Central Junior B Hockey League 1954 to 1971 In 1954, a variety of teams from different leagues and
Ontario Hockey Association junior groupings were put together in the Central Junior B Hockey League. The Central League was formed as a sister league to the
Western Ontario Junior B Hockey League that had been running since 1950. During the early years, the two leagues were regarded as the two divisions of the OHA's Big 10. The "Big" moniker was often given to OHA leagues as the OHA pushed away from smaller rural multi-level groupings. The 1954–55 season's members were the
Woodstock Warriors,
Owen Sound Greys,
Waterloo Siskins,
Burlington Mohawks,
Paris Redshirts,
Dundas Flyers, and
Ingersoll Reems. Woodstock took the first ever Central League crown as well as that year's
Sutherland Cup as provincial champions. From 1955 until 1964, the
Waterloo Siskins won the league six out of nine seasons, losing out to Burlington in 1957 and 1958 and the
Owen Sound Greys in 1961. Neither Burlington or Owen Sound managed to win the Sutherland Cup with their league championship, in fact only Owen Sound even made to the finals where they were swept by the
St. Michael's Buzzers of the
Metro Junior B Hockey League. During that streak, the Waterloo Siskins won the
Sutherland Cup four times. In 1956 they defeated the
Brampton Regents of the Metro league 4-games-to-1 with 1 tie. In 1960, the Siskins defeated the Marlboros of the Metro League 4-games-to-2 with 1 tie to win the provincial crown. In 1962, they defeated the
St. Thomas Elgins of the Western Junior B League 4-games-to-1 and in 1964 they defeated Weston of the Metro League 4-games-to-1 to claim another crown. In 1964, began a four-year dynasty for the
Kitchener Greenshirts. In 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1968, the Greenshirts were Central League champions. They also won the
Sutherland Cup in 1965 by defeating Etobicoke of the Metro League 4-games-to-2 and in 1967 by defeating the Metro League's
Dixie Beehives 4-games-to-2. In 1968, their sister league, the Western Ontario Junior B Hockey League, went renegade and left the
Ontario Hockey Association. As a result, the
Strathroy Rockets were homeless and joined the league. In their only year in the CJBHL they won the league championship and lost the Sutherland Cup final 4-games-to-1 with 1 tie to the
Markham Waxers of the Metro League. In 1969, the
Collingwood Blues jumped up to the Central League and stayed until the realignment of 1971, winning both league championships (1970 and 1971). The Blues failed to make the provincial final in either of those years. The teams of the 1970–71 season were the
Owen Sound Greys,
Collingwood Blues,
Waterloo Siskins,
Preston Raiders, and
Kitchener Ranger B's. This would be the final incarnation of the league in its original setup. Much change happened in the summer of 1971.
1971 to 1993 In 1971, the league re-aligned itself geographically. The
Owen Sound Greys and
Collingwood Blues jumped to the
Mid-Ontario Junior B Hockey League. The
Waterloo Siskins and
Kitchener Ranger B's moved over to the
Western Ontario Junior B Hockey League. The
Burlington Mohawks were the only team to stay put. In return, the Central League gained many teams from the Mid-Ontario Junior B Hockey League, like the
Oakville Blades,
Milton Flyers,
Hespeler Shamrocks and
Streetsville Derbys. They also gained the
Dundas Blues and the
Brampton Vic Woods. The 1972 champion is unknown, but in 1973 Burlington won the Central League and in 1974 and 1975 Oakville won two straight league titles. The 1974–75 season was special for the Oakville Blades. After winning the league championship, they won their way all the way to the
Sutherland Cup final. Unfortunately for the Blades, the
Bramalea Blues of the
Metro Junior B Hockey League awaited them. The Blues defeated the Blades 4-games-to-3. From the 1975–76 season until the 1979–80 season, the Central League was dominated by the
Streetsville Derbys. In this span, the Derbys won the League title five straight times, made the Ontario finals three times, and won the Sutherland Cup once. In 1977, the Derbys made the All-Ontario final. In the final, they lost to the
