OJHL

OJHL

The Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior A ice hockey league under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association and the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The league dates back to 1954 as the Central Junior B Hockey League. In 1993, the Central Junior B Hockey League was promoted to the Junior A level and renamed the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. In 2009, the league was dissolved by the Ontario Hockey Association and split into two leagues: the Central Canadian Hockey League and the Ontario Junior A Hockey League. By early 2010, both sides had gotten over their differences and merged to reform the Ontario Junior Hockey League was well as agreeing to a retraction by 5-teams.

Starting in the 2012-13 season, the league will feature 22 teams. At its peak, the league showcased 37 teams, but the league now has a policy of retraction. Despite the sheer size of the league, the OJHL is mostly based in the Greater Toronto Area with a few teams eastward to Kingston. The entire area west of Hamilton and Milton, Southwestern Ontario, and north of Orangeville and west of Lindsay, Central Ontario, is not serviced by Junior A hockey despite recent attempts by the Ontario Hockey Association to rectify the issue. The exception to this is the Buffalo Jr. Sabres located in the state of New York.

The winner of the OJHL playoffs and Frank L. Buckland Trophy compete for the Dudley Hewitt Cup with the winners of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, Superior International Junior Hockey League and the host team. The winner of the Dudley Hewitt Cup then goes on to compete for the Royal Bank Cup.

For season-by-season results from the OJHL/OPJHL, please see: List of OJHL seasons.