After a board vote by the 11 Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL)
franchises, the league has announced that it will become an independent league
starting 2024-25 and will no longer be affiliated with Hockey Canada or BC Hockey.
This decision was made to enhance the development opportunities for VIJHL players
and their families and to give the league greater autonomy over its future path.
“The VIJHL is pleased to announce our move to become an independent league
starting next season and to operate outside of Hockey Canada’s umbrella going
forward,” said VIJHL President Simon Morgan. “After months of hard work behind the
scenes by the ownership group of our 11 franchises, this decision to move the VIJHL
into a new space in junior hockey will allow players more opportunities for development
going forward.”
The benefits of this move for the VIJHL 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 the VIJHL, 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 Pacific Junior Hockey
League (PJHL) and the Kootenay Interior Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) for their years
of partnership and we wish them nothing but the best going forward,” said Morgan.
For more information about the VIJHL’s decision to become an independent league,
please visit our Information Hub.