The 2024–25 KIJHL season was the 58th season of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. The regular season began on September 20, 2024, with 18 of 21 franchises in action on opening night, the Kelowna Chiefs and defending champions the Revelstoke Grizzlies started the season the next night while the Ghostriders started their season the following Friday night. The only rematch of the 2024 Teck Cup Finals occurred on December 7, 2024, in Revelstoke, with the Grizzlies winning 4–3 in a shootout. The season was played until February 22, 2025. The playoffs began a week later on February 28, 2025, with 16 teams competing for the Teck Cup.
League changes
The first major off-season change occurred on March 22, 2024, when the KIJHL's board of governors approved the sale of the Summerland Steam to a new ownership group including Tyrel and Robin Lucas, Parnell Pinette, Brad Paddison, Gerald Overton, and Aaron and Nathan Zurak. The new ownership moved the team to Williams Lake where they became the Williams Lake Mustangs, a moniker previously used by the RMJHL team that played from 1978 to 1996.
On March 31, 2024, the league announced that the Merritt Centennials, formerly of the BCHL, would join the KIJHL as an expansion franchise in the 2024–25 KIJHL season. The franchise will retain the Centennials moniker, colours, arena and branding.
The second relocation of the 2024 off-season occurred five days later when the North Okanagan Knights were sold to a Quesnel-based ownership group who moved the team north, expanding the league footprint by 100 kilometres into the Cariboo region where they would be rebranded as the Quesnel River Rush.
The Kelowna Chiefs were sold to Kelowna businessman Darren Tymchyshyn.
On May 5, Rebels' forward Nathan Jackman was killed in a car accident. Nate's number 23, was retired on September 20 at the Rebels home-opener. Jasper Tait, who started the season with William's Lake before being traded to Grand Forks, and Caden Still of the Nelson Leafs, have changed their numbers to 23 to honor Nate.
On December 2 the Nelson Leafs fired head coach/general manager Briar McNaney after the team's 12-11-0-0 start to the season that saw six different goaltenders play. Assistant Coach Gianni Mangone would be promoted to the role of head coach for the remainder of the season.
Regular season
On July 3, 2024 the KIJHL announced the regular season schedule as well as the new division format in the Okanagan Conference, the Revelstoke Grizzlies and Sicamous Eagles would move from the Doug Birks Division to the Bill Ohlhausen joining the Centennials, Chiefs, Coyotes, and Posse. While the River Rush and Mustangs would take their spots in the Doug Birks along with the Storm, Heat, and Wranglers. The KIJHL season was 44 games long for each team. The KIJHL erroneously reported that each team would play 10 out-of-conference games but in reality the 10 clubs in the Kootenay would in fact play 11. Each team's schedule can be broken down as follows:
Neil Murdoch Division 1 game against each Doug Birks team (5 total: 5 away) 1 game against each Bill Ohlhausen team (6 total: 6 home) 2 games against all-but-one Eddie Mountain team (9 total: 4 home, 5 away) 6 games against the other Neil Murdoch teams (24 total: 12 home, 12 away) Eddie Mountain Division 1 game against each Doug Birks team (5 total: 5 home) 1 game against each Bill Ohlhausen team (6 total: 6 away) 2 games against all-but-one Neil Murdoch team (9 total: 5 home, 4 away) 6 games against the other Eddie Mountain teams (24 total: 12 home, 12 away) Doug Birks Division 1 game against each Neil Murdoch team (5 total: 5 home) 1 game against each Eddie Mountain team (5 total: 5 away) 2 games against each Bill Ohlhausen team (12 total: 6 home, 6 away) 5 or 6 games against the other Doug Birks division teams (22 total: 11 home, 11 away) Bill Ohlhausen Division 1 game against each Neil Murdoch team (5 total: 5 away) 1 game against each Eddie Mountain team (5 total: 5 home) 2 games against each Doug Birks team (10 total: 5 home, 5 away) 4-5 games against the other Bill Ohlhausen teams (24 total:12 home, 12 away)
