Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League

The Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League was formed when a group of existing and new owners responded to the ever increasing desire of players to play in a league which will enhanced their plans to be a college-bound hockey player. The CPJHL was put together to fill this the role of increasing competitiveness, commitment to the Junior hockey player and to provide a recruiting ground for NCAA, NJCAA and CIS college coaches. The league is governed by an impartial Commissioner, and all team owners are highly involved, working together to ensure the success of all our players.

The CPJHL will play a 48 game regular season that runs from September through March, culminating with playoffs. The CPJHL will conduct a Showcase and All-Star Game throughout the course of the regular season where the league comes together to showcase its member teams and their players.

The CPJHL is a developmental league, where many players begin their junior careers. As a development league, every player will participate in 2 – 4 practices per week (dependant on game schedule) with one weekly practice focused solely on individual skill development. It is this developmental stage of the player’s life where adjustments to the playing style at a higher level of hockey and maintaining the academic excellence requirements of one’s collegiate futures must co-exist. The CPJHL’s mission is to fully prepare every player to achieve their personal hockey goals.

2016-17
The CPJHL will not accept any more than 12 teams in 2016/17, and is limited to 25 players and 3 goalies per team. As our primary focus is player development, we believe that by limiting the number of players and teams, that the league and team staff can keep its primary focus on what’s most important – the players. Players will get more ice time, and no player will get lost in the shuffle.

Found this at www.cpjhl.com

The Almonte Jr. Sharpshooters were originally listed as being based out of the Cavanagh Sensplex in Ottawa but were announced as moving to Almonte in June of 2016. As of July 25th, the team is listed as being known as the Almonte Jr. Sharpshooters on the CPJHL page and as the Ottawa Sharpshooters as a member of the National College Prospects Hockey League based out of the same arena in Almonte on that league's website. The organization is listing on its website that it is sponsoring two teams for the 2016-17 season.

On September 16, 2016 the CPJHL issued a press release stating that the Akwesasne Chiefs and Coldwater Falcons were ceased by the league. The reason cited was that neither team had not recruited well enough to put a competitive team on the ice that would not jeopardize the quality of play or the safety of the players.

In late September 2016 the league suspended the operations of the Burk's Falls Bruins.

2017-18
During March 2017, the league announced an expansion team based out of the Coldwater & District Community Centre in Coldwater, Ontario that will be known as the Coldwater Ice Wolves The Norwood Nemesis announced they were moving to Cobourg, Ontario and being renamed the Cobourg Galaxy. The team is scheduled to be based out of the Cobourg Community Centre. The league also revoked the membership of the Almonte Jr. Sharpshooters and the O-town Rebels for unspecified reasons.

In late April the league announced the addition of the Bracebridge Pioneers who will be based out of the Bracebridge Memorial Arena and the Creemore Barley Kings who will be based out of the Creemore Community Centre and Arena. The Glengarry Highlanders moved to Smiths Falls and were renamed the Smiths Falls Settlers.

On May 25, 2017 the league announce the addition of the Madawaska Valley Falcons based out of Barry's Bay, Ontario. The team will be based out of the Paul J Yakabuski Community Centre.

On June 22, 2017 the league tweeted that there would be one more expansion team for 2017-18 (and to stay tuned). The Peel Region WYMIA (Where Your Mouth is Athletics) Royals were announced on June 27th and the team would play games in both Milton and Mississauga. The team would eventually be renamed the Brampton Royals and be based out of the South Fletcher's Sportsplex in Brampton.

The Creemore Barley Kings were quietly removed from the league website on July 5, 2017.

Upon the collapse of the National College Prospects Hockey League in mid-September of 2017 the league added its four stable teams with the addition of  the Almonte Jr. Sharpshooters, Lake Erie Eagles, Maniwaki Mustangs, and Eastern Ontario Hockey Academy Wolves on September 18, 2017. The Brampton Royals would be merged with the Grey Highlands Hawks prior to the begin of play. The team's head coach had posted on his facebook page that he had resigned as head coach and that he would instead be coaching the Madawaska Valley Falcons.

The loss of Brampton may have also caused the league to drop the Lake Erie Eagles as the league is listed with 12 teams as of the morning of September 21, 2017 and Lake Erie does not appear on some pages of the league's website as a member team but are still listed on others.


 * On September 23, 2017 the league removed the Muskoka Wild from the league for the 2017-18 season. Apparently the team's coaching staff was offering player discounted playing fees to get a full roster unbeknownst to the team's owner who would have been stuck covering tens of thousands of dollars in losses.


 * On November 8, 2017 The Madawaska Valley Falcons were removed from the league for according to league president Stepane Laveault "The Falcons have some good players, but simply weren’t competitive enough for our league to see the players properly develop,"

2018-19
Upon completion of the 2017-18 season the Almonte Jr. Sharpshooters and the Eastern Ontario Hockey Academy Wolves were both removed from the league after the 2018 playoffs. Both team were owned by the same person. The two teams were to play each other in a single game to determine the fourth spot in the East Division playoffs, however, the Almonte Jr. Sharpshooters did not participate in the playoffs with the Wolves advancing to the division semifinals. It was discovered that the two teams rosters were used interchangeably which was against a league directive. The Wolves forfeited the final game of the series against Smiths Falls and the issue would be addressed at the league's spring meeting. At that meeting the teams were removed from the league. The organization would then join the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League for the 2018-19 season as the Ottawa Sharpshooters.