Stratford Cullitons of the
Waterloo-Wellington Junior B Hockey League 4-games-to-2. A year later, the Derbys again met the Stratford Cullitons (now of the
Mid-Western Junior B Hockey League), but lost 9-points-to-5. The 1978–79 season had the Derbys make the
Sutherland Cup final for the third straight year. In the final, the Derbys met the
St. Catharines Falcons of the
Golden Horseshoe Junior B Hockey League and defeated them 4-games-to-none to finally win a provincial title. In 1978 the Mid-Ontario league folded, and
Orillia Terriers,
Thornhill Thunderbirds, the
Barrie Colts, and Oak Ridges Dynes joined the Central League. The 1980–81 season had a team other than the Derbys show dominance, as the
Burlington Cougars won the Central League championship. They kept on winning and found themselves in the
Sutherland Cup final. The Cougars came up against the
Stratford Cullitons of the Mid-Western League and were victorious, winning 8-points-to-4. In 1982, the
Oakville Blades won the Central league for the first time in seven years. From the 1982–83 season until the 1985–86 season, the
Streetsville Derbys celebrated another period of dominance. In those four seasons, the Derbys won three league championships, made the Ontario final twice, and received a harsh punishment from the
Ontario Hockey Association. In 1982–83, the Derbys won their first league title in three season, a year later they won it again and battled all the way to the Sutherland Cup final. In the final, the Derbys met the
Waterloo Siskins of the Mid-Western League and despite a spirited performance, fell 4-games-to-3 to the Siskins. A year later, the Derbys failed to get out of their league. In 1985–86, the Derbys dominated the Central League again and won their third title in four years. They battled to the Sutherland Cup final and again met the
Stratford Cullitons of the Mid-Western League. The Cullitons swept the series, 4-games-to-none, and the Derbys lost their discipline. The result was a one-year ban for the Streetsville Derbys from
Ontario Hockey Association play. The Derbys were forced to sit out in 1986–87, as the Burlington Cougars won the league, and the Derbys never won another Central League title. From the 1987–88 season until the 1989–90 season, the
Barrie Colts dominated the league with three straight championships. None of these championships transpired into a Sutherland Cup. In 1991, the Oakville Blades won the Central League, but lost the Sutherland Cup final to the
Waterloo Siskins 4-games-to-none. In 1992, the
Milton Merchants won the league championship, but also fell in the Sutherland Cup final, this time to the
Kitchener Dutchmen. During the summer of 1992, the OHA promoted the Central League to Junior A status, allowing its teams less limitations on signing players then an average Junior B team would have. In 1992–93, the
Barrie Colts dominated the CJAHL. With 47 wins and one tie, the Colts celebrated an unheard of undefeated season. They won the Central League championship, and were granted permission to compete in the Provincial Junior B playdowns. In the final of the Sutherland Cup, they met the Kitchener Dutchmen and swept them 4-games-to-none to win the Central League its third and final
Sutherland Cup since 1971. The 1993 playoff run, aided by their Junior A status, was the final and most successful Provincial Jr. B playoff run of any Central League champion in at least twelve years. The 1992–93 season would be the final Junior B season for the Central League. The teams in the league that year were the
Barrie Colts,
Markham Waxers,
Peterborough Jr. Petes,
Newmarket 87's,
Orillia Terriers,
Lindsay Bears,
Ajax Axemen,
Collingwood Blues, and
Cobourg Cougars in the East Division and the
Brampton Capitals,
Burlington Cougars,
Milton Merchants,
Caledon Canadians,
Oakville Blades,
Streetsville Derbys (played that season in
Mississauga),
Georgetown Raiders, and
Royal York Rangers in the West Division.
