New-look PJHL involves Junior B hockey in Surrey, White Rock, Cloverdale

New-look PJHL involves Junior B hockey in Surrey, White Rock, Cloverdale

Published 11:55 am Wednesday, April 22, 2026

B.C.’s junior hockey landscape is changing again with the arrival of British Columbia Hockey Conference (BCHC), a new 22-team Junior A league launching this fall.

The BC Hockey-sanctioned BCHC will include Delta Ice Hawks and seven other teams exiting the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL), which continues as an eight-team Junior B circuit for Surrey Knights, White Rock Whalers, Cloverdale HC and other franchises.

The BCHC will rival BC Hockey League (BCHL, Surrey Eagles included), which left Hockey Canada in 2023 in a move to give players a better pathway to NCAA teams in the U.S.

The new BCHC will involve eight teams from the PJHL and 14 from Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL).

The new league aims to “build our junior hockey pathways in B.C. and to restore a strong and connected ecosystem for our leagues, teams, and junior hockey participants,” BC Hockey CEO Cameron Hope says in a post on bchchockey.ca.

“We are now positioned to return to competition for Hockey Canada’s national Junior A championship and, more importantly, to deliver a high-quality player experience for players and families.”

Alongside the launch of the BCHC, “we are just as excited to be restoring sensible pathways for junior aged hockey players with exceptional Junior B hockey in our communities,” BC Hockey’s website says.

The eight PJHL teams, which played under a temporary Junior A Tier 2 designation last season, will again compete for the Cyclone Taylor Cup as the provincial Junior B championship.

As a Junior B U20 development league, the new-look PJHL will include Abbotsford Pilots, Aldergrove Ironmen, Cloverdale HC, Mission City Outlaws, North Vancouver Wolf Pack, Port Moody Panthers, Surrey Knights and White Rock Whalers.

Asked about junior hockey changes, Surrey Knights owner John Craighead sent a statement to the Now-Leader.

“The Pacific Junior Hockey League is excited about the continued evolution of junior hockey in British Columbia following the recent announcement from BC Hockey,” the statements reads.

“Our group is energized by the opportunity to help strengthen a clear and supported pathway for players — from minor hockey through Junior B, into Junior A, and beyond to leagues such as the Western Hockey League and post-secondary opportunities including the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

“With BC Hockey’s support and a meaningful role in shaping the future, there is a real opportunity to build Junior B the right way,” league representatives said. “This is about creating a stable, development-focused environment where every level of the game has purpose and support.”

Elsewhere in B.C., eight former members of Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) announced in March they will create their own independent league starting in 2026-27. The new Western International Junior Hockey League (WIJHL) will not be affiliated with the KIJHL, Hockey Canada or BC Hockey.