The league has announced the addition of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Nationals and the return of the Brampton Royals for the 2018-19 season. The league also announced the addition of the Universel College Unik out of Gatineau. Quebec. On May 20, 2018 the league announced the addition of the Muskoka Anglers to be based out of the Graeme Murray Arena in Gravenhurst, Ontario. On May 25, 2018 the league announced the addition of the Wexford Raiders.

In early July according to an article on the goerie.com website, the Lake Erie Eagles organization appears to have ceased operations (not confirmed by league). The owner of the franchise, Kyker Speice,  was given an opportunity to purchase a homeless Southern Tier Xpress team who were forced out by the relocation of the Philadelphia Rebels of the North American Hockey League to Jamestown, New York for the 2018-19 season. The Xpress team was relocated to the Erie Bank Sports Park in Summit Township, Pennsylvania for the 2018-19 season. The Eagles were folded and the owner started a team in the United States Premier Hockey League which would be known as the Lake Erie Bighorns.

On August 15, 2018 the league announced the addition of the Shawville Express. However, the team would not be able to play for the 2018-19 season.

Sometime after the announcement of the addition of the Express, the Universel College Unik was listed on the league website as starting with the 2019-20 season. The team would later be removed from the listing of teams for the 2019-20 season shortly after the end of the 2018-19 season. The team would not join the league for 2019-20.

2019-20
On April 11, 2019 the league announced the addition of the Langton Royals for the 2019-20 season. The team will be based out of the Langton Arena.

On May 1, 2019 the league added back the Shawville Express to the league for the 2019-20 season.

On June 19, 2019 the addition of the Le Bécard de Senneterre for the 2019-20 season. The team will be based out of the Centre sportif André-Dubé in Senneterre, Quebec

In late August 2019 a tenth team would be added to the league schedule without a formal announcement from the league, the Ferme-Neuve Buffalos.

2020-21
The league would replace the Muskoka Anglers with the Muskoka Islanders after the Anglers and Scarborough Wexford Raiders were removed from the league amid accusations of financial malfeasance being leveled at the owner of both teams.

The League would announce the cancellation of its' 2020-21 playing season on September 20, 2020.

2021-22
The league would issue a release on July 4, 2021 stating that the league was downsizing its footprint to a more confined area of eastern Ontario and western Quebec to cut down on expenses. As part of the same release the league announced that there would be two new franchises announced in the next week the first would be the Montreal-Est Oilers which was already listed on the league website. A second team is to be based out of Gatineau. The Severn Stallions, Grey Highlands Hawks, Langton Royals, Muskoka Islanders, and Seaforth Generals are all no longer listed on the league website as of this announcement.

League Suspending Play
The league would suspend play with the following announcement on October 18, 2021:
 * The CPJHL league President Barry DeGray today announces the official suspension of operations of the 2021/22 season. The decision to halt the play was not an easy one but was necessary given the state of affairs in these difficult economic times.


 * Barry DeGray states, “All businesses in the current economic state are finding access to supply chains be it cars, boats or real estate are having issues to supply the demands of the public. Our league is a business like any other, and without a supply chain, (our players), the ability for our teams to recruit successfully puts our business model under stress.” Mr. DeGray continues, “Our league spans across two provinces (Ontario/Quebec) which adds to the ever changing COVID restrictions and ability to attract talent. Players want certainty and we cannot confirm constraints put on us through COVID restrictions constantly changing. Furthermore we owe it to our league and team sponsors to derive value from our contractual obligations.


 * In this current marketplace neither league nor team sponsors would benefit from a season that is unknown. The decision therefore to cease this seasons operations and retool for the 2022 campaign was taken. It will give us time to allow the teams to build up their businesses over the winter through better planning and allow the CPJHL to recruit more clubs and relaunch for a more stable and healthy 2022 campaign.”


 * The CPJHL would like to thank the fans and also the players who had hoped to compete this current season. “We will come back better and stronger in 2022 and would like to thank the players, sponsors and existing team owners for your patience and hope all may respect our current situation and decision.” Mr. DeGray closes.

Regular Season

 * 2016-17 Muskoka Wild
 * 2017-18 Essa Stallions
 * 2018-19 Grey Highlands Hawks
 * 2019-20 Le Bécard de Senneterre
 * 2020-21 Season cancelled
 * 2021-22 Season suspended October 18th

Playoffs

 * 2017 Almonte Jr. Sharpshooters
 * 2018 Essa Stallions
 * 2019 Essa Stallions
 * 2020 Playoffs cancelled prior to final round
 * 2021 Season cancelled
 * 2022 Season suspended

Seasons

 * 2016-17 CPJHL Season
 * 2017-18 CPJHL Season
 * 2018-19 CPJHL Season
 * 2019-20 CPJHL Season
 * 2020-21 CPJHL season
 * 2021-22 CPJHL season