Three periods
A game is three 20-minute periods of 5-on-5 hockey, with intermissions in between. The team that scores more goals wins.
Canada / United States · 2026–27
WHL, explained.
Twenty-three major-junior clubs. One Ed Chynoweth Cup. A shot at the Memorial Cup. Here’s the quick guide.
The Western Hockey League is the CHL's western major-junior circuit: 23 clubs from Manitoba to Oregon. The playoff champion wins the Ed Chynoweth Cup and goes to the Memorial Cup with the OHL and QMJHL champions.
A short history
The WHL grew out of the western junior leagues of the 1960s and is one of the three Canadian Hockey League members.
Players are 16 to 20. NHL clubs draft from this league every June. Chilliwack joins as a 24th club in 2027.
Current teams
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East
Central
B.C.
How the league works
Major junior: full schedules, paid players under CHL rules, and a 16-team spring playoff.
Standings points
A win is worth two points. A regulation loss is zero. If the game goes to overtime or a shootout, the loser still gets one point.
Conferences
The East is the East and Central divisions. The West is B.C. and the U.S. division.
Power play
A penalty puts the other team a skater up. That extra-man advantage is the power play; the shorthanded side is on the penalty kill.
Offside and icing
A player cannot enter the offensive zone ahead of the puck (offside). Icing is shooting the puck the length of the ice from behind centre; play stops and the faceoff comes back.
Age
WHL players are typically 16–20. A 20-year-old is an overager. Each club has a limited number of those spots.
The CHL
The WHL, OHL, and QMJHL are the three CHL leagues. Their champions, plus a host, meet at the Memorial Cup.
How the playoffs work
Sixteen teams, eight per conference, then the Ed Chynoweth Cup — and a Memorial Cup berth.
Who gets in
The top eight teams in each conference qualify. First-round series stay inside the conference.
Conference playoffs
Best-of-seven rounds through the conference final.
Two trophies
The WHL champion lifts the Ed Chynoweth Cup, then plays the Memorial Cup in May against the OHL, QMJHL, and host.