The Keystone Cup is the Junior B ice hockey championship and trophy for Western Canada. From 1983 to 2017, the championship was the culmination of the champions of 12 hockey leagues in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwestern Ontario. In 2018, citing costs for travel and accommodations, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan withdrew from competition for the Keystone Cup, making it a championship between Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.

There is no national championship for Junior B hockey in Canada, but similar championships are held in Southern Ontario (Sutherland Cup), Ottawa District (Barkley Cup), Quebec (Coupe Dodge), and Atlantic Canada (Don Johnson Memorial Cup)—leaving five teams at the end of each year with a shared claim to being the best Junior B team in Canada.

History The Keystone Cup was donated to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association by Keystone Sports from Selkirk, Manitoba. The inaugural tournament took place in 1983 in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, and was won by the Selkirk Fishermen of the Manitoba Junior B Hockey League.

The championship is determined through a round-robin of the winner of the Cyclone Taylor Cup in British Columbia, the winner of the Russ Barnes Trophy in Alberta, the winner of the Athol Murray Trophy in Saskatchewan, the Keystone Junior Hockey League, and the William Ryan Trophy in Northwestern Ontario. In previous years, the winner of the Keystone Junior B League would have had to go through the Manitoba Provincial Junior B Hockey Championship, but in 2004 their only competition, the Northwest Junior Hockey League, folded. The same thing happened in the William Ryan Trophy Championship for the Thunder Bay Junior B League, as their only competition, the North of Superior Junior B Hockey League, folded in 2004.

For the 2018 edition of the tournament in Thunder Bay, Ontario, teams from British Columbia and Alberta pulled out of the event. NEAJBHL President Ned Graling cited economic concerns while Kamloops Storm general manager Barry Dewar made claims about playing conditions and accommodations in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. The Prairie Junior Hockey League followed British Columbia and Alberta and also withdrew from the 2018 Keystone Cup bringing it to a cross-border clash between the Keystone Junior Hockey League and the Lakehead Junior Hockey League, won by the host Northern Hawks. In mid-November 2019 the teams of the Prairie Junior Hockey League of Saskatchewan decided to send their provincial champion as their representative to the 2020 Keystone Cup. However, the 2020 competition was cancelled as part of the effort to minimize the COVID-19 pandemic.

Central Canada Cup 2024 In Flin Flon, Manitoba – PBCN Selects host team

Round Robin Team League W-L-T GF GA St. Paul Canadiens NEAJHL 4-0-0 25 10 Current River Storm LJHL 2-1-1 23 15 Saskatoon Royals PJHL 2-1-1 22 21 PBCN Selects Host 1-3-0 8 22 Peguis Juniors KJHL 0-4-0 11 21

Round Robin

Round Robin Game Away Score Home ScoreApril 17, 20241 Peguis 2 St. Paul 52 Saskatoon 6 Current River 63 PBCN 4 Peguis 2April 18, 20244 PBCN 2Saskatoon 55 Current River 3 St. Paul 66 Peguis 5 Saskatoon 67 St. Paul 7 PBCN 08 Current River 8 Peguis 1

Championship Round Championship Round Game Away Score Home ScoreChampionship Saskatoon 1 St. Paul 3

2024 Roll of Representatives KJHL (Man) — host PBCN Selects KJHL (Man) — KJHL playoff champion Peguis Juniors PJHL (Sask) — regular season champion Saskatoon Royals LJHL (Ont) — playoff champion Current River Storm NEAJHL (Alta) — regular season champion St. Paul Canadiens Champions