Ascension to Junior "A" In 1988, the
Metro Junior B Hockey League left the
Ontario Hockey Association. In 1991, it declared itself a Junior A hockey league and a couple seasons later was recognized by the
Canadian Junior A Hockey League. In response, the Ontario Hockey Association took the Central Junior B Hockey League, the remaining Junior B league closest to
Toronto, and promoted it to Junior A. The league changed its name to the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League, the original name of the
old Junior A League that lasted from 1972 to 1987. The first ever OPJHL champion was the
Orillia Terriers in 1994. Despite much of the hype going into the
Ontario Hockey Association Junior A championship round robin, the Terriers lost 3–1 to the
Caledon Canadians of the Metro Junior A Hockey League in the OHA final. The other competitors were the Metro's
Wexford Raiders and the
NOJHL's
Powassan Hawks. In the summer of 1994, the
Barrie Colts left the OPJHL to play in the
Ontario Hockey League. In 1995, the
Brampton Capitals won the OPJHL's crown, the Buckland Cup, and gained a berth into the
Dudley Hewitt Cup round robin in
Thunder Bay. In the round robin, the Capitals went undefeated, beating the Metro's
Caledon Canadians 4–1, the
NOJHL's
Timmins Golden Bears 5-3 and the
USHL's
Thunder Bay Flyers 5–2. Their undefeated record gave the Capitals a bye directly into the DHC final, which they lost in a 6-4 heart-breaker to the Thunder Bay Flyers. The summer of 1995 brought crisis to the rival
Metro Junior A Hockey League. In the midst of perceived corruption by the league, five teams walked away from the Metro. Four of these teams; the
Bramalea Blues,
Kingston Voyageurs,
Mississauga Chargers, and
St. Michael's Buzzers; fled to join the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. In 1996, The
Newmarket 87's were OPJHL champions. They went to the
Dudley Hewitt Cup in
Cobourg, Ontario to compete for the Central Canadian Championship. Also attending from the OPJHL were the
Cobourg Cougars as hosts and the
Brampton Capitals as OPJHL finalists. Cobourg lost to the
Thunder Bay Flyers 5–3, defeated the
Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats 5–3, before losing to both Newmarket and Brampton. Newmarket defeated Rayside-Balfour 4–3, Cobourg 3–1, lost to Brampton, and then Thunder Bay 3–2. The Capitals were undefeated in the round robin, defeating Thunder Bay 5–2, Rayside-Balfour 10–6, Newmarket 6–3, and Cobourg 9–3. All three OPJHL teams made the tournament's semi-finals. In the first semi-final, Brampton defeated Cobourg 5–2, while Newmarket beat Thunder Bay 6–3. This results in a rematch of the OPJHL final in the Dudley Hewitt Cup final. The Newmarket 87's crushed Brampton 8–2. Next, Newmarket flew out to
Melfort, Saskatchewan to compete in the
Royal Bank Cup 1996. In their first game they defeated the
BCHL's
Vernon Vipers 7–5, then the
SJHL's
Yorkton Terriers 5–2. It all went downhill from there as the 87's then lost to the host
Melfort Mustangs 11–3, the
MJAHL's
Moncton Beavers 4–3, and were defeated in the semi-final by Vernon 7–4. This ended the OPJHL's first odyssey in the
Royal Bank Cup. The 1996–97 season was won by the
Milton Merchants. In a best-of-7 for the Dudley Hewitt Cup against the
NOJHL's
Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats, the Merchants were defeated 4-games-to-1. A year later, the Merchants again won the OPJHL and this time the DHC too. They traveled off to the
Royal Bank Cup 1998 in
Nanaimo, British Columbia to compete for the National Junior A championship. They defeated the
Central Junior A Hockey League's
Brockville Braves 5–2, but lost to the host
Nanaimo Clippers 6–2,
SJHL's
Weyburn Red Wings 6–2, and the
South Surrey Eagles 3-0 and again in the semi-final 6–2. The summer of 1998 would change the face of Junior A hockey. Already at 22 teams, the OPJHL was about to almost double in size.
