The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada, alongside the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Teams play for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, with the winner moving on to play for the Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship. WHL teams have won the Memorial Cup 19 times. The WHL is composed of 22 teams divided into two conferences of two divisions. The Eastern Conference comprises 11 teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, while the Western Conference comprises eleven teams from British Columbia and the American states of Washington and Oregon.
Kevin Lars Constantine is an American ice hockey coach who previously served as the head coach of the Wenatchee Wild of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Wenatchee Wild’s first coach in franchise history was suspended on Sept. 24, 2023, after the league received a complaint regarding his conduct and began an investigation. Constantine has coached hockey teams in the NHL, WHL, IHL, AHL and numerous major junior hockey leagues. He was also the former head coach of HC Ambri-Piotta in the Swiss National League A. He also coached the North Iowa Huskies for a brief time. From 2022 to 2023, he was the head coach of the Hungarian national ice hockey team. He left that position despite having a valid contract in summer of 2023.
The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1950 as the Edmonton Oil Kings, the team relocated to Portland in 1976 and was known as the Winter Hawks until 2009. The team plays in the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL), one of three constituent leagues of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The Winterhawks have made a record thirteen appearances in the WHL championship series—including a record-tying four straight from 2011 to 2014—winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup three times and capturing two Memorial Cup titles. They were the first American-based team to participate in and win either championship. The team plays its home games at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Calgary Hitmen are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL), hosting their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "Hitman" Hart, a professional wrestler and Calgary native, was a founding owner and the inspiration for the team's name. Established in 1994, the team has been owned by the Calgary Flames hockey club since 1997. They are the third WHL team based in Calgary, after the Centennials and Wranglers.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Lethbridge, Alberta. The Hurricanes play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, and play their home games at the ENMAX Centre. The team replaced Lethbridge's first major junior team, the Broncos, who played in the city from 1974 to 1986. When that team relocated to Swift Current, Saskatchewan, the city acquired the Calgary Wranglers franchise and the Hurricanes began play in 1987.
The Moose Jaw Warriors are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The Warriors play in the East Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, hosting games at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. The team was founded in 1980 as the Winnipeg Warriors, and relocated to Moose Jaw in 1984.
The Edmonton Ice were a junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that played two seasons in the Western Hockey League from 1996 to 1998.
The 1998–99 WHL season was the 33rd season for the Western Hockey League. Eighteen teams completed a 72-game season. The Calgary Hitmen won the President's Cup.
This is a timeline of events throughout the five decade-plus history of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
The Ed Chynoweth Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy awarded to the playoff champion of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally called the President's Cup when the league was founded in 1966, the trophy was renamed in 2007 to honour Ed Chynoweth's long service to junior hockey in Canada. The WHL champion earns a berth into the Memorial Cup tournament, Canada's junior hockey championship. The Kamloops Blazers have won the most WHL championships with six, followed by the Medicine Hat Tigers with five. The Spokane Chiefs were the first team to win the renamed trophy in the 2007–08 WHL season. The current (2023–24) holders of the Ed Chynoweth Cup are the Moose Jaw Warriors.
The Edmonton Oil Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, that play in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team, founded in 2006, shares an ownership group with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The team is the fourth WHL team based in Edmonton, and its identity connects to the original Oil Kings club, which was one of the league's founding franchises in 1966. The Oil Kings are three-time WHL champions and won the 2014 Memorial Cup.
The Wenatchee Wild were a Junior A ice hockey team. The team played its home games at the 4,300-seat Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee, Washington. The team joined the North American Hockey League as an expansion club for the 2008–09 season, and in that time they were well known for their rivalry with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. The Wild moved to the British Columbia Hockey League for 2015–16, after seeking approval from both Hockey Canada and USA Hockey for three years. In 2023, the ownership of the Wild purchased and relocated the Winnipeg Ice, a major junior Western Hockey League franchise, under the Wenatchee Wild brand, but ceased operations of their junior A team.
The Cranbrook Colts were a Junior "B" and a Junior "A" team in Cranbrook, British Columbia. They were formed in 1970 as a Junior "B" team in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. They were immediately successful, winning the league title in their first four years. The Colts jumped to the Junior "A" Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League in 1991, winning three league titles in their seven years in the league.
Maxwell Reinhart is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the NHL for the Calgary Flames.
Samson Reinhart is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Reinhart was selected second overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
The Winnipeg Ice were a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team began competing in the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the 2019–20 WHL season, and played home games at the Wayne Fleming Arena. A failure to construct a new arena for the team, a condition the league required in the move from Cranbrook, British Columbia, led to the team being sold and relocated to Wenatchee, Washington for the 2023–24 season.
Kris Knoblauch is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He had previously been the head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL).
The Cranbrook Bucks are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Western Financial Place.
The Wenatchee Wild are an American major junior ice hockey team based in Wenatchee, Washington and playing in the Western Hockey League. Founded in 1996 as the Edmonton Ice, the franchise was known as the Winnipeg Ice from 2019 until 2023, when it was purchased and relocated to Wenatchee ahead of the 2023–24 season. The Wild play in the U.S. Division of the WHL's Western Conference, hosting games at the Town Toyota Center.
The 2023–24 WHL season was the 58th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season started on September 22, 2023, and ended on March 24, 2024. The playoffs began on March 28 and ended on May 15, 2024 with the Moose Jaw Warriors winning their first Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise history and earning a spot in the 2024 Memorial Cup set to be hosted by the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League at Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan.
