 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Commissioner | Craig Spada |
| No. of teams | 23 |
| Country | Canada |
| Headquarters | London, Ontario |
| Most recent champions | Chatham Maroons (2nd title) |
| Most titles | Caledonia Corvairs (4) |
| Broadcaster | FloSports |
| Official website | gojhl |
TheGreater Ontario Hockey League (GOHL) is a Canadianjunior ice hockey league based inSouthern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by theOntario Hockey Association (OHA),Ontario Hockey Federation, andHockey Canada. The league is considered Junior B by the OHA despite several attempts to be promoted to Junior A.[1]
Established as theGreater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) in 2007, it was created through merging theWestern Ontario Hockey League,Mid-Western Junior Hockey League, andGolden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League, to dissuade perceived player raiding from teams in the then-Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. The twenty-three teams of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League come fromSouthwestern Ontario and theGolden Horseshoe.
In September 2025, the GOJHL became the development league for theOntario Hockey League, and was renamed to the Greater Ontario Hockey League.
In the late 1990s, theWestern Ontario Junior B Hockey League began complaining about their top level players being pulled from their teams at trade deadline time byOntario Provincial Junior A Hockey League clubs without permission or compensation. A common view in Southern Ontario Junior B circles is that Junior "A" and Junior "B" are approximately the same skill level. In fact theOPJHL was known as the Central Ontario Junior B Hockey League until 1993, as well theMetro Junior A Hockey League which folded in 1998 was a Junior "B" league until 1991.
During the 2006–07 season, the general managers of allOntario Hockey Association Junior "B" teams came together and voted unanimously to merge and create the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) effective for the 2007–08 season. The GOJHL will become the sole competing body of theSutherland Cup, which had as many as eight leagues competing for it at one time.
The 2007–08 season did not begin as planned. The management of the Mid-Western league resigned and needed to be replaced, and with a lack of organization due to the short time the new management had to get organized, the MWJHL had to opt out of an interlocking schedule. As a result, the entire GOJHL went without an interlocking schedule for 2007–08. The 2008–09 season saw the complete liquidation of all three divisional managements and a single governing body was put in place for the league. Additionally, inter-divisional play would also commence.
In the future, the league has stated that it will pursue club expansion, a reconfiguration that will move the league from three to four divisions, and possibly a move to join theCanadian Junior A Hockey League in future years.
On September 8, 2007, theCambridge Winterhawks and theGuelph Dominators played the first ever game since the inception of the GOJHL. Despite leading 2–0 and outshooting Guelph, the defendingSutherland Cup Champions allowed five unanswered goals to drop the game 5–2. On May 3, 2008, theTecumseh Chiefs finished a four-game sweep of theElmira Sugar Kings to win the first ever GOJHL championship.
On September 24, 2008, the GOJHL hosted its first interdivisional regular season game between the Golden Horseshoe'sWheatfield Jr. Blades and the Western'sLondon Nationals inLondon, Ontario. The Nationals won the game 6–2.
TheLaSalle Vipers, 2010 Sutherland Cup champions, were asked to represent theOntario Hockey Association andHockey Canada for "Canada Day" in Mexico. On December 16, 2010, the Vipers played the Mexico Under-20 National Team and defeated them 9–2 inMexico City. In January 2011, the GOJHL's Golden Horseshoe Conference and Midwestern Conference hosted the RussianMinor Hockey League's "Red Stars" who did not make their Under-20 Team. On January 1, the MHL Red Stars defeated the Golden Horseshoe Conference 7–4 and on January 3, the Red Stars defeated the Midwestern Conference 11–3. The MHL is Russia's top tier Junior league, while each conference of the GOJHL is a third of Southern Ontario's third-tier of Junior hockey.
On October 10, 2012, the OHA announced its intention to expand east of Guelph and form a new fourth conference for the GOJHL.[2] The announcement comes on the heels of the relocation of theOwen Sound Greys to Brampton by their sponsor, leaving the northerly city out of OHA junior hockey for the first time in ninety-nine years (not including wartime).[3] In January 2014, the OHA announced that the plan to expand was on hold due to lack of serious parties. They announced that of eleven applicants, only four were substantial enough to play in the league. A Brantford group applied for expansion none-the-less, while the other three parties are currently in limbo.[4] The Brantford group was approved for membership into the Midwestern Conference as theBrantford 99'ers.
On March 28, 2014, the GOJHL's representatives filed for promotion from Junior B to Junior A with the Ontario Hockey Association. The matter was discussed at the OHA head office on April 5, 2014.[1] A few weeks later, the OHA rejected the promotion and the GOJHL's chairman was dismissed by the OHA. During the 2014–15 season, the Golden Horseshoe Conference held a vote to determine their future with the GOJHL. The teams voted to leave the GOJHL with OHA approval and govern autonomously from the league. In retaliation, the GOJHL invited no players from the Golden Horseshoe to the league's all-star game, forcing the Golden Horseshoe to play their own game in short order late in the season. The GOJHL playoff format remains unchanged for 2015 despite the shuffle. Before the playoffs began in 2015, the GOJHL announced that the Golden Horseshoe had rejoined the fold and that its annexation was averted.
