In a previous series we discussed the original original team in the SMJHL. The OG team that was so ingrained in the league, that it had survived for 55 seasons without a name change, identity crisis, or any scandal. The Vancouver Whalers are the SMJHL's premier franchise and will never be touched.

One team that was relatively unknown as an original 4 franchise is the Brandon Blazers, now known as the Carolina Kraken. Brandon was a fixture in the league, run by future Vancouver Nightmare GM Leafs4Stanley, for about 4 seasons after their inauguration as one of the original franchises. The team held the first ever 1st overall pick in NWJHL/SMJHL history, picking Lucas Read first overall in Season 1. While that did not go great, their later picks of Ron Bolt, Patrick Perry, and Jarrod Kinderley were excellent selections that helped build a good foundation in Brandon.

Within 4 seasons Brandon had picked up and moved further east, becoming the Montreal Impact and becoming the first franchise to truly break the west coast barrier in what was known as the North West Junior Hockey League. At the time they chose to move the league was made up of Anaheim, Vancouver, Kelowna, Prince George, and Lethbridge. This was breaking new ground that opened up the league to expansion in S5 which landed teams in Detroit, Boston, and Chicago making up an Eastern conference. Within 10 seasons the league would rebrand as the Simulation Major Junior Hockey League to avoid confusion based on their teams geographical locations. Montreal, now known as the Carolina Kraken, were the team to break that barrier.

The team was known as the Montreal Impact for a long time later. Fans were critical of the name, as it had taken a name used by USFL team the Montreal Impact (now members of the MLS). It was chastised for being unoriginal, but the owners and GMs held true to it, hosting events with the soccer team, and embracing the name being used across the two leagues.

The team would remain as the Impact for 20 seasons before backlash became enough that the team transferred to an entirely unique name and colour scheme. They would ditch the blue and the white with silver trim for the red and yellow of the Montreal Militia for Season 28 to 49. The team would witness similar success under the Militia branding, winning 4 championships over 21 seasons, while they would win 4 championships over 23 seasons as the Militia.

In Season 49 the team bid adieu to Montreal in an incredibly controversial move, leaving Quebec without a hockey franchise for the first time since Season 4. Quebec only recently got a franchise back as the Quebec City Citadells moved in as an expansion SMJHL franchise. Many expected an SHL franchise to call Montreal home in the most recent expansion but the Bell Centre remains empty. Now, in Carolina the team has experienced more success, receiving a championship in S50 and S54 under the GM'ing of Fuzz and trella.

All-in-All Brandon is a storied franchise that lead to the creation of the Carolina Kraken. Of the four original teams, we have discussed Vancouver, and Prince George lives on in Anchorage. The last of the four original teams, the Lethbridge Lions, would go defunt in Season 9, known as the Washington Patriots in that time, due to a contraction of the league. This means Carolina, Vancouver, and Anchorage are the most storied franchises in the SMJHL

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