| Current season or competition: 2024-25 OHL Season | |
 Ontario Hockey League | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | (1974 as OMJHL) 1933 |
| Commissioner | Dave Branch |
| No. of teams | 20 |
| Country(ies) |  Canada (17 teams) United States (3 teams) |
| Most recent champion(s) | London Knights (2024) |
| Most championships | Oshawa Generals – 13 |
| TV partner(s) | Rogers Sportsnet, Cogeco Sports, Rogers TV, TV Rogers, Shaw TV |
| Official website | http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com |
OHL All-Star Game 2006 Opening Face Off. Game played in Belleville's Yardmen Arena. February 1st, 2006.
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15–20.
The league was formed in 1933 with the partition of Junior A and B. In 1970, the OHA Junior A League was one of five Junior A leagues operating in Ontario. The OHA was promoted to Tier I Junior A for the 1970-71 season and took up the name Ontario Major Junior Hockey League. In 1980, the league walked away from Ontario Hockey Association governance with the creation of the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League and its direct affiliation with Hockey Canada.
From 1974 until 1978 (as the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League), Clarence "Tubby" Schmalz was the league's commissioner. Then, for one season (1978–79), former IHL commissioner Bill Beagan served as commissioner of the OMJHL. Beginning with the 1979-80 season, David Branch has been the Commissioner of the OHL (which became the league's official name prior to the 1981-82 season). Branch was appointed on August 11, 1979, and assumed the commissioner's role on September 17, 1979. Since 1980 the league has grown rapidly into a high profile marketable product, with many games broadcast on television and radio.
There are currently 20 teams in the OHL; 18 are based in the Canadian province of Ontario,one team in the American state of Michigan and one team in the American state of Pennsylvania. Out of the 18 teams based in Ontario, 15 teams are in Southern Ontario, and 3 teams are in Northern Ontario.
The three largest arenas in the OHL are Ottawa's TD Place Arena, London's Budweiser Gardens, and the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton.
History[]
- Junior age ice hockey in Ontario began in 1896, organized by the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). Since then it has gone through four distinct eras in the organization of junior hockey. In 1933, the junior division was divided into two levels, junior A and junior B. In 1972 the upper level was divided into two more levels, Tier I and Tier II. In 1974 the "Major Junior A Tier I" portion of the OHA separated from the OHA and became the 'Ontario Major Junior Hockey League.' (OMJHL) In 1980, the OMJHL became the "Ontario Hockey League."
Current member teams[]
On November 8th 2015, the owner of the Flint Firebirds fired the head coach, John Gruden after the team pulled out a come from behind overtime victory over the defending Memorial Cup champions. According to published reports the issue was the amount of ice time that owner, Rolf Nilson's 17 year old son was receiving. Upon hearing of the removal of the coach the whole 24 members of the team quit, not wanting to play for anyone else but Coach Gruden. Among those quitting the team were the owner's son, Håkon Nilsen. The whole team went into the team's front office and threw their jerseys on the ground, quit the team and then walked out. OHL commissioner David Branch was scheduled to meet with the ownership of the franchise on Monday November 9th to try to salvage anything out of what is a very bad situation for all involved. After the meeting the owner issued a release through the OHL's website stating that he made "an irresponsible mistake" and the coaches were reinstated and meetings were held between the league commissioner, ownership, coaches and players.
Schedule[]
The 20 OHL clubs play a 68 game unbalanced schedule, which starts in the third full week of September, running until the third week of March. Ninety per cent (90%) of OHL games are scheduled between Thursday and Sunday to minimize the number of school days missed for its players. Ninety-five per cent (95%) of the players in the league are attending high school or college.
Approximately 20% of players on active rosters in the National Hockey League have come from the OHL, and about 54% of NHL players are alumni of the Canadian Hockey League.
Bell OHL All-Star Classic[]
- The 2010 OHL All-Star Classic was be played at the K-Rock Centre in Kingston. This was the final edition of the game.
OHL playoffs and Memorial Cup[]
The J. Ross Robertson Cup is awarded annually to the winner of the Championship Series. The Cup is named for John Ross Robertson, who was president of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1901 to 1905.
The OHL playoffs consist of the top 16 teams in the league, 8 from each conference. The teams play a best-of-7 game series, and the winner of each series advances to the next round. The final two teams eventually compete for the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
The OHL champion then competes with the winners of the Western Hockey League, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the host of the tournament to play for the Memorial Cup, which is awarded to the junior hockey champions of Canada. The host team of the tournament is alternated between the three leagues every season.
Memorial Cup champions[]
The Memorial Cup has been captured 15 times by OHL/OHA teams since the tournament went to a 3-league format in 1972:
The Cup was also won 16 times by OHA teams in the period between 1945 and 1971:
Priority Selection[]
The Priority Selection was first conducted the summer before the 1974–75 OMJHL season. It has been conducted annually since then. It is a selection of players aged 16 and 17 years old who are residents of the province of Ontario, the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York, and other designated U.S. states.