In early May 2017, theCambridge Winterhawks announced their intentions to sever ties with theOHA, stating that they would not be part of the GOJHL going forward. The GOJHL initial response was to withhold comment until further details could be established.
In June 2024, the GOJHL announced new realigned conferences, moving to an "East/West" format from the long standing 3 conference arrangement.[5]
In September 2025, the GOJHL became the first development league for theOntario Hockey League (OHL).[6] In the same month, the GOJHL was renamed to the Greater Ontario Hockey League (GOHL) as part of rebranding with the OHL.[7]
As part of the first structural change to the Sutherland Cup playoffs since 1993–94 season, the GOJHL and OHA have thrown out the three-team round robin that had been used for twenty seasons and opted for a more traditional playdown method. The Sutherland Cup semi-final will now have four teams squaring off in a pair of best-of-seven series to determine the finals. The champions of the three Conferences will be joined by the conference runner-up who has the best playoff record to date. This Wild Card team will play the top ranked Champion who they have not already met in the playoffs.[18]
After the league returned from theCOVID-19 pandemic, they reverted back to the old three-team round robin format for the Sutherland Cup.[19] The Sutherland Cup Finals was a best-of-three series in 2022, but the league went back to a best-of-seven series for 2023[20] and 2024.[21] When the league re-aligned to two conferences prior to the 2024–25 season, it eliminated the use for a round robin, as the Sutherland Cup Finals would be played between the Eastern and Western Conference champions.[5]
This is a list of divisional regular season champions and their point totals,bolded are the overall league regular season champions.
For OHA Junior "B" champions prior to the 2007–08 season, please visit:Sutherland Cup.
Bold denotes Sutherland Cup Champion.Italicized denotes Sutherland Cup finalist.
Bolded is winner ofSutherland Cup as GOJHL and OHA champion.
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Single season records.
Single season records.
Single season records.
This is a list of first roundNHL entry draft picks of players straight out of the GOJHL.
Showcase
During the season, the GOJHL holds a league showcase weekend in a host city, where all teams play 2 games against opponents from other conferences or the opposite conference starting in 2024. These games count towards each team's respective records and conference standings.
| GOJHL Showcase | |||||
| Year | Host city | Host Team | Arena | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Caledonia | Caledonia Corvairs | Haldimand County Caledonia Centre | December 6–8 | |
| 2023 | Elmira | Elmira Sugar Kings | Woolwich Memorial Centre | September 22–24 | |
| 2022 | Pelham | Pelham Panthers | Meridian Community Centre | September 23–25 | |
| 2019 | Pelham | Pelham Panthers | Meridian Community Centre | September 6–8 | |
| 2018 | St. Catharines | St. Catharines Falcons | Jack Gatecliff Arena | ||
| 2017 | Brantford | Brantford 99ers | Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre | September 8–10 | |
| 2016 | London | London Nationals | Western Fair District Sports Centre | September 9–11 | |
| 2015 | London | London Nationals | Western Fair District Sports Centre | ||
| 2014 | St. Catharines | St. Catharines Falcons | Jack Gatecliff Arena | ||
| 2013 | St. Catharines | St. Catharines Falcons | Jack Gatecliff Arena | ||
Top Prospects & Future Stars Game
Each season the GOJHL holds a Top Prospects & Future Stars game featuring the top draft ready talent & up-and-coming players in the league, similar to an all-star game
| GOJHL Top Prospects & Future Stars Games | |||||
| Year | Host city | Host Team | Arena | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Elmira | Elmira Sugar Kings | Woolwich Memorial Centre | December 27 | |
| 2023 | Ayr | Ayr Centennials | North Dumfries Community Centre | December 28 | |
| 2022 | Ayr | Ayr Centennials | North Dumfries Community Centre | December 27 | |
| 2019 | Waterloo | Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins | Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex | December 28 | |
| 2018 | Waterloo | Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins | Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex | December 27 | |
| 2017 | Ancaster | Ancaster Avalanche | Morgan Firestone Arena | December 28 | |
| 2016 | Ancaster | Ancaster Avalanche | Morgan Firestone Arena | December 28 | |
| 2015 | Guelph | Guelph Hurricanes | Sleeman Centre | December 28 | |
| 2014 | Waterloo | Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins | Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex | December 27 | |
| 2013 | Port Colborne | Port Colborne Pirates | Vale Centre | December 29 | |
Exhibition Games
Starting in the 2022–2023 season, a team of GOJHL All-Stars competed against select opponents in tournaments and exhibition games
| Exhibition Games | |||||
| Year | Event | Host city | Host Team | Arena | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MacPherson Tournament | Aurora | St. Andrew's College, Aurora | La Brier Family Arena | 0-W 4-L |
| 2024 | Exhibition | St. Catharines | Ridley College | Tiger Arena | 2–1 Win |
| 2023 | MacPherson Tournament | Aurora | St. Andrew's College, Aurora | La Brier Family Arena | 1st place |
| 2022 | Exhibition | Thorold | Brock Badgers | Canada Games Park | 6–2 Loss |
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