The league introduced "universal affiliate" players. Teams will be allowed to supplement their rosters with affiliate players from the VIJHL and the Junior Prospects Hockey League (JPHL).
The league granted "exceptional player status" to Eli McKamey, a 15-year-old forward, allowing him to join the Penticton Vees' roster before the age of 16.[5] He was the first player to receive that designation from the BCHL.[6]
The league's 21 teams will be organized into two conferences — Coastal and Interior — with each conference divided into West and East divisions. The five Alberta-based teams, which left the AJHL part-way through the 2023–24 season, will play in the East division of the Interior conference, as will the Cranbrook Bucks.[7] The Prince George Spruce Kings, who had been in the Interior Conference, has been moved into the Coastal Conference's East division.[8]
The teams will play a 54-game regular season with top 8 teams from each conference advancing to the playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs, the first seed in each conference will play the eighth seed, the second seed will play the seventh seed, the third seed will play the sixth seed, and the fourth seed will play the fifth seed. Each round will be a best-of-seven series with the winner advancing to the next round.[9]
Coastal West Coastal East Interior West Interior East
2024 BCHL showcase
The annual showcase event will take place from 13 - 17 October 2024 in the Fraser Valley cities of Abbotsford and Chilliwack, co-hosted by the Vancouver Canucks. The event is an opportunity for NCAA coaches and NHL scouts to observe all 21 teams playing two regular season games each. The games will played in the Abbotsford Centre and the Chilliwack Coliseum. The 2024 event will also include a JPHL under-18 showcase.[10][11]
During the event, the league will also pilot an initiative allowing coaches to lodge a challenge when they believe that a double-minor, major or match penalty should have been assessed. If the challenge is unsuccessful, the challenging team will be assessed a minor penalty for delay of game and will not be permitted another challenge for the rest of the match.[9][12]
Post-season
The first seed in each conference will play the eighth seed in the first round, the second seed will play the seventh seed and so on. The two last-place teams from the Coastal Conference, and the three last-place teams from the Interior Conference are excluded from the post-season.[13]
^Rardon, Elena (25 June 2024). "BCHL: Alberni Valley Bulldogs getting ready for the 2024-25 season". Vancouver Island Free Daily. Black Press Media. Retrieved 3 August 2024. The BCHL will continue with its existing playoff structure with the first seed in each conference playing the eighth seed in the first round, the second playing the seventh seed and so on. Five teams will not make the playoffs – two from the Coastal Conference and three from the Interior Conference.