The season began on September 20
Standings +Team32930671911424928104262172130 42261620541871582916244036110157 -4711227433119170 -513364171224117 107301130631761156119231140142190 -4815214438126171 -459321221104216 -112337317019299 9332714691731096426133257146122 2422166050163146 1719211342161188 -2715262133117182 -6525151354166149 1725181051155141 1419193341167186 -1915223437156193 -3712292127112178 -66
x-Clinched Playoffs xy-Clinched Division xyz-Clinched Conference xyzp-Clinched best regular season record e-Eliminated from playoff contention
BCHC Prospects game
The BCHC prospects game was the third edition of the game, a matchup between the best young players in the KIJHL and PJHL who formed the BCHC on September 22, 2022. The game is used to showcase the best talent in the league to higher leagues, including the WHL. The Langley Trappers of the PJHL hosted the 2024 game on November 19 at the George Preston Rec. Centre. The team staff was announced on October 30, team KIJHL's head coach was once again Dave Hnatiuk of the Grand Forks Border Bruins, who was the head coach of the team at the two previous games. The assistant coaches were Nick Deschenes of the Kelowna Chiefs, Chad Scharff of the Fernie Ghostriders and Geordie Wudrick of the Creston Valley Thunder Cats. Stephen Piccolo of the Beaver Valley Nitehawks was the team's operations manager and Brian Burdikin, of the Border Bruins, was the athletic trainer and equipment manager. Team PJHL was coached by Cullen Revel (Richmond Sockeyes), Andy Liboiron (Surrey Knights), Jarrett Craig (Abbotsford Pilots) and Caymen Froude (Coastal Tsunami), the team's co-Operations Managers were Derek Bedard (Ridge Meadows Flames) and Will Kump (Richmond Sockeyes). Jordana Robinson (Langley Trappers), Steve Sun (Port Moody Panthers) and Kristalee Walchuk (Abbotsford Pilots) formed the PJHL's Athletic Training & Equipment Management staff. Rosters were announced November 6. Many fans of both the KIJHL and PJHL voiced their displeasure with the concept of the game as many felt that either an inter-league all star game or a Kootenay Conference VS Okanagan Conference all star game would be more enjoyable to watch, especially after the PJHL announced an all-star game of their own, proving that it was possible to have both and all-star game alongside the prospects game.
Rosters +Team KIJHLTeam PJHLPlayerTeamPlayerTeamGoaltendersBrenner FyfeKamloopsJosh ValleeRidge MeadowsMichael MakowskySicamousArmaan KailaRichmondDefencemenAaron ZulinickKamloopsTyler BlatzRidge MeadowsBrett Woodard100 Mile HouseMiller BruckshawDeltaKeiran ThibaultKamloopsNoah Marshall ChilliwackBen FilipponeCastlegarLachlan StaniforthChilliwackRhett SerfasMerrittRyan HoweLangleyLevi DewittSicamousNathan GrayRichmondForwardsAsher LucasWilliams LakeLucas DavidsonNorth VancouverLuca D'AmoreKamloopsCody JohnstonAbbotsfordPhoenix FlettGrand ForksBeaudy BeaudinRichmondBerkley GrossCreston ValleyJesse BrideauChiliwackDylan RuffMerrittLukas JakubecDeltaJaden Rusznack100 Mile HouseJonah UssherWhite RockRyker RougeauGrand ForksMax ShinRichmondClayton GillmoreSicamousOliver NottinghamCoastalNoah PaulsenKamloopsDalton TomaRidge MeadowsKaelen SwansonWilliams LakeDeegan HoldingChilliwackBrayden RotachCastlegarAvraham BrownLangleyLuke DaviesKimberleyNick KovichRichmond Aaron Zulinick was named the KIJHL's player of the game. Whilst Cody Johnston received the honor for team PJHL.
