2019-20 AJHL season

This is the '''2019-20 Alberta Junior Hockey League season. '''This is the league's 56th season dating back to its founding in 1964. The regular season will run from September 13th to February 27th.

Suspending of Play
The Canadian Junior Hockey League announced Thursday that effective Friday, March 13, all games and hockey-related activity involving its member clubs have been cancelled, until further notice, due to the continued threat of the global COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic as well as potential exposure and contamination of its players, team staff members, on and off-ice officials, volunteers and fans.

Membership Changes

 * The Calgary Mustangs opted to take a one year leave of absence from the league after a failed attempted to move the franchise to Strathmore for 2019-20. The team would be sold in October of 2019 and will relocate to the Blackfalds Multiplex Arena in Blackfalds, Alberta for the 2021-22 season. The team name was announced on April 23, 2020 as beeing the Blackfalds Bulldogs.


 * The Canmore Eagles will begin the season playing a few games out of the Banff Recreation Centre while awaiting the completion of renovations at the Canmore Recreation Centre.

Exhibition Games
The pre-season will include 10 inter-league games against members of other CJHL leagues and 10 other games in non AJHL communities including DeWinton, Stettler, Westlock, and Cochrane.

The Grande Prairie Storm will play the Czech Republic men's national junior ice hockey team in an exhibition game on December 5th prior to the 2019 World Junior A Challenge.

Showcase
The league will have its 13th annual AJHL Showcase in Camrose September 26-28, 2019

Neutral Site Game
The Lloydminster Bobcats will take on the Fort McMurray Oil Barons on December 6th in Onion Lake, Alberta/Saskatchewan

2020 Playoffs
The league announced on September 13, 2017 that the new title sponsor of the League championship will be Inter Pipeline Ltd. and that the playoffs will be renamed the Inter Pipeline AJHL Playoffs and the championship trophy would be renamed the Inter Pipeline Cup.

Format
The top seven teams in North division qualify for the playoffs with the top team in the division receiving a first round bye. The 2nd place team play the 7th place team, the 3rd place play 6th, and 4th place play the 5th place team in best of seven series. Due to the reduction of one team the South Division will have the top six teams qualify for the playoffs with the the 1st and second place teams earning first round byes and 3rd place play 6th, and 4th place play the 5th place team in best of five series.

In the second round the first place team play the lowest seeded first round winner and the other two first round North Division winners play each other in best of seven series while the 2nd place team in the South Division plays the higher seeded first round winner. The division semifinal winners meet in the best of seven division final. The Viterra AJHL South Division and Viterra AJHL North Division playoff champions meet in the best of seven AJHL Inter Pipeline Cup Final.

The playoff winning team win the Inter Pipeline Cup will advance to an inter-provincial best-of-seven playoff with the British Columbia Hockey League for the Doyle Cup and the Pacific region spot in the 2020 Centennial Cup; which is being held in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. The series is scheduled to begin in the BCHL team's rink April 24th 2020.

North Division Quarterfinals

 * Spruce Grove Saints defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4 games to 2
 * Whitecourt Wolverines defeated Fort McMurray Oil Barons 4 games to 2
 * Drayton Valley Thunder defeated Bonnyville Pontiacs 4 games to 2

South Division Quarterfinals
Playoffs were cancelled between completion of the division quarterfinal round division semifinal round
 * Drumheller Dragons defeated Olds Grizzlys 4 games to 1
 * Camrose Kodiaks defeated Canmore Eagles 4 games to 3