Pathways In
The Three Leagues: OHL, WHL, and QMJHL
What the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL are, where they play, and how they differ. The three leagues make up the CHL.
The CHL is made up of three independently run leagues. Rules and structure are tightly aligned across all three, so a fan who knows one will understand the others quickly. The main differences are geography, scouting reach, and a few quirks of league business.
Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Twenty teams in Ontario and one in the United States (Saginaw, Michigan). The OHL drafts players from Ontario, the U.S. northeast, and parts of the Maritimes through its OHL Priority Selection. Player traffic to NCAA programs and the NHL has always been heavy here.
Western Hockey League (WHL)
Twenty-two teams stretching from Manitoba west across the Prairies and British Columbia, into Washington and Oregon. Bus rides are the longest of any CHL league. Player drafts use the WHL Prospects Draft, fed by the strong U15 AAA programs across Western Canada.
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL / LHJMQ)
Twenty teams across Quebec and the four Atlantic provinces. The QMJHL Entry Draft pulls primarily from Quebec, Atlantic Canada, and parts of the United States. The league is known for producing world-class goaltenders and skilled forwards.
What is the same everywhere
- Around 68 regular-season games, then best-of-seven playoff rounds.
- Players aged 16 to 20, with a maximum of two 20-year-olds (overage) per team.
- Three 20-minute periods, NHL-size ice, hybrid no-touch icing.
- Five-minute three-on-three overtime in regular season, then a shootout.
- Twenty-minute sudden-death overtime in the playoffs, no shootout.