OKOTOKS, Alta. – After an abbreviated 2020-21 season, the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is pleased to announce the calendar of events for 2021-22.
The League will prepare for its 58th season with the inaugural AJHL Prospects Showcase from July 23rd-25th. The three-day event will provide players with a new development experience as well as the opportunity for AJHL General Managers, Coaches and Scouts to identify and evaluate prospects.
Teams will begin Training Camps on August 20th with the 2021 Exhibition Season opening on August 27th.
The AJHL will return to 16 teams with the addition of the Blackfalds Bulldogs for the 2021-22 season. When the regular season begins on September 17th, each team will embark on a 60-game schedule, including 16 interlock games, and two regular season games at the Annual AJHL Showcase.
The 15th Annual AJHL Showcase has been awarded to the host community of Brooks, AB and the Brooks Bandits for September 30 – October 3.
The Brooks Bandits will highlight the high-level hockey AJHL fans and scouts have come to expect with the addition of a festival atmosphere.
The four-day event attracts thousands of fans and over 200 members of the scouting community from the National Hockey League (NHL), NCAA Division I, II and III schools, as well as Canadian colleges and universities and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
Immediately following the AJHL Showcase each season, the much-anticipated NHL Central Scouting ‘Players to Watch List’ is released in advance of the Annual NHL Entry Draft. Each AJHL player is measured and weighed by NHL Central Scouting as part of the player registration process at Showcase Weekend.
From December 12-18, the 2021 World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) will display international talent in Cornwall, Ontario. The WJAC is an annual under-20 tournament sponsored by Hockey Canada, the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The international tournament features six teams per year with Canada represented by two regional squads.
The 2022 CJHL Prospects Game will be held in a CJHL community in January. Players chosen to participate in the CJHL Prospects Game are selected by NHL Central Scouting and will be among the top 40 CJHL prospects heading into the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
The 2022 AJHL Playoffs begin March 4th and the prize is bigger than ever in 2022 with the AJHL Champion automatically advancing to the Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons in Estevan, Sask., from May 20-29.
The top team in each division will receive a first-round bye to begin the 2022 AJHL Playoffs.
The Viterra AJHL South Division and Viterra AJHL North Division will playoff to determine a divisional champion at the conclusion of Round Three.
The North Division Champion and the South Division Champion will then compete in the League Final.
June 26: 2021 AJHL Annual General Meeting
July 23-25: 2021 AJHL Prospects Showcase @ River Creek Arenas (Enoch, Alta.)
August 20: AJHL Training Camps Open
August 27: AJHL Exhibition Season Start
September 17: AJHL Regular Season Opening Night
September 30 – October 3: – AJHL Showcase
November TBD: AJHL Semi-Annual Meeting
December 1: CJHL Roster Cutdown
December 12-18: World Junior A Challenge @ Cornwall, Ont.
January 10: CJHL Roster Deadline
January TBD: CJHL Prospects Game @ TBD
February 27: End of AJHL Regular Season
March 4: 2022: AJHL Playoffs – Tentative Start Date
May 20-29: National Junior A Championship (NJAC) Centennial Cup @ Estevan, Sask.
A schedule for the 2021 AJHL Exhibition Season and 2021-22 Regular Season will be announced in July.