Prior to 2001, the OHL held the Priority Selection in a public forum, such as an arena. Drafts were attended by many players and family members. In 2001, the OHL decided to hold the "draft" via the Internet, greatly reducing the costs the league and its member teams incurred in hosting a public draft. This move reduced the stress and pressure that prospective players faced with a large crowd present.
The Jack Ferguson Award is presented annually to the first overall selection . The award was named in honour of long time OHL scout and former Director of Central Scouting Jack Ferguson.
OHL Records[]
Individual records
- Most goals in a season: 87, Ernie Godden, 1980–81
- Most assists in a season: 123, Bobby Smith, 1977–78
- Most points in a season: 192, Bobby Smith, 1977–78
- Most penalty minutes in a season: 487 Trevor Koopmans 1989-1990
- Most points in a season, rookie: 182, Wayne Gretzky, 1977–78
- Most points in a season, defenseman: 155, Bryan Fogarty, 1988–89
Team Records
- Most wins in a season: 59, London Knights, 2004–05
- Most points in a season: 120, London Knights, 2004–05
- Most goals in a season: 469, Toronto Marlboros, 1974–75
- Fewest goals against in a season: 125, London Knights, 2004–05
Trophies and awards[]
List of trophies and awards in the Ontario Hockey League.[1]
| Playoffs trophies | ||
|---|---|---|
| Trophy name | Recognition | Founded |
| J. Ross Robertson Cup | OHL Finals champion | 1934 |
| Bobby Orr Trophy | Eastern Conference champion | 1999 |
| Wayne Gretzky Trophy | Western Conference champion | 1999 |
| Wayne Gretzky 99 Award | Playoffs MVP | 1999 |
| Regular season — Team trophies | ||
| Trophy name | Recognition | Founded |
| Hamilton Spectator Trophy | Team with best record | 1958 |
| Leyden Trophy | East division champion | 1976 |
| Emms Trophy | Central division champion | 1976 |
| Bumbacco Trophy | West division champion | 1995 |
| Holody Trophy | Midwest division champion | 1999 |
| Regular season — Executive awards | ||
| Trophy name | Recognition | Founded |
| Matt Leyden Trophy | Coach of the year | 1972 |
| Jim Gregory Award | General manager of the year | 2020 |
| Bill Long Award | Lifetime achievement | 1989 |
| OHL Executive of the Year | Executive of the Year (not awarded since 2013) | 1990 |
| Regular season — Player awards | ||
| Trophy name | Recognition | Founded |
| Red Tilson Trophy | Most outstanding player | 1945 |
| Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy | Top scorer | 1946 |
| Dave Pinkney Trophy | Lowest team goals against | 1949 |
| Max Kaminsky Trophy | Most outstanding defenceman | 1961 |
| Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy | Top scoring right winger | 1972 |
| Emms Family Award | Rookie of the year | 1973 |
| William Hanley Trophy | Most sportsmanlike player | 1975 |
| F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy | Best rookie GAA | 1976 |
| Bobby Smith Trophy | Scholastic player of the year | 1980 |
| Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy | Overage player of the year | 1984 |
| OHL Goaltender of the Year | Goaltender of the year | 1988 |
| Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy | Humanitarian of the year | 1993 |
| Roger Neilson Memorial Award | Top academic college/university player | 2005 |
| Ivan Tennant Memorial Award | Top academic high school player | 2005 |
| Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy | Team captain that best exemplifies character and commitment | 2009 |
| Prospect player awards | ||
| Trophy name | Recognition | Founded |
| Jack Ferguson Award | First overall pick in priority selection | 1981 |
| Tim Adams Memorial Trophy | OHL Cup MVP | 2003 |
Team Timeline[]
External links[]
- Ontario Hockey League Official website
- Canadian Hockey League Official website
- OHL Arena Guide
- Maps to OHL arenas
- Internet Hockey Database archive of standings and statistics
| Current arenas in the Ontario Hockey League | |
|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | Brampton Powerade Centre · Barrie Molson Centre · Belleville Yardmen Arena · Mississauga Hershey Centre · Kingston K-Rock Centre · Oshawa General Motors Centre · Ottawa Urbandale Centre · Peterborough Memorial Centre · St. Catharines Gatorade Garden City Complex · Sudbury Community Arena |
| Western Conference | Erie Louis J. Tullio Arena · Guelph Sleeman Centre · Kitchener Memorial Auditorium · London John Labatt Centre · Owen Sound Bayshore Community Centre · Plymouth Compuware Arena · Sarnia RBC Centre · Saginaw Dow Event Center · Sault Ste. Marie Essar Centre · Windsor Family Credit Union Centre |
See also[]
- ↑ OHL Awards. Canadian Hockey League.