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A Guide to Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Teams | LeoVegas

Canadian Hockey League Teams

Ice hockey, commonly known as hockey in North America, originated in Montréal, influenced by Indigenous stick-and-ball games and British sports like bandy and shinty. The first recorded indoor game was played in 1875, laying the foundation for the fast-paced sport we know today.

Once a purely winter pastime, advancements in artificial ice now allow for year-round play from coast-to-coast. Widely regarded as Canada’s greatest contribution to global sports, hockey continues to thrive at all levels, from backyard rinks to the professional stage.

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The Canadian Hockey League holds up the country’s hockey heritage by continually supporting a competitive and accessible playing field for teenagers who are vying to play the sport professionally. In Canada, and through some teams in the US, the CHL is the final proving ground before the judgement of the NHL Entry Draft is upon them.

In this guide, we’ll delve into the structure of the CHL, some of its most prominent teams, and go deep into how the CHL has continued to pump talent into the ranks of the NHL and the international hockey scene.

The Canadian Hockey League: An Overview

History and Founding of the CHL

The CHL came into being as a way to standardize how players were paid across the major junior hockey leagues (WCHL, OMJHL, and QMJHL). On top of this, the founding member leagues wanted to be able to represent the interests of their players, rather than agents, and formulate a method of getting development fees from pro clubs.

There was also a need to get the NHL and the World Hockey Association to come to terms with a way to draft top talent rather than engage in bidding wars. When the WHA folded in 1979, it created a clearer path for major junior players from CHL leagues to advance to the NHL.

Structure of the League: WHL, OHL, and QMJHL

The CHL oversees three leagues of equal standing. There’s the Western Hockey League (formerly the WCHL) based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The Ontario Hockey League (formerly the OMJHL) covers 17 teams in Ontario as well as a few from the US.

Formerly the Québec Major Junior Hockey League, what is now the Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, covers teams from the provinces of Québec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick. It also previously included teams from the US and Newfoundland.

Each league operates its own competition to play through the season and culminates in crowning a playoffs winner. With those champions decided, the CHL puts on a four-team round-robin tournament called the Memorial Cup. This top CHL competition features the champions of the OHL, WHL, QMJHL, and the selected host team.

Key Differences Between the Three Divisions

The key differences between the three divisions of the CHL are the sizes of the leagues and their geographical coverage. Over on the western side of North America, the WHL features 22 teams. The OHL, based in Ontario, has 20 teams, while the QMJHL includes 18 teams from four eastern provinces.

Western Hockey League (WHL) Teams

Introduction to the WHL: Hockey’s Western Frontier

In the WHL, 22 teams compete for the Ed Chynoweth Cup through a four-division, two-conference structure that features a playoffs to determine the league champion. The two conferences are split geographically, with British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington-based teams being in the Western Conference and Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan-based teams competing from the Eastern Conference.

Top Teams in the WHL and Their Histories

The Calgary Hitmen: A Legacy of Strength

Named for the professional wrestler and Calgary native Bret “Hitman” Hart, the Calgary Hitmen were formed in 1994 and rapidly found success after being purchased by the NHL’s Calgary Flames in 1997. In 1999, they became the first team from Calgary since the 1920s to make it to the Memorial Cup, but couldn’t quite get over the line. In 2010, they had another crack at the top CHL prize.

Edmonton Oil Kings: The Rising Stars of Alberta

Seeing the success of the Flames’ major junior team, the Calgary Hitmen, the Edmonton Oilers decided to get in on the game. In 2006, the opportunity arose to do so, with the WHL needing to expand by one more team alongside the new Chilliwack Bruins. So, the owners of the Oilers jumped in to form the Edmonton Oil Kings. Since then, the Oil Kings have gone on to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup thrice and took home the Memorial Cup in 2014.

Portland Winterhawks: Innovators of the Ice

The team that’s now the Portland Winterhawks was actually the original rendition of the Edmonton Oil Kings founded in 1950. The team moved to Portland in 1976 and has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success since. In 1982, 1998, and 2013, the Winterhawks claimed the Ed Chynowyth Cup. Two of those were followed up by becoming CHL champions and hoisting the Memorial Cup.

Unique Characteristics of WHL Hockey

Perhaps the most unique characteristic of the WHL is its prevalence of US-based teams. In the league as it stands, five teams in the Western Conference hail from Washington and another one comes from Oregon. This is despite there only being one team from Manitoba in the WHL – the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Teams

The OHL: The Heart of Hockey in Central Canada

Located in the relatively central province of Ontario, home to Canada’s capital, Ottawa, and its largest city, Toronto, the OHL has long been a hotbed for hockey talent.

