Superior International Junior Hockey League
Current season or competition: 2016–17 SIJHL season
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| Region(s) |
Northwestern Ontario Minnesota |
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| Commissioner | Bryan Graham |
| Director of Officiating | Kevin Kuluski |
| Founded | 2001 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Associated Title(s) |
Royal Bank Cup (National Championship) Dudley Hewitt Cup (Central Championship) |
| Recent Champions | Dryden Ice Dogs (2016-17) |
| Headquarters | Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| Website | SIJHL |
The Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league under the supervision of the Canadian Junior Hockey League and Hockey Canada. Winners of the SIJHL playoffs compete for the Dudley Hewitt Cup against the winners of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. The winner of the Dudley Hewitt Cup then moves on to compete for the Royal Bank Cup.
Although founded in 2001, the SIJHL is another chapter in a long history of Thunder Bay Junior "A" Hockey. The Fort William War Veterans were the first representatives of the Thunder Bay region, winning the 1922 Memorial Cup as Canadian National Junior "A" Champions. Although there is not abundant information on the subject, the Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League may date back to the War Veterans, and existed until 1980. From 1980 until 2000, the region (Hockey Northwestern Ontario) was represented by a single team at the Junior "A" level—the Thunder Bay Flyers. The Flyers played their regular season games in the United States Hockey League, America's Tier I of Junior Hockey, and returned to Canada for the playoffs. The Flyers won the Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian Junior Champions in 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1995. The Flyers were also National Champions in 1989 and 1992, winning the Centennial Cup. The Flyers folded after the 1999-2000 USHL Season.
The Northwestern Ontario region has also been well represented in the past in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. From 1968 until 1982, the city of Kenora, Ontario was represented by the Kenora Muskies/Thistles and in the mid-1980s, Thunder Bay had an entry with the Thunder Bay Hornets.
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