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 2011-12 season, the league will feature 27 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 two exceptions to this are the now very isolated
Huntsville Otters franchise, which may now be closer to its
Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League counterparts than the OJHL and the
Buffalo Jr. Sabres located in
New York State.
The winner of the OJHL...
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