Western Hockey League

Western Hockey League

Upcoming season or competition: 2025–26 WHL season
Formerly	Canadian Major Junior Hockey League (1966–67) Western Canada Junior Hockey League (1967–68) Western Canada Hockey League (1968–1978)
Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	1966
Commissioner	Dan Near
No. of teams	23 (24 by 2026)
Countries	Canada (17 teams) United States (6 teams)
Headquarters	Calgary, Alberta
Most recent champion(s)	Medicine Hat Tigers (6)
Most titles	Kamloops Blazers & Medicine Hat Tigers (6)
Broadcaster(s)	Canada TSN RDS CBC United States KRCW-TV KZJO
Streaming partner(s)	Victory+
Official website	whl.ca

The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada, alongside the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Teams play for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, with the winner moving on to play for the Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship. WHL teams have won the Memorial Cup 19 times. The WHL is composed of 23 teams divided into two conferences of two divisions, each. The Eastern Conference comprises 11 teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, while the Western Conference comprises 12 teams from British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. The league will expand to 24 teams by 2026 with the addition of a team in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

The league was founded in 1966 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League (CMJHL), with seven teams in Saskatchewan and Alberta. For its 1967 season, the league was renamed the Western Canada Junior Hockey League (WCJHL). From 1968, the league was renamed the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), and finally the Western Hockey League from 1978 after the admission of American-based teams to the league.

The league was the brainchild of Bill Hunter, who desired to build a western league capable of competing with the top leagues in Ontario and Quebec. He partnered with Scotty Munro, Del Wilson, and Jim Piggott to make this vision a reality. Originally considered an "outlaw league" by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, the western league was not sanctioned as a top junior league until 1970, when Canadian junior hockey was reorganized.