The Avalon East Senior Hockey League (AESHL) has released the following statement regarding today’s decision by Hockey NL Senior Council on the use of pick-up players for the 2026 Herder Memorial Championship.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Match 24, 2026

HockeyNL Senior Council Approves Use of Pickups in Upcoming Herder

Earlier today the Avalon East Senior Hockey League (“AESHL”) and the Baker Flooring Conception Bay Blues were notified of the decision to grant the Deer Lake Red Wings the advantage of adding strengthening players to their roster going into this weekend’s Herder Championship games at the Conception Bay South Arena.

Please be advised the Senior and Adult Recreation Council Executive Committee has approved two pick-up players for the Deer Lake Red Wings for the 2026 Herder Memorial Championships.

Gary Gale

Chair, Senior & Adult Recreation Council Executive Committee

This will be the fourth consecutive season that the Deer Lake Red Wings, representing the Central West Senior Hockey League (“CWSHL”), have been granted this advantage. The three-person Senior Council has determined that the Red Wings need strengthening players based on their assessment of the level of competition that exists between the two senior hockey leagues. Yet only one member of the Senior Council watched games in both leagues throughout the regular season. In the past three Herder Championships the Senior Council has misjudged the level of competition with lopsided results each year.

In the 2024-2025 hockey season the CWSHL was granted permission to add an import goalie and between two and four former Newfoundland and Labrador minor hockey players (ex-patriots) who are residing in mainland Canada to strengthen their regular season rosters. In addition, for Herder competition, the Deer Lake Red Wings were allowed to add four local players to further strengthen their roster. This led to a one sided 4-0 Herder Championship win over the AESHL representative Clarenville FordCaribous.

In the 2025-2026 hockey season the CWSHL was granted permission to add two more import players in addition to the import goalie and ex-patriot players from the previous season. Based on the increased level of competition offered by the addition of more import players, HockeyNL and Senior Council determined that the CWSHL would be elevated to Senior A status from its previous designation as Senior B. The AESHL’s opposition to pick-up players is based on (1) the CWSHL being elevated to Senior A status and (2) the inclusion of three import players on their roster. The AESHL believes that there is no need to give the CWSHL representation further advantage to ensure a competitive Herder Championship. The addition of imports will ensure the Herder Champion Deer Lake Red Wings will be stronger than they were in 2024-2025 and favourites to repeat as champions. The decision to increase this advantage by adding two addition strengthening players both having previous professional experience is unconscionable.

The AESHL believes that this decision of Senior Council is not in the best interest of senior hockey and unfair to the AESHL representative Baker Flooring Conception Bay Blues. Nowhere else in competitive hockey does this level of meddling exist. Therefore, it is the intention of the AESHL to ask for the resignation of those members of the Senior Council responsible for this decision at the HockeyNL AGM in June.

On behalf of the AESHL member teams,

Jack Casey

AESHL President