Travel & Fatigue

Bus kilometres, back-to-backs, and how rest shapes results across the CHL.

Completed games only

How to read this

Major junior teams travel by bus, and the miles add up very differently across the country. This page estimates each team's season travel by following its schedule from arena to arena, and tracks how dense that schedule is: back-to-backs are games on consecutive nights, and a 3-in-3 is three games in three nights. The lower section answers whether any of it matters, comparing win rates when teams play tired against when they play rested. One consistent answer: total season travel has almost no relationship with where teams finish - the grind shows up game by game, in short rest and long trips into road games, not in the standings. Distances are road-style estimates, not odometer readings, so treat small gaps between teams as ties.

OHL

1,682 kmavg. travel per team

Most travel: Kitchener Rangers (3,810 km)

0.8 back-to-backs per team · 1.3 days of rest between games

QMJHL

4,263 kmavg. travel per team

Most travel: Blainville-Boisbriand, Armada (10,105 km)

3.6 back-to-backs per team · 1.0 days of rest between games

WHL

3,638 kmavg. travel per team

Most travel: Prince Albert Raiders (11,046 km)

3.4 back-to-backs per team · 1.1 days of rest between games

Most travelled teams

48 teams

Rk	Team↕	League↕	GP↕	Travel (km)↓	Km/GP↕	Longest leg↕	Longest trip↕	B2B↕	Avg rest↕
1	Prince Albert Raiders	WHL	23	11,046	480	1,682	2	9	1.3
2	Blainville-Boisbriand, Armada	QMJHL	17	10,105	594	2,110	3	5	1.4
3	Newfoundland, Regiment	QMJHL	12	9,976	831	2,110	3	4	1.2
4	Chicoutimi, Saguenéens	QMJHL	22	9,581	436	922	2	7	1.4
5	Moncton, Wildcats	QMJHL	22	9,441	429	1,311	2	7	1.5
6	Rouyn-Noranda, Huskies	QMJHL	18	6,865	381	765	4	6	1.2
7	Everett Silvertips	WHL	23	6,161	268	1,682	3	8	1.3
8	Medicine Hat Tigers	WHL	16	5,442	340	799	4	5	1.5
9	Penticton Vees	WHL	18	5,410	301	860	3	5	1.3
10	Prince George Cougars	WHL	12	4,844	404	1,026	3	4	1.1
11	Spokane Chiefs	WHL	6	4,103	684	1,026	2	2	0.8
12	Saskatoon Blades	WHL	11	4,004	364	668	3	4	0.9
13	Val-d'Or, Foreurs	QMJHL	9	3,849	428	1,311	2	4	1.4
14	Kitchener Rangers	OHL	23	3,810	166	593	2	3	1.4
15	Soo Greyhounds	OHL	10	3,689	369	602	3	2	1.3
16	Québec, Remparts	QMJHL	11	3,548	323	838	4	4	0.9
17	Gatineau, Olympiques	QMJHL	7	3,100	443	517	2	2	0.8
18	Cape Breton, Eagles	QMJHL	6	3,069	512	767	2	2	1.0
19	Red Deer Rebels	WHL	5	2,866	573	717	2	2	0.8
20	Barrie Colts	OHL	24	2,845	119	435	3	0	1.3
21	Windsor Spitfires	OHL	15	2,740	183	344	4	2	1.8
22	Calgary Hitmen	WHL	8	2,647	331	1,307	4	1	1.7
23	Brandon Wheat Kings	WHL	4	2,615	654	1,307	2	0	1.0
24	Edmonton Oil Kings	WHL	7	2,530	361	632	2	2	0.7
25	Brantford Bulldogs	OHL	16	2,398	150	449	3	1	1.5
26	Regina Pats	WHL	5	2,257	451	564	2	2	1.0
27	North Bay Battalion	OHL	11	2,109	192	430	2	2	1.0
28	Shawinigan, Cataractes	QMJHL	11	2,075	189	660	2	4	0.9
29	Halifax, Mooseheads	QMJHL	4	1,844	461	922	2	2	0.7
30	Ottawa 67's	OHL	9	1,823	203	435	4	0	1.8
31	Kelowna Rockets	WHL	9	1,697	189	428	4	4	1.5
32	Charlottetown, Islanders	QMJHL	7	1,652	236	826	3	3	0.8
33	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL	5	1,590	318	398	2	2	0.8
34	Peterborough Petes	OHL	6	1,249	208	312	2	1	0.8
35	Drummondville, Voltigeurs	QMJHL	5	1,226	245	613	3	2	0.8
36	London Knights	OHL	5	1,204	241	602	2	1	0.8
37	Sherbrooke, Phœnix	QMJHL	7	1,134	162	189	2	2	0.8
38	Sudbury Wolves	OHL	4	898	225	449	2	0	1.0
39	Flint Firebirds	OHL	8	892	112	396	4	0	1.9
40	Niagara IceDogs	OHL	5	735	147	184	2	0	1.3
41	Owen Sound Attack	OHL	4	727	182	364	2	0	1.0
42	Saginaw Spirit	OHL	4	725	181	363	2	0	1.0
43	Portland Winterhawks	WHL	4	714	179	357	2	2	0.7
44	Guelph Storm	OHL	4	688	172	344	2	0	1.3
45	Victoriaville, Tigres	QMJHL	4	397	99	199	2	2	0.7
46	Kingston Frontenacs	OHL	4	373	93	187	2	0	1.0
47	Saint John, Sea Dogs	QMJHL	4	351	88	175	2	2	0.7
48	Kamloops Blazers	WHL	4	274	69	137	2	2	0.7

Does the grind matter?

Win rates by days of rest and bus distance across the selected schedule. Travel comparisons hold venue constant - road games are compared only with other road games.

Win rate by days of rest

No rest (back-to-back)48.4%3.06 GF/G · 124 GP

1 day of rest44.6%3.01 GF/G · 202 GP

2 days of rest47.8%3.29 GF/G · 69 GP

3+ days of rest51.4%3.11 GF/G · 35 GP

Road win rate by trip length

Short trip (under 200 km)49.2%128 GP

Medium trip (200-499 km)39.5%38 GP

Long haul (500+ km)46.6%73 GP

All road games: 46.9% win rate over 239 GP.

Rest advantage

54.5%

Win rate for teams with at least two more days of rest than their opponent (6–5)

Homecoming fatigue

40.7%

Home record after travelling 300+ km into a home game (33–48) · all home games: 47.3%

Decades of schedule grind

Regular seasons only. Travel averages appear from 2015-16 onward, where every team's arena can be placed.

Average travel per team (km)

Back-to-backs per team

Distances are estimates: straight-line distance between arenas multiplied by 1.3 to approximate road routes. Memorial Cup games are excluded. Full details in Methodology