MISSISSAUGA – The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) recently released its 2021-22 regular season schedule.
The OJHL’s 2020-21 regular season and all but the first round of the league’s 2020 Buckland Cup playoffs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021-22 season opens Friday, Oct. 1, with 18 of the OJHL’s 22 team’s in action, including games in Wellington and Trenton.
The Wellington Dukes will host the Mississauga Chargers while the Trenton Golden Hawks take on the Cobourg Cougars.
Due to the pandemic and restrictions on cross-border travel, the Buffalo Jr. Sabres’ leave of absence from the OJHL has been extended by an additional year. The Jr. Sabres are the lone U.S. team in the league. The club will return to action in the OJHL for the 2022-23 season.
Three teams have changed locations. The Haliburton County Huskies have moved from Whitby where they were the Fury. The Brampton Admirals are now based out of the Mayfield Recreation Centre in Caledon and the Burlington Cougars have moved to Burlington Central Arena.
The OJHL schedule consists of 567 games, featuring intra-conference play.
Each club will once again play a 54-game (26 home, 26 away) regular schedule, including two games at the Governors’ Showcase.
The regular season ends March 5. The top four teams in each division will make the playoffs.
CLICK HERE for the full 2021-22 OJHL regular season schedule.
Highlights of the 2021-22 schedule include:
• Opening night – Friday, Oct. 1 – games are scheduled in Collingwood, Aurora, Burlington, Milton, Lindsay, St. Michael’s (Toronto), Wellington and Trenton.
• The Haliburton County Huskies host Lindsay in the franchise’s first home game Oct. 2 at 4:30 p.m. in Minden. The two teams also play in Lindsay on opening night.
• Annual Governors’ Showcase to be held from Oct. 25-27, 2021 at the Cobourg Community Centre. The event attracts hundreds of NHL, NCAA, U SPORTS and OHL scouts.
• The OJHL All-Star Celebration weekend will be played Jan. 14 and 15 in Collingwood, Ont.
• 2021 World Junior ‘A’ Challenge will be held from Dec. 12-18, 2021 in Cornwall, Ont.
• 2022 Dudley-Hewitt Cup, Central Canadian Junior ‘A’ Championship hosted by the Superior International Junior Hockey League from May 10-14.
• 2022 Centennial Cup, National Junior ‘A’ Championship will be played in Estevan, Sask. from May 20-29.