This is the 2019-20 Western Hockey League season. This is the league's 54th season dating back to its' founding as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League in 1966 and subsequent renaming to the Western Canada Hockey League in 1968 and to the present name in 1978.
Membership changes
- It was announced on January 29, 2018 that the Kootenay Ice would be relocating to Winnipeg, Manitoba for the 2019-20 WHL season.[1] The team will be based out of the Wayne Fleming Arena on the campus of the University of Manitoba while construction on a new arena near Oak Bluff, Manitoba is completed.[2]
Teams
Eastern Conference
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central | Calgary Hitmen | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Scotiabank Saddledome
Stampede Corral (some playoff games) |
19,289
6,450 |
| Edmonton Oil Kings | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Rogers Place | 18,641 | |
| Lethbridge Hurricanes | Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada | ENMAX Centre | 5,479 | |
| Medicine Hat Tigers | Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada | Canalta Centre | 5,500 (expandable to 6,500) | |
| Red Deer Rebels | Red Deer, Alberta, Canada | ENMAX Centrium | 6,000 | |
| Swift Current Broncos | Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada | Credit Union iPlex | 3,239 | |
| East | Brandon Wheat Kings | Brandon, Manitoba, Canada | Keystone Centre | 5,102 |
| Moose Jaw Warriors | Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada | Mosaic Place | 4,714 | |
| Prince Albert Raiders | Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada | Art Hauser Centre | 3,366 | |
| Regina Pats | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | Brandt Centre | 6,200 | |
| Saskatoon Blades | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada | SaskTel Centre | 15,195 | |
| Winnipeg Ice | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | Wayne Fleming Arena | 1,400 |
Western Conference
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.C. | Kamloops Blazers | Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada | Sandman Centre | 5,464 |
| Kelowna Rockets | Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada | Prospera Place | 6,286 | |
| Prince George Cougars | Prince George, British Columbia, Canada | CN Centre | 5,971 | |
| Vancouver Giants | Langley, British Columbia, Canada | Langley Event Center | 5,276 | |
| Victoria Royals | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre | 7,006 | |
| U.S. | Everett Silvertips | Everett, Washington, United States | Angel of the Winds Arena | 8,149 |
| Portland Winterhawks | Portland, Oregon, United States | Memorial Coliseum Moda Center |
10,407 18,280 | |
| Seattle Thunderbirds | Kent, Washington, United States | ShoWare Center | 6,500 | |
| Spokane Chiefs | Spokane, Washington, United States | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena | 10,759 | |
| Tri-City Americans | Kennewick, Washington, United States | Toyota Center | 6,000 |
Standings
To be added upon completion of the regular season
2019 Ed Chynoweth Cup Playoffs
Format
The league is divided up into 2 conferences with 2 divisions each. The Eastern Conference is made up of the 6-team East Division and the 6-team Central Division while the Western Conference is made up of the 5-team BC and 5-team US Divisions. The league presently uses the same format as the NHL does with the top 3 teams in each division qualifying for the playoffs and the next two best records in the conference qualifying as the 7 and 8 seeds and joining the playoffs for the division they start the playoffs in.
The winner of the Chynoweth Cup (or runner up if the Kelowna Rockets win the championship) advances to the 2020 Memorial Cup being held at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia from May 22 to 31, 2020 hosted by the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League.