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The 'Canadian Hockey League' is an umbrella organization for three Canadian based Major Junior hockey leagues for players 15 to 20 years of age. The member leagues are comprised of the 'Western Hockey League', the 'Ontario Hockey League' and the 'Quebec Major Junior Hockey League'.

Contents

Introduction

Annual Events

Memorial Cup

CHL Top Prospects Game

Canada-Russia Challenge

CHL Import Draft

CHL Awards

Teams

Attendance

See also

Introduction

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is the governing body for Major Junior Hockey (formerly known as Tier One Junior A) in Canada. Its precursor was the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). The CHL currently oversees the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). All three leagues have teams in both Canada and the United States. Each league plays individual regular season schedules, and playoffs. The annual CHL championship is determined by the Memorial Cup tournament held in May.
More than half the players in the National Hockey League for the 2005-06 NHL season had played in the CHL. The CHL is generally considered the world's top professional development junior hockey league. It is key supplier of new players and officials for the many North American professional hockey leagues, such as the National Hockey League, American Hockey League, ECHL, United Hockey League and the North Eastern Hockey League.
The CHL also seeks to raise the profile of the junior game by hosting annual events such as the Memorial Cup, CHL Top Prospects Game and the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge. The organization also provides many scholarships and bursaries for its players who exemplify extraordinary efforts and community involvement. These programs are supported by the many corporate sponsors.

Annual Events

Memorial Cup

The 'Memorial Cup' Tournament is the championship of Junior Canadian hockey. Each year it features the champions from the (WHL, OHL, QMJHL) and the host CHL team. The annual event is one of the biggest sporting events in North America, attracting thousands of spectators and generating increasing revenue for both the CHL teams and the host city. The event is currently sponsored by 'Mastercard.'
:'See: Memorial Cup history & winners'

CHL Top Prospects Game

The CHL Top Prospects Game is an annual event sponsored by Home Hardware and hosted by the CHL in which 40 of the top ''NHL Entry Draft eligible'' prospects in the Canadian Hockey League play against each other much like an all-star game. Each draft prospect hopes to boost their draft ranking with the NHL scouts and general managers who attend. The players are typically coached by a pair of hockey celebrities, usually Don Cherry and Bobby Orr. The event has been held annually since 1992. From 1992 to 1995 the event was known as the CHL All-Star Challenge and usually pitted one of the CHL's leagues against the other two.

Canada-Russia Challenge

The CHL hosts annually, the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge, sponsored by ADT Security Services to showcase Canadian junior talent versus Russian junior talent. Each year a Russian junior team plays 6 games in total in Canada, two games against each CHL member league (WHL,OHL,QMJHL).

CHL Import Draft

Each year, every team in the CHL has the option to chose up to 2 players from outside North America to add to is roster. Picks are chosen in reverse order of the team's standings in the CHL.
The Import Draft is seen as a way to raise the level of competition in the CHL, as well as to broaden its fan base while retaining high North American content.

CHL Awards

:List of annual awards given by the CHL:

★ Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award

★ CHL Defenceman of the Year

★ CHL Goaltender of the Year

★ CHL Humanitarian of the Year

★ CHL Player of the Year

★ CHL Rookie of the Year

★ CHL Scholastic Player of the Year

★ CHL Sportsman of the Year

★ CHL Top Scorer Award


:Memorial Cup Awards:

★ Ed Chynoweth Trophy

★ George Parsons Trophy

★ Hap Emms Memorial Trophy

★ Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy

Teams

The league comprises 60 teams located in 10 Canadian provinces and 5 American states. For lists of teams see the articles about each member league. The newest team is the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL, which will begin play in the 2007-08 season.

★ The Western Hockey League, with 22 teams in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Washington, and Oregon.

★ The Ontario Hockey League, with 20 teams in Ontario, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

★ The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, with 18 teams in Quebec, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Maine.

Attendance

''Top CHL teams by average attendance, 2006-07 regular season''

1.	Québec Remparts	(QMJHL)	10,443.4
2.	London Knights	(OHL)	9,034.3
3.	Calgary Hitmen	(WHL)	8,852.5
4.	Vancouver Giants	(WHL)	8,759.1
5.	Ottawa 67's	(OHL)	8,062.5
6.	Halifax Mooseheads	(QMJHL)	7,340.4
7.	Everett Silvertips	(WHL)	6,460.1
8.	Red Deer Rebels	(WHL)	6,129.4
9.	Kelowna Rockets	(WHL)	6,102.2
10.	Spokane Chiefs	(WHL)	6,027.8
11.	Kitchener Rangers	(OHL)	5,887.0
12.	Portland Winter Hawks	(WHL)	5,188.9

''Teams with an average attendance over 5,000 are shown. Source: [1]''

See also

★ List of CHL franchise post-season droughts

★ Canadian Hockey League Official web site

★ Ontario Hockey League Official web site

★ Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Official web site

★ Western Hockey League Official web site