from Scott Stevens
For the past few years there has been a great debate about the path of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Teams were divided on philosophies, trying to find a common ground between the development of young players and competing for the Royal Bank Cup – the National Championship.
After a year of upheaval and turmoil the 36-team league has finally reached a consensus in the terms of how to go – and that’s in separate directions..
With the Central Division pilot project now complete, the largest Junior A hockey league in Canada has decided that there is room for both philosophies.
At a special meeting of the OJHL governors last Wednesday evening, the 36-team OJHL decided that they would divide into two separate conferences, one continuing with the ‘status quo’ rules while the second division would be controlled by much stricter guidelines in regards to age enforcement.
“It was clear that we were not going to resolve a couple of key philosophical issues,” said OJHL chairman Lloyd Stockley. “What we did agree on was that we could find enough common ground to push forward and allow all teams to get on with the task of preparing for next season.”
The OJHL teams agreed on a new governance structure and will hire a full-time commissioner to oversee the running of league affairs. Each Conference will have equal representation on the Board of Directors, dealing with league-wide matters. Each Conference will also have some latitude in how it manages its own affairs.
Once an agreement was reached on the governance issues, teams proceeded to declare their intentions, with 21 teams opting for the Younger Conference while 15 have agreed to play with the ‘Status Quo’ Conference under the current Hockey Canada Guidelines.
Teams that will compete is the Younger Conference include Burlington, Hamilton, Orangeville, Streetsville, Dixie, North York, Newmarket, Toronto Jr. Canadiens, St. Michael’s, Bowmanville, Cobourg, Lindsay, Markham, Pickering, Stouffville, Wellington, Whitby, Upper Canada, Seguin, Ajax and Peterborough. The Younger Conference will dress 19 players per night, as opposed to the 20 allowed by Hockey Canada, and will be allowed to carry five 20-year-olds and eight 19-year-olds on their rosters. Conference age limits are determined by Conference Guidelines.
‘Status Quo’ Conference teams include Aurora, Collingwood, Couchiching, Huntsville, Kingston, Trenton, Villanova, Vaughan, Brampton, Buffalo, Georgetown, Milton, Mississauga, Oakville and Bramalea. They will play with a limit of nine 20-year-olds, as per Hockey Canada’s rules. Player ages will be determined by individual team philosophies under Hockey Canada’s Junior A Guidelines.
Each Conference will now meet to begin preparations for the 2009-2010 season, to determine divisions and other rules that will apply to their individual conferences.
At season’s end, the two Conference champions will meet in a best-of-seven series to compete for a berth in the Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Central Canadian championship.
On the ice, the Kingston Voyagers and Oakville Blades are still competing for the 2008-2009 OJHL championship, and the right to advance to the Dudley Hewitt Cup in Schreiber from April 21 to 25.
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior A ice hockey league with teams based out of the Greater Toronto Area, Southwestern Ontario, Central Ontario, Eastern Ontario, the Golden Horseshoe, and Northeastern Ontario. The OJHL is the largest junior league in all of Canada.