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32-547: The early 1960s saw a much different junior hockey scene in Alberta than what currently exists. The Edmonton Oil Kings were the only true Junior-A-calibre team in the province and drew most of the top talent Alberta had to offer. The Oil Kings were the Western Canadian champions from 1962 until 1966, Abbott Cup champions in 1954 and from 1960 to 1966, and Memorial Cup national champions in 1963 and 1966. In 1966,

64-714: A junior "A" ice hockey team in the North Division of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) based in Whitecourt , Alberta, Canada. The 2012–13 season was their inaugural season in Whitecourt. The Wolverines were founded on May 2, 2012, through the relocation of the St. Albert Steel from St. Albert . The team plays out of JDA Place, which has a seating capacity of 1,058. JDA Ventures Ltd.

96-700: A 4–2 loss to the Canmore Eagles on the road, with Colton Meaver scoring the Wolverines' first goal. The team would win their first game the next day against the Okotoks Oilers in overtime. Their first home had an over-capacity attendance of 1,283 on September 21. By the end of October, the team had an 11–7–1 record and was ranked 14th in the national Junior A rankings by the Canadian Junior Hockey League . The team made

128-867: A league record ten AJHL championships and won the Centennial Cup in 1995, the Canadian Championship of Junior A hockey, now known as the Royal Bank Cup. After a game on February 21, 1980, the AJHL was shaken by a tragedy. Twenty-year-old Trevor Elton, Captain of the Sherwood Park Crusaders was hit cleanly along the boards by a player on the St. Albert Saints in St. Albert . Elton landed and went into convulsions and died later that night while in hospital. On November 26, 2010,

160-771: A revolt within the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League caused several of its top clubs, the Estevan Bruins , Regina Pats , Saskatoon Blades , Moose Jaw Canucks and Weyburn Red Wings , to leave the league and join Hunter's Oil Kings in forming a new league. A seventh franchise was also added in Calgary, the Calgary Buffaloes . The Oil Kings captured back to back President's Cup titles in 1971 and 1972, however it would prove to be

192-646: Is the sponsor of the arena. The Whitecourt Wolverines junior "A" franchise was originally established for the 1976–77 season as the Fort Saskatchewan Traders . The Traders won their first AJHL championship in 1978–79, their third year in the league. After winning the championship, the team then defeated the Richmond Sockeyes of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCJHL) in five games at

224-744: The 1978–79 WHL season , but only survived one year and moved on to Great Falls. The team folded as the Great Falls Americans , then was revived as the Spokane Flyers for two seasons before folding for good. A new WHL team began play in Edmonton in 2007–08, reviving the Oil Kings name. The Oil Kings played in the following leagues during its existence: Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against During this period

256-523: The BCHL in the 2024–25 season . Following the announcement, the teams' remaining AJHL games for the 2023–24 season were cancelled, and nearly all trace of the five departing teams, including statistics for the current and previous seasons, had been removed from the AJHL website. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams organized into 2 divisions; the North Division and the South Division. Following

288-762: The Doyle Cup , before falling to the Prince Albert Raiders in six games at the Abbott Cup , the eventual national champions at the 1979 Centennial Cup . The Traders won their second league championship in 1983–84. Due in part to financial difficulties and low attendance, the AJHL approved a deal on March 15, 2007, to relocate the Traders to St. Albert for the 2007–08 season, ending the Traders' 31-year run in Fort Saskatchewan . The team

320-862: The Edmonton Maple Leafs , the Lethbridge Sugar Kings , Calgary Cowboys , and the Calgary Buffaloes . The Edmonton Safeway Canadians and Maple Leafs later merged in 1971 to become the Edmonton Mets, then moved to Spruce Grove to become the Spruce Grove Mets in 1974. They lasted only three seasons in Spruce Grove; however, they won the AJHL title twice, and the Manitoba Centennial Trophy in 1975. In 1976, they moved again to become

352-550: The Fort McMurray Oil Barons and Drayton Valley Thunder played the first modern-era regulation outdoor junior hockey game, at MacDonald Island in Fort McMurray . The game was known as the "Northern Classic". The 5,000 tickets available for the game sold out in less than an hour, and consequently broke the league attendance record of 4,400. A new attendance record was set in 2017 as 5,989 fans watched

