Creston Valley’s hockey club is joining a league of its own – not long after its rebrand into the Creston Valley Thunder.
The former Thunder Cats have now announced they’ll be leaving the KIJHL to become a founding member of the Western International Junior Hockey League.
“We are pleased to announce our move to create an independent league starting next season and to operate outside of Hockey Canada’s umbrella going forward,” said Creston Valley Thunder President Brandon Buliziuk, the acting co-spokesperson.
“After lengthy discussions between our eight franchises, we believe this decision to create our own league will provide our players with more opportunities for development going forward.”
Also joining the newly-formed WIJHL are the 100 Mile House Wranglers, Castlegar Rebels, Chase Heat, Golden Rockets, Kelowna Chiefs, Sicamous Eagles and Spokane Braves.
The league says the move will help create more development opportunities for players and increase the player pool to raise the level of play.
The teams will no longer be affiliated with the KIJHL, Hockey Canada or BC Hockey after the 2025-26 season.
WIJHL’s founding members will provide more details about the league’s structure and the inaugural 2026-27 season in the coming weeks.
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