The league formed in 1954 and is the longest running senior ice hockey league in Canada.[1] The league was down to two teams (Peace River Stampeders and High Prairie Regals) in the early 1970s, when it played an interlocking schedule with the South Peace Hockey League.
Prior to the start of the 2009–10 season, the league voted to disallow any team playing AAA hockey from competing in the NPHL playoffs. This change affects teams competing for the Allan Cup.[2] That same year, the Fort St. John Flyers hosted and won the 2010 Allan Cup national championship.[3] The 2010 Fort St. John Flyers were inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024.[4]
The 2013–14 season saw the league lose two teams when the Hythe Mustangs folded near the end of the season and the Lakeland Eagles were expelled for repeatedly failing to fulfill league commitments.[5][6] The 2014–15 season saw the league reduced to six teams with the loss of the Dawson Creek Sr. Canucks and High Prairie Regals.[7][8] The Grande Prairie Athletics announced it was taking a leave of absence in the 2015–16 season due to a lack of players.[9]
The 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] The league returned with 8 teams for the 2022–23 season.[11]
The Grimshaw Huskies announced a leave of absence for the 2023–24 season citing a lack of players.[12] The league rejected a re-entry bid from the High Prairie Regals.[13]
In the 2024–25 season, the High Prairie Regals returned from a five-year hiatus, and the Fox Creek Knights joined as an expansion team.[14]
The Spirit River Rangers won the 2023–24 league championship Campbell Cup after defeating the Falher Pirates in game 7 of the finals.[15] In 2023, the Dawson Creek Canucks defeated the Falher Pirates in overtime of game 7 of the finals.[16]