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384-555: The Portland Winter Hawks . A second incarnation of the team played only one season in 1977–78 before moving to Great Falls, Montana . The Alberta Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) sought to combine the best players from the Edmonton Junior Hockey League into a Western Canada Junior Hockey League (WCJHL) team. An Edmonton team was formed for the 1950–51 season, but was denied entry since

416-678: The St. Albert Saints , where they won three more league titles. In 2004, the team returned to Spruce Grove as the Spruce Grove Saints . This well-travelled franchise has sent over 30 players into the National Hockey League (NHL), including Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier . One of the AJHL's most famous franchises, the Red Deer Rustlers , joined the league in 1967, capturing the championship in their first season. The Rustlers had attempted to join

448-704: The Western Canada Junior Hockey League , but were blocked by the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association , and instead placed in the AJHL. In 1971, the Rustlers captured the first Manitoba Centennial Trophy as national Junior A champions. The Rustlers, who featured all six Sutter brothers who would go on to the NHL, won eight AJHL titles and two Centennial Trophies during their existence. They were expelled from

480-718: The AJHL champ played for the Doyle Cup against the champion of the British Columbia Hockey League . The winner of the Doyle Cup then advanced to the national championship tournament. From 2013 to 2017, instead of the Doyle Cup, the AJHL playoff winner participated in the Western Canada Cup . Teams from the AJHL have captured the Centennial Cup 11 times, as Canadian Junior A champions. The championship trophy had previously been named

512-757: The Manitoba Centennial Trophy (1971–1994), and the Royal Bank/RBC Cup (1996–2019). As of 2006, nearly 200 AJHL alumni have gone on to play in professional leagues. Among them: Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) The Edmonton Oil Kings were a Canadian junior ice hockey team, and founding member of the Western Hockey League . They played at Edmonton Gardens in Edmonton , Alberta, and later Northlands Coliseum . In 1976, they moved to Portland, Oregon to become

544-479: The Oil Kings helped create the Western Hockey League . The issue in 1964 was that there were hundreds of junior-calibre players in the province, but really only one team to play for. A group of business and hockey people got together in 1964 and decided to form a Junior "A" league in an attempt to truly develop Alberta hockey. The original league consisted of the Edmonton Safeway Canadians ,

576-512: The Oil Kings were a junior team playing their regular season in the senior -aged Central Alberta Hockey League . During the 1963–64 season, the Oil Kings also played an interlocking schedule of 14 games total against the seven teams in the original Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League . The results for the 1964–65 and 1965–66 CAHL regular seasons are unavailable. Hockey Hall of Fame NHL 1st round draft picks Oil Kings Heritage Whitecourt Wolverines The Whitecourt Wolverines are

608-668: The Okotoks Oilers and Spruce Grove Saints play the last game at Northlands Coliseum . On May 2, 2012, the AJHL approved a request from the St. Albert Steel to relocate the team from St. Albert to Whitecourt to become the Whitecourt Wolverines . On January 20, 2024, the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) announced that the Blackfalds Bulldogs , Brooks Bandits , Okotoks Oilers , Sherwood Park Crusaders , and Spruce Grove Saints would join

640-515: The WCJHL had already made its schedule. In response, the AAHA threatened not to sanction the other four Alberta-based teams in the league, but recanted and sought exhibition games for the Edmonton team. When players from Edmonton were added to the rosters of WCJHL teams, AAHA vice-president Art Potter stated that the players had not been released and faced suspension for not honouring commitments. After

672-747: The Whitecourt Wolverines. The twice relocated franchise took its team name from the then-current junior "B" Whitecourt Wolverines of the North West Junior Hockey League (NWJHL). After five years in the NWJHL, four league championships, a provincial title, and a bronze medal at the Keystone Cup , this junior "B" predecessor team folded to make way for the relocated junior "A" Wolverines. The Jr. A Wolverines played their first game on September 14, 2012, in

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704-469: The announcement in January 2024 that the Blackfalds Bulldogs , Brooks Bandits , Okotoks Oilers , Sherwood Park Crusaders , and Spruce Grove Saints would join the BCHL in the 2024–25 season , the teams' remaining AJHL games for the 2023–24 season were cancelled. An official statement from the AJHL said that it had received expressions of interest from "various partners and stakeholders" about joining

