FORT ST JOHN, B.C. - The Fort St. John Senior Flyers will not be icing a team for the upcoming North Peace Hockey League season after being granted a one-year leave of absence by the league.
In a statement, the club said it had requested the leave for the 2026-27 season because it was unable to secure enough committed players to remain competitive.
“Unfortunately, we are not able to secure enough capable, committed players to adequately ice a team,” said Flyers president, Paul van Nostrand.
The club added it was “deeply disappointed” by the decision and apologized to the league, sponsors, volunteers and fans.
The Flyers said they intend to reapply and return to league play for the 2027-28 season.
The absence leaves another vacancy in the senior men’s hockey circuit, which has faced roster and participation challenges in recent years.
When the Falher Pirates stepped away from the league for a year at the beginning of October, van Noostrand acknowledged the impact such decisions have on rural senior hockey but said maintaining a sustainable team can be difficult.
van Nostrand noted that every team in the NPHL has dealt with similar challenges at some point, adding that maintaining senior hockey rosters is becoming increasingly difficult as players move on to other commitments.
van Nostrand said at the time, “All teams in the NPHL have been through this, it is hard to stock teams. Senior hockey is tough to maintain, the players now have families and careers and that wasn’t the case during their junior hockey days.”
While the Flyers will be absent this season, van Nostrand emphasized the leave is temporary and that efforts will continue to rebuild the roster with the goal of returning to the ice the following year.
The Flyers absence means the league will move forward with 8 teams this season.