Junior C Hockey Going Province Wide
Thursday April 28, 2016
COMMUNITY NEWS
The Ontario
Hockey Association announced in
their Blueline Magazine that all
eight Junior C Associations in
Ontario including the Great
Lakes Junior C Hockey League
will be joining to form the new
Provincial Junior Hockey League
(PJHL).
The formation of the PJHL will
better reflect the advancement
of operations and the quality of
the game being played under the
OHA’s Tomorrow’s Game
initiative.
OHA Executive Director Mark
Ellis welcomed the move. “The
new league is taking the
necessary step to better enhance
opportunities for its teams and
more importantly to provide
enhanced standards for its
players within today’s hockey
structure.”
A committee was formed in 2014
with representation from each of
the existing leagues to discuss
issues affecting Junior C teams
across the OHA. The unification
of all leagues under one banner
was one of its recommendations
to the OHA board of directors.
The OHA continues to work with
this committee as planning
continues.
“It makes the PJHL the largest
operating Junior Hockey league
in the Province of Ontario with
64 teams.” Mooretown Flags
General Manager said.
“The way things will break down
is there will be 4 conferences:
East, West, North and South. We
will be one of the 2 divisions
in the West Conference. The
other division will be the old
SOJHL. The winner of the SOJHL
is exactly who the winner of the
GLJCHL played in the first round
of the Schamlz Cup, nothing has
changed there.”
The Divisions will be named
after long standing individuals
and our league voted unanimously
to be named the Bill Stobbs
Division. Bill is an OHA life
member and a person that has
been involved with our league
since its inception.
Baker continued "It brands all
eight leagues under a single
umbrella which is the same thing
the Jr B's did a number of years
back. It makes the PJHL the
largest operating junior hockey
league in the Province of
Ontario with 64 teams."
The new league
will comprise of four
conferences: East, West, North
and South. The Mooretown Flags
will be one of the two divisions
in the West Conference. The
other division will be the old
SOJHL. The winner of the SOJHL
is exactly who the winner of the
GLJCHL played in the first round
of the Schamlz Cup.
The divisions are being named
after long standing individuals
and the Flags former league
voted unanimously to be named
the Bill Stobbs Division. Bill
is an OHA life member and a
person that has been involved
with our league since its
inception.
The league is designed to
provide a stronger voice at the
OHA level and to provide a
common game across the province.
“One of the first things will be
province wide adoption of the
overtime format that we used in
the GLJCHL league last year
where we went directly to 3 on 3
hockey..” Baker said “From a
fans perspective overtime games
became wide open fast paced end
to end hockey.”
Another goal is about getting
more visibility to the Jr C
brand of hockey.
“I think we provided a very good
brand of fast paced hockey.”
Baker added “The old time hockey
that was once associated with Jr
C is gone and has been replaced
by a very entertaining brand of
hockey.
