FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Skills event, three games, community events scheduled for Jan. 12 and 13
November 27, 2023, Mississauga, ON – The Ontario Junior Hockey League today announced the schedule of events for the third annual 2023-24 OJHL All-Star Celebration presented by Dairy Farmers of Ontario.
The weekend festivities are scheduled for January 12 and 13, 2024 in beautiful Collingwood, Ont. It’s a celebration of hockey including games, a skills competition and community activities with a theme of “past, present and future”.
The event’s centrepiece is the OJHL All-star Game. The game will feature the best players from across the 24-team OJHL, as selected by the league’s competition committee, facing off in historic Eddie Bush Memorial Arena.
“We are so excited to bring back the OJHL All Star Celebration to Collingwood in January,” said Marty Savoy, Commissioner of the OJHL. “Great community support, amazing organization hosting the top talent from across the OJHL. Should be a fantastic weekend for all”.
The event kicks off on the evening of Friday, Jan. 12, with the second annual 2024 OJHL Skills Competition.
Saturday’s schedule will kick off with the OJHL Alumni Game at 10:30 am, followed by the Hudl-Instat OJHL Prospects Game at 1:00 pm, which will feature the league’s top players born in 2006 and 2007.
The main attraction, the OJHL All-Star Game, will start after the Prospects Game at 5 p.m. and feature the top players from around the league participating in a very competitive game.
Last year, Lucas Buzziol of the Milton Menace fired home a wrist shot at 2:30 of three-on-three overtime to lift Team Hyman (North-West) to a 9-8 win over Team Giordano (South-East) in the All-Star Game in front of a crowd of 1,206 in Collingwood.
In 2019, Jack Ricketts of the host Oakville Blades scored two goals and assisted on a third to lead Team Giordano to a 6-4 win over Team Burns.
Buzziol is committed to NCAA Division I Union College. Ricketts is team captain at DI Holy Cross this year.
The event comes to life in Collingwood with prizes, giveaways and community involvement and is supported by the Town of Collingwood, the Collingwood Blues organization and the many volunteers in the community.
“It is a privilege and an honor to have the opportunity to host the OJHL All Star Celebration for a second consecutive year in Collingwood,” said Dave Steele, Governor of the Collingwood Blues. “We are looking forward to welcoming the new and returning OJHL participants to this memorable event.”
The inaugural All-Star Celebration was a one-day affair held in Oakville in November 2019. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 event expanded to two days and was presented in Collingwood by Dairy Farmers of Ontario.
More information on the event, including rosters, coaches, community events and ticket availability, will be released in the coming weeks.
* All-Star logo attached
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. 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 35 commitments to NCAA Division I scholarships already this season.
About the Dairy Farmers of Ontario – “Milk Up”
Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) is the marketing board for the largest sector of Ontario agriculture. Their mission is to provide leadership and excellence in the production and marketing of Canadian milk for a dynamic, profitable growing dairy industry. Ontario’s more than 3,400 dairy farmers, their families and employees are proud to produce high-quality milk for Canadians. For more information, visit www.milk.org.
For more information on the Ontario Junior Hockey League, please visit www.ojhl.ca