Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ontario Provincial Junior "A" Hockey League | |
 |
|
| Head Office | Cambridge, Ontario |
| Official Web site | OPJHL |
| Chairman | Charlie Macoun |
| Vice Chairman | Al Doria |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Regional Champions | 8 |
| National Champions | 2 |
| 2006-07 Champion | Aurora Tigers |
The Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League is a Tier II Junior A ice hockey league under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association and the Canadian Junior A Hockey League. The league dates back to 1968. The Central turned Junior "A" before the 1993-94 season and changed its name to the OPJHL. Teams in the league are based out of the Greater Toronto Area, Southwestern Ontario, Central Ontario, Eastern Ontario, the Golden Horseshoe, and Northeastern Ontario, as well as one American team out of Buffalo, NY. The OPJHL is the largest junior league in all of Canada.
The winner of the OPJHL playoffs and Frank L. Buckland Trophy competes for the Dudley Hewitt Cup with the winners of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Superior International Junior Hockey League. The winner of the Dudley Hewitt Cup then moves on to compete for the Royal Bank Cup.
- The Big 10 Central Division Prior to 1956
- Central Junior "B" Hockey League 1956 - 1993
- Ontario Provincial Junior "A" Hockey League 1993 to Present
Contents |
- For the original OPJHL, please see: Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (1972-1987).
The Big 10 divided into the Western Junior B Hockey League and the Central Junior B Hockey League in 1956. In 1968, the Western league declared itself renegades and promoted itself to Junior A, the Western Junior A Hockey League, and took aboard most of the former Western Junior B teams. The Strathroy Blades, however, did not want to promote to Junior A, and so joined the Central Junior B league. In 1969, a new Western Junior B Hockey League and the Mid-Ontario Junior B Hockey League were founded. In 1971, the Central Junior B and the Mid-Ontario Junior B Hockey Leagues were realigned, giving rise to what would become the Ontario Provincial Junior League. The early version of the league was dominated by the Collingwood Blues, Kitchener Greenshirts, Owen Sound Greys, and Waterloo Siskins.
- For Season-by-Season Standings, please see: CJBHL Standings.
In 1971, the league re-aligned itself geographically [1], as four of the five Central Jr.B teams moved on, with two (the Owen Sound Greys, and Collingwood Blues) joining the Orillia Terriers in the Mid-Ontario junior B league, and the Waterloo Siskins and Kitchener Ranger Bs joining the Western Jr. B. Only the Preston Raiders remained in the Central league. In their place, the new Central Junior B league added teams from the Mid-Ontario Junior B, including the Oakville Blades, Milton Flyers, Burlington Mohawks, Hespeller Shamrocks and Streetsville Derbys, and expansion franchises in the Dundas Blues (formerly the Merchants) and the Brampton Vic Woods. In 1978 the Mid-Ontario league folded, and Orillia Terriers, Thornhill Thunderbirds, the Barrie Colts, and Oak Ridges Dynes joined the Central League. The Central grew from 8 teams in the late 1980s, to 17 teams by 1993, at which time it became the Ontario Provincial Junior A league.
- For Season-by-Season Standings, please see: OPJHL Standings
In 1991, the renegade Metro Junior A Hockey League promoted itself to fill the Junior "A" hockey void across the southern part of the province [2]. In 1993, for the Ontario Hockey Association to compete, the Central Junior B Hockey League was promoted to Junior "A" and renamed the "Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League". The year of 1993 also marked the year that the Canadian Junior A Hockey League was created [3]. Since 1994, OPJHL teams have won 8 of 13 Dudley Hewitt Cups as Central Canadian Champions and to earn a birth in the Royal Bank Cup [4].
The summer of 1998 marked the death of the Metro Junior A Hockey League, as it merged into the flourishing OPJHL [5] [6], taking many of the league's teams, including: the Aurora Tigers, Bramalea Blues, Buffalo Lightning, Durham Huskies, Huntsville Wildcats, Markham Waxers, Muskoka Bears, North York Rangers, Pickering Panthers, Port Hope Buzzards, Shelburne Wolves, Syracuse Jr. Crunch, Thornhill Rattlers, Wellington Dukes, and Wexford Raiders.
The current OPJHL exists as a 35-team league [7]. For the 2006-07 Season, the OPJHL has accepted the expansion of the Orangeville Crushers [8], formerly of the Midwestern Junior B Hockey League.
