Ranking Canada’s Junior B Hockey League’s

A recent article written by The Junior Hockey News has created considerable discussion about the order and how the league’s are ranked. They used scouts from across Canada & the USA to create their list.

Before we get too far into this post, remember that I am a fan, not a scout, not on any board for a team or league, just a fan. This post is meant to create discussion.

Limitations

First let’s talk limitations of this research. Junior B (or Junior AA in Quebec) have varying purposes, goals, visions, and missions, on top of various guidelines and regulations that are set up by the league and the provincial governing body. For example, how Jr B leagues are run in British Columbia is vastly different from how they are conducted in Ontario and Quebec. Therefore conducting such rankings is full of nuances and is complex, because leagues are not generalized.

Second, despite some leagues having good reputations, their information about commitments, CHL (WHL, OHL & QMJHL) signings and drafts are limited on their website, therefore making it extremely difficult to find such movements.

Third, despite the help of Google Translate, it was difficult to navigate through the Quebec Jr AA Leagues.

Procedure

I compiled the list of 24 Jr B teams from Wikipedia. Then I did the following process with each and every league.

• I then went to Elite Prospects to see their transaction tracker. Looking at movements between July 27, 2015 and August 31, 2014. I looked for:
• Jr. A movements (more than 5 games played)
• US Jr Hockey movement
• CHL signings/draft
• Commitments to Canadian Universities
• Commitments to American Universities
• I searched the leagues Wikipedia page (omitting duplicates)
• I searched the leagues website (omitting any previous duplicates)
• If Elite Prospects, Wikipedia & League showed zero movements, I then went to individual team sites, Twitter accounts, and Facebook pages to track movements.

I kept track of those five movement categories.

Not Ranked Leagues

Due to little or no information (again related to league missions, visions and purpose) the following leagues could not be ranked:

Capitale Junior AA Hockey League
Chaudiere-Appalaches Junior AA Hockey League
Estrie-Mauricie Junior AA Hockey League
Laurentides-Lanaudière Junior AA Hockey League
Métropolitaine Junior AA Hockey League
New Brunswick Junior B Hockey League
North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League
Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean Junior AA Hockey League
St. John's Junior Hockey League
Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League

*If you are willing to point me where I can find information on those five above categories, please do.

Proportional

As many followers of this blog know, I like to take a balanced, or curved approach to the numbers. So instead of just looking at quantity in each, I did a ratio. The number of players moved on divided by the number teams in the league. Therefore giving us a number of the players moving on per team.

So with that in mind, let’s look at the numbers.

Overall Ranking (in graduating players to higher levels)

I would say overall, the numbers support The Junior Hockey News in many areas with very little variation in rankings, and disagree in others (which I am sure adds fuel to the fire of scouts vs. numbers – that’s a whole other discussion). So I would rank the top Jr. B Leagues as follows (again, remember I am just a fan crunching numbers):

1. Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (TJHN – 1)
2. Pacific Junior Hockey League (TJHN – 4)
3. Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (TJHN – 17)
4. Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (TJHN – 3)
5. Calgary Junior Hockey League (TJHN – 12)
6. Heritage Junior Hockey League (TJHN – 5)
7. Prairie Junior Hockey League (TJHN – 6)
8. Lac St-Louis Junior AA Hockey League (TJHN – 7 [they grouped all of Quebec together])
9. Island Junior Hockey League (TJHN – 10)
10. Central Canadian Hockey League Tier 2 (TJHN – 2)
11. North West Junior Hockey League (TJHN – 16)
12. Keystone Junior Hockey League (TJHN – 14)
13. Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League (TJHN – 8)
14. Capital Junior Hockey League (TJHN – 13)

The remaining 10 teams would be guess work, and as noted above, they will remain unranked.

Player Priorities

When looking at this list, I think ranking the leagues depends on what the player wants to get out of their Jr B experience.

If they are looking to play in the CHL (WHL, OHL, QMJHL), then I would suggest getting into the Calgary Junior Hockey League or the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.

If they are looking to play Jr A hockey (again varies province to province), then I would suggest the three Jr B BC Leagues – Pacific Junior Hockey League, Kootenay International Hockey League, Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League – and the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.

If they are looking to play hockey in University (i.e. get a scholarship), then I would suggest the three Jr B BC Leagues – Pacific Junior Hockey League, Kootenay International Hockey League, Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League –, the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, and the Heritage Junior Hockey League.

So the information below will be more relevant.

