2017-18 HJBHL Season

This is the 2017-18 Heritage Junior Hockey League season.  This is the league's 31st season. The league's regular season included the league's first ever outdoor game on January 27 when the Red Deer Vipers hosted and defeated the Mountainview Colts at the Bower Community Centre in Red Deer. Opening faceoff temperature -16C (3 degrees F)

Membership changes

 * The Banff Academy Bears have withdrawn from the league after the 2016-17 season.
 * The league will be adding the Lomond Lakers to the league for the 2018-19 season.

Southern Division
Note: Coaldale finished ahead of Okotoks based on Regulation and Overtime Wins 23 to 22

Format
The top six teams in each division qualify for the playoffs. The top two seeds earn a bye into the division semifinals. The 3rd place team plays the 6th place team and the 4th place team plays the 5th place team in a best-of-three qualifying round. The teams are re-seeded for the best-of-five division semifinal round. The division semifinal winners meet in the best-of-seven division final round. The division winners meet in the best-of-three league championship series. For overtime play the league uses one ten minute overtime period followed by 20 minute overtime periods.

The league champion qualifies for the 2018 Russ Barnes Trophy which determines the provincial champion. The tournament is being held in Fort St. John, British Columbia and being hosted by the Fort St. John Huskies of the North West Junior Hockey League. The winner of the tournament earns the right to compete for the Western Canadian Junior "B" Crown, the 2018 Keystone Cup. However, Hockey Alberta has decided that the provincial champion will no longer compete in the Keystone Cup citing expenses and player safety. The three Junior B level leagues in British Columbia that play under the sanctioning of BC Hockey have decided as a group that they will also not participate in the Keystone Cup with similiar concerns to Hockey Alberta. BC Hockey does not mandate that the provincial champion play in further regional or nation play.

North

 * Blackfalds Wranglers defeated Ponoka Stampeders 2 games to none
 * Mountainview Colts defeated Stettler Lightning 2 games to 1

South

 * Cochrane Generals defeated Medicine Hat Cubs 2 games to 1
 * High River Flyers defeated Strathmore Wheatland Kings 2 games to none

North

 * Red Deer Vipers defeated Mountainview Colts 3 games to 1
 * Airdrie Thunder defeated Blackfalds Wranglers 3 games to 1

South

 * Coaldale Copperheads defeated High River Flyers 3 games to 2
 * Okotoks Bisons defeated Cochrane Generals 3 games to none

North

 * Red Deer Vipers defeated Airdrie Thunder 4 games to 2

South

 * Coaldale Copperheads defeated Okotoks Bisons 4 games to 1

League Final

 * Red Deer Vipers defeated Coaldale Copperheads 2 games to 1