2017-18 CWSHL Season

This is the 2017-18 Central/West Senior Hockey League season.

Season in Jeopardy
It was hoped to be played with four teams. The league was at three teams for the 2016-17 season, but in July of 2017 the league members determined that a fourth team would be needed for any possibility of a league for 2017-18. The Harbour Grace Cee Bee Stars were unceremoniously kicked out of the Avalon East Senior Hockey League during the summer of 2017 and appeared to be the only realistic fit to save the season.

In September the Cee Bee Stars were accepted back into the AESHL after a meeting involving the league, the Cee Bee Stars and Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador. The other four members of the league proceeded to withdraw from the AESHL within a few hours of that agreement being made leaving the Stars as the only member of that league. The CWSHL announced on September 27, 2017 that they would play an interlocking schedule with the four now former members of the AESHL in order to save the season for the three league teams. The interlocking schedule would involve the CWSHL teams hosting the four members of the East Coast Senior Hockey League once each; giving the teams four extra home dates to help make the teams have any chance of making a go of it for this season.

Final League season
In all likelihood this will be the last season of the league as the Clarenville Caribous players had offered to play without pay for the balance of the season to stabilize the franchise. Later reports indicated that the team will likely be a member of the East Coast Senior Hockey League  for the 2018-19 season. The ECSHL does not pay players and this should help stabilize the organization further as many of the teams player are from the greater St. John's area and this would cut down on hotel expenses for the team on road trips. The team had originally tried to join the league when it was the AESHL but were shot down.

Membership Changes
The Corner Brook Royals were on a leave of absence from the league for the 2016-17 season. The team would end up playing in a newly formed Newfoundland West Coast Senior Hockey League which played an abbreviated two month season during the late March and early April  That league plays with strictly amateurs and no imports. The Royals are unlikely to return to the league as they have found a new home in the NWCSHL.

The Gander Flyers were reported to have folded in January 2017 but the other two members of the league tried to help Gander get through the season by having them forfeit their remaining regular season games and playing in an abbreviated playoff series. The Flyers have stabilized and will return for 2017-18.

Interlocking Schedule
The league announced that they would be playing a limited interlocking schedule with the members of the newly formed East Coast Senior Hockey League. Under the agreement,  the four members of the ECSHL would play one game each against the CWSHL teams in the CWSHL team's arena.

Saving of the League
A plan was proposed to have the Harbour Grace Cee Bee Stars join the CWSHL for the 2018-19 season. The proposal would link the province's three Senior hockey leagues with some interlocking play. The Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts and the Gander Flyers would play each other 8 times (4 home, 4 away) and the Clarenville Caribous and Harbour Grace Cee Bee Stars do the same. Two teams from the Newfoundland West Coast Senior Hockey League would play home and home weekend series with the Cataracts and Flyer to round out their schedules and four teams from the ECSHL would play home and home series with the Cee Bee Stars and Caribous to round out their schedules.

Standings
The Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts had four points deducted from their record due to the use of an ineligible player in two games the weekend of January 13 and 14. The points will not be awarded to another team as both games were inter-league games involving teams from the East Coast Senior Hockey League.

Semifinal
best-of-seven
 * Clarenville Caribous defeated Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts 4 games to 1

Final
best-of-seven The Clarenville Caribous advance to the 2018 Herder Memorial Trophy.
 * Clarenville Caribous defeated Gander Flyers 4 games to 1