It may be a warm and sunny summer solstice for many, but the Chilliwack Chiefs are already looking towards hockey season.
The Chiefs, along with the rest of the BCHL, released their official schedule ahead of the 2024-2025 hockey season on Thursday (June 20).
It’s a special one for the league, being only the second following their inaugural year of independence from Hockey Canada, and first with the five franchises from Alberta being integrated into the schedule. All 21 teams will play 54 games for a total of 567 regular-season games.
The Chiefs will kick off their season with a divisional match-up against the Coquitlam Express on Friday, Sept. 20, before hosting the Prince George Spruce Kings at the Chilliwack Coliseum for their home opener the following evening.
Among the Chiefs 54 regular-season games, the home schedule features 15 Saturday games and eight Friday games – three of which will be against the new Alberta-based franchises.
The Sherwood Park Crusaders will be the first Alberta team to make an appearance at the Coliseum for their Friday-night match-up on Oct. 11. The Blackfalds Bulldogs will be in town the following night, before the Okotoks Oilers will be in town on Friday, Feb. 28.
“We’re extremely excited for our home schedule,” said Chiefs vice president Barry Douglas. “Having three of the five Alberta teams playing in Chilliwack will be a brand new experience for our community.”
Following their announcement of independence ahead of last season, five teams from Alberta joined the league, but played solely among themselves. This year, those five clubs will now be viewed as full members of the BCHL, with a division realignment taking place prior to the schedule release to account for the new teams.
Last year, the league’s 17 B.C. teams were split into two divisions – Coastal and Interior – with the Chiefs being one of the nine teams playing in the Coastal division.
With the addition of the five Alberta teams – and the withdrawal of the Merritt Centennials to join the KIJHL – the 21-team league has been once again split into Coastal and Interior conferences consisting of 10 and 11 teams respectively.
The two conferences have been further divided into four divisions; Coastal East and West, and Interior East and West.
The Chiefs will occupy one of the five spots in the Coastal East division along with Langley, Coquitlam, Prince George and Surrey. The Alberta teams will all play within the Interior East division, with Cranbrook being the lone B.C. representative in the division.
“2024-25 is set to be a monumental season for the BCHL, in more ways than one,” said league commissioner Steven Cocker. “The full integration of our five new members, soon-to-be-announced event alliances and an elite group of incoming athletes are going to set the stage for an incredible year.
“2023-24 saw league attendance increase by 8.1 per cent year-over-year and, with our amount of prime-night games hitting a historic high, we expect continued excitement in BCHL communities.”
The Chiefs will host three exhibition games prior to the regular season with the Langley Rivermen coming to the Coliseum on Sept. 8 before the Coquitlam Express and Surrey Eagles come to town the following week, Sept. 14 and 15.