The Spruce Grove Saints are a Junior ice hockey team in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada, with home games at the Thompson Family Arena. The team was originally a member of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) and joined the BCHL in 2024.
History Prior to their 2024 departure, the Saints' franchise was the only franchise remaining from the inception of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). The franchise began as the Edmonton Movers in 1963 before it merged with the Edmonton Maple Leafs organization to become the Edmonton Mets for the 1972–73 season. It then relocated to Spruce Grove as the Spruce Grove Mets for the 1974–75 season. During its first stint in Spruce Grove, the Mets won the 1975 Centennial Cup as Canadian Jr. A national champions and two league championships. After three years in Spruce Grove, the franchise relocated again to nearby St. Albert to become the St. Albert Saints in 1977. The franchise captured four AJHL championships during its time in St. Albert.
After 27 years in St. Albert, arena issues caused the franchise to return to Spruce Grove as the Spruce Grove Saints in 2004. Since returning to Spruce Grove, the team has won five AJHL playoff championships and five regular season titles, but have not advanced to the National Junior A Championship after failing to advance past the Doyle Cup or Western Canada Cup qualifiers.
On January 20, 2024, it was announced that the team, along with four other AJHL teams, would join the British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCHL) in the 2024–25 season. The AJHL responded to the announcement by cancelling most of the five teams' remaining scheduled matches except those between each other. It was then decided that the five Alberta-based teams would play out the rest of the 2023–24 season as a separate division under the aegis of the BCHL. On July 18, 2024, the team unveiled an updated logo and colour scheme as part of a brand refresh ahead of the upcoming season. On May 10, 2025, the team hosted a grand opening of Thompson Family Arena, their newly constructed home facility.
Over 50 former Saints players have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including Mark Messier, Stu Barnes, Mike Comrie, and Steven Reinprecht.
Season-by-season record Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T/OTL = Ties/Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Season GP W L T/OTL Pts GF GA Finish Playoffs 2004–05 64 42 16 6 90 208 147 2nd North Won Preliminary series, 3–0 vs. Lloydminster BlazersLost Quarterfinals, 2–4 vs. Drayton Valley Thunder 2005–06 60 39 18 3 81 197 160 3rd North Won Preliminary series, 3–0 vs. Fort Saskatchewan TradersWon Quarterfinals, 4–3 vs. Drayton Valley ThunderLost Semifinals, 2–4 vs. Camrose Kodiaks 2006–07 60 32 20 8 72 213 186 3rd North Won Preliminary series, 3–2 vs. Bonnyville PontiacsLost Quarterfinals, 1–4 vs. Grande Prairie Storm 2007–08 62 34 16 12 80 248 203 3rd North Won Preliminary series, 3–0 vs. Lloydminster BobcatsWon Quarterfinals, 4–3 vs. Grande Prairie StormLost Semifinals, 1–4 vs. Fort McMurray Oil Barons 2008–09 62 46 7 9 101 274 139 1st North Won Div. Semifinals, 4–1 vs. Fort McMurray Oil BaronsWon Div. Finals, 4–0 vs. Olds GrizzlysLost AJHL Finals, 0–4 vs. Grande Prairie Storm 2009–10 60 52 4 4 108 252 99 1st North Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Bonnyville PontiacsWon Div. Finals, 4–1 vs. Camrose KodiaksWon AJHL Championship, 4–3 vs. Fort McMurray Oil BaronsLost Doyle Cup, 3–4 vs. Vernon Vipers (BCHL) 2010–11 60 48 8 4 100 233 106 1st North Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Lloydminster BobcatsWon Div. Finals, 4–0 vs. Fort McMurray Oil BaronsWon AJHL Championship, 4–1 vs. Camrose