The Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League is a

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

league operating in

Eastern Ontario Eastern Ontario (census population 1,892,332 in 2021) () is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies a wedge-shaped area bounded by the Ottawa River and Quebec to the northeast and east, the St. Lawr ...

, Canada. The league is sanctioned by

Hockey Eastern Ontario Hockey Eastern Ontario (HEO), formerly the Ottawa District Hockey Association (ODHA) and the Ottawa and District Amateur Hockey Association (ODAHA), is the governing body of a variety of ice hockey Junior leagues and a minor hockey system base ...

and

Hockey Canada Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority ...

and acts as a junior B league to the

Central Canada Hockey League The Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL; French: ''Ligue de hockey du Canada centrale'', LHCC) is a Junior A ice hockey league in North America composed of 12 teams – all around the National Capital Region. The CCHL is one of the nine Junior ...

. The 13 member teams of the league compete for the Barkley Cup. Dating back to the 1960s, the league was known until 2015 as the Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League. The League was known from 2015 to 2020 as the Central Canada Hockey League Tier 2.

History

The EOJHL was founded in 1966 as the Rideau-St. Lawrence Junior "B" Hockey League. Through a merger with the Upper Ottawa Valley Junior "B" Hockey League and the folding of the Lanark-Renfrew Junior "C" Hockey League, the league had grown to 22 different teams. For the 2007-08 season, the

Kemptville 73's The Kemptville 73's are a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey team based in Kemptville, Ontario. They play in the Central Canada Hockey League of the Ottawa District Hockey Association. History The team was founded in 1969 as the Kemptville Comets, ...

moved from the EOJBHL to the

Central Junior A Hockey League The Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL; French: ''Ligue de hockey du Canada centrale'', LHCC) is a Junior A ice hockey league in North America composed of 12 teams – all around the National Capital Region. The CCHL is one of the nine Junior ...

. A season later, the EOJBHL sold their franchise rights to the then-owners of the Casselman Stars of the Eastern Ontario Junior C Hockey League and then town of

Casselman, Ontario Casselman is a village in eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell. Situated on the South Nation River about southeast of downtown Ottawa, along the Trans-Canada Highway 417. Casselman is an enclave within the ...

. The new team, the

Casselman Vikings The Casselman Vikings are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team in Casselman, Ontario. The Vikings play in the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League (EOJHL). Between 2014-15 and the end of the 2019-2020 seasons, the EOJHL and the CCHL set a new agre ...

, began play in the 2008-09 season. In May 2009, the league dropped the Junior "B" designation from its name, becoming the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League (EOJHL). For the 2009-10 season, the

Carleton Place Kings The Carleton Place Canadians are a Junior A ice hockey team based in Carleton Place, Carleton Place, Ontario. The Canadians compete in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) as a member of the West Division. The team was established in 1969, alo ...

moved from the EOJHL to the

. The Kings were replaced the same year by the new

Almonte Thunder The Almonte Thunder were a Canadian Junior B ice hockey team based in Almonte, Ontario. They played in the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League. History The Almonte Thunder were granted expansion into the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League i ...

. In April 2014, the EOJHL Champion

traveled to

Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia Port Hawkesbury (Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Chlamhain'') is a municipality in southern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. While within the historical county of Inverness, it is not part of the Municipality of Inverness County. Their s ...

to compete in the Eastern Canadian Junior B Championship. Cassleman became the first team west of

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...

to compete in the Don Johnson Memorial Cup tournament since its inception in 1982. Casselman went 6-0-0 and won the championship. At the beginning of the 2015-16 season, the league changed its name to the CCHL2 and cut down to 16 teams from 22 teams which saw the removal of the Shawville Pontiacs, Akwesasne Wolves, Gananoque Islanders, Almonte Thunder, Morrisburg Lions, and Gatineau Mustangs. The league consists of two divisions, the Martin Division and Richardson Division. The league offers a 52-game balanced schedule where everyone plays everyone at least once. The two Divisional Playoff champions battle for the Barkley Cup every April. In March 2017, the Pembroke Lumber Kings (CCHL) announced the purchase of the

