On June 8, 2004, the Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves received the AJHL Board of Governors’ approval to relocate the franchise to Okotoks. The Okotoks Oilers, a community and non-profit organization, were then granted a years leave of absence effective July 15, 2004 in order to get fully prepared for the 2005-2006 season. Their current roster players were distributed throughout the AJHL and BCJHL member teams for the 2004-05 season, while the community also hosted the 2004-05 AJHL All-Star Game.
The team adopted the name ‘Oilers’ after the many junior and senior teams that had represented the region over the years. The first-ever Okotoks Oilers team was fielded in 1928.
After a fifth-place divisional finish in their inaugural season in 2005-06, the Oilers finished either first or second in their division for eight consecutive years, reaching the final four teams in the AJHL playoffs in 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2013. In 2007, goaltender Brad Eidsness became the first player from the team to be drafted into the NHL when he was selected in the fifth round by the Buffalo Sabres.
After dropping a seven-game thriller in the 2013 South Final to eventual league champion Brooks, the Oilers did not return to the final four until Tyler Deis’s first season with the team in 2016-17, in which despite a fourth-place divisional finish, the team upset the Calgary Canucks in the second round with a four-game sweep before falling in five games to the rival Bandits.
The following year in 2017-18 was historic for Okotoks, as the team set a then-AJHL record for consecutive wins with 24, finishing 52-6-2 and defeating Brooks in six games for the team’s first-ever South Division Championship, before falling in five games in the AJHL final to the Spruce Grove Saints. At the conclusion of the season, defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker became the team’s first-ever first round NHL draft pick, when he was selected by the Ottawa Senators.
After once again reaching the South Final in 2019, the team was poised for another deep run in 2019-20 with a first-place finish and 47-7-4 record, before the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of that year’s playoffs. After a 7-1 record in the abbreviated 2020-21 season, the team fielded one of its youngest-ever rosters in 2021-22, and despite a fourth-place finish, once again pulled off an upset, this time of Drumheller in six games, to advance to another AJHL South Final. At the conclusion of the season, forward Rieger Lorenz became the tenth Oiler drafted into the NHL when he was selected in the second round by the Minnesota Wild.
The team’s record improved in 2022-23 to 34 wins, as the team once again swept the first round of the playoffs. They fell in six games in the second round to eventual champion Brooks.
In January of 2024, games scheduled to be played by the Oilers, as well as four other AJHL teams, were arbitrarily cancelled by the league, while four of the teams, including the Oilers, were suddenly removed from the CJHL’s Top 20 rankings, despite no change in their status or standing as member clubs. In order to ensure that players would not once again be denied a season, the Oilers accepted an offer from the BCHL to immediately be awarded a franchise on February 1, 2024, embarking on a new era alongside the Sherwood Park Crusaders, Spruce Grove Saints, Blackfalds Bulldogs, and Brooks Bandits. All players on the team’s former roster subsequently signed into the BCHL.
Head Coaches of the Oilers
| Garry VanHereweghe | 2005 – 2007 |
| Dan McDonald | 2007 – 2009 |
| Garry VanHereweghe | 2009 – 2010 |
| James Poole | 2010 – 2016 |
| Tyler Deis | 2016 – Present |
Season-by-Season Record
| SEASON | GP | W | L | T/OTL | PTS | GF | GA | FINISH | PLAYOFFS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | 60 | 27 | 24 | 9 | 63 | 193 | 202 | 5th South | Lost Preliminary series, 2–3 vs. Brooks Bandits |
| 2006–07 | 60 | 33 | 25 | 2 | 68 | 219 | 187 | 2nd South | Won Preliminary series, 3–2 vs. Drumheller Dragons Won Quarterfinals, 4–2 vs. Brooks Bandits Lost Semifinals, 1–4 vs. Fort Saskatchewan Traders |
| 2007–08 | 62 | 45 | 11 | 6 | 96 | 247 | 168 | 2nd South | Won Preliminary series, 3–1 vs. Calgary Canucks Lost Quarterfinals, 1–4 vs. Drumheller Dragons |
| 2008–09 | 62 | 39 | 19 | 4 | 82 | 257 | 187 | 2nd South | Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Canmore Eagles Lost Div. Semifinals, 2–4 vs. Olds Grizzlys |
| 2009–10 | 60 | 38 | 18 | 4 | 80 | 249 | 187 | 1st South | Won Div. Semifinals, 4–2 vs. Canmore Eagles Lost Div. Finals, 1–4 vs. Camrose Kodiaks |
| 2010–11 | 60 | 43 | 12 | 5 | 91 | 254 | 164 | 1st South | Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Calgary Mustangs Lost Div. Finals, 3–4 vs. Camrose Kodiaks |
| 2011–12 | 60 | 34 | 21 | 5 | 73 | 210 | 177 | 2nd South | Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Drumheller Dragons Lost Div. Semifinals, 2–4 vs. Olds Grizzlys |
| 2012–13 | 60 | 38 | 18 | 4 | 80 | 194 | 153 | 2nd South | Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–2 vs. Olds Grizzlys Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Camrose Kodiaks Lost Div. Finals, 3–4 vs. Brooks Bandits |
| 2013–14 | 60 | 36 | 19 | 5 | 77 | 189 | 152 | 2nd South | Lost Div. Quarterfinals, 2–3 vs. Olds Grizzlys |
| 2014–15 | 60 | 38 | 16 | 6 | 82 | 183 | 156 | 3rd South | Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Canmore Eagles Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–4 vs. Brooks Bandits |
| 2015–16 | 60 | 32 | 25 | 3 | 67 | 197 | 177 | 3rd of 8, South 8th of 16, AJHL |
Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Calgary Canucks Lost Div. Semifinals, 1–4 vs. Camrose Kodiaks |
| 2016–17 | 60 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 78 | 193 | 162 | 4th of 8, South 8th of 16, AJHL |
Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Camrose Kodiaks Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Calgary Canucks Lost Div. Finals, 1–4 vs. Brooks Bandits |
| 2017–18 | 60 | 52 | 6 | 2 | 106 | 270 | 132 | 1st of 8, South 1st of 16, AJHL |
Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Camrose Kodiaks Won Div. Finals, 4–2 vs. Brooks Bandits Lost AJHL Finals, 1–4 vs. Spruce Grove Saints |
| 2018–19 | 60 | 39 | 19 | 2 | 80 | 251 | 160 | 2nd of 8, South 5th of 16, AJHL |
Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3–0 vs. Calgary Canucks Won Div. Semifinals, 4–1 vs. Camrose Kodiaks Lost Div. Finals, 2–4 vs. Brooks Bandits |
| 2019–20 | 58 | 47 | 7 | 4 | 98 | 256 | 141 | 1st of 7, South 2nd of 15, AJHL |
Postseason cancelled |
| 2020–21 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 31 | 14 | Postseason cancelled | |
| 2021–22 | 60 | 28 | 28 | 4 | 60 | 195 | 193 | 4th of 7, South 10th of 16, AJHL |
Won Div. Quarterfinals, 4–0 vs. Blackfalds Bulldogs Won Div. Semifinals, 4–2 vs. Drumheller Dragons Lost Div. Finals, 0–4 vs. Brooks Bandits |
| 2022-23 | 60 | 34 | 23 | 3 | 71 | 215 | 184 | 4th of 7, South 8th of 16, AJHL |
Won Div. Quarterfinals, 4-0 vs. Camrose Kodiaks Lost Div. Semifinals, 2-4 vs. Brooks Bandits |