KodiaksLost Doyle Cup, 3–4 vs. Vernon Vipers (BCHL) 2011–12 60 46 6 8 100 214 129 1st North Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Drayton Valley ThunderLost Div. Finals, 3–4 vs. Fort McMurray Oil Barons 2012–13 60 35 16 9 79 181 157 1st North Won Div. Semifinals, 4–2 vs. Sherwood Park CrusadersWon Div. Finals, 4–1 vs. Whitecourt WolverinesLost AJHL Finals, 1–4 vs. Brooks Bandits 2013–14 60 47 10 3 97 235 135 1st North Won Div. Semifinals, 4–3 vs. Sherwood Park CrusadersWon Div. Finals, 4–3 vs. Fort McMurray Oil BaronsWon AJHL Championship, 4–0 vs. Drumheller DragonsDid not advance in 2014 Western Canada Cup 2014–15 60 48 7 5 101 254 121 1st North Won Div. Semifinals, 4–2 vs. Sherwood Park CrusadersWon Div. Finals, 4–2 vs. Bonnyville PontiacsWon AJHL Championship, 4–2 vs. Brooks BanditsDid not advance in 2015 Western Canada Cup 2015–16 60 49 7 4 101 263 123 1st North Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Sherwood Park CrusadersWon Div. Finals, 4–1 vs. Lloydminster BobcatsLost AJHL Finals, 1–4 vs. Brooks Bandits 2016–17 60 40 18 2 82 198 145 3rd North Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Drayton Valley ThunderLost Div. Semifinals, 3–4 vs. Whitecourt Wolverines 2017–18 60 47 10 3 97 262 138 1st of 8, North2nd of 16, AJHL Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Grande Prairie StormWon Div. Finals, 4–0 vs. Whitecourt WolverinesWon AJHL Championship, 4–1 vs. Okotoks OilersLost Doyle Cup, 4–1 vs. Wenatchee Wild (BCHL) 2018–19 60 40 17 3 83 204 141 3rd of 8, North4th of 16, AJHL Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–1 vs. Drayton Valley ThunderWon Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Bonnyville PontiacsWon Div. Finals, 4–2 vs. Sherwood Park CrusadersLost AJHL Finals, 4–0 vs. Brooks Bandits 2019–20 58 43 13 2 88 246 155 2nd of 8, North4th of 15, AJHL Won Div. Quarterfinals, 4–2 vs. Grande Prairie StormPostseason cancelledseasons 2020-2021 to 2022-23 not recordedBCHL 2023–24 66 26 34 6 58 82 108 5th of 5, Alta Div Lost Div. Playin, 0-3 vs. Okotoks Oilers 2024–25 54 19 29 6 44 164 228 9th of 11, Interior Div18th of 21 BCHL Did Not Qualify
Western Canada Cup The Western Canada Cup was a postseason tournament between the playoff champions of the AJHL, BCHL, Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), and a previously selected host team from one of the leagues. It ran from 2013 to 2017 with the top two teams qualifying for the Royal Bank Cup Junior A national championship tournament. It replaced the Doyle Cup, which had been the qualifier for the AJHL and BCHL champions, and the ANAVET Cup, which had been the qualifier for the MJHL and SJHL champions. The qualifying system reverted the Doyle and ANAVET Cups in 2018.
The tournament began with round-robin play between the five team followed by the top two teams playing in championship game and the third and fourth place teams playing in a semifinal game. The loser of the championship game then faced the winner of the semifinal game for the runner-up qualifier. The winner of the championship and the runner-up game advanced to the Royal Bank Cup.
Year Round-robin Record Standing Semifinal Championship game Runner-up game 2014 L, 2–4 vs. Dauphin Kings (Host)L, 1–3 vs. Coquitlam Express (BCHL)OTW, 3–2 vs. Yorkton Terriers (SJHL)W, 5–3 vs. Winnipeg Blues (MJHL) 2–2–0(W–L–OTL) 3rd of 5 W, 5–3 vs. Coquitlam Express—L, 2–4 vs. Dauphin Kings 2015 L, 3–11 vs. Penticton Vees (BCHL)OTL, 3–4 vs. Melfort Mustangs (SJHL)L, 4–5 vs. Fort McMurray Oil Barons (Host)L, 2–4 vs. Portage Terriers (MJHL) 0–4(W–L) 5th of 5 Did not advance
See also List of ice hockey teams in Alberta
References
External links Spruce Grove Saints website British Columbia Hockey League website Alberta Junior Hockey League website