Returned And Ready

The OHL Cup Will Crown A Champion For The First Time Since 2019

For the first time in three years, the OHL Cup returns to the youth hockey scene in a big way. Twenty-three teams from across Ontario — and two teams from the U.S. — will compete over the coming days at the Scotiabank Pond, where some of the best 2006s in the sport will tangle in Toronto.

Twelve spots in the field have already been awarded by way of automatic bid. The top four teams from the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), the top four teams from the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) and the top four teams from the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario.

GTHL
Don Mills Flyers
Markham Majors
Toronto Jr. Canadiens
Toronto Marlboros

OMHA
Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs
Niagara North Stars
Quinte Red Devils
York Simcoe Express

Alliance
Brantford 99ers
Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs
Huron-Perth Lakers
London Jr. Knights

In addition to the 12 automatic bids, the OHL Cup Website states that three other automatic bids are awarded to a U.S. team, a Hockey Northern Ontario (HNO) team and a Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) team. At the time of publishing, we have not yet been able to confirm who those three automatic bids were awarded to.

On top of the 15 automatic spots in the field, five more will be up for grabs on Tuesday. Ten Ontario teams will compete in five wild-card games, vying for the final few spots in the 20-team field. Those matchups include:

Ajax-Pickering Raiders vs. Mississauga Senators
North York Rangers vs. Clarington Toros
Windsor Jr. Spitfires vs. Waterloo Wolves
Vaughan Kings vs. Halton Hurricanes
Toronto Red Wings vs. Markham Waxers

The five winners of the wild-card games will be included in the field of 20 teams. Final divisional alignment and the complete 40-game round-robin tournament schedule will be confirmed ahead of tournament action on Wednesday.

WHH will have extensive coverage of the OHL Cup, top teams, standout performers and much more throughout the duration of the tournament. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for the latest news out of Ontario.