OHL — Ontario Hockey League

Organized junior hockey in Ontario dates to 1890, when the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) was formed at a meeting in Toronto's Queen's Hotel. The OHA began formal junior-hockey competition in 1892, with Kingston defeating Galt for the first junior championship. In 1896, the OHA reorganized into senior, intermediate, and junior divisions, with junior hockey limited to players under 20. The OHA has governed junior hockey in Ontario continuously since, with the Memorial Cup — Canada's national junior hockey championship — first awarded in 1919.

The junior-A level was divided into two tiers in 1970-71. The Tier I "Major Junior A" league became the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) in 1974, with administrative offices independent of the OHA. The OMJHL introduced the OHL's first formal playoff structure and brought in the Central Scouting Bureau (1975) to standardize player evaluation. In 1980, the OMJHL formally separated from the OHA to become the Ontario Hockey League, paying the OHA an annual affiliation fee and gaining complete financial and operational control.

The OHL has been the dominant development pipeline for NHL talent in Canada. Wayne Gretzky played for the Peterborough Petes in 1977-78 before the OHL formally existed. Connor McDavid (Erie Otters, 2013-15), Steven Stamkos (Sarnia Sting, 2006-08), John Tavares (Oshawa Generals, 2005-09), Patrick Kane (London Knights, 2006-07), Tyler Seguin (Plymouth Whalers, 2008-10), and Mitch Marner (London Knights, 2014-16) are among the OHL alumni who have won the NHL's top individual awards.

The OHL expanded in 1998 to 20 teams, adding the Brampton Battalion and Mississauga IceDogs. The league has since churned through franchise relocations: the Cornwall Royals became the Newmarket Royals (1992) and then the Sarnia Sting (1994); the North Bay Centennials became the Saginaw Spirit (2002); the Plymouth Whalers became the Flint Firebirds (2015); the Belleville Bulls became the Hamilton Bulldogs (2015) and then the Brantford Bulldogs (2023); the Mississauga Steelheads became the Brampton Steelheads (2024). 2026-27 sees the league in its 47th season of operation.

David Branch served as OHL Commissioner from 1980 to 2024, a 44-year tenure that oversaw the league's transformation from OHA junior-A governance to one of the most successful major-junior leagues in the world. Bryan Crawford took over as Commissioner for 2024-25. The OHL champion advances to the Memorial Cup tournament alongside the WHL and QMJHL champions and the host-city representative. The Memorial Cup is awarded annually to the Canadian junior hockey champion. Kitchener Rangers won the 2026 OHL championship and advanced to the 2026 Memorial Cup.

The OHL regular season runs from the third week of September to the third week of March, with each of the 20 teams playing 68 games. 90 games per team are scheduled between Thursday and Sunday, optimizing the OHL's game-day revenue model. The 20 teams are organized into two conferences of two divisions each, with intra-division and inter-division games scheduled to balance travel.

The top 8 teams in each conference qualify for the OHL playoffs (top 4 in each division, plus the next 4 best across the conference). The first two rounds are intra-division; the conference quarterfinals and conference finals are best-of-seven, with the OHL Championship final also best-of-seven. The OHL champion advances to the Memorial Cup tournament.

The Memorial Cup tournament is a four-team round-robin held in late May, with the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL champions joined by the host-city representative. The round-robin gives way to a semifinal and a final (both single-elimination). The Memorial Cup has been awarded to the Canadian junior hockey champion since 1919 — making it the second-oldest professional sports trophy in North America after the Stanley Cup.

OHL rosters are capped at 25 players for the standard playing roster, with a maximum of 4 import (non-Canadian) players per team. The league's age limit is 16-20 (players who are at least 16 by September 15 of their draft year and at most 20 by December 31 of the same year). The OHL Priority Selection draft is held in the spring, with players as young as 16 selected for the following season. Top OHL players graduate to NHL, AHL, NCAA, or European professional hockey. The OHL's NHL alumni include 16 Hart Trophy winners, 8 Conn Smythe Trophy winners, and 4 first-overall NHL draft picks since 2000.