The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) is a Canadian

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

league based in

Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a primary region of the province of Ontario, Canada, the other primary region being Northern Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada. The exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is disp ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The league is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association,

Ontario Hockey Federation The Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) is the governing body of all sanctioned ice hockey in the province of Ontario in Canada, except for those portions governed by Hockey Northwestern Ontario and the Hockey Eastern Ontario. The federation is on ...

, and Hockey Canada. The league is considered Junior B by the OHA, although it has attempted several times to be promoted to Junior A. The league was created in 2007 through the merging of the

Western Ontario Hockey League The Western Ontario Hockey League (WOHL) was a junior hockey, junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association from 1969 until 2007. In 2007, the league became a division of the newly formed Greater Ontari ...

, Mid-Western Junior Hockey League, and

Golden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League The Golden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League (GHL) was a junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association from 1974 until 2007. In 2007, the league became a division of the newly formed Greater Ontario Juni ...

to dissuade perceived "player raiding" from teams in the then- Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. The twenty-five teams of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League come from Southwestern Ontario and the

Golden Horseshoe The Golden Horseshoe is a secondary region of Southern Ontario, Canada, which lies at the western end of Lake Ontario, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Lake Scugog, Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. The ...

. In July 2013, TheHockeyWriters.com listed the GOJHL as the eighth-best developmental league, professional or amateur, in North America. The GOJHL was the only Junior B league to make their list.

History

In the late 1990s, the

Western Ontario Junior B Hockey League The Western Ontario Hockey League (WOHL) was a junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association from 1969 until 2007. In 2007, the league became a division of the newly formed Greater Ontario Junior Hock ...

began complaining about their top level players being pulled from their teams at trade deadline time by Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League clubs without permission or compensation. A common view in Southern Ontario Junior B circles is that Junior "A" and Junior "B" are approximately the same skill level. In fact the OPJHL was known as the Central Ontario Junior B Hockey League until 1993, as well the

Metro Junior A Hockey League The Metro Junior "A" Hockey League was a junior level ice hockey league based out of Southern Ontario. The league originated in 1956 as the Metro Junior "B" Hockey League, which lasted until 1991, when it changed its designation from Junior B to ...

which folded in 1998 was a Junior "B" league until 1991. During the 2006–07 season, the general managers of all Ontario Hockey Association Junior "B" teams came together and voted unanimously to merge and create the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League effective for the 2007–08 season. The GOJHL will become the sole competing body of the Sutherland Cup, which had as many as eight leagues competing for it at one time. The 2007–08 season did not start off as planned. The management of the Mid-Western league resigned and needed to be replaced, and with a lack of organization due to the short time the new management had to get organized, the MWJHL had to opt out of an interlocking schedule. As a result, the entire GOJHL went without an interlocking schedule for 2007–08. The 2008–09 season saw the complete liquidation of all three divisional managements and a single governing body was put in place for the league. Additionally, inter-divisional play would also commence. 2013 LaSalle Vipers player

In the future, the league has stated that it will pursue club expansion, a reconfiguration that will move the league from three to four divisions, and possibly a move to join the

Canadian Junior A Hockey League The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) is an association of Canadian junior ice hockey#Junior A, junior A ice hockey leagues and teams and was formed in November 1993, emerging from the Canada West Association of Junior 'A' Hockey. The champi ...

in future years. On September 8, 2007, the

Cambridge Winterhawks The Cambridge Winter Hawks were a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. History Created in 1982, the team was made to replace th ...

and the

Guelph Dominators The Cambridge Redhawks are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. They compete in the Midwestern division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). From 1986 to 2018, the franchise played in nearby Guelp ...

played the first ever game since the inception of the GOJHL. Despite leading 2-0 and outshooting Guelph, the defending Sutherland Cup Champions allowed five unanswered goals to drop the game 5–2. On May 3, 2008, the

Tecumseh Chiefs The LaSalle Vipers are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in LaSalle, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. As a franchise, the Vipers are two-time Sutherland Cup provincial champ ...

finished a four-game sweep of the

Elmira Sugar Kings The Elmira Sugar Kings are a junior ice hockey team based in Elmira, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. History The Elmira Juniors played at the Junior "C" level during the 1950s ...

to win the first ever GOJHL championship. On September 24, 2008, the GOJHL hosted its first interdivisional regular season game between the Golden Horseshoe's

Wheatfield Jr. Blades The Buffalo Regals were an United States, American Junior ice hockey#Junior B, junior "B" ice hockey team based in the Buffalo, New York, Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga, New York. They played in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). Th ...

and the Western's

London Nationals The London Nationals are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in London, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Paul Duarte is the current owner of the London Nationals. The genera ...

