NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
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The Ontario Junior Hockey League opens its 2019-20 schedule tonight.
Opening night has six games, featuring appearances by the two new teams to the OJHL this season: the Milton Menace and Collingwood Colts. Milton hosts Burlington while Collingwood travels to Trenton.
The defending OJHL (Buckland Cup) and Central Canadian (Dudley-Hewitt Cup) champion Oakville Blades begin their titles’ defence at home Saturday night against the Brantford 99ers.
Opening weekend across the OJHL features 15 games in 13 Ontario communities.
The OJHL schedule consists of 594 games with inter-conference play continuing after being introduced during the 2012-13 season.
Each club will once again play a 54-game (26 home, 26 away) regular schedule, plus two games at the Governors’ Showcase this month.
The top four teams in each division will make the playoffs this season.
Following the success of hosting the annual Governors' Showcase in the U.S. the past four years, the Buffalo Jr. Sabres will once again host the event this year at the state-of-the-art Harborcenter in downtown Buffalo, New York from September 23-25, 2019. More than 200 NHL, NCAA U Sports, CHL and pro scouts attend annually.
Highlights of the 2019-20 schedule include:
- OJHL Governors' Showcase to be held in Buffalo, New York, for the fifth consecutive year, from September 23-25, 2019 at Harborcenter
- A new OJHL all-star event, which will be announced this fall.
- The return of the OJHL on CHCH Game of the Week beginning in December.
- 2019 World Junior 'A' Challenge will be played from December 7-15, 2019 in Dawson Creek, B.C.
- 2020 Dudley-Hewitt Cup, Central Canadian Junior 'A' Championship hosted by the Fort Frances Lakers (SIJHL) in Fort Frances, ON from April 28-May 2, 2020
- 2020 National Junior A Championship – the 50th edition of the tournament – hosted by the Portage Terriers in Portage la Prairie, Man from May 9-17, 2020
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