The Okotoks Oilers are a junior A ice hockey team in the BCHL based in Okotoks, Alberta. The team plays its home games at the Viking Rentals Centre.[1] The team joined the BCHL on February 1, 2024 after defecting from the AJHL along with four other Alberta-based teams.
History
In June 2004, the AJHL board of governors approved the sale and relocation of the Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves franchise to Okotoks. The franchise was granted a one-year leave of absence in 2004–05 to prepare for its first season in its new home. Players from the 2003–04 Timberwolves team were loaned out to other AJHL and BCHL teams. Though dormant, the Oilers franchise was awarded the 2004–05 AJHL all-star game, which acted as a preview of the AJHL brand for the citizens of Okotoks.
The 2005–06 season was a success for the Oilers, as they finished with a record above .500 before losing to the Brooks Bandits in the first round of the playoffs, three games to two. The Oilers played their first season in Murray Arena while construction of their new facility was ongoing.
On January 20, 2024, it was announced that the team, along with four other AJHL teams, would join the BCHL in the 2024-2025 season.[2] The AJHL responded to the announcement by cancelling most of the five teams' remaining scheduled matches except those between each other.
It was then decided that the five Alberta-based teams would play out the rest of the 2023–24 season as a separate division under the aegis of the BCHL.[3] For the post-season, the Okotoks Oilers and Spruce Grove Saints, respectively the 4th and 5th placed teams in the Alberta division, played a best-of-5 wildcard series, with the winner advancing to the Alberta division semi-finals along with the top-3 Alberta teams. The rankings for the Alberta division were determined by winning percentage including their regular season records from the AJHL. The semi-final and final rounds each consisted of a best-of-7 series.[4] The Okotoks Oilers lost to the Brooks Bandits, 4–0, in the semi-final round.[5] Beginning in the 2024–25 BCHL season, the five Alberta-based teams, along with the Cranbrook Bucks, formed the East division of the Interior conference.[6][7][8]
