Central West Junior Hockey League

The Central West Junior Hockey League is a Canadian ice hockey league in Newfoundland. The league consists of four teams that compete against each other in an 18-game season. The playoffs include 2 rounds, the first round is a best "3 of 5" series, and the winner of each series compete for the Exploits Home Hardware Cup in a best "4 of 7" series.

Until 2013, after the conclusion of the playoffs the winner competes for the Veitch Memorial Trophy against the winner in the St. John's Junior Hockey League. Winners of the Veitch Memorial Trophy earns the right to represent Newfoundland and Labrador in the Don Johnson Cup. If the league continues in 2014-15, the league will be classified as Junior C, instead of Junior B.

Although a league that could initially churn out a strong contender for the Veitch Memorial Trophy, the CWJHL in the last two seasons experienced a massive drop in talent. At the 2011 Provincials, the Central Jr. Cataracts lost to the St. John's Jr. Celtics of the St. John's Junior Hockey League 5-3 in the round robin and 2-1 in the final. Only a year later, at the 2012 Provincials, the Champion Humber Valley Jr. Red Wings lost 16-2 to the SJJHL's St. John's Jr. Caps and 11-1 to the Mount Pearl Jr. Blades. In 2013, the Champion Bishop's Falls Jr. Express lost 17-1 to the Jr. Caps in the semi-final and in the final the Host Stephenville Jr. Jets lost 15-2.

The drop in competitiveness within the CWJHL combined with a lack of volunteers to run the league and some of the teams led Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador to demote the league and fine them at the start of the 2013-14 season. When league members found out it was too late to register for the Maritime-Hockey North Junior C Championships because the deadline for registration had past, organization for the season faltered and never materialized. It is unclear if the league will return at the Junior C level for the 2014-15 season.

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