The president of the Merritt Centennials has declared that, after 51 years in the BCHL, the team will be leaving the league at the end of this season to join the Kootenay International Junior ‘A’ Hockey League.
“The Board members past and present have worked extremely hard to maintain 51 continuous years of operation in the BCHL but have finally conceded that continuing into the future is no longer viable,” Centennials president Ken Carruthers said in a news release issued Sunday.
“To our community, we hope you will attend over the playoffs and we fill the barn in celebration and pride to the end of 51 hard-fought years.”
The Centennials aren’t going anywhere, however. They’ll continue to play out of Merritt in the Kootenay International Junior ‘A’ Hockey League (KIJHL), starting next season as the league’s newest expansion franchise — and they’ll still be known as the Centennials.
“Merritt’s expansion application was approved unanimously by the KIJHL’s Board of Governors, and will see the longstanding Junior A club move from community to private ownership under the leadership of Brad Anstey and Daniel Schofield,” the KIJHL said in a news release.
“The team will join the Bill Ohlhausen division, taking the place of the Summerland Steam following that franchise’s relocation to Williams Lake.”
The Centennials will continue to play out of the 1,000-seat Nicola Valley Memorial Arena under a five-year lease between the team’s ownership group and the facility.
“The City of Merritt is very excited to embark on a new journey in the history of the Merritt Centennials hockey club,” Merritt Mayor Michael Goetz said.
“The 2024-25 season looks to hold a whole new and exciting team as well as new opponents that we have not seen in the Valley before.”
But before joining the KIJHL, the Cents still have some games left to play in the BCHL — games that matter, no less. The team faces the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in the first round of the playoffs and will play in Merritt for Game 3 and Game 4 on April 9 and April 10.
Once they join the KIJHL, fans can expect new rivalries to form, as the Kamloops Storm, Princeton Posse, Kelowna Chiefs and Chase Heat are all located less than 90 minutes from Merritt.
In the coming weeks, fans can expect to hear more information regarding the Centennials franchise, including season ticket information, spring camp dates and locations, and staffing announcements, the club says.