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

. The Nationals won the game 6–2. Kitchener Dutchmen goalie 2014

The LaSalle Vipers, 2010 Sutherland Cup champions, were asked to represent the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada for "Canada Day" in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. On December 16, 2010, the Vipers played the Mexico Under-20 National Team and defeated them 9–2 in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

. In January 2011, the GOJHL's Golden Horseshoe Conference and Midwestern Conference hosted the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Minor Hockey League The Junior Hockey League (JHL) (russian: Молодежная Хоккейная Лига (МХЛ), Molodezhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga), sometimes translated as the ''Minor'' or ''Youth'' Hockey League, is a major junior ice hockey league in Eurasia ...

's "Red Stars" who did not make their Under-20 Team. On January 1, the MHL Red Stars defeated the Golden Horseshoe Conference 7-4 and on January 3, the Red Stars defeated the Midwestern Conference 11–3. The MHL is Russia's top tier Junior league, while each conference of the GOJHL is a third of Southern Ontario's third-tier of Junior hockey. On October 10, 2012, the OHA announced its intention to expand east of Guelph and form a new fourth conference for the GOJHL. The announcement comes on the heels of the relocation of the Owen Sound Greys to Brampton by their sponsor, leaving the northerly city out of OHA junior hockey for the first time in ninety-nine years (not including wartime). In January 2014, the OHA announced that the plan to expand was on hold due to lack of serious parties. They announced that of eleven applicants, only four were substantial enough to play in the league. A Brantford group applied for expansion none-the-less, while the other three parties are currently in limbo. The Brantford group was approved for membership into the Midwestern Conference as the Brantford 99'ers. On March 28, 2014, the GOJHL's representatives filed for promotion from Junior B to Junior A with the Ontario Hockey Association. The matter was discussed at the OHA head office on April 5, 2014. A few weeks later the OHA rejected the promotion and the GOJHL's chairman was dismissed by the OHA. During the 2014–15 season, the Golden Horseshoe Conference held a vote to determine their future with the GOJHL. The teams voted to leave the GOJHL with OHA approval and govern autonomously from the league. In retaliation, the GOJHL invited no players from the Golden Horseshoe to the league's all-star game, forcing the Golden Horseshoe to play their own game in short order late in the season. The GOJHL playoff format remains unchanged for 2015 despite the shuffle. Before the playoffs began in 2015, the GOJHL announced that the Golden Horseshoe had rejoined the fold and that its annexation was averted. In early May 2017, the

announced their intentions to sever ties with the OHA and would not be part of the GOJHL going forward. The GOJHL initial response was to withhold comment until further details could be established.

Teams

Former teams (As of 2007)

* Brantford 99ers - Renamed as Brantford Bandits for 2019-20 season * Brampton Bombers - Moved to Caledon for the 2020-21 season as the Caledon Bombers *

Guelph Hurricanes The Cambridge Redhawks are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. They compete in the Midwestern division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). From 1986 to 2018, the franchise played in nearby Guelp ...

- Moved to Cambridge for the 2018-19 season as the

Cambridge Redhawks The Cambridge Redhawks are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. They compete in the Midwestern division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). From 1986 to 2018, the franchise played in nearby Guelp ...

* Kitchener Dutchmen – Franchise purchased by

Ayr Centennials The Ayr Centennials are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Ayr, Ontario. They play in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association. History The Ayr Centennials were founded in 1982 as members of the Sout ...

Jr C. & promoted to Jr. B in 2020. *

Petrolia Jets The Petrolia Jets were a junior ice hockey team based in Petrolia, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, the Western Ontario Hockey League, and the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League. ...

