n. — Hockey
one age level below the Canadian Hockey League, for players between the ages of 16-20 inclusive.
Type: 1. Origin — In Canada, Junior A hockey is the lower of two levels of junior hockey. The Canadian Junior Hockey league, established in 1993, governs ten leagues across the country, divided into the Western, Central and Eastern Zones. Altogether, there are more than 125 teams who compete for the Royal Bank Cup. Before 1970, Junior A hockey was the term for both Major Junior hockey and Junior A. They were divided in 1970 into two tiers (Major Junior or Tier I Junior A, and Tier II Junior A), but in 1975 the Canadian Hockey League was established and the Major Junior Tier I league separated from Tier II Junior A. Since then, Tier II has generally been dropped from the league name, and now this level of hockey is most commonly known as Junior A.
See also Canadian Encyclopedia, s.v. "Canadian Junior Hockey".