It also draws in teams from nearby states in the US, including the Erie Otters of Pennsylvania and the Flint Firebirds and Saginaw Spirit of Michigan. Across four divisions and two conferences of an even split from 20 teams, the winners of the playoffs claim the J. Ross Robertson Cup.

Prominent Teams in the OHL

London Knights: Champions and Contenders

The London Knights were founded in 1965, but it wasn’t until the turn of the millennium that the team started to win trophies. This surge was catalyzed by the team's purchase in 2000 by former NHLers Basil McRae, Dale Hunter, and Mark Hunter. By 2005, the London Knights had won the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the first time in the team’s history and flew on to win the Memorial Cup. They repeated the feat in 2016 and added OHL titles in 2013, 2016, and 2024.

Ottawa 67’s: Tradition and Talent Combined

In a move that brought major junior hockey back to the capital city in the most meaningful way, the new OHL team was granted its expansion during the centennial year of Canada, taking the date as their team name. The Ottawa 67’s have seen many of their players go on to enjoy tremendous success in the NHL and even get into the Hockey Hall of Fame, but the team’s last all-conquering efforts to land the Memorial Cup were back in 1984 and 1999. In the latter, the 67’s hosted the Cup and beat the domineering Calgary Hitmen of the WHL in the final.

Windsor Spitfires: A Story of Resilience

Another storied OHL team, the Windsor Spitfires have been around since the 1970s, moving up to Tier I Junior A competition from Tier II for the 1975/76 season. However, it wasn’t until 2008/09 that the team truly found its footing – with the exceptions of the OHL triumph in 1988. In 2009, the Windsor Spitfires won the J. Ross Robertson Cup and the subsequent Memorial Cup, did the same in 2010, and won the 2017 Memorial Cup as the host team.

Player Development and Success in the OHL

The OHL has a grand legacy of developing some of the greatest talents the CHL and even the NHL has ever seen. Wayne Gretzky came through the ranks of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Connor McDavid tore up the OHL with the Erie Otters, and Patrick Kane forged his sniping skills for the London Knights.

Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Teams

The QMJHL: Québec’s Contribution to Hockey Excellence

Formerly the Québec Major Junior Hockey League, the QMJHL changed its name and logo to encompass its inclusion of teams from the Maritime provinces. It’s the smallest of the CHL leagues with 18 teams split unevenly into a ten-team and an eight-team conference. The champions of the QMJHL are given the Gilles-Courteau Trophy and, over the last couple of decades, those league winners have become quite the force in the Memorial Cup.

Notable Teams in the QMJHL

Halifax Mooseheads: Fostering Future Stars

Based in Nova Scotia, the Halifax Mooseheads were the first team to enter the QMJHL from the Atlantic provinces, and it took them less than a decade to make it to the finals of the Gilles-Courteau Trophy. With five finals in total, the Mooseheads have won the QMJHL once, which was in 2013. That year, they also won the Memorial Cup. The team has become well known globally for their ability to foster talent, as shown by them bringing through overseas stars like Timo Meier, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Jakub Voráček.

Québec Remparts: Icons of the Ice

Few QMJHL teams can match the legendary run of the Québec Remparts in the 1970s. In 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, and 1976, the Québec Remparts won the Gilles-Courteau Trophy – a dynasty that commenced just a couple of years after the team’s 1969 founding. One of those triumphs, the one in 1971, also led to them winning the Memorial Cup. The franchise went dormant in the 1980s, returned, and then ceased operations in 1994. In 1997, the Beauport Harfangs, founded in 1990, relocated to Québec City and became the Québec Remparts.

Saint John Sea Dogs: The Underdog Heroes

The Saint John Sea Dogs are a relatively young team, having been founded in New Brunswick in 2005. In 2011, the underdogs made their mark. They flew to a record 58 wins in the 2010/11 season, landing them the Gilles-Courteau Trophy. They carried that momentum into the Memorial Cup to become the first team from the Atlantic provinces to win the CHL. In 2022, they won the Memorial Cup again after winning the QMJHL a couple more times in 2012 and 2017.

