QMJHL

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) is a major junior ice hockey league in Canada and a member of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), alongside the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. It features players generally aged 16 to 20 and serves as a primary development league for professional hockey, particularly the National Hockey League.

The league was founded in 1969 as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. It later expanded beyond Quebec into Atlantic Canada during the 1980s and 1990s. Today, QMJHL teams are located primarily in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, including Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. It operates under the CHL umbrella and retains the QMJHL designation.

season structure includes a regular-season schedule followed by playoffs to crown the league champion, who is awarded the President’s Cup. The QMJHL champion advances to the Memorial Cup tournament, which features the champions of the OHL and WHL and a host team.

Notable franchises have included Rimouski Oceanic, Halifax Mooseheads, Saint John Sea Dogs, Quebec Remparts, and Drummondville Voltigeurs. The league has produced a substantial number of players who went on to professional careers, including Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin, and Claude Giroux.

Overall, the QMJHL functions as a key pathway for young players pursuing professional hockey, with a structure that emphasizes competition, player development, and progress toward higher levels of play within the CHL and beyond.