Movement to the WHL, OHL or QMJHL (CHL)

1. Calgary Junior Hockey League – 1.50 (12/8)
2. Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League – 0.31 (8/26)
3. Pacific Junior Hockey League – 0.10 (1/10)
4. Central Canadian Hockey League Tier 2 – 0.06 (1/16)
5. Kootenay International Junior Hockey League – 0.05 (1/20)

The remaining nine leagues did not have a reported player drafted or signed into the CHL during the 2014-15 season.

Movement to Jr A Leagues

1. Pacific Junior Hockey League – 2.50 (25/10)
2. Kootenay International Junior Hockey League – 2.50 (50/20)
3. Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League – 2.44 (22/9)
4. Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League – 1.12 (29/26)
5. Prairie Junior Hockey League – 0.46 (6/13)
6. Lac St-Louis Junior AA Hockey League – 0.22 (2/9)
7. Heritage Junior Hockey League – 0.21 (3/14)
8. Central Canadian Hockey League Tier 2 – 0.13 (2/16)
9. Keystone Junior Hockey League – 0.11 (1/9)

The remaining five leagues did not have a reported player sign or move to a Jr A team during the 2014-15 season.

Movement to USA Jr Hockey

1. Island Junior Hockey League – 0.20 (1/5)
2. Capital Junior Hockey League – 0.07 (1/14)
3. Kootenay International Junior Hockey League – 0.05 (1/20)

The remaining 11 leagues did not have a reported player move and sign with a USA Jr Hockey team during the 2014-15 season.

Commitments to Canadian Universities

1. Kootenay International Junior Hockey League – 0.60 (12/20)
2. Pacific Junior Hockey League – 0.40 (4/10)
3. Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League – 0.22 (2/9)
4. Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League – 0.19 (5/26)
5. Heritage Junior Hockey League – 0.14 (2/14)

The remaining nine leagues did not have a reported player commit to a Canadian University during the 2014-15 season.

Commitments to USA Universities

1. Kootenay International Junior Hockey League – 0.35 (7/20)
2. Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League – 0.33 (3/9)
3. Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League – 0.31 (8/26)
4. North West Junior Hockey League – 0.14 (1/7)
5. Pacific Junior Hockey League – 0.10 (1/10)
6. Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League – 0.09 (1/11)
7. Heritage Junior Hockey League – 0.07 (1/14)

The remaining seven leagues did not have a reported player commit to a USA University during the 2014-15 season.

Discussion

I will admit the confusion with the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League, which TJHN ranked 2nd, with the league forming a new league with other teams in the Central Canadian Hockey League Tier 2 it was hard to grab information.

All of this information is dependent on websites (league, team, etc.) sharing the transactions.

For me, all this just speaks to what the player’s priority is given the leagues mission, vision and purpose; which I think is a far more important discussion, what the player wants/needs and which league will meet those wants/needs.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading!

Past Nitro's: Isaac Shacher

Photo from StarPhoenix

Isaac Schacher played two full seasons for the Kimberley Dynamiters. His last season with the team was 2012-13. In 100 regular season games with the Nitro's, he registered 18 goals and 45 assists, averaging 0.6 points a game as a defenceman.

This year Shacher played the year for the Saskatoon Blades. In 69 games he scored one goal and added seven assists.

Past Nitro's: Owen Solecki

Owen Solecki suited up for the Kimberley Dynamiters for one season, 2011-12. That year the defenceman posted one goal and 21 assists in 47 games (should note he started the season in Osoyoos, playing three games registering one assist).

Solecki played this year in the MJHL. He started the season with the OCN Blizzard before going to the Virden Oil Capitals. Overall he played in 55 games, scoring two goals, and 9 assists. He also played in 10 playoff games, registering one assist.

Past Nitro's: Darren Martin

Darren Martin last played for the Kimberley Dynamiters in the 2013-14 season, that year he served as captain of the team. He played in 50 games scoring five goals, 19 points, and logging 115 PIM.

This season Martin played his freshman year at the University of Central Oklahoma. He played in 14 games registering one assist. He did not play in any playoff or tournament games, the team did win the Division 1 National tournament.

Past Nitro's: Jordan Revie

Jordan Revie played 101 games during three seasons for the Kimberley Dynamiters, his last being 2011-12. In that season he played in 48 games scoring 19 goals and 37 assists. He also scored one goals and four assists during 13 playoff games.

This season Revie played for the Canmore Eagles. In 54 games he scored 19 goals and 27 assists. He had one helper in three playoff games.