Expansion years (1998–2008) In 1998 came the exodus. The
Metro Junior A Hockey League closed its doors after over half a century of action at the Junior A and B levels. The
Bancroft Hawks (Quinte),
Buffalo Lightning (Niagara),
Caledon Canadians,
Durham Huskies,
Huntsville Wildcats,
Markham Waxers,
North York Rangers,
Oshawa Legionaires,
Pickering Panthers,
Port Hope Buzzards,
Shelburne Wolves,
Syracuse Jr. Crunch,
Thornhill Rattlers,
Wellington Dukes, and
Wexford Raiders all made the jump to the OPJHL. The only team not to come was the
Pittsburgh Jr. Penguins, who were not interested in the extra travel. A season before, a sign that this might happen occurred when the 1997 Metro Champion
Aurora Tigers defected prior to the 1997–98 season. This swelled the league from 22 to 37 teams. Also, for the first time in its history, the OPJHL had
American hockey clubs with the Buffalo Lightning and Syracuse Jr. Crunch. The first season for this super-league was won by the
Bramalea Blues. The Blues also won the
Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian Champions and travelled to
Yorkton, Saskatchewan to compete in the
Royal Bank Cup 1999. Despite winning the round robin with a 3–1 record, the Blues were upset by the
BCHL's
Vernon Vipers, 3–2, in the semi-final. The 1999-00 Buckland Cup champions were the
Brampton Capitals, but they failed to win the Dudley Hewitt Cup, losing a best-of-7 series to the
Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats. The 2001 Buckland Cup champions were the
Thornhill Rattlers. The Rattlers defeated Rayside-Balfour to win the Dudley Hewitt Cup and moved on to
Flin Flon, Manitoba for the
Royal Bank Cup 2001. The Rattlers were unsuccessful in their venture, losing four straight games and not qualifying for the semi-finals. In 2002, the Brampton Capitals once again were the Buckland Cup champions. After defeating the
Wellington Dukes to win the OPJHL crown, the Caps failed to win the Dudley Hewitt Cup for a berth in the
Royal Bank Cup. A year later, the Wellington Dukes rebounded their OPJHL final defeated from 2002 and won the 2003 Buckland Cup 4-games-to-2 over the
Aurora Tigers. The Dukes ventured to
Fort Frances, Ontario for the
Dudley Hewitt Cup. After defeating the
SIJHL's
Fort Frances Borderland Thunder 7–1, they lost to the
NOJHL's
North Bay Skyhawks 2–1. The Dukes came back and defeated the SIJHL's
Thunder Bay Bulldogs 7–4 to earn a berth into the DHC semi-final. In the semi-final, they defeated the Borderland Thunder 4-2 and then defeated North Bay 4–0 in the final to win the Central Canadian crown. The Dukes then moved on to
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island for the
Royal Bank Cup 2003. The Dukes lost their first game 4–1 to the
SJHL's
Humboldt Broncos and lost again in their second game 7–1 to the
AJHL's
Camrose Kodiaks. It was do-or-die time for the Dukes, and they stepped up to the plate by defeating the host
Charlottetown Abbies 1–0 in overtime and the
QJAAAHL's
Lennoxville Cougars 5–2 to gain access to the semi-final. The Dukes lost a tight 3–2 game to Humboldt in the semi-final to end their national championship hopes. The 2003–04
Aurora Tigers achieved much in with Spring of 2004. After defeating the
St. Michael's Buzzers 4-games-to-2 to clinch the Buckland Cup and their fifth victorious best-of-7 series of the playoffs, the Tigers moved on to
North Bay, Ontario to compete for the
Dudley Hewitt Cup. The Tigers swept the opposition, defeating the
NOJHL's
Soo Thunderbirds 3–1, the
SIJHL's
Fort William North Stars 4–0, and the host
North Bay Skyhawks 5–3, they moved straight to the final and beat the Skyhawks again 5–1 to clinch the Central Canadian championship. The Tigers then flew out to
Grande Prairie, Alberta to compete in the
Royal Bank Cup 2004. After losing their first game to the host
Grande Prairie Storm 4–2, the Tiger went on a roll, beating the
BCHL's
Nanaimo Clippers 4–2, the
SJHL's
Kindersley Klippers 5–0, and the then
Central Junior A Hockey League's
Nepean Raiders 3–1. In the semi-final, the Tigers played the Raiders again and beat them 7–2, then manhandled the Klippers 7–1 in the final to win the
Royal Bank Cup. This marked the first national championship in the OPJHL's 11-year history. The 2005 Buckland Cup champions were the
