| North Peace Hockey League | |
| Sport: | Ice hockey |
| Inaugural: | 1953–54 |
| Teams: | 9 |
| Country: | Canada |
| President: | Michael Mercredi |
| Champion: | Spirit River Rangers |
| Champ Season: | 2023–24 |
The North Peace Hockey League (NPHL) is a Canadian men's Senior ice hockey league in Peace River Country in Northern Alberta and British Columbia.
The league formed in 1954 and is the longest running senior ice hockey league in Canada.[1] The league was down to two teams (Peace River Stampeders and High Prairie Regals) in the early 1970s, when it played an interlocking schedule with the South Peace Hockey League.
Prior to the start of the 2009–10 season, the league voted to disallow any team playing AAA hockey from competing in the NPHL playoffs. This change affects teams competing for the Allan Cup.[2] That same year, the Fort St. John Flyers hosted and won the 2010 Allan Cup national championship.[3] The 2010 Fort St. John Flyers were inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024.[4]
The 2013–14 season saw the league lose two teams when the Hythe Mustangs folded near the end of the season and the Lakeland Eagles were expelled for repeatedly failing to fulfill league commitments.[5] [6] The 2014–15 season saw the league reduced to six teams with the loss of the Dawson Creek Sr. Canucks and High Prairie Regals.[7] [8] The Grande Prairie Athletics announced it was taking a leave of absence in the 2015–16 season due to a lack of players.[9]
The 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] The league returned with 8 teams for the 2022–23 season.[11]
The Grimshaw Huskies announced a leave of absence for the 2023–24 season citing a lack of players.[12] The league rejected a re-entry bid from the High Prairie Regals.[13]
In the 2024–25 season, the High Prairie Regals returned from a five-year hiatus, and the Fox Creek Knights joined as an expansion team.[14]
| Team | style=width:10em | Home | style=width:20em | Arena |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falher Pirates | Falher, AB | Falher Regional Recreation Complex | ||
| Fox Creek Knights | Fox Creek, AB | Greenview Multiplex | ||
| High Prairie Regals | High Prairie, AB | High Prairie Sports Palace | ||
| Manning Comets | Manning, AB | Jack McAvoy Arena | ||
| Valleyview Jets | Valleyview, AB | Polar Palace |
| Team | style=width:10em | Home | style=width:20em | Arena |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Creek Canucks | Dawson Creek, BC | Dawson Creek & District Memorial Arena | ||
| Grande Prairie Athletics | Grande Prairie, AB | Design Works Centre | ||
| Spirit River Rangers | Spirit River, AB | Maclean Rec Centre | ||
| Fort St. John Flyers | Fort St. John, BC | North Peace Arena |
The Spirit River Rangers won the 2023–24 league championship Campbell Cup after defeating the Falher Pirates in game 7 of the finals.[15] In 2023, the Dawson Creek Canucks defeated the Falher Pirates in overtime of game 7 of the finals.[16]
Gino Odjick played 25 games with the Horse Lake Thunder in the 2004–05 season, averaging 2.6 points and more than 5 penalty minutes per game.[17] Theoren Fleury, Todd Holt, Sasha Lakovic and Dody Wood also played for the Horse Lake Thunder.[18] [19] Columbus Blue Jackets president and former New York Rangers goalie, John Davidson, played one season with the High Prairie Regals in the early 1970s. Reg Bentley was a player-coach for the High Prairie Regals for a couple years in the early 1960s. AHL and KHL alumnus, Jon Mirasty, played for the Grande Prairie Athletics during their 2018–19 championship season. Former NHL and AHL player, Wade Campbell, played for the Grimshaw Huskies both before and after his professional career. Other NHL alumni include Ed Beers and Howard Walker.