The 2023–24 MHL season was the 56th season of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL). The Miramichi Timberwolves won their first league championship in franchise history.
The South Shore Lumberjacks from Bridgewater, Nova Scotia relocated to Kent County, New Brunswick and were renamed the West Kent Steamers.[1] The Summerside Western Capitals shifted from the North division to the South division.[1]
Former MHL president, Troy Dumville, resigned after one year in the role to take up a scouting position with the Winnipeg Jets.[2] The league appointed Connor Cameron as its new president.[3]
The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) mandated the use of certified protective neck guards during all on-ice activities, including games and practices.[4]
The Town of Truro, Nova Scotia, home of the Truro Bearcats, hosted the World Junior A Challenge, an international showcase featuring players from Canada, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States.[5][6]
Teams played a 52-game regular season schedule, including 8 matches against each team in their division, and two against each team in the other division.[7]
Source: "2023-24 MHL standings". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
Individual awards are voted on by the general managers of each team, except the leading scorer award which is based on overall points scored during the regular season. General managers may not vote for their own team.[8][9]
Source: "League Awards". themhl.ca. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
The top 4 teams from each division advanced to the playoffs. The Miramichi Timberwolves emerged as league champions despite their middling finish in the regular season.[10] It was the Timberwolves's first league championship.[11]
Source: "2023–24 MHL playoff results". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
The 2024 national championship tournament took place at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ontario from 9 to 19 May 2024. The competition included all nine CJHL championship teams and hosts the Oakville Blades. The format consisted of a 4-game round-robin with two groups of five teams, followed by a six-team single-elimination play-off. The top team from each group of the round-robin had a bye to the semifinal round.[12]
The Miramichi Timberwolves won 3 of their 4 games in the round-robin. In the quarterfinal round, they defeated fellow first-timers, the Navan Grads of the CCHL by a score of 8-4. The Timberwolves then lost to the Collingwood Blues of the OJHL by a score of 5-2 and thus were eliminated from the competition. The Collingwood Blues went on to win the competition after defeating the Melfort Mustangs of the SJHL in the final by a score of 1-0.[13][14]