736-559: The final titles in the celebrated franchise's history, as the Oil Kings found it difficult to compete with the lure of pro hockey provided by the WHA's Edmonton Oilers . The Oil Kings moved to Portland, Oregon in 1976, to become the Portland Winter Hawks . There was a second Edmonton Oil Kings hockey team in the WHL that played only one season. The Flin Flon Bombers moved to Edmonton for

768-661: The league, however, in 1989, and formally folded in 1992 when the Red Deer Rebels joined the WHL. In 1971, the Calgary Canucks were founded following the demise of the Cowboys and Buffaloes. Today, the Canucks are the oldest franchise still operating in the AJHL. It was founded with a mandate to focus on giving Calgary-area kids a place to play while focusing on their educational needs. The Canucks have captured

800-599: The league. In April 2024, the league announced that the Devon Xtreme would join the North Division as an expansion team in the 2024–25 season . The AJHL playoff championship cup was originally known as Carling O'Keefe Cup before it began going by several other sponsored names: The winners of the AJHL playoffs then advance to the Centennial Cup tournament, which determines the Canadian Junior A champions. Historically, from 1971 to 2012 and from 2018 to 2019,

832-639: The players returned, Potter announced the team would be known as the Edmonton Oil Kings and play an exhibition schedule versus WCJHL teams. The Edmonton Oil Kings won the Memorial Cup in 1963 and 1966 as members of the senior men's Central Alberta Hockey League . The team was required to defeat the Alberta Junior Hockey League champion to earn the right to play for the national junior championship. They were also cup finalists seven different years between 1954 and 1971. In 1966, Bill Hunter ,

864-511: The playoffs at the end of their first season with a fourth-place finish in the division. The Wolverines then advanced to the division finals where they lost to the Spruce Grove Saints . Wolverines' Mathieu Guertin and Colten Mayor each won the Ernie Love Trophy, awarded annually to the AJHL's scoring champion, in the team's first two seasons, respectively. Guertin accumulated 95 points in the inaugural 2012–13 season, while Mayor

896-488: The sale and reacquired the team. Parkland Hockey Group then applied for and was granted an expansion franchise for Devon. A couple of weeks later the AJHL approved the sale of the Wolverines to Cory Masse, a local businessman. For previous teams' records, see Fort Saskatchewan Traders and St. Albert Steel . Note: GP = games played, W = wins, L = losses, OTL = overtime losses, Pts = points, GF = goals for, GA = goals against, PIM = penalties in minutes The number 22

928-467: The team's General Manager, was concerned about the state of junior hockey in western Canada. Each of the west's four provinces all had their own junior league, and Hunter felt that this put them at a disadvantage when competing nationally against the powerful leagues in Ontario and Quebec . Hunter hoped to form a unified western league to compete. Hunter's hopes became reality in the summer of 1966, when

960-415: Was renamed the St. Albert Steel , and became the second AJHL team to represent the city of St. Albert, replacing the St. Albert Saints who left for Spruce Grove in 2004. After five years in St. Albert, it was announced on March 29, 2012, that the team applied to relocate to Whitecourt for the 2012–13 season. On May 2, 2012, the move was approved and the team would remain in the AJHL's North Division as

992-419: Was retired for Elias Lachance at the start of the 2011–12 season. Lachance, who played for the Wolverines' predecessor junior "B" hockey team during its 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons, died in a car accident in 2011. The Wolverines are engaged in two programs within the community under a "Team for Success" project where players mentor young students on reading and writing, and boys through issues experienced at

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1024-579: Was the co-winner in the sophomore 2013–14 season, tying Spencer Dorowicz of the Olds Grizzlys with 75 points. Cameron Johnson is in the Whitecourt wolverines junior league same with Clover good Rioch In 2021 Brent Stark sold the team to Parkland Hockey Group affiliated with Craig Kibblewhite and Jason Fischer. In the Spring of 2024 an application was made to move the team to Devon, Alberta. Brent Stark exercised an option he had retained in

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