FIVE MINUTE MAJOR CHL's silly season is here?

While the off-season continues for the major junior hockey universe, there are still things to monitor such as players committing to universities instead of returning to their CHL team. However, there are hypotheticals too. Sure, interleague play has been talked about before, but the deal the NCAA made with the CHL likely opens more doors than one might imagine.

There has obviously been no news of this happening, but with the CHL, BCHL and USHL all likely on the same level it makes one wonder what could happen. But one hypothetical involves the CHL and USHL. When the BCHL went independent it signaled a move of wanting to be close to the level of the CHL. The other issue is the BCHL being in part of the WHL’s footprint.

If the BCHL dissolved or partnered in any way with the CHL, it’d make more sense to just see expansion or maybe some exhibition tournament or something like that.

So, the BCHL and CHL coming to an agreement to bring the BCHL in as a fourth league is probably out of the picture, which leaves the CHL and USHL to possibly discuss something.

While the idea has been brought up before of adding a fourth league, adding the USHL as a major junior league under the CHL could make sense. However, things would have to be worked out with USA Hockey and Hockey Canada. There’s also facility standards as most Junior-A teams play in smaller buildings than CHL teams do.

So there are obviously logistical flaws to this idea. However, it makes sense from a geographical standpoint being in the Midwest region of the United States. The USHL would be geographically between the WHL’s easternmost team, the Brandon Wheat Kings and the OHL.

Two things could happen here. One is the OHL could just pick off top USHL teams and then the USHL would have to likely figure something out with the NAHL to have a stable league as far as members would go. The second option is to make the USHL the fourth major junior league. But the facility standards could ultimately be an issue unless teams were given a few years to build bigger venues which would obviously include community politics.

But it’s a fun idea to think about with the level of competition a move like that would add to the CHL.

Like past stories have stated, the addition of a fourth league could change the Memorial Cup format to not need a host team and rather just be a bracketed tournament. There could still be a round robin format to start to figure out seeding too. But ultimately there could be four seeds with one side of the bracket featuring the 1 vs. 4 seeds and the other featuring the 2 vs. 3 seeds.

The Memorial Cup could still be hosted at a CHL rink, but there wouldn’t be a need for a host team. Eliminating the need for a host team would also make it easier on teams to not have to strategically decide when they needed to tear down to build up to contend in the Memorial Cup.

It’s likely none of this happens, but with the doors that were opened with the CHL and NCAA agreement, it’s not entirely off the table necessarily pending upgrades and other items.