The Battlefords North Stars' first trip to the Western Canada Cup may prove to be the only one they'll get to make.
While it hasn't been offically announced yet by the Alberta Junior Hockey League, the British Columbia Hockey League, the Manitoba Junior Hockey League or the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, it was confirmed in an interview with BCHL comissioner John Grisdale last week that the tournament will come to an end after a five-year run.
"It was a decision that the other leagues made as they didn't feel they wanted to continue," Grisdale said in an interview with Emanuel Sequeira of the Penticton Western News. "It was a profit issue more than anything else. I think at the end of the day, with it not being the end of the year tournament, there's a lot of expense."
While this year's tournament in Penticton, B.C. was deemed a success, no teams from the MJHL had submitted a bid to host the 2018 edition of the event.
As a result, two familar tournament are expected to return next season.
The SJHL and MJHL champions will battle it out in the Anavet Cup, while the BCHL and AJHL title holders will square off for the Doyle Cup.
The winners of those seven-game series will move on to the RBC Cup.
The Western Canada Cup, which saw two teams advance to the national championship, first took place in 2013 in Naniamo, B.C.
The next three events were hosted in Dauphin, Man., Fort McMurray, Alta. and Estevan respeticavely.
In other SJHL news, two players from the league have been rewarded with national awards from the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
On Wednesday morning, Nipawin Hawks netminder Kristian Stead was named the top goaltender in the CJHL for the 2016-17 campaign.
Stead, who is slated to play for the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves in the NCAA next season, led the SJHL this year with 29 wins and seven shutouts.
He finished in a tie for first place in save percentage with Taryn Kotchorek of the North Stars as they both had a .936 mark.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame Hounds forward Adam Dawe won the CJHL top rookie award last week.
Dawe, who is slated to join the Maine Black Bears this fall, had 64 points this season lead all first year players in the SJHL and finished in ninth in the league scoring race.
Cale Makar of the AJHL's Brooks Bandits won the CJHL's top defenceman honours while the top forward award went to Jack Jacome of the OJHL's Georgetown Raiders.