St. Michael's Buzzers. After defeated the
Georgetown Raiders 4-games-to-2 to win the OPJHL, they then traveled to
Georgetown, Ontario to compete for the
Dudley Hewitt Cup. The Raiders went 3–0 in the tournament, defeating the
NOJHL's
North Bay Skyhawks 7–2,
SIJHL's
Fort William North Stars 4–0, and then St. Mike's 5–4. On top of St. Mike's loss to Georgetown, they lost to Fort William 6–4, but defeated North Bay 4–3 in quadruple overtime. In the semi-final, St. Mike's defeated Fort William 6–2, only to be defeated 3–1 in the final. Georgetown then traveled to
Weyburn, Saskatchewan to compete in the
Royal Bank Cup 2005. They started out with a loss to the host
Weyburn Red Wings, then beat the
Central Junior A Hockey League's
Hawkesbury Hawks 3–0. In their third game, they defeated the
MJHL's
Portage Terriers 6–3, but then lost to the
AJHL's
Camrose Kodiaks 2–1. They again drew Camrose in the semi-final and were walloped 8–2 to end their season. In 2006, the
St. Michael's Buzzers won the Buckland Cup again by defeating the
Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-2. It seemed like the Buzzers were set to avenge their Dudley Hewitt Cup losses from the previous year, but it did not go as planned. In their first game, the Buzzers lost 3–2 to the
SIJHL's
Dryden Ice Dogs despite badly outshooting them. In the next game, the Buzzers found their form again and massacred the host
Fort William North Stars 7–1, only to lose to the
NOJHL's
Sudbury Jr. Wolves 5–2. Due to tie-breaker, the Buzzers were eliminated from the round robin. The OPJHL still had a single hope left, the
Streetsville Derbys were the hosts of the
2006 Royal Bank Cup in
Brampton, Ontario. The Derbys finished first in the round robin, defeating the
BCHL's
Burnaby Express 4–3 in overtime, Fort William 3–2, the
SJHL's
Yorkton Terriers 2–1, before dropping a game to the
QJAAAHL's
Joliette Action 4–1. Unfortunately, the Derbys failed to win the semi-final against Yorkton, losing 2–1. The 2006–07 season was dominated by the
Aurora Tigers. After finishing first in the OPJHL regular season, the Tigers walked through five rounds of playoffs to win the Buckland Cup. They then traveled to
Iroquois Falls, Ontario for the Dudley Hewitt Cup. The Dudley proved to be little challenge for the Tigers, as they defeated the
NOJHL's
Soo Indians 4–1, the
SIJHL's
Schreiber Diesels 6–3, and the host
Abitibi Eskimos 7–0, before crushing Schreiber 10–0 in the Central Championship final. Next, they traveled to
Prince George, British Columbia for the
2007 Royal Bank Cup. Aurora started off the national championship with a 4–2 victory over the
MJHL's
Selkirk Steelers. They then lost to the
Central Junior A Hockey League's
Pembroke Lumber Kings 5–3. The Tigers then beat the host
Prince George Spruce Kings 6-3 and the
AJHL's
Camrose Kodiaks 7–4 to clinch first place in the round robin. In the semi-final, the Tiger ended up defeating the only team they lost to in the tournament, Pembroke, 3–2 in overtime. In the final, the Tigers defeated Prince George 3–1 to win their second national title in four years. The 2008 league champions were an exciting
Oakville Blades team that had a great regular season and dominated the Buckland Cup playoffs. At the Dudley, the Blades were perfect, defeating the
SIJHL's
Dryden Ice Dogs 5–1, the
NOJHL's
Sudbury Jr. Wolves 5–3, and the host
Newmarket Hurricanes 5–2. The other two games for Newmarket had them defeat Sudbury 5-1 and Dryden 7–1. In the semi-final, Newmarket defeated Dryden again 2-1 and in the final Oakville finished off Newmarket's season with a 6–3 victory. In the process, Oakville lost their star goaltender, mid-tournament, in order for him to maintain hist
NCAA eligibility due to his age. This loss cost the Blades as they traveled to
Cornwall, Ontario for the
2008 Royal Bank Cup. The Blades lost their opener to the host
Cornwall Colts 5–4. they then lost in overtime to the
MJAHL's
Weeks Crushers 4–3. They rebounded in their fourth game, defeating the
SJHL's
Humboldt Broncos 7–6, but then had all their hopes erased with a 6–1 loss to the
AJHL's
Camrose Kodiaks. With a 1–3 record, the Blades were eliminated from the tournament despite outshooting their opponent in all four games.
