The Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League (SOJHL) is a former

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Junior

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 ...

league sanctioned by the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...

based out of Southwestern

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. Prior to the 2012-13 season, the SOJHL was promoted to the Junior C level. In the summer of 2016, the SOJHL was merged into the

Provincial Junior Hockey League The Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league spanning parts of Southern Ontario. The PJHL is the third tier of the Ontario Hockey Association and is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Cana ...

History

Founded in the 1960s as the Shamrock Junior D Hockey League. In 1969, the League would change its name to the Western Junior D Hockey League and its champion would go on to win eleven of the next nineteen provincial championships. In the Summer of 1985, the North Junior D Hockey League would fold, leaving the Western League and the

Southern Counties Junior D Hockey League Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, ...

. In 1988, the SCJDHL would fold and its remaining teams joined the Western League. Bloated to nineteen teams, the league would continue on as the only Junior D league in Ontario. In 1991, the league became the OHA Junior Development League. In 2006, in an attempt to gain promotion to Junior C, the league dropped any reference of Junior D or Development and renamed itself the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League. During the summer of 2006, the Yeck Conference applied to break off from the league and start their own Junior C league, but were turned down by the OHA. A talented and entertaining league, the SOJHL has a long-standing tradition of the OHA in the Southwestern Ontario region. Dorchester Dolphins 2013

The SOJHL downsized extensively for the 2008-09 season, losing Mitchell, West Lorne, and Central Elgin. The league also reformatted into three divisions. The SOJHL saw the Central Elgin franchise return, this time as the Port Stanley Sailors, for the 2009-2010 season. As of 2012, the SOJHL is in talks with the OHA as to the future of the league. The 2012-13 season will be played at the Junior C level and the league will be folded and divided up into other leagues in the summer of 2013. In the Spring of 2013, Junior C hockey in Ontario had its first major realignment since the creation of the

Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League The Georgian Mid Ontario Junior C Hockey League is a former Junior "C" ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association. The Champion of the league competed for the All-Ontario Championship and the Clarence Sch ...

in 1994. The 27 teams between the Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League and the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League were reshuffled. The SOJHL went from 15 to 9 teams, gaining the Aylmer Spitfires, but losing their reigning champion

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 ...

, the

Burford Bulldogs The Burford Bulldogs were a Canadian Junior Hockey team based in Burford, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Provincial Junior Hockey League. History The Burford Bulldogs were founded in 1988 after a long layoff of junior hockey in the town of ...

Delhi Travellers The Delhi Travellers are a junior hockey team based in Delhi, Ontario, Canada. The Travellers play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association. History Prior to 1966, the Delhi franchise was a member of the Shamroc ...

Hagersville Hawks The Hagersville Hawks are a Junior ice hockey team from Hagersville, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Provincial Junior Hockey League in the Ontario Hockey Association. History The Hagersville Hawks were founded in 1992. The town was ...

Norfolk Rebels The Port Dover Sailors are a Junior hockey, junior ice hockey, hockey team based in Port Dover, Ontario, Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association until the 2016-17 ...

Tavistock Braves The Tavistock Braves are a Junior ice hockey team based in Tavistock, Ontario, Canada. They currently play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association. History During the 1981-82 season Tavistock finished first ove ...

, and

Wellesley Applejacks The Wellesley Apple Jacks are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Wellesley, Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has hi ...

. That summer the Niagara League would divide in half, forming the

Midwestern Junior C Hockey League The Midwestern Junior C Hockey League (MWJCHL) was a Canadian Junior ice hockey league in Southwestern Ontario. The MWJCHL was a member of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada. Its champion competed for the Clarence Schmalz Cup, t ...

with its former Western Division.

The Teams

2015-16 Playoffs

''Winner moves on to the

Clarence Schmalz Cup The Clarence Schmalz Cup is the Ontario Hockey Association's Junior "C" ice hockey championship and championship trophy. The champions of the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) are awarded the Cup. The PJHL was formed in 2016 from the forme ...

.''

Champions

League Title

''From 1989 on, the winner of the league was also provincial champions and was awarded the OHA Cup. Bolded are league champions, italicized are runners-up in years with three divisions.''

Regular Season Champions

This chart starts at the unification of the Junior D leagues, through the SOJHL's ascension to Junior C, until its merger into the

in 2016.

Former Member Teams

Alvinston Flyers The Petrolia Flyers are a Canada, Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Petrolia, Ontario. They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada. From 1988 until 2016, the team was known as the ...

* Bothwell Barons *

* Hanover Hurricanes * Hensall-Zurich Combines * Lambeth Flyers * Langton Thunderbirds *

Mitchell Hawks The Mitchell Hawks are a Junior ice hockey team based in Mitchell, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association. History The Mitchell Hawks were founded in 1966 in one of the many Ontar ...

* Ohsweken Golden Eagles *

Paris Mounties The Paris Mounties are a junior hockey team based in Paris, Ontario, Canada. They were members of the Midwestern Junior C Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association until the 2016-17 season when it became the Pat Dougherty Division of ...

Port Dover Sailors The Port Dover Sailors are a junior hockey team based in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association until the 2016-17 season when the league joined the Provincial ...

St. George Dukes The St. George Dukes are a Junior ice hockey team based in St. George, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association. History The Dukes were founded in 1994 as members of the O ...

* Seaforth Centenaires * Strathroy Falcons *

* Thedford Browns *

West Lorne Lakers The Plattsville Lakers are a Semi-Pro ice hockey team based in the township of Blandford-Blenheim in Plattsville, Ontario, Canada. The Lakers joined the Western Ontario Super Hockey League in 2022, after being a part of the Greater Metro Junior ...

* Zurich Dominions

References

External links

OHA Webpage
{{Junior Hockey C C