board of Governors announces contract extension for Commissioner Steven Cocker

The BCHL announced today that its Board of Governors has reached an agreement with Commissioner Steven Cocker on a three-year contract extension.

His current contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season, which is when the extension will kick in.

Cocker is entering his seventh season with the BCHL and his third as the Commissioner. The 34-year-old started as the league's Executive Director in 2019 and was eventually promoted to Deputy Commissioner and then Commissioner to start the 2023-24 campaign.

Hire Ian Wilson as Digital Media Specialist.

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August 19, 2025 - BCHL introduces Academic Readiness Program

The BCHL has introduced its new Academic Readiness Program, a comprehensive initiative designed to be the gold standard for preparing student athletes for the classroom and aiding them in their hockey journey.

The program consists of policies, enhanced support tools and partnerships to ensure that every BCHL athlete is academically prepared to excel in the NCAA, U Sports and beyond.

Athlete Development Alliance

The BCHL has partnered with the Athlete Development Alliance (ADA) to act as the league's academic consultants. ADA's Dr. Richard Wolfe will work with the BCHL's stable of team academic advisors and coaches, ensuring they are provided with the necessary support and resources to continue mentoring athletes when it comes to their education.

Partnerships

The BCHL is partnering with American Public University System (APUS) and Thompson Rivers University (TRU) to give athletes access to convenient and affordable higher education opportunities, allowing them to continue their academics after high school, but before moving on to their college or university hockey careers.

In addition to the post-secondary partnerships, the league is also working with virtual high schools to accommodate younger athletes who are not able to attend brick and mortar schools.

Bylaws

In January 2025 at the league's Semi-Annual Meeting, the Board of Governors approved several changes to the league's bylaws to ensure teams are providing the necessary academic support and resources for athletes to succeed academically. These changes ensure accountability, structure and consistent support for all athletes across the league. Bylaw updates include:

• Team-submitted academic plans
• Team-submitted academic schedules and study time
• NCAA Clearinghouse registration and compliance deadlines
• Enrollment requirements and testing
• Enhanced tutoring support
• Athlete academic reporting (Grade Point Average, academic schedule, attendance record)
• Compliance and accountability

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September 17, 2025 - BCHL and Rogers extend partnership for three years

The BCHL and Rogers have extended their partnership for the next three years, the league announced today.

Rogers will now have naming rights to the league championship trophy, which will be renamed the Rogers BCHL Cup, formerly known as the Fred Page Cup, starting this season. They will also continue to be highly visible throughout the BCHL with a patch on every jersey, title sponsorship of the playoffs and supporter of the Rogers BCHL Scholarship Program and Kyle Turris Community Award, while introducing new initiatives like the Volunteer of the Month award.

Fred Page, who was an integral part of the BCHL's rich history, will now be honoured as the namesake of the league's Executive of the Year award. Page, a former league executive himself, held many different roles in his BCHL tenure from 1979 to 1996, including President, Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Governors.

Overtime "No Return" Rule

The BCHL announced today that they're testing a rule called "No Return," meaning that the team that has the puck in the offensive zone will be punished if they carry the puck back out of the zone under minimal pressure.

Once possession has been established in the offensive zone, teams will not be permitted to carry the puck, or pass the puck, back outside of the zone in overtime.

If this does occur, the referee will stop play for a face-off in the offending team's zone, and they will not be permitted to execute a line change.

The rule will only remain in place for exhibition games this weekend(Sept. 12-14), and regular overtime rules will be back in place for the start of the regular season.

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ROSTERS RULES

• Maximum of 25 active roster spots, plus an additional card if a team chooses to have a third goaltender.
• Minimum of 10 Canadians. The rest of the lineup - whether Americans or players from Europe and beyond - is wide open.
• 8, 20-years-olds, with an additional 20-year-old goaltender exempt from the total.
• Minimum of 4 rookies, defined as players with less than 30 games played at a similar junior level. To access the maximum 26-player roster, at least 2 skaters must be born between 2007 and 2009.
• There's no ceiling on 16-year-olds - meaning a team that wants to lean heavily into youth development is free to do so.

TIE-BREAKER CRITERIA:

WITH RESPECT TO PLAYOFFS, FOR PURPOSES OF DETERMINING THE TOP TEAMS, THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA SHALL BE USED UNTIL THE TIE IS BROKEN:

1. The Team having the most POINTS.
2. The Team having the most WINS.
3. Team Having the Most WINS IN GAMES vs EACH OTHER
4. The team having the most POINTS IN GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER
5. The Team having the best GOALS FOR AND AGAINST IN GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER. (by taking the goals for and subtracting the goals against in games between the teams)
6. Should teams remain tied after the above tie breakers, the team with the MOST POINTS EARNED in games involving DIVISIONAL OPPONENTS ONLY will be used to determine the DIVISIONAL STANDINGS. (This tie-breaker only applies in determining divisional standings)

PLAYOFF FORMAT:

THE 2026 SHAW BCHL PLAYOFFS, WILL ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING STRUCTURE:

The top four teams from each of the league's four divisions will qualify for the postseason. Four teams will not make the playoffs - lowest seed from each Division, all series are a "Best-Of-Seven".

• ROUND ONE: Each division will qualify the four top teams. They will play, with-in each division, based on the following seeding: 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3.
• ROUND TWO: The two remaining teams, of each division, will play each other for the division title.
• ROUND THREE: The division winners will then play in their respective conference final, Cliff McNabb Trophy for the Coastal and Ryan Hatfield Trophy for the Interior.
• ROUND FOUR: Each conference champion will then play for the Fred Page Cup, BCHL Championship.