Dissolution and reformation (2008–2010) The summer of 2008 brought much change to the OPJHL. As approved by the OHA, the semi-autonomous Central Division Hockey pilot program began in 2008–09. This divisions creation was controversial and had been appealed by left out teams to the
Ontario Hockey Federation. Although the OHA is attempted to play down the significance of the division in some aspects, they have admitted that the new conference would have slightly different rules than the rest of the divisions and that the CDH would be geared more for development. As well, the member teams would operate at a higher budget and completely partitioned from the rest of the OPJHL until the league semi-final. Additionally, the CDH would play a 53-game schedule, as opposed to the rest of the league which played a 49-game season. The division had its own website, separate from the league. On September 19, 2008, the league, already a month into the 2008–09 season, announced a name change, a new logo, and a new website. The league will now be known as the Ontario Junior Hockey League. Prior to the start of the season, the three divisions not involved with Central Division Hockey were renamed. The West Division is now the MacKinnon Division, the North Division is now the Phillips Division, and the East Division is the Ruddock Division. The South Division is scattered between the Phillips and MacKinnon Divisions. The 2008–09 season finished with the
Couchiching Terriers taking the overall best record. The finish in the Central Division was quite unique. First and last place in the division was the least spread out of all four divisions, the top six of eight teams all had even or winning records, the
Markham Waxers and
Wellington Dukes race for first place lasted until the final game of the season, as did the race for third between the
Hamilton Red Wings,
Newmarket Hurricanes, and
Toronto Jr. Canadiens. The Central Division playoffs was won by Wellington, but they were eliminated by the MacKinnon Division champion and defending league champion
Oakville Blades in a controversial series that went to a seventh game. The
Kingston Voyageurs won the Ruddock Division who beat the Phillips Division champion
Huntsville Otters 4-games-to-1 to go to the Buckland Cup finals. Kingston would defeat Oakville 4-games-to-2 in the league final for the Buckland Cup. The Voyageurs moved on to the
Dudley Hewitt Cup in
Schreiber, Ontario where they started the tournament by beating the host
Schreiber Diesels of the
SIJHL 9–0. They then were upset by the SIJHL champion
Fort William North Stars 1–0. In the third game, the Voyageurs defeated the
NOJHL champion
Soo Thunderbirds 2–0 to move on directly to the DHC Final. In the final, the Voyageurs defeated a fatigued and fresh off a slim semi-final victory North Stars 4–1 to win the Central Canada crown. They then flew out to
Victoria, British Columbia for the
2009 Royal Bank Cup. The event was a learning experience for the Voyageurs who started off the event with a 5–0 loss to the host
Victoria Grizzlies. In their next game, the Voyageurs edged the
MJAHL's
Summerside Western Capitals with a wild 7–5 win. They then lost to the
SJHL's
Humboldt Broncos 5–2 and then the
BCHL's
Vernon Vipers 8–5. Edging into the semi-finals via a head-to-head win over the Capitals, the Voyageurs lost their final game of the year 6–3 to the eventual national champion Vipers. A new and thought to be final chapter in the OJHL saga opened in April 2009. Thirteen more teams left the core of the OJHL to join the Central Division, jumping the number of teams in the CDH to 21 and dropping the remainder of the OJHL to 15 for the 2009–10 season. On June 29, 2009, the OHA Board of Directors voted to separate the OJHL into two completely different leagues. The group of 15 teams will be known as the
Ontario Junior A Hockey League, and the other 21 teams will be the
Central Canadian Hockey League.