How the QMJHL Stands Out in Style and Play

Where the OHL and WHL are better known for having an emphasis on their more pro-like style of play, with an emphasis on good defensive fundamentals, the QMJHL tends to go the other way. QMJHL teams are well-known for their offensive style, which helped the league win four successive Memorial Cups convincingly from 2018 to 2023 (the 2020 and 2021 Memorial Cups were cancelled).

Star Players and Alumni: CHL’s Contribution to the NHL

From Juniors to Pros: The CHL’s Role in NHL Development

Each year, a significant number of CHL players compete on teams contending for the Stanley Cup. To commence the 2024/25 season, 50 percent of the players on initial rosters were from the CHL, numbering 390 on opening night. Plus, at the 2024 NHL Draft, 88 more CHL players were picked by teams in the NHL.

Legends Who Began in the CHL

Sidney Crosby: From QMJHL Star to Global Icon

In the 2003 Midget Draft of the QMJHL, Sidney Crosby was taken first overall by the Rimouski Océanic and returned a goal and two assists in his very first game. He’d end that season with 54 goals and 135 points. The next season, he put up an inordinate count of 66 goals and 168 points, earning him the first overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft. From there, he’s won the Hart Memorial Trophy twice, hoisted the Stanley Cup three times, won gold for Canada at the 2010 Olympics in emphatic fashion, and became the face of the NHL.

Connor McDavid: OHL Phenom Turned NHL Superstar

Connor McDavid’s path to the top was noticed early by Hockey Canada, which granted him “exceptional player status” to let him play in the OHL at the age of 15. Picked by the Erie Otters, he scored 66 points in his first season and 99 in his second. His third was cut short by injury, which only let him play 47 games – during which, he scored 120 points. Naturally, the Edmonton Oilers picked McDavid first overall in 2015. His insane rate of scoring – which has won him five Art Ross Trophies already – has some wondering if the 28-year-old will take down some of Gretzky’s long-standing records.

The CHL Draft: A Glimpse at Tomorrow’s Talent

While prospects can develop rapidly seemingly out of nowhere in the CHL, the individual league drafts across the CHL can be good indicators of the quality of talent coming through and potential Calder Trophy winners. Plus, teams get to pick up to two players from the CHL Import Draft to develop top talents from overseas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Canadian Hockey League (CHL)?

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is the ruling organization of Canada’s three major junior hockey leagues, which are the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL. At the end of the season, the CHL hosts the Memorial Cup, which pits the champions of each league and a host team against each other to find its CHL champion.

How are CHL teams different from NHL teams?

CHL teams are all major junior hockey teams, meaning that only 16 to 20-year-olds can compete in the leagues. In the NHL, a professional major league, there isn’t a cap on how old players can be.

Which CHL division is considered the strongest?

Generally speaking, the OHL is considered the stronger of the CHL divisions, but QMJHL teams have won four of the last five Memorial Cups as of the start of the 2024/25 season, and WHL teams have more Cup wins since the formation of the CHL.

What are some must-watch CHL games or rivalries?

As the CHL leagues are more localized, many great must-watch rivalries dot the calendar each year. Among the ones to class as must-watch meets, you could point to the Halifax Mooseheads vs Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL), Portland Winterhawks vs Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL), and the London Knights vs Kitchener Rangers (OHL).

How do players transition from the CHL to the NHL?

Players transition from the CHL to the NHL via the annual NHL Entry Draft. Some will immediately join the NHL team that picked them, while others will be sent back to their CHL team for further development. Players can also leave the CHL ranks undrafted, to be picked up later.

How many hockey leagues are there in Canada?

There are over 80 hockey leagues in Canada, spanning university, junior, major junior, senior, women’s, professional, and semi-professional ranks.

What is the difference between the CHL and the OHL?

The difference between the CHL and the OHL is that the CHL is an umbrella organization that encompasses three member leagues, while the OHL is its own league within the CHL.

Is the WHL better than the OHL?

Based on wins of the Memorial Cup since the CHL was founded in 1975 – so, tracking 47 editions from 1976 – the WHL is better than the OHL with 18 wins to 16. That said, the last WHL Memorial Cup win came in 2014.

Did Connor McDavid play in the CHL?

Connor McDavid did play in the CHL. The Edmonton Oilers Captain won the CHL Top Draft Prospect Award and CHL Player of the Year Award while in the ranks of the Erie Otters of the OHL.

Who owns the CHL?

The CHL is owned by the 60 teams that compete within its leagues, with the current president, who oversees operations, being Dave MacKenzie.