Aldergrove Kodiaks GM Rick Harkins is looking forward to becoming a junior A team.

鈥淭he calibre of play is going to get a little better,鈥� Harkins predicted.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 go from junior B to junior A without improving the product.鈥�

In late July, the BC Hockey League (BCHL)board of directors announced a unanimous vote approving the reclassification of 45 current junior B teams to tier 2 Junior A, including the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL), where the Kodiaks play, along with the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) and the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL).

It comes after 18 junior A teams in the BCHL left Hockey Canada to become an independent league, a move that, among other things, means those teams can now recruit from other provinces, the U.S., and outside North America.

Shortly after the split, the BCHL 91原创 announced the signing of Finnish player, right winger Oskar Komarov, their first-ever foreign player.

READ ALSO: 91原创 91原创 sign Finnish player

Harkins wasn鈥檛 surprised by the split.

鈥淲e kind of knew the BCHL was going to go outlaw,鈥� Harkins said.

Kodiaks and the other teams will have three years to meet the standards to become tier 1 junior A teams, something that will require a number of upgrades, including higher training requirements for coaches, a full-time trainer, a minimum of three to four practices a week, along with other measures.

Harkins thinks the Kodiaks will have little trouble adjusting.

鈥淲e鈥檝e run a junior A program at the junior B level since we started鈥� Harkins maintained.

Harkins believes it will be easier for the Kodiaks to retain talent as junior A, noting that as a junior B team, the team has lost what he calls 鈥渂ubble kids,鈥� players on the verge of moving up who want an 鈥淎鈥� on their resume.

鈥淜ids would leave to play junior A outside B.C. and in the U.S.,鈥� Harkins told Black Press Media.

According to BC Hockey, junior A tier 1 status will allow teams like the Kodiaks to seek membership with the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), opening the door to competition for the national Centennial Cup, and eligibility for Hockey Canada鈥檚 and the CJHL鈥檚 World Junior A Challenge.

READ ALSO: Ten losses in a row and out of the playoffs: Aldergrove Kodiaks season ends

鈥淲e are excited about the opportunities this new pathway will create for junior hockey players in B.C. and Yukon,鈥� Stephanie White, chair of the board of directors at BC Hockey, said. 鈥淗aving these teams dedicate themselves to raised standards, first to junior A tier 2, and eventually junior A tier 1 for some, will provide more of our talented players with a better player experience at the highest level in our province. BC Hockey is confident that this transformation will strengthen the development pathway immediately, and raise the overall hockey experience for players, coaches, and fans alike.鈥