The CEO of BC Hockey says he is 鈥渆xcited鈥� about the decision to reclassify the province鈥檚 three Junior B leagues to Junior A 鈥� Tier 2.
Cameron Hope fielded questions in a press conference about the decision on Tuesday, July 25 following the announcement.
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The decision affects 45 teams in three leagues: 20 in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL), 14 in the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) and 11 in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL).
There are still many details that need to be ironed out, Hope said.
One of the main things discussed is the opportunity for these newly designated Tier 2 teams to pursue Junior A - Tier 1 designation.
鈥漌e鈥檙e going to let the ecosystem settle and just be mindful of everybody鈥檚 best pathway to end up where they want to be,鈥� Hope said. 鈥淭here are going to be some changes. These three leagues operate within specific geographical footprints because of how unique B.C. is.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to maintain that for now, but there鈥檚 no question that as clubs strive quickly to become Tier 1 and be ready to take on more, there may be a reshuffle there, so we鈥檒l let it take its own path, we don鈥檛 want to force that and we don鈥檛 want to force the time either.鈥�
Hope also said he doesn鈥檛 think every franchise will want to step up and ask to be evaluated to Tier 1, partially due to increased costs associated with the enhanced standards Tier 1 designation will have, in terms of practice and travel.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to take baby steps first, we鈥檙e going to let everybody crawl, then we鈥檙e going to get them all walking and those that don鈥檛 want to walk, and certainly those that don鈥檛 want to run, have the option of staying and just saying no, we鈥檙e not going to be able to do this.
鈥淏ut we want everybody to have the opportunity. So it鈥檚 not just about raising standards and raising player experience, it is about the reality of some of the communities and some of the less-funded franchises to decide whether or not they want to take a deep breath and take a deep plunge.鈥�
Another uncertainty that still needs to be determined is the future of the Cyclone Taylor Cup, the championship these three leagues compete for each year.
鈥淚n terms of the Cyclone Taylor Cup, we鈥檙e open to suggestions on that one that鈥檚 on the list of things to figure out what to do,鈥� Hope said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a storied and historic part of B.C. Hockey and we have to figure that out.鈥�
The application for Junior A status came after the BC Hockey League decided to leave Hockey Canada to become independent, leaving a Junior A void in B.C.
Hockey Canada and the Western Hockey League (WHL), Hope said, have been very receptive to this reclassification, as it keeps a credible pathway within sanctioned hockey very soon after BCHL鈥檚 departure.
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鈥淲e have a lot of players that they hope will end up in the WHL in our system, and that development path is critical to them,鈥� he said. 鈥淯ltimately it鈥檚 not a good thing to have a big, strong branch like ours out here in B.C. not represented at the Centennial Cup and not represented nationally.
鈥淎nd so step by step, we鈥檒l get these leagues鈥n shape to knock on the door of the CJHL and be able to join that group, so they鈥檙e keenly interested.鈥�
In terms of what fans can expect this coming season when they go see their local teams play, Hope said the changes are mainly going to be things the fans don鈥檛 see.
鈥淭he things that are happening behind the scenes in terms of the standards for the player experience, which is where we鈥檙e focused here, and for that development path, are the things that are going to change,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hat will ultimately translate into players that are playing at a higher level, there鈥檒l be different standards in terms of how they鈥檙e travelling and how they鈥檙e practicing and whether or not that鈥檚 visible to the fans right away. I don鈥檛 know but it鈥檚 exciting.鈥�
paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin
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