- Moved to Forest for 2008-09 season as the Lambton Shores Predators ** Lambton Shores Predators - Moved to Komoka for the 2017-18 season as the Komoka Kings *

Port Colborne Pirates The Pelham Panthers, formerly the Port Colborne Pirates, are a junior ice hockey team based in Pelham, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Golden Horseshoe division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. History The Port Colborne Recreatio ...

- Moved to Pelham in 2014 as the Pelham Pirates ** Pelham Pirates renamed as Pelham Panthers for 2014-15 season * Stoney Creek Warriors - Moved to Ancaster for the 2013-14 season as the Ancaster Avalanche **

Ancaster Avalanche The Ancaster Avalanche were a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Ancaster, Ontario. They played in the Golden Horseshoe Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. The team was known as the Stoney Creek Warriors prior to 2013. ...

- Moved to Hamilton for the 2018-19 season as the Hamilton Kilty B's *

Sarnia Blast The Sarnia Legionnaires are a junior ice hockey team based in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. History The Sarnia Bees joined the ranks of the current Western Junior "B" le ...

- Renamed as Sarnia Legionnaires for 2008-09 season *

- Moved to LaSalle for 2008–19 as the LaSalle Vipers. *

- Move to Cheektowaga, NY for 2011-12 season, rename to Buffalo Blades ** Buffalo Blades - Renamed to Buffalo Regals for 2013-14 season *** Buffalo Regals - Moved to Lockport, NY for 2018-19 season, change name to Lockport Regals **** Lockport Regals - Move to Cheektowaga, NY for 2019-20 season, change name to Buffalo Regals *****

Buffalo Regals The Buffalo Regals were an American junior "B" ice hockey team based in the Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga, New York. They played in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). The organization also had several youth hockey teams. Hist ...

resign from GOJHL for 2021 season due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

2021–22 playoffs

Golden Horseshoe Conference

Midwestern Conference

Western Conference

Sutherland Cup

As part of the first structural change to the Sutherland Cup playoffs since 1993–94 season, the GOJHL and OHA have thrown out the three-team round robin that had been used for twenty seasons and opted for a more traditional playdown method. The Sutherland Cup semi-final will now have four teams squaring off in a pair of best-of-7 series to determine the finals. The champions of the three Conferences will be joined by the conference runner-up who has the best playoff record to date. This Wild Card team will play the top ranked Champion who they have not already met in the playoffs.

Regular season champions

''This is a list of divisional regular season champions and their point totals, bolded are the overall league regular season champions.''

Sutherland Cup champions

''For OHA Junior "B" champions prior to the 2007-08 season, please visit: Sutherland Cup.'' Bold denotes Sutherland Cup Champion. ''Italicized'' denotes Sutherland Cup finalist.

League championship series

Bolded is winner of Sutherland Cup as GOJHL and OHA champion.

Records

Team

''Single season records.'' *Best Record: 2013–14

Caledonia Corvairs The Caledonia Corvairs are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Caledonia, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Golden Horseshoe Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. The team announced it would not participate in the 201 ...

(45-3-1) *Worst Record: 2012–13 Buffalo Blades (1-49-1) *Longest Winning Streak: 2013–14 Kitchener Dutchmen (25 games) *Longest Losing Streak: 2016–17

(33 games) *Longest Winless Streak: 2016–17

(33 games) *Most Goals For: 2016–17

(353) *Fewest Goals For: 2016–17

(66) *Most Goals Against: 2016–17

(536) *Fewest Goals Against: 2014–15

(74) *Largest Deficit:

0 @

28 on Jan. 28, 2017 (28) *Highest Scoring Shutout:

0 @

28 on Jan. 28, 2017 (28-0) *Highest Combined Score:

28 @

2 on Feb. 14, 2017 (30) *Longest Overtime Game: St. Catharines Falcons 2 @

3 4OT on Mar. 23, 2016 (Game length 131:05)

Player

''Single season records.'' *Most Goals: 64 Josh McQuade, Brantford Eagles 2009–10 *Most Assists: 94 Dayne Phillips,

2012–13 *Most Points: 150 Josh McQuade, Brantford Eagles 2009–10 *Most Penalty Minutes: 240 Patrick McCabe,

Niagara Falls Canucks The Niagara Falls Canucks are a junior ice hockey team based in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Golden Horseshoe division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. History The Canucks moved up from Intercounty Junior C in 1971 ...

