Merritt Centennials | |
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City | Merritt, British Columbia |
League | |
Conference | Okanagan/Shuswap |
Division | Bill Ohlhausen |
Founded | 1961 |
Home arena | Nicola Valley Memorial Arena |
Colours | Red, black, white |
General manager | Vacant |
Head coach | Wes McLeod |
Captain | Vacant |
Website | merrittcentennials.com |
Franchise history | |
1961–1964 | Kamloops Rockets |
1964–1967 | Kamloops Kraft Kings |
1967–1973 | Kamloops Rockets |
1973 | White Rock Centennials |
1973–1985 | Merritt Centennials |
1985–1987 | Merritt Warriors |
1987–present | Merritt Centennials |
The Merritt Centennials are a junior ice hockey team based in Merritt, British Columbia. They were members of the Interior Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). Starting in the 2024–25 season, as an expansion team, the Centennials will be joining the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL), and will become members of the Bill Ohlhausen Division. The franchise was established in Kamloops in 1961 and moved to White Rock in 1973 when the WCHL's Vancouver Nats moved to Kamloops and became the Chiefs. The Centennials settled in Merritt midway through the 1973–74 season. They play their home games at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.
The Centennials have once finished with the best record in the BCHL. They won the Mowat Cup and BC/Alberta Junior "A" Championship in 1978.[1]
The Cents, as the team is known, are the longest continuously run franchise in the BCHL. Eleven former Centennials players have gone on to play in the National Hockey League.