The 2024–25 AJHL season was the 61st season of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). Competition began on 24 August 2024 with a 35-game exhibition season, followed by a 54-game regular season which ran from 13 September 2024 to 15 March 2025. The Calgary Canucks finished the regular season in first place overall, and went on to win the AJHL championship Inter Pipeline Cup and the national championship 2025 Centennial Cup. The Canucks hosted the national championship as well as the 2024 AJHL showcase.
Whitecourt Wolverines goaltender, Zac Onyskiw, was named most valuable player by the AJHL and the CJHL. The CJHL is made up of nine Junior A leagues (including the AJHL) from across Canada. Onyskiw finished the regular season with a 1.87 goals against average (GAA) and a save percentage of .939. Onyskiw and his teammate, Elliott Pratt, received the AJHL's top team goaltenders award, which is presented every year to the goalies whose team has the lowest GAA in the regular season. Pratt had a GAA of 2.56 and a .911 save percentage. The Wolverines finished the regular season with an overall GAA of 2.29.
Drumheller Dragons forward, Easton Daneault, was named rookie of the year by both the AJHL and the CJHL.
The league extended its pilot program of video goal review in select arenas that began in the 2023–24 season.
The governing body, Hockey Canada, and its four western regional affiliates – BC Hockey, Hockey Alberta, Hockey Saskatchewan and Hockey Manitoba – will pilot the Western Canadian Development Model (WCDM). Under the WCDM, junior leagues will adopt most of the Western Hockey League rulebook, excluding some sections, and restrictions on 15-year-old affiliate players in the Western Hockey League will be loosened. Players that will be 18-years of age or older in the calendar year will be allowed to choose whether to use full-face protection or half-face protection, whilst younger players will be required to use full-face protection.
The Devon Xtreme joined the league as an expansion team, bringing the total number of teams to 12. The team plays its home games in the Dale Fisher Arena, which opened in September 2024. The team hired Kelly Buchberger to be its general manager and head coach.
Similar to in years past, teams were organized into a North Division and a South Division. The surprise mid-season departure of five teams during the 2023–24 season — namely the Sherwood Park Crusaders and Spruce Grove Saints from the North Division and the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits and Okotoks Oilers from the South Division — led to the consolidation of what was left of the divisions into a single unit for the remainder of the season. The updated divisional structure for this season is as follows:
Division Team Home ArenaNorth Bonnyville Pontiacs Bonnyville R. J. Lalonde Arena Devon Xtreme Devon Dale Fisher Arena Fort McMurray Oil Barons Fort McMurray Centerfire Place Grande Prairie Storm Grande Prairie Bonnetts Energy Centre Lloydminster Bobcats Lloydminster Centennial Civic Centre Whitecourt Wolverines Whitecourt Scott Safety CentreSouth Calgary Canucks Calgary Ken Bracko Arena Camrose Kodiaks Camrose EnCana Arena Canmore Eagles Canmore Canmore Recreation Centre Drayton Valley Thunder Drayton Valley Drayton Valley Omni-Plex Drumheller Dragons Drumheller Drumheller Memorial Arena Olds Grizzlys Olds Olds & District Sports Complex
Pre-season
A 35-game exhibition season ran from 24 August to 7 September 2024.
Regular season
Teams played six matches against each of the teams in their division and four matches against each of the teams in the other division. The regular season schedule included 12 games played as part of the 2024 AJHL Showcase, an event that brings all of the teams to the host city to play in front of an audience of coaches and scouts from the NHL, CHL and collegiate institutions. It was the 18th annual showcase and it took place from 25 to 27 September 2024 in Calgary.