Awards On November 12, 2025 the KIJHL announced the 'Wayne March General Manager of the Year award' to join the existing annual awards. The award was named after Sicamous Eagles co-founder and general manager who died on September 18, 2025. The first recipient of the award was Brad Anstey, General Manager of the Merritt Centennials. +AwardEddie Mountain WinnerNeil Murdoch WinnerBill Ohlhausen WinnerDoug Birks WinnerKIJHL Overall WinnerMost Valuable PlayerTaylor Haggerty (Fernie)Levi Astill (Grand Forks)Tyson Horiachka (Princeton)Ethan Davey (100 Mile House)Levi Astill (Grand Forks)Top ScorerTaylor Haggerty (Fernie)Levi Astill (Grand Forks)Matthew Langdon (Princeton)Ethan Davey (100 Mile House)Levi Astill (Grand Forks)Top DefencemanEric Martin (Fernie)Russell Kosec (Grand Forks)Grady Sterling-Ponech (Princeton)Declan Pocock (Williams Lake)Eric Martin (Fernie)Top GoaltenderBrendan Smith (Creston Valley)Connor Stojan (Beaver Valley)Kael Svenson (Sicamous)Brenner Fyfe (Kamloops)Kael Svenson (Sicamous)Rookie of the YearLuke Davies (Kimberley)Brandon Gray (Grand Forks)Sam Giangualano (Merritt)Asher Lucas (Williams Lake)Asher Lucas (Williams Lake)Most Sportsmanlike PlayerPeter Godley (Columbia Valley)Hunter Hansen (Beaver Valley)Scott Dyck (Osoyoos)Cash Anderson (Quesnel)Cash Anderson (Quesnel)Coach of the YearDerek Stuart (Kimberley)Dave Hnatiuk (Grand Forks)Wes McLeod (Merritt)Levi Stuart (100 Mile House)Dave Hnatiuk (Grand Forks)General Manager of the YearDerek Stuart (Kimberley)Terry Jones (Beaver Valley)Brad Anstey (Merritt)Levi Stuart (100 Mile House)Brad Anstey (Merritt)
Playoffs
The 2025 'Quest for the Teck cup' began on February 28, 2025 with the top four teams in each division making the playoffs, 1st played 4th and 2nd played 3rd in the division semi-finals. The winners met in the division final. The winners of those series met in the conference finals (Eddie Mountain V Neil Murdoch in the Kootenay and Doug Birks V Bill Ohlhausen in the Okanagan/Shuswap). The winners of the conference finals met in the Teck Cup Final. All series were best-of-seven with games 1, 2, 5, and 7 being hosted by the team with the superior regular-season record. This format, which was also used last year, was the same format as the previous season's for the first time since the 2018 and 2019 playoffs. The Grand Forks Border Bruins cruised to their first ever title with a 16–1 record including a ten-game winning streak to start the playoffs.
Mowat Cup
The Mowat Cup is the British Columbia Jr. A hockey championship between the champions of all the leagues in BC, a new format for the competition was required as the previous format of the winners of the KIJHL, PJHL, and VIJHL plus a fourth host team would no longer be feasible due to the VIJHL becoming an independent league as an affiliate for the BCHL in a manner similar to Jr. B. An announcement was made on February 27, the new format will be a best-thee-of-five series between the league champions of the KIJHL and PJHL, the PJHL champion, Ridge Meadows Flames will host games one and two with the KIJHL champ hosting games three, four and five. However, due to the ice being removed from the arena in Maple Ridge, the games hosted by the Flames were relocated to the George Preston Rec. Centre in Langley home of the PJHL's Trappers and the BCHL's Rivermen.
Game 1 Grand Forks @ Ridge Meadows
Game 2 Grand Forks @ Ridge Meadows
Game 3 Ridge Meadows @ Grand Forks
Game 4 Ridge Meadows @ Grand Forks
References
Further reading
External links
Official KIJHL website