Players from the OJ will get full student-athlete experience during visits to TMU, Ontario Tech
December 13, 2024, Mississauga, ON – …. Two teams made up of the top 20-year-old players from the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) will face two Ontario University Athletics teams next month in a new two game series, the OJHL announced today.
The two-game series will see OJHL teams play the host OUA teams at:
- Toronto Metropolitan University (Mattamy Athletic Centre), January 4, 2025, at 6:15 p.m.
- Ontario Tech University (Campus Ice Centre, Oshawa), January 5, 2025, at 4 p.m.
“As part of our strategic review within the league, we identified that we required a process to showcase our 20-year-old players, in particular to the OUA,” said Marty Savoy, Commissioner of the OJHL. “This initiative will provide an opportunity for these players to compete against OUA level competition, which will provide university-level scouts great identification and evaluation for possible recruits to their programs.”
The goal of the two-game series is to expose the OJHL’s top 20-year-olds to U SPORTS hockey scouts to facilitate their advancement and to give OJHL players a student athlete experience.
Aside from the game, the day will also include a:
- Morning skate
- Pre-game meal
- Seminar
- Facility tour
- Postgame meet-and-greet
Both university teams are coached by OJHL grads.
TMU Head Coach Johnny Duco played for the Stouffville Spirit, North York Rangers, Wexford Raiders and Thornhill Major Islanders in the OJHL from 2000-04.
Ontario Tech Head Coach Curtis Hodgins coached in the OJ at Cobourg, Bowmanville and Whitby from 2000-15. Assistant Coach Rob Powers won OJHL championships playing with Stouffville and the Toronto Patriots. Austin Eastman, another assistant coach, played for Aurora and Lindsay in the OJHL. He played at Ontario Tech for three seasons.
Both OUA/U SPORTS teams feature OJHL grads.
The TMU roster includes: Mitch Lafay and Jaden Raad (Trenton Golden Hawks), Aleks Dimovski and Evan Tanos (Toronto Patriots), Jaden Condotta (Georgetown Raiders, North York Rangers), Ian Martin (Pickering Panthers), Ryan Dugas (Milton Menace), Sergei Litvinov (Toronto Jr. Canadiens) and Riley Pitt (Cobourg Cougars).
The Ontario Tech roster includes: James White (Wellington Dukes), Marko Jakovljevic (Trenton), Dustin Hutton (Pickering, Georgetown Raiders, Toronto Jr. Canadiens) and Andrew Suriyuth (Collingwood Blues, Trenton, Kingston Voyageurs).
The OJHL will announce the rosters and coaching staffs for both of its teams next week.
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 has had more than 65 commitments already this season.
For more information on the Ontario Junior Hockey League, please visit www.ojhl.ca
