Erin McAndrew
Schedule released for 12-game All-Star, Prospects tournament
October 16, 2024 …. The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) and Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) will honour NHLers who played in the two leagues during the 2024 Battle of Ontario, in Smiths Falls, Ontario November 12-13.
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.
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 will go on sale Oct. 22 at the Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre. The box office will be 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 and two-day passes $35. Day passes for children aged 6-12 will cost $10. Children 5 and under will be admitted free.
The event is expected to draw NHL, NCAA, U SPORTS and CHL scouts to Smiths Falls and the Memorial Community Centre, the home of the CCHL’s Smiths Falls Bears. Opened in 2010, the 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.
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, coaching staffs and additional ticket sales information, will be released in the coming weeks.
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.
