2012 AJHL Annual General Meeting

Press Release

The Alberta Junior Hockey League hosted its 2012 Annual General Meeting on May 25th & 26th in Red Deer, AB. The AJHL will officially open its 49th season on September 7th, 2012.

A summary of the decisions approved at the 2012 AJHL Annual General Meeting are listed below:

The 2012-2013 AJHL regular season will consist of 16 teams playing an unbalanced schedule of 60 games apiece, including two games at the 6th Annual AJHL Showcase. The 480 game season will begin on Friday, September 7, 2012 and conclude on Saturday, March 2nd, 2013. The AJHL League Schedule will be announced in late June.

The League has reduced the number of 20 year old players a team can have in the line-up for an AJHL game from a maximum of nine players down to a maximum of six players. The reduction will take effect immediately for the 2012-2013 season.

Hockey Canada has approved a two year extension of the Junior A Supplement Pilot Project. The AJHL along with four member leagues with the Canadian Junior Hockey League launched the pilot project at the start of the 2010-2011 season. The Junior A Supplement is a joint effort of the CJHL to eliminate violence and bullying from Junior A hockey.

The 6th Annual AJHL Showcase Weekend will return to the TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre in Spruce Grove, Alberta from September 27th - 29th, 2012.

The Lloydminster Bobcats and Bonnyville Pontiacs will take part in a regular season game during the 2013 Hockey Day in Canada event in Lloydminster in February. The community of Lloydminster was awarded hosting rights for the event on Saturday, May 26th.

The Alberta Junior Hockey League will launch The AJHL Network, which will include all 16 team websites, at the start of the 2012-2013 season. The network will set a new precedent for Junior A hockey and is designed to meet the growing needs of our fans and stakeholders.

The AJHL will expand its digital media plan through new initiatives in Social Media and AJHL Pay Per View. Details and announcements regarding these projects will be released throughout the off-season.

The AJHL Board of Governors voted against a revised playoff format which would have potentially been implemented for the 2013 AJHL Playoffs.

The AJHL Development Committee will remain active for the 2012-2013 season. The committee has been tasked with a variety of categories to explore, including a new playoff format. The Development Committee, including a selection of team governors and coaches, was appointed at the 2011 AGM to evaluate hockey operations, rosters and playing rules.

The 2012-2013 AJHL Management Committee will include Al Doll (Canmore Eagles), Ken Morris (Calgary Mustangs) and Paul Seaton (Brooks Bandits) as the South Division representatives. The North Division will be represented by Darren Myshak (Spruce Grove Saints), Don Sydora (Bonnyville Pontiacs) and Dave Britt (Fort McMurray Oil Barons) for the 2011-2012 AJHL Season.

The Alberta Junior Hockey League will continue to operate under the direction of Chairman Greg Wood and League President Craig T. Cripps. The Alberta Junior Hockey League staff currently includes George McCorry (Vice President, Officiating), Ryan Bartoshyk (Vice-President, Marketing), Charla Flett (Communications / Statistics), Ken Dentzien (Referee Assignor), and Bob Clark (Special Advisor).

The 2012-2013 AJHL Semi-Annual Meeting will take place in Red Deer, Alberta on November 17th, 2012.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)