The Â鶹AV Chiefs are trying to prove they belong in the higher ranks.
From July 4-6, the International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) with a variety of tidbits and more for the upcoming season. However, most of note for local hockey fans is the Â鶹AV Chiefs have confirmed their "intent to participate" in Phase 2 of the Junior A, Tier 1 assessment process, which is being conducted by Blackfin Sports Group this fall.
This comes after the league announced on Mar. 18 of this year that it was moving to a tiered system beginning in the 2026-27 season.
In that announcement, Â鶹AV were stated as three of the seven teams who were going to undergo further assessment to see which their they fall into. In last week's AGM, the Chiefs, along with the Castlegar Rebels, Creston Valley Thunder Cats, 100 Mile House Wranglers, Quesnel River Rush, and Williams Lake Mustangs confirmed they are willing to go through the process as they compete to make it to Tier 1.
As of right now, 11 teams are in Tier 1 and four teams are in Tier 2. Because of this, and the status of six teams being up in the air, the league is actively looking at communities and leadership groups for expansion to compete in the Tier 2 division.
