Another Independent Hockey League!

Hockey as we have known it over the years is again taking a major shift with the with yet another league starting play this coming fall which will be playing out of BC’s Interior and have created their own Independent league.

As if the we need additional changes but depending on whom you talk with we’ve been told “Hockey Canada has to change several aspects of their game to get back to basics” is only one of the comments we are hearing.

Some say hockey has become “money hungry” but you can say that about several leagues not just in Canada, but other parts of the world as well as it’s now a world about money is the root of all evil.

The past years we have seen the BCHL pull out of Hockey Canada as well as the VIJHL and now are welcoming a new league to be added to that list with some wondering if and when it’ll stop

That alone is a question that continues to be asked and now the new league will naturally attract players who were unable to make and play in other leagues around the province, but why is it only happening in BC?

Eight clubs formerly of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League will operate in the newly formed league which in a statement by Brandon Buliziuk president of the Creston Valley Thunder acting as the co-spokesperson for the WIJHL mentioning “We are pleased to announce our move to create an independent league starting next season and to operate outside of Hockey Canada’s umbrella going forward.”

The 100 Mile House Wranglers, Castlegar Rebels, Chase Heat, Creston Valley Thunder, Golden Rockets, Kelowna Chiefs, Sicamous Eagles and Spokane Braves are the inaugural members of the Western International Junior Hockey League (WIJHL).

The newly-formed league, which will no longer be affiliated with the KIJHL, BC Hockey or Hockey Canada, will begin play in the fall.

Given the overall culture change with Junior Hockey in the Province following the move by the BCHL to pull out of Hockey Canada for reasons only known to the powers to be.

The past few years many in the hockey world were speculating or at least guessing as to what is on the horizon and given that the PJHL and the KIJHL are in the final stages of their playoffs any movement by either league will go down in history for hockey in BC.

One question that I asked some about was about officiating and was told that sanctioned leagues are going with the younger officials turning aside the older officials who taught the up and coming younger officials and as one put it “there’s far too much politics in today’s game and that has to change.”

Looking back to the withdrawal of the BCHL the following year the VIJHL let it known that they were also pulling out of Hockey Canada mainly due to the overall cost of travel should all three leagues join up.

Eight former members of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) have announced that they will create their own independent league starting in 2026-27, called the Western International Junior Hockey League (WIJHL), and will no longer be affiliated with the KIJHL, Hockey Canada or BC Hockey, following the end of the 2025-26 season.

The eight Founding Members of the WIJHL are the 100 Mile House Wranglers, Castlegar Rebels, Chase Heat, Creston Valley Thunder, Golden Rockets, Kelowna Chiefs, Sicamous Eagles and Spokane Braves. 

This decision was made by each individual team to enhance the development opportunities for their players and families and to give their organizations greater autonomy over their future path.

“We are pleased to announce our move to create an independent league starting next season and to operate outside of Hockey Canada’s umbrella going forward,” said Creston Valley Thunder President Brandon Buliziuk, the acting co-spokesperson. “After lengthy discussions between our eight franchises, we believe this decision to create our own league will provide our players with more opportunities for development going forward.”

The benefits of this move 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 their organizations, 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 KIJHL for their years of partnership,” said Darryl Adamson, President of the Chase Heat and acting co-spokesperson. “We wish them nothing but the best going forward.”

For more information about the creation of the WIJHL, please visit our Information Hub.

In the coming weeks, the WIJHL’s Founding Members will provide more information about the structure of the league, future partnerships, and the next steps as we prepare for the inaugural 2026/2027 season.