The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) today released its 2016-17 regular season schedule, while also announcing dates for the annual Governors’ Showcase and the newly named Winter Showcase.
The OJHL schedule consists of 594 games featuring 22 member clubs with inter-conference play continuing after being introduced beginning with the 2012-13 season. Each club will once again play a 54-game regular schedule, including two games at each Showcase event.
Below is the breakdown of this year’s schedule for each club:
- 25 home games, 25 road games, 2 Governors’ Showcase games, 2 Winter Showcase games
- 2 home games & 2 road games versus each club within same Conference
- 5 home games & 5 road games versus other Conference
- 2 Governors’ Showcase games versus other Conference
- 2 Winter Showcase games within same Conference
CLICK HERE for NYR’s full 2016-17 schedule
CLICK HERE for the full 2016-17 OJHL regular season schedule.
Following the success of hosting the annual Governors’ Showcase in the U.S. for the first time last season, the Buffalo Jr. Sabres will once again host the event this year at the state-of-the-art HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York from September 26-28, 2016. Replacing the two Conference Showcase events that were unveiled last season, is the newly-minted Winter Showcase with all 22 clubs playing games within their Conference. After successfully hosting the North-East Conference Showcase last season, the Trenton Golden Hawks and Duncan McDonald Memorial Gardens will host the entire league from January 23-25, 2017.
Along with the two Showcase events, the Trenton Golden Hawks will be hosting the 2017 Dudley-Hewitt Cup, Central Canadian Junior ‘A’ Championship from May 2-6 and the Cobourg Cougars will be hosting the 2017 RBC Cup, National Junior ‘A’ Championship from May 13-21, marking the first time the OJHL has hosted the national championship since the Streetsville Derbys held the event in Brampton, Ontario in 2006.
Highlights of the 2016-17 schedule include:
- Opening night is Friday, September 9, 2016 with six games on the agenda, taking place in Burlington, Milton, Oakville, St. Michael’s, Trenton and Wellington
- The Trenton Golden Hawks will celebrate their first-ever OJHL and Dudley-Hewitt Cup championships on opening night, September 9, when they host the Newmarket Hurricanes
- Celebrating their 50th anniversary season, the Oakville Blades kick-off the milestone campaign on opening night, September 9, versus the defending South-West Conference champion Georgetown Raiders
- On September 10 in Stouffville, the Pickering Panthers will officially unveil their new logo and colours during a regular season game for the first time
- Annual Governors’ Showcase to be held in Buffalo, New York, for the second consecutive year, from September 26-28, 2016 at the HarborCenter
- The annual Eastern Canada Cup All-Star Challenge will be hosted once again by the CCHL’s Cornwall Colts from November 14-16, 2016
- 2016 World Junior ‘A’ Challenge will be played from December 11-17, 2016 in Bonnyville, Alberta
- First annual OJHL Winter Showcase to be hosted by the Trenton Golden Hawks from January 23-25, 2017 at the Duncan McDonald Memorial Gardens
- The regular season ends on Saturday, February 25, 2017 with five games to close out the schedule and the playoffs beginning the following week
- 2017 Dudley-Hewitt Cup, Central Canadian Junior ‘A’ Championship hosted by the Trenton Golden Hawks from May 2-6, 2017
- 2017 RBC Cup, National Junior ‘A’ Championship hosted by the Cobourg Cougars from May 13-21, 2017
