Edmonton Oilers Heritage Website

When the Edmonton Oil Kings captured the Memorial Cup as Canada’s top junior hockey squad in 1963, young players knew that Alberta’s capital would catch the attention of pro scouts.

With more recognition, the Oil Kings could pick the best hockey players from across the nation. For many talented local teens, this meant they had to be the best or they would not play with the Oil Kings. A new Junior "A" league was needed for players not ready for top junior hockey. With Alberta having many talented kids, it was not going to be difficult to stock those teams.

The autumn after the Oil Kings won the Cup, the five czars of Alberta junior hockey—Jim McAdie, Ken Kuchinski, Stu Peppard, Syd Hall and Carl Tentini—agreed to form a new five-team league. In 1963, the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) launched with five teams, the Edmonton Safeway Canadians, Edmonton Maple Leafs, Lethbridge Sugar Kings, Calgary Cowboys and Calgary Buffaloes.

The timing for the formation of the AJHL was perfect; by 1971, the Memorial Cup’s role was changed, and it would no longer be the national championship for junior "A" clubs. From that day forward, the Memorial Cup became the sole domain of the "major" junior clubs—and the only Alberta teams that could qualify for the Cup, would be from the newly-formed Western Hockey League.

Junior "A" hockey played an important role in the 1970s. Not only did the AJHL prepare teenage talent for possible futures in the WHL, it also allowed players who were not looking to play major junior a chance to play high-level hockey. Players looking to play college hockey in the United States would lose their eligibility if they played major junior. The AJHL would become a refuge for many of these players.

The AJHL and the Oilers would share many links. Future Hall of Famer Mark Messier played for the St. Albert Saints, and Mike Comrie also spent time with the Saints so he would remain eligible to play hockey at the University of Michigan. Current Oilers’ captain Jason Smith spent time with the Calgary Canucks.

Since the establishment of the league, many franchises have come and gone. None of the five charter members still exists, and the league’s most famous team, the Red Deer Rustlers, folded in 1992. The Rustlers’ organization groomed Brian, Darryl, Duane, Brent, Ron and Rich Sutter from Viking, Alberta. The Sutter brothers played a combined total of 81 NHL seasons, winning a total of six Stanley Cups—making them the most prolific family in Canadian hockey history. The Rustlers were national junior "A" champions in both 1971 and 1980, with Brent, Rich and Ron all appearing in the national championship in the 1980 season.

The credibility of the league was further bolstered by NHL legends coming to the AJHL and coaching the province’s top raw talent. The Ponoka Stampeders who were in the league from 1966-71, attracted national attention because Chicago Blackhawks' legend Max Bentley once coached there. The Mount Royal College squad, who joined the league the same year as the Stampeders folded, brought another famous face to the league—Bert Olmstead. The hard-nosed winger, who won a total of five Stanley Cups in his 14-year NHL career with Chicago, Montreal and Toronto, was behind the bench for the two seasons the franchise spent in the AJHL.

Even with the turmoil of many clubs folding, the league was stronger than ever as it entered the 21st century. The AJHL had 16 teams entering the 2003-04, stretching from Lloydminster in the east to Canmore in the west, Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie in the north to Brooks and Crowsnest Pass to the south. Since 1971, seven AJHL squads have won the Centennial Cup (renamed the Royal Bank Cup in 1996) as the national junior "A" champs.

National champs from the AJHL
1971   Red Deer Rustlers
1975   Spruce Grove Mets
1980   Red Deer Rustlers
1994   Olds Grizzlys
1995   Calgary Canucks
2000   Fort McMurray Oil Barons
2001   Camrose Kodiaks