It started as a pipe dream in the middle of a pandemic.
Now, it’s a thriving year-round league drawing hundreds of athletes and reshaping the recreational sports landscape in Victoria.
The Vancouver Island Ball Hockey League – better known as the VIBHL – is growing fast and showing no signs of slowing down.
Launched in September 2019, the VIBHL has grown into a league with over 500 players suiting up across men’s, women’s, and coed divisions.
For founder and CEO Aidan Kulas, it’s the result of years of community hunger for accessible competition.
“We just kept going,” Kulas said. “With a lot of hard work, a lot of determination, building a lot of great relationships... we surpassed every expectation.”
The league was born just months before the world shut down.
Officially licensed in December 2019, Kulas had big plans for a spring 2020 launch – then came COVID-19. But instead of stalling momentum, the pause turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
“As much as COVID was very frustrating for many, many people… it did give us a lot of opportunity to brainstorm on exactly how we wanted to build the game on Vancouver Island,” he said.
Kulas used that downtime to study what worked – and what didn’t – in ball hockey leagues across North America.
That planning paid off. When the VIBHL finally hit the floor later that fall, the target was eight men’s teams. They ended up with 12. The teams are all based out of Eagle Ridge Community Centre in Langford.
People laughed when Kulas predicted 16. Now they’re at 18 – spread across seven divisions – with room to keep growing.
On the women’s side, the VIBHL launched in 2022, aiming for four teams. It didn’t take long to double that.
“Just like our men’s, we trended in a positive direction,” said Kulas. “We went from four to six, and now we’re at eight.”
Two coed teams round out the roster, and that’s before you even get to the Victoria Vipers – the affiliated minor ball hockey program that Kulas also helps run.
This spring, the Vipers hit a new record with over 600 registered kids.
“It shows that the game is definitely growing – not only on the Island, but across Canada and North America as well,” Kulas said.
A major factor in the sport’s popularity is its affordability. While ice hockey continues to price out many families, ball hockey offers a low-cost, high-intensity alternative.
“It’s very cost-effective, especially now with inflation and the cost of living,” Kulas said. “That’s a big plus, especially for younger players.”
Physically, it’s no joke either.
Kulas regularly challenges ice hockey players to give it a try – and says most are gassed by their second shift.
“In ice hockey, you can glide. In ball hockey, you have to run,” he said. “They’re yelling, ‘Where’s the bucket?’ because they think they’re going to throw up. But the funny part is, almost every single one falls in love with it.”
Another adjustment for ice hockey players is the “floating blue line” – a rule unique to ball hockey that opens up the offensive zone and keeps the pace blistering.
“What ends up happening with the floating blue line is when the offensive team gains the zone, which is the blue line, the same as ice hockey, you can now actually bring the ball all the way back to centre and you have that entire offensive zone to play in,” Kulas explained. The result? “A fast pace going.”
The league runs year-round with fall/winter and spring/summer sessions.
Games are quick and intense – two 17-minute stop-time periods per match – and supported by a robust team of executives, division boards, and volunteers.
Now, the VIBHL is stepping onto a national stage.
In April, they became the first-ever Canadian expansion of the National Ball Hockey League (NBHL), a high-level, tournament-style ball hockey competition.
Three Island teams will battle for a spot at the NBHL championship in New Jersey this September.
“That was a very proud moment,” Kulas said. “We’ve been in discussions the past couple of years about bringing that league into Canada – and to have that first expansion here on Vancouver Island is huge.”
Still, for all the success and accolades, Kulas is focused on one thing – continuing to grow the game.
“We’re all about giving back to the local community and giving back to the players,” he said. “That’s what this league is all about.”