2016-17

Goalie

''Single season records.'' *Most Games Played: 48 Daryl Borden, Brantford Eagles 2009–10 *Most Wins: 40 Colin Furlong,

2013–14 *Highest Save Percentage: 0.943, Andrew MacLean, St. Catharines Falcons 2021-22 *Lowest Goals Against Average: 1.45, Andrew MacLean, St. Catharines Falcons 2021-22 *Most Shutouts: 10, Andrew MacLean, St. Catharines Falcons 2021–22

NHL Draft

''This is a list of first round

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

draft picks of players straight out of the GOJHL.'' * Daultan Leveille - ''

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

1st Rd - 29th Overall'' to Atlanta Thrashers ( St. Catharines Falcons)

Timeline of teams

*2007 - Mid-Western Junior Hockey League,

, and

merge to form GOJHL *2008 -

move and become LaSalle Vipers *2008 -

move and become Lambton Shores Predators *2008 -

become Sarnia Legionnaires *2008 -

Brantford Golden Eagles The Brantford Eagles were a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Mid-Western Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. On May 23, 2012, the Eagles were transplanted to Caledonia, O ...

become Brantford Eagles *2008 -

Port Colborne Sailors The Pelham Panthers, formerly the Port Colborne Pirates, are a junior ice hockey team based in Pelham, Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Can ...

become

*2009 -

become

*2009 - Owen Sound Greys take one-year leave *2010 - Owen Sound Greys return to league *2011 -

move and become Buffalo Blades *2012 - Owen Sound Greys relocate and become Brampton Bombers *2012 - Brantford Eagles relocate and become

*2013 - Buffalo Blades are renamed

*2013 - Brantford 99'ers are granted expansion *2013 - Stoney Creek Warriors relocated and become

*2013 -

switch from Mid-Western to Golden Horseshoe Conference *2013 - Round Robin eliminated after Conference finals, a Wild Card entry added to league semi-final *2014 -

relocate and become Pelham Pirates *2014 -

take one-year leave *2014 - Pelham Pirates change name to Pelham Panthers mid-season. *2015 -

take another one-year leave after failing to properly file paperwork for reinstatement *2016 -

return after two-year hiatus *2017 -

withdraw from OHA and therefore GOJHL. Failure to have Tier 1 designated appears to be main reason. *2017 - Lambton Shores Predators relocate and become Komoka Kings *2018 -

relocate to Hamilton and become Hamilton Kilty B's *2018 -

relocate to Cambridge and become

*2018 -

take one-year leave *2018 -

relocate to Lockport and become Lockport Regals *2019 -

back from leave of absence, Brantford 99ers change name to Brantford Bandits *2020 -

purchase Kitchener Dutchmen franchise, relocate to Ayr,

Waterloo Siskins The Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins are a junior ice hockey team based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. History Founded in 1934, the Siskins are one of the longest runn ...

change name to

Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins The Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins are a junior ice hockey team based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. History Founded in 1934, the Siskins are one of the longest runni ...

, Brampton Bombers move to Caledon, ON and rename the

Caledon Bombers The Caledon Bombers are a Canadian Junior ice hockey club based in Caledon, Ontario. The team was founded as the Owen Sound Salvagemen of the Northern Junior D Hockey League in 1973 but gained prominence as the Owen Sound Greys by winning the 198 ...

Welland Jr. Canadians The Welland Jr. Canadians are a junior hockey, junior ice hockey team based in Welland, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Golden Horseshoe division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. History The Welland franchise, under any of its vario ...

take one-year leave due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

*2021-

resign from the GOJHL

References

External links

*
Ontario Hockey Association website
{{Junior Hockey 2007 establishments in Ontario B B Ontario Hockey Association Sports leagues established in 2007