Twelve-game All-Star, Prospects tournament pits CCHL against OJHL
October 30, 2024 …. Star players from the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) and Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) will skate under the watchful eye of scouts from across the hockey world during the 2024 Battle of Ontario in Smiths Falls, Ontario November 19-20.
Hockey Canada is using the event to help select the Team Canada East squad that will play at the World Jr. A Challenge December 9-15 in Camrose, Alberta.
NHL Central Scouting and reps from individual NHL teams along with NCAA, U SPORTS and CHL scouts will also be at the Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre for the two-day event.
The Battle of Ontario will see two all-star and two prospect teams from each Junior A league play a total of 12 games during the tournament-style event.
“We’re thrilled to have this truly unique and special event hosted in Smiths Falls this year,” said Ian MacInnis, Acting Co-Commissioner of the CCHL. “The event is an exciting partnership with the OJHL and we could not be more excited to see our athletes, both from CCHL and OJHL, showcased in front of WJAC coaches and NHL, NCAA, U SPORTS and OHL scouts. Let the games begin!”
“The Battle of Ontario will attract a number of scouts from all levels to the OJHL and CCHL, with this ‘best of best’ format and All-Star and Prospects teams,” said OJHL Commissioner Marty Savoy. “It is another initiative by both leagues to provide a platform for our players to showcase their talents to levels they are working hard to get to.”
The home of the CCHL’s Smiths Falls Bears, the Memorial Centre features an NHL-size ice surface with seating for 1,500 people.
Smiths Falls, a town of 9,500 people, is located 72 kilometres southwest of Ottawa.
On-ice officials are being assigned to the event from each league’s governing body, Hockey Eastern Ontario and the Ontario Hockey Association.
CCHL teams are named after NHL greats Larry Robinson and Steve Yzerman. Robinson played for the Brockville Braves of the CCHL while Yzerman is an alumnus of the Nepean Raiders.
The OJHL’s squads are named for current NHL players: Evan Rodrigues (Georgetown Raiders) of the Florida Panthers; Chris Tanev (Markham Waxers, Stouffville Spirit, Durham Fury) of the Toronto Maple Leafs; Zach Hyman (Hamilton Red Wings) of the Edmonton Oilers and Jack McBain (Toronto Jr. Canadiens) of the Utah Hockey Club.
The schedule has been released:
Tickets are on sale at the Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre. The box office is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. Daily passes for adults will cost $20. Day passes for children aged 6-12 will cost $10. Children 5 and under will be admitted free.
The all-star teams will play each other once during the round-robin, followed by a semifinal, championship final and consolation final.
The prospect teams will play two games each during their four-game round robin. Games will be played using a modified two-period format and Hockey Canada rules.
The “Battle of Ontario” was first held in Pembroke in 2009 featuring teams of ‘Young Stars’ and ‘All-Stars’ from the CCHL and the Central Junior Hockey League, which was a division within the OJHL. The two-game series was held again in Pembroke in 2010.
More details, including rosters and coaching staffs, will be released in the coming weeks.
About the 2024 World Junior A Challenge
The 2024 Junior A World Challenge is set for December 9-15 at Encana Arena in Camrose, Alberta. It will feature a four-team format this season. Canada East, Canada West, Sweden and the United States will each play three preliminary-round games over the first four days of tournament action to determine seeding for the semifinals on Dec. 14, while the bronze medal and gold medal games are set for at 1 p.m. MT and 5 p.m. MT, respectively, on Dec. 15. Canada East, which claimed silver in 2023, will kick off the tournament against the United States on Dec. 9 at 3 p.m. MT, followed by last year’s gold medalist, Canada West, matching up against Sweden to close out opening day at 7:30 p.m. MT.
About the CCHL
The Central Canada Hockey League, which began as a development league founded by the Montreal Canadiens in 1961, is a Hockey Canada/Hockey Eastern Ontario sanctioned Junior A league comprised of twelve member franchises across Eastern Ontario. The CCHL’s mission is to develop young student/athletes between the ages of sixteen and twenty for higher levels of hockey. Players from all over North America have enjoyed success playing in the Central Canada Hockey League. For many players, the CCHL is a stepping stone to the NCAA. Every season, players accept Division 1 hockey scholarships from the CCHL and even more advance to Division 3 hockey and U SPORTS. Last season, over 70 NCAA scholarship commitments were made by CCHL players. Young players advance every year to the Ontario Hockey League and there have even been selections from the CCHL directly to the National Hockey League.
About the OJHL – “League of Choice”
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior ‘A’ league operating under the auspices of the Canadian Junior Hockey League with 24 member clubs. The OJHL is the home of the 2024 Centennial Cup champion Collingwood Blues. A proud member of the CJHL and Ontario Hockey Association, the OJHL was originally named the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League and it was formed out of the Central Junior ‘B’ Hockey League in 1993-94. With a long and storied history of developing players for the next level, including U SPORTS, the NCAA, CHL, minor pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL had more than 45 NCAA Division I scholarship commitments last season.
Go to www.ojhl.ca for additional information on the Ontario Junior Hockey League and www.thecchl.ca for more on the Central Canada Hockey League.
