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Manitoba Junior Hockey League

Manitoba Junior Hockey League
Current season or competition:
2016–17 MJHL season
Manitoba Junior Hockey League logo.svg
Countries Canada
Region(s) Manitoba
Commissioner Kim Davis
Former name(s) Winnipeg and District League
Founded 1918
No. of teams 11
Associated Title(s) Western Canada Cup
Royal Bank Cup
Recent Champions Portage Terriers
Most successful club Winnipeg Blues (17)
Website MJHLhockey.ca

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The MJHL is one of eleven Junior 'A' Hockey Leagues in Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).

The MJHL consists of 11 teams playing a balanced 60-game schedule, with the top eight teams qualifying for the playoffs. The quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final, are all determined by best-of-seven series, with the champion being awarded the Turnbull Cup. Prior to the 2014-15 season, the league had two divisions, the Addison and Sherwood.

The winner of the MJHL playoffs (Turnbull Cup) continues on to play in the Western Canada Cup tournament, where it competes against the champions from Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia for one of two berths in the Royal Bank Cup, the Junior "A" National Championship Tournament. From 1971 to 2012, the Manitoba champion would play in the Anavet Cup, a best-of-seven series against the champion of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, to determine who would play for the Royal Bank Cup.

The League has a rich tradition, first year of operation was the 1918–19 season, making it the oldest Junior League in Canada. At first the junior league was known as the Winnipeg and District League, until 1931 when it became the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. In its first year, there were nine teams in two divisions. The teams included the Winnipeg Pilgrims, Elmwood, Grand Trunk Pacific, Winnipeg Tigers, Young Men's Lutheran Club, Winnipeg Argonauts, Selkirk Fishermen, Weston, and Winnipeg Monarchs. The first season consisted of each team playing six games. Over the years, more than 200 MJHL players have gone on to the National Hockey League (NHL), and 11 of those MJHL graduates have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame:


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