Prescott Flyers The Whitewater Kings are a Canada, Canadian junior ice hockey team from Cobden, Ontario. The Kings play in the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League. Between 2014-15 and the end of the 2019-2020 seasons, the EOJHL and the CCHL set a new agreeme ...

as their CCHL2 affiliate and relocating the team to Cobden and calling them the Whitewater Kings. Also in March, the Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL) announced the purchase of the Clarence Beavers and relocated them to Carleton Place, naming them the Carleton Place Junior Canadians. The Rockland Nationals of the National Capital Junior Hockey League will relocate to Clarence to fill in for the departed Beavers. The

Metcalfe Jets The Metcalfe Jets are a Junior "C" ice hockey team based out of Metcalfe, Ontario. They initially played in Junior "B" out of the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League which was re-branded to the Central Canada Hockey League 2. For the 2017-18 s ...

will move to the

National Capital Junior Hockey League The National Capital Junior Hockey League (NCJHL) is a Canadian Junior ice hockey league in Ontario, sanctioned by the Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Canada. The league is meant to be an interprovincial league between Ontario and Quebec ...

and in return the

Embrun Panthers The Embrun Panthers are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Embrun, Ontario. They play in the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League. Prior to 2017, the Panthers were members of the National Capital Junior Hockey League. History Founde ...

will move up to the CCHL2. After half a decade as the CCHL2, the league returned to its previous name (EOJHL) ahead of the 2022-23 season. During the 2023 off-season the Whitewater Kings and Brockville Tikis requested a leave of absence. The 2024 off-season had the Alexandria Glens and Char-Lan Rebels merge and re-brand as the Glengarry Brigade. The Brockville Tikis rebranded as the Brockville Bulldogs over the 2025 offseason and intend to return to the league for the 2025-26 season.

Teams

Playoff champions

There is no National Championship for Junior B hockey in Canada, similar championships are held in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

(

Sutherland Cup The Sutherland Cup is the ice hockey Ontario Junior "B" Provincial Championship trophy. The trophy was first awarded in 1934, and named in honour of former OHA and CAHA president, James T. Sutherland. The Sutherland Cup is now the championshi ...

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...

(

Keystone Cup The Keystone Cup is the Junior B ice hockey championship and trophy for Western Canada. From 1983 to 2017, the championship was the culmination of the champions of 12 hockey leagues in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwe ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

(

Coupe Dodge The Quebec Provincial Hockey Championship (French: ''Championnats Provinciaux de Hockey'', known as Coupe Chevrolet, or the Chevrolet Cup for commercial reasons) is a provincial championship in the men's and women's amateur ice hockey leagues i ...

), and

( Don Johnson Memorial Cup). Up until the end of the 2015 playoffs, each team listed is a division champion, both the league champion and finalists are either "Metro/Valley" or "Rideau/St. Lawrence" Conference champions. Bolded are league champions, ''Italicized'' are finalists. The EOJHL became the CCHL2 for the 2015-16 season reducing to just two divisions.

2025 playoffs

Other notable awards

:Gill Trophy Awarded to Rideau Division Playoff Champions :Alex English Trophy Awarded to St. Lawrence Division Playoff Champions :Ottawa Nepean Sportsplex Trophy Awarded to Metro Division Playoff Champions :Carl Foley Trophy Awarded to Valley Division Playoff Champions :John Shorey Cup Awarded to Rideau/St. Lawrence Conference Playoff Champions :Dwaine Barkley Trophy Awarded to Metro/Valley Conference Playoff Champions

Former member teams

References

External links

Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League
{{Junior Hockey B Ice hockey in Ottawa B Sports leagues established in 1966 1966 establishments in Ontario Hockey Eastern Ontario