The current format of the OPJHL, for all intents and purposes, is actually four different leagues in one. Until the playoff Semi-finals, the East, West, North, and South Divisions are completely independent of each other and do not play a game outside of their division. In the playoffs, starting in 2007-08 only the top six teams from each division will make the playoffs. The top two teams will receive byes to the Division Semi-final, and all six teams will play down until there is a champion in all four divisions. The East and South Division champions face each other in a best-of-seven series, as do the North and West champions. The winner of these two championships face off in another best-of-7 series for the Frank L. Buckland Trophy, the OPJHL championship. The Buckland Cup champions earn the right to attend the Dudley Hewitt Cup for the chance to compete at the Royal Bank Cup.
- Couchiching Terriers are back for 2007-08
- Streetsville Derbys have moved to Rexdale, Ontario
- Oswego Admirals are now Toronto Dixie Beehives
- Trenton Sting are now Quinte West Pack
- Toronto Thunderbirds are now Villanova Knights
- Bancroft Hawks are folding for 2007-08 season
- Bramalea Blues are folding for 2007-08 season
Since the reforming of the OPJHL in 1993, their have only been two national titles spawned thus far. The Aurora Tigers, who left the Metro Junior A Hockey League after winning their championship in 1997, won both the Royal Bank Cup 2004 and the Royal Bank Cup 2007. No other OPJHL champion has lifted the Royal Bank Cup as national champions.
Teams listed on the official league website [9].
Standings listed by Pointstreak on official league website [10].
- For the Central Canada Championship, please go to the Dudley Hewitt Cup.
- For the National Championship, please go to the Royal Bank Cup 2008.
| Buckland Cup Series | |||
| Division Quarter-finals | Division Semi-finals | Division Finals | SE Conference Final | |||||||||||||||
| E1 | East #1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | East #4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | East #5 | |||||||||||||||||
| East | ||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | East #2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | East #3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | East #6 | |||||||||||||||||
| S1 | South #1 | |||||||||||||||||
| S4 | South #4 | |||||||||||||||||
| S5 | South #5 | |||||||||||||||||
| South | ||||||||||||||||||
| S2 | South #2 | |||||||||||||||||
| S3 | South #3 | |||||||||||||||||
| S6 | South #6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Division Quarter-finals | Division Semi-finals | Division Finals | NW Conference Final | |||||||||||||||
| W1 | West #1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | West #4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | West #5 | |||||||||||||||||
| West | ||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | West #2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | West #3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | West #6 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | North #1 | |||||||||||||||||
| N4 | North #4 | |||||||||||||||||
| N5 | North #5 | |||||||||||||||||
| North | ||||||||||||||||||
| N2 | North #2 | |||||||||||||||||
| N3 | North #3 | |||||||||||||||||
| N6 | North #6 | |||||||||||||||||
Note: E is East, S is South, W is West, N is North, WC is Wild Card.
Playoff results are listed by Pointstreak on the official league website [11].
- 2007 Aurora Tigers
- 2006 St. Michael's Buzzers
- 2005 St. Michael's Buzzers
- 2004 Aurora Tigers
- 2003 Wellington Dukes
- 2002 Brampton Capitals
- 2001 Thornhill Rattlers
- 2000 Brampton Capitals
- 1999 Bramalea Blues
- 1998 Milton Merchants
- 1997 Milton Merchants
- 1996 Newmarket 87's
- 1995 Brampton Capitals
- 1994 Orillia Terriers
|
|
OPJHL Champions are listed on the league's official website [12]. The CBJHL champions were provided by the league's statistician.
The OPJHL Showcase Tournament is an annual event ran between Christmas and New Years in Newmarket, Ontario, hosted by the Newmarket Hurricanes. The tournament started in 1992 to help aid Canadian Hockey League, National Hockey League, and National Collegiate Athletic Association scouts in finding prospects for their teams. The tournament is highly competitive and successful. It draws as many as twenty junior hockey teams from all over North America. Despite just being a mid-season tourney, the event is highly contested and its title is played for with much ferocity. [13]
- 2006 Georgetown Raiders
- 2005 Vaughan Vipers
- 2004 Texas Tornado
- 2003 Texas Tornado
- 2002 Texas Tornado
- 2001 Brampton Capitals
- 2000 Hamilton Kilty B's
- 1999 Vaughan Vipers
- 1998 Milton Merchants
- 1997 Milton Merchants
- 1996 Brampton Capitals
- 1995 Milton Merchants
- 1994 Newmarket 87's
- 1993 Hamilton Kilty B's
- 1992 Markham Waxers