New twist added to 2026-27 MJHL playoff format

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League has announced its playoff format for the 2026-27 season, with the McMunn & Yates Turnbull Cup Playoffs set to begin March 19th, 2027. The league is coming off three seasons of strong playoff attendance and increased competitiveness, highlighted by the Niverville Nighthawks winning their first Turnbull Cup last season. Niverville went on to make history at the Centennial Cup in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, going a perfect 6-and-0 and defeating the host Summerside Western Capitals four-one in the national championship game. The 2026-27 playoffs will begin with a best-of-seven divisional quarterfinal round, featuring the top four teams from each division. Teams will be seeded based on their divisional standings, with the top two earning home-ice advantage. The four series winners will then move into a non-divisional semifinal round, where teams will be ranked according to their overall regular-season points. The matchups will be first versus fourth and second versus third, with the top two seeds earning home ice. A new wrinkle this season will see the first-place team in each division automatically ranked first and second, respectively, for the second round. The two semifinal winners will meet in a best-of-seven league championship series, with the higher-ranked team holding home-ice advantage. The Turnbull Cup champion will advance to the 2027 CJHL Centennial Cup in Fort McMurray, Alberta, hosted by the Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the AJHL in May.