Nine CJHL champions are part of the 10-team field to compete for a national title in Estevan
The largest field in the history of Canada’s National Junior A Championship
is set.
Ten teams have confirmed their spots at the 2022 Centennial Cup, presented
by Tim Hortons, with the Pickering Panthers claiming the final berth when
they eliminated the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in Game 7 of the Ontario Junior
Hockey League final on Sunday night.
All nine league champions from across the Canadian Junior Hockey League
will be on the ice in Estevan, Sask., with a chance to be the last team
standing and win a national title on May 29.
Let’s take a look at the contenders…
HOST TEAM – ESTEVAN BRUINS
The hosts will welcome the nation’s best teams as SJHL champions. Estevan
edged out Humboldt by a single point in the regular season before embarking
on a playoff run that included just four losses in 16 games – and three of
those came in a hard-fought seven-game series against Flin Flon in the SJHL
final. The Bruins are built for a 200-foot game; they led the league in
goals for (262) and against (124).
Recent history is on the Bruins’ side – the last five host teams have all
reached the championship game, and four of those (including the last three
– Cobourg, Chilliwack and Brooks) won the national title on home ice.
ALBERTA JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE – BROOKS BANDITS
The champs are (still) here. The Bandits continued their dynastic run,
winning the AJHL title for the sixth time since 2012 and advancing to the
national tournament for the fifth time in that span. Brooks was
historically good in the regular season, winning 52 of 60 games – tied for
the third most in league history (it also owns the top two spots) – before
sweeping Canmore and Okotoks, and downing Spruce Grove in five games in the
AJHL final.
Although it has been three years since the Bandits claimed the national
title on home ice, they will look to become just the fourth team to…