2024–25 MJHL season

2024–25 MJHL season
LeagueManitoba Junior Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationSeptember–March
Number of games58
Number of teams13
2024 draft
Top draft pickLayne Schofield
Picked byWinkler Flyers
List of MJHL seasons
2025–26 →

The 2024–25 season will be the 108th season of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), a Junior A ice hockey league in Manitoba. The league's 13 teams are organized into east and west divisions. They will play a 58-game regular season schedule beginning on 20 September 2024.[1]

Season highlights

The 2024 MJHL draft took place on 2 June 2024.[2][3] The league announced that it would discontinue the player draft in 2025. Consequently, prospects who were born in Manitoba in 2009 will be eligible to sign with any MJHL team. 2023 draft picks who remain unsigned as of August 1, 2024, and 2024 draft picks who remain unsigned as of August 1, 2025, will also be eligible to sign with any MJHL team.[4]

The governing body, Hockey Canada, and its four western regional affiliates – BC Hockey, Hockey Alberta, Hockey Saskatchewan and Hockey Manitoba – will pilot the Western Canadian Development Model (WCDM). Under the WCDM, junior leagues will adopt most of the Western Hockey League rulebook, excluding some sections, and restrictions on 15-year-old affiliate players in the Western Hockey League will be loosened. Players that will be 18-years of age or older in the calendar year will be allowed to choose whether to use full-face protection or half-face protection, whilst younger players will be required to use full-face protection.[5]

The team formerly known as the OCN Blizzard was renamed the Northern Manitoba Blizzard following a change in ownership.[6][7]


Post-season

The top 4 teams in each division at the end of the regular season will advance to the post-season, which will consist of three best-of-7 play-off rounds. The league champions will be awarded the Turnbull Trophy and will go on to compete for the national championship Centennial Cup.[8]


References

  1. ^ "MJHL announces 2024-25 regular season schedule". mjhlhockey.ca. Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Draft results". rinknet.com. RinkNet. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  3. ^ "MJHL Draft". mjhlhockey.ca. Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  4. ^ "MJHL to move away from Player Draft beginning in 2025". mjhlhockey.ca. Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  5. ^ Ewen, Steve (12 July 2024). "Feud for thought: Rivals Hockey Canada and BCHL provide duelling announcements". The Province. Postmedia. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  6. ^ Duff, Darnell (24 July 2024). "Blizzard Reveal New Name". 730ckdm.com. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  7. ^ "New Ownership for Blizzard Junior A Hockey Club". The Blizzard Junior A Hockey Club (Press release). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  8. ^ "MJHL announces 2024-25 Playoff format". mjhlhockey.ca. Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Retrieved 23 June 2024.

Further reading