Past Nitro's: Bryce Nielsen

Bryce Nielsen finished his KIJHL years with the Kimberley Dynamiters in 2013-14, he spent the majority of his time with the Nelson Leafs. In his last season he played eight regular season games scoring five goals and assisting on seven others. He also played in 12 post-season games scoring five goals and 11 points.

This year Nielsen played his freshman year with New England College. He played in 16 games scoring six goals and 13 points.

Past Nitro's: Colton Vannucci

Colton Vannucci played one season for the Kimberley Dynamiters in 2011-12 before moving onto Jr A hockey in Alberta. That year he scored 27 goals and assisted on 48 others in 49 games.

This past season Vannucci played for York University. He appeared in 24 games scoring five goals and 11 points as a rookie.

Past Nitro's: Sam Mellor

Photo from Bronco Hockey gallery

Sam Mellor played one full season for the Kimberley Dynamiters in 2008-09 before moving onto the the Trail Smoke Eaters in the BCHL. In his one season he posted 19 goals and 21 assists in 51 games.

This past season Mellor played for Western Michigan University. He dressed in 17 games, scoring one goal and assisting on two. He is currently listed as a red-shirted senior.

Past Nitro's: Corson Johnstone

Defenseman Corson Johnstone suited up for the Kimberley Dynamiters last in the 2012-13 season. That season he played 36 games scoring six goals and assisting on seven others.

Johnstone played his sophomore season at Oakland University. He played in 17 games, scoring two goals and had 10 helpers.

Past Nitro's: Rylan Duley

Rylan Duley last played for the Kimberley Dynamiters during the 2011-12 season. That year he posted 46 goals and 44 assists in 50 games. During the 13-game playoff run he scored 9 goals and 8 helpers.

This past season, Duley played his junior year at the University of Central Oklahoma. He scored 22 goals and 19 assists in 35 games. He also added two goals and three assists in five Division 1 National games as UCO won the tournament.

Past Nitro's: Matt Wilkins

From Union College

Matt Wilkins last played for the Kimberley Dynamiters in the 2008-09 season. That year he scored 31 goals and 61 points in 42 games. He also logged 122 PIM. He played in 10 playoff games that year scoring three goals and 10 helpers.

This past season Wilkins played for Union College, his junior year. He played in 34 games, scoring 13 goals and assisting on 15 others. He received the teams Most Improved Player Award.

Past Nitro's: Ian Harvie

Photo from Marian University

Ian Harvie last played for the Kimberley Dynamiters in 2008-09. He played in 33 games, scoring one goal and three assists while adding 61 PIM.

This season Harvie played for Marian University. He played in seven games going pointless in those contests.

Upcoming Kimberley Dynamiters Main Camp - Sep 4, 5 & 6

The Kimberley Dynamiters have released the dates of the upcoming Main Camp. It will be held on September 4, 5 & 6 at the Kimberley Civic Centre. Schedule will be released soon.

For more information on the camp, go to the teams website.

Click here for the registration form, registration fee is $50.

Past Nitro's: Carter Bancks

Photo from Utica Comets

Carter Bancks last played for the Kimberley Dynamiters in 2005-06. In that year Bancks recorded 24 goals and 49 assists in 50 games, adding 57 PIM as well.

This past season Bancks was invited to the Vancouver Canucks tryouts and later assigned to the Utica Comets. In 57 games Bancks scored six goals and 14 points, adding 44 PIM. He also played in 10 playoff games as the Comets went to the AHL finals.

Past Nitro's: Mathew Foster

Mathew Foster last played for the Dynamiters in 2009-10. He scored 40 goals, the most by any player that year, adding 28 assists. He also played in 10 playoff games, scoring 4 goals and 6 assists.

This year Foster played his fourth season at the University of Alberta-Augustana (The Augustana campus for the University of Alberta located in Camrose). Foster scored 10 goals, adding six assists in 25 games. He also added a goal and an assist in three playoff games.

Past Nitro's: Drayson Bowman

Photo from Canoe.ca

Drayson Bowman suited up for the Dynamiters in the 2004-05 season. That year in 47 games he scored 29 goals and 30 assists, with 108 PIM.

This past season Bowman was signed by the Montreal Canadiens, after a camp tryout contract. He played three games in the NHL, and then spent the majority of the season with the Hamilton Bulldogs. He scored 14 goals and had 19 helpers in 62 games.