OJAHL The first game in the new league's history was on September 9, 2009. The
Bramalea Blues defeated the
Mississauga Chargers 6–4 in Mississauga. The
Oakville Blades defeated the
Kingston Voyageurs 4-games-to-3 in the OJAHL final to win their first and what will be the only OJAHL Championship. The
Oakville Blades then faced the CCHL's
Newmarket Hurricanes for the 2010 Buckland Cup. The Hurricanes kept the series close, but the Blades took it in six games to move on to the
Dudley Hewitt Cup.
CCHL The first game under the CCHL banner was played September 9, 2009. The
Streetsville Derbys defeated the
North York Rangers 5–4 in a shootout in North York. The West Division Champion
Newmarket Hurricanes defeated the East Division Champion
Bowmanville Eagles 4-games-to-2 in the CCHL final to win their first and what will be the only CCHL Championship.
Amalgamation (2010–present) As the 2009–10 season wore on, the
Ontario Hockey Association presented the ''Tomorrow's Game'' plan. An attempt to downsize the OHA's Jr. A and Jr. B teams from 63 teams of near equal calibre to about 12–16 teams of high calibre and the rest playing in a development division. The two leagues put aside their differences and appealed the move by the OHA to the
Ontario Hockey Federation, who sided with the leagues. From this point on, the two leagues have re-amalgamated for the 2010–11 season and have reduced the number of teams in competition by five, buying out or merging the
Ajax Attack,
Bowmanville Eagles,
Bramalea Blues,
Couchiching Terriers and
Seguin Bruins. The trend continued in the summer of 2011, as the
Streetsville Derbys merged to leave the league and the
Collingwood Blackhawks,
Dixie Beehives, and
Orangeville Flyers all ceased operations. However, just over a week later, the Orangeville Flyers were reborn as the
Villanova Knights filled in the void, and taken the identity of the Flyers. The
Huntsville Otters,
Vaughan Vipers, and
Brampton Capitals have all accepted buyouts from the league at the conclusion of the 2011–12 season. The Otters went as far as hosting the Dudley-Hewitt Cup, and playing in the final losing to the
Wellington Dukes, while the Vipers were improving and being one of the top teams, and the Capitals went out of business. As of the Summer of 2014, the OJHL has shrunk to 22 teams with only a handful outside of the
Greater Toronto Area. Despite the retraction in league size and an increase in overall league talent, the league's teams have suffered at the gate and some teams have been forced to charge player fees. Shortly after Hamilton being announced as a major junior market, the Hamilton Red Wings relocated to Markham, but were not allowed to return as the Markham Waxers and instead re-branded as the
Markham Royals and will begin play in 2015–16.
Potential markets Since 2009, the Ontario Junior Hockey League has retracted in size down to 22 teams as of 2015 after a series of buyouts from the league and mergers. The OJHL has been looking outside of the Greater Toronto Area, such as
Huntsville,
Parry Sound and even
Belleville. In late 2015, the OJHL announced a proposal to increase the league by two teams. The added teams are proposed to be advancement of Junior B teams and not from expansion. However, no teams were added. March 2019, the OJHL announced the addition of the Collingwood Colts for the 2019–2020 season. Also for the 2019–20 season it was announced that the Newmarket Hurricanes had been sold and would be re-located to
Milton and be rebranded the Milton Menace. On May 18, 2023, the Leamington Flyers announced that they would be moving up from Junior B GOJHL to Junior A and joining the OJHL beginning in the 2023–24 season. On June 26, 2023, the Niagara Falls Canucks followed the Flyers and announced they will be moving up to Junior A joining the OJHL from the Jr B GOJHL for the 2023–24 season. ==Seasons==