Keystone Cup Champions Year Champions Runners-Up Consolation Champions Host CityPre-Keystone Cup Era1978Quesnel MillionairesSaskatoon Quakers --19791980Transcona RailersSelkirk FishermenNotre Dame HoundsWinnipeg, MB1981Transcona RailersNorthwest AmericansHudson Bay SaintsWinnipeg, MB1982Saskatoon QuakersHudson Bay SaintsTranscona RailersHudson Bay, SKKeystone Cup Era1983Selkirk FishermenSaskatoon WesleysThunder Bay HornetsPortage la Prairie, MB1984Portage la Prairie TerriersSelkirk FishermenThunder Bay HornetsSchreiber, ON1985Vermilion TigersNorth Winnipeg SatelitesNipawin Hawks Nipawin, SK1986Vermilion TigersPrince Albert North StarsNorth Winnipeg SatelitesWinnipeg, MB1987Calgary BruinsVermilion TigersVermilion, AB1988Warman Valley CrusadersColumbia Valley RockiesNorth Winnipeg SatelitesSaskatoon, SK1989Columbia Valley RockiesKinistino TigersStony Plain FlyersGimli, MB1990Columbia Valley RockiesCalgary BruinsKinistino TigersInvermere, BC1991Kinistino TigersLloydminster BanditsStony Plain FlyersStony Plain, AB1992Kinistino TigersSaskatoon ChiefsSelkirk FishermenKinistino, SK1993Lloydminster BanditsKinistino TigersSelkirk FishermenSelkirk, MB1994Kinistino TigersSelkirk FishermenFort William HurricanesThunder Bay, ON1995Lloydminster BanditsRegina CapitalsFort William HurricanesLloydminster, SK1996Assiniboia Southern RebelsSt. Albert MerchantsRidge Meadows FlamesSicamous, BC1997Grenfell StormSt. Malo WarriorsSaskatoon RoyalsGrenfell, SK1998Ridge Meadows FlamesLloydminster BanditsHearst ElansWinnipeg, MB1999Fort William HurricanesEdmonton RoyalsCampbell River StormThunder Bay, ON2000Edmonton River KingsAirdrie ThunderAbbotsford PilotsAirdrie, AB2001Assiniboia Southern RebelsRidge Meadows FlamesBeaver Valley NitehawksMaple Ridge, BC2002Sicamous EaglesSpruce Grove RegalsAssiniboia Southern RebelsAssiniboia, SK2003Assiniboia Southern RebelsSpruce Grove RegalsRichmond SockeyesPortage la Prairie, MB2004Regina CapitalsRichmond SockeyesRed Deer VipersSchreiber, ON2005Osoyoos StormSaskatoon RoyalsMedicine Hat CubsMedicine Hat, AB2006Red Deer VipersCampbell River StormDelta Ice HawksCampbell River, BC2007Saskatoon RoyalsFort Qu'Appelle Fort KnoxWinnipeg SaintsFort Qu'Appelle, SK2008Sherwood Park KnightsNorway House North StarsGrandview SteelersSelkirk, MB2009Richmond SockeyesThunder Bay WolverinesSaskatoon RoyalsThunder Bay, ON2010Revelstoke GrizzliesTri-Town ThunderKamloops StormKamloops, BC2011Blackfalds WranglersSherwood Park KnightsPilot Butte StormSherwood Park, AB2012Abbotsford PilotsThunder Bay Northern HawksWhitecourt WolverinesSaskatoon, SK2013Richmond SockeyesSaskatoon RoyalsOkotoks BisonsSt. Malo, MB2014Beaver Valley NitehawksAbbotsford PilotsBlackfalds WranglersAbbotsford, BC2015Campbell River StormNorth Edmonton Red WingsSaskatoon QuakersCold Lake, AB2016100 Mile House WranglersSaskatoon QuakersNorth Peace NavigatorsRegina, SK2017Wainwright BisonsBeaver Valley NitehawksRegina CapitalsArborg, MB2018Thunder Bay Northern HawksPeguis JuniorsThunder Bay Fighting WalleyeThunder Bay, ON2019Thunder Bay Northern HawksThunder Bay Fighting WalleyeCross Lake IslandersPeguis, MB2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in CanadaThunder Bay, ON2021 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Canada2022 Competition not scheduled-Central Canada Cup Era Year Champions Runner-up Championship result Host City2023OCN StormSchrieber Falcons6-3Thunder Bay, ON2024St. Paul CanadiensSaskatoon Royals3-1Flin Flon, MB

Most Top 3 Finishes by Province (since 1999) Keystone Cup medal count by Province Region Gold Silver Bronze Total British Columbia 9 5 7 21 Alberta 5 6 6 17 Saskatchewan 4 5 5 14 Ontario 3 3 1 7 Manitoba 0 3 2 5

References

External links Keystone Cup