|+ style="background:#004990; border-top:#D31145 5px solid; border-bottom:#D31145 5px solid"| ! style=width:2.2em | Rank ! style=width:15em | Team ! style=width:2.2em | <abbr title="Games Played">GP</abbr title> ! style=width:2.2em | <abbr title="Wins">W</abbr title> ! style=width:2.2em | <abbr title="Losses">L</abbr title> ! style=width:2.2em | <abbr title="Overtime Losses">OTL</abbr title> ! style=width:2.2em | <abbr title="Shootout Losses">SOL</abbr title> ! style=width:2.2em | <abbr title="Points">Pts</abbr title> |- align=right | 1 || align=left|Whitecourt Wolverines || 54 || 36 || 12 || 3 || 3 || 78 |- align=right | 2 || align=left|Grande Prairie Storm || 54 || 30 || 17 || 1 || 6 || 67 |- align=right | 3 || align=left|Lloydminster Bobcats || 54 || 31 || 19 || 1 || 3 || 66 |- align=right | 4 || align=left|Fort McMurray Oil Barons || 54 || 24 || 26 || 3 || 1 || 52 |- align=right | 5 || align=left|Bonnyville Pontiacs || 54 || 20 || 30 || 1 || 3 || 44 |- align=right | 6 || align=left|Devon Xtreme || 54 || 11 || 39 || 2 || 2 || 26
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|+ style="background:#004990; border-top:#D31145 5px solid; border-bottom:#D31145 5px solid"| ! style=width:2.2em | Rank ! style=width:15em | Team ! style=width:2.2em | <abbr title="Games Played">GP</abbr title> ! style=width:2.2em | <abbr title="Wins">W</abbr title> ! style=width:2.2em | <abbr title="Losses">L</abbr title> ! style=width:2.2em | <abbr title="Overtime Losses">OTL</abbr title> ! style=width:2.2em | <abbr title="Shootout Losses">SOL</abbr title> ! style=width:2.2em | <abbr title="Points">Pts</abbr title> |- align=right | 1 || align=left|Calgary Canucks || 54 || 37 || 13 || 2 || 2 || 78 |-align=right | 2 || align=left|Canmore Eagles || 54 || 35 || 12 || 5 || 2 || 77 |-align=right | 3 || align=left|Drumheller Dragons || 54 || 30 || 16 || 3 || 5 || 68 |-align=right | 4 || align=left|Camrose Kodiaks || 54 || 32 || 18 || 4 || 0 || 68 |-align=right | 5 || align=left|Drayton Valley Thunder || 54 || 23 || 24 || 4 || 3 || 53 |-align=right | 6 || align=left|Olds Grizzlys || 54 || 15 || 38 || 1 || 0 || 31
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Post-season
At the end of the regular season, the top 4 teams from each division competed in the post-season for the league championship Inter Pipeline Cup. The format consisted of three play-off rounds. In the first and second rounds, teams competed within their respective divisions. The winners in each round were determined by a best-of-7 series, with the winners advancing to the next round, and the losers being eliminated from competition.
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Quarterfinal: Grande Prairie Storm v. Lloydminster Bobcats The second-place Grande Prairie Storm swept the third-pace Lloydminster Bobcats in four games to advance to the semifinal.
Quarterfinal: Whitecourt Wolverines v. Fort McMurray Oil Barons The first-place Whitecourt Wolverines defeated the fourth-place Fort McMurray Oil Barons in 4 games to 1 to advance to the semifinal.
Quarterfinal: Drumheller Dragons v. Canmore Eagles The third-place Drumheller Dragons eliminated the second-place Canmore Eagles in 7 games to advance to the semifinal.
Quarterfinal: Camrose Kodiaks v. Calgary Canucks The first-place Calgary Canucks defeated the fourth-place Camrose Kodiaks in five games to one to advance to the semifinal.
Semifinal: Grande Prairie Storm v. Whitecourt Wolverines The Grande Prairie Storm, after finishing the regular season in 2nd place in the North division, swept the first-place Whitecourt Wolverines to advance to the final.
Semifinal: Drumheller Dragons v. Calgary Canucks The Calgary Canucks swept the Drumheller Dragons in four games to advance to the final round.
Final: Grande Prairie Storm v. Calgary Canucks
National championship
The 54th annual Junior A national championship tournament was hosted by the Calgary Canucks at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary, and included the championship teams from the 9 leagues that collectively make up the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The AJHL was represented by the Canucks and Grande Prairie Storm. The Canucks defeated the Melfort Mustangs of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League to win the championship. The 2025 Centennial Cup National Junior A Champsionship tournament was hosted by the Calgary Canucks.
Round robin
Each team played each other team in their group once during the round robin phase. Three points were awarded for a win in regulation time, two points for a win in overtime or shootout, one point for a loss in overtime or shootout, and no points were awarded for a loss in regulation time.
Playoffs
Based on the results of the preliminary round robin, the quarterfinals included the Northern Manitoba Blizzard against the Rockland Nationals; and the Melfort Mustangs against the Greater Sudbury Cubs. The Nationals defeated the Blizzard, 4–0, and the Mustangs defeated the Cubs, 7–1.
The Trenton Golden Hawks and the Calgary Canucks, who placed first in their respective groups, had a bye in the quarterfinal round and advanced to the semifinals. The Canucks faced the Nationals, and the Golden Hawks faced the Mustangs. The Canucks had previously lost to the Nationals by a score of 7–2 in the preliminary round. By the 2nd period of the semifinal, the Nationals were winning, 2–0, and by the end of 3rd period, the score was tied, 2-2. The Canucks scored the game-winning goal in overtime to advance to the final.
The final was between the Canucks and the Mustangs. Notably, it was the Mustangs who eliminated the Canucks at the 2024 Centennial Cup in the semifinal, before losing in the final. This time, however, the Canucks defeated the Mustangs, 7–2, to win the championship Centennial Cup.
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See also 2024 in ice hockey 2025 in ice hockey Centennial Cup
References
Further reading
External links