Welcome to the 2025-26 Season, 135th season of the OHA
By – David McPherson
Cambridge, ON – Summer slowly turns to fall. With this change in the seasons comes new beginnings. For the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), this means the start of its 135th season. From rural communities and small towns to major urban centres, the great game of hockey and the OHA brings communities together.
“What do people do on a Friday night in towns like Palmerston, where The Minto 81’s play?” says Mark Tuck, the OHA’s Executive Director. “They go to the hockey game!”
Several hockey showcases have already occurred with more coming. This past week, The Gale Centre and the Niagara Falls Canucks hosted the Ontario Junior Hockey League Governor Showcase presented by MilkUP. Each of the 24 OJHL teams were given the chance to show off their skills in front of more than 150 scouts from the NHL, CHL, NCAA and U Sports.
As we welcome back all the players, officials, volunteers, corporate partners and fans in the communities where our teams play all across this province, here is a sneak peek of some of the other exciting events and what’s to come throughout our leagues for the 2025-2026 season.
“One of the things we are most excited about this year is the growth of the Senior League,” says Mark Tuck. “We’ve gone from having three teams two years ago to 23 teams. We’ve expanded the OEHL by two teams and in the AA, over 18 teams, we added seven new teams this year.
“We call it the pathway,” he adds. “We have a pathway that starts when a kid comes into one of our leagues as a 16-year-old and that pathway can keep going right through to our senior leagues.”
Making it Official
Under the guidance and leadership of Kevin Pollock, an NHL on-ice official for more than 25 years, who joined the OHA prior to the 2024-25 season to strengthen the officiating development program, the OHA is making ongoing investments into its officials through training and recruitment. Across all leagues, this season welcomes 475 officials to the ice — 72 of which are new to the OHA.
“The OHA referee development camp this past May in Guelph was a huge success,” says Kevin Pollock, Director of Officiating. “From that camp of 72 participants, 34 were identified and brought on to this year’s staff. We also scouted many high-profile minor hockey tournaments throughout all of last season to identify officials that have the potential to work in the OHA.”
The OHA announced earlier this summer that a trio of its officials had been named to the Team Canada squad that will work at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano, Italy come February.
In August, eight OHA officials attended Hockey Canada’s national high-performance clinic in Calgary that gave them an opportunity to work national championships. “We also had 17 OHA officials attend the NHL Official’s Combine in August,” Pollock adds.
Three officials from that Combine were hired that are making the transition from playing to officiating.
“We focused a lot of our recruitment of officials on former OHA players,” says Mark Tuck. “Guys that are finishing their junior career that still want to stay in hockey. A lot of them are big kids — physically strong and really good skaters — and those are the guys you want as officials, especially as linesmen.”
Ontario Elite Hockey League Expands
Earlier this summer, the Ontario Elite Hockey League (OEHL) and the OHA made the exciting announcement that two new member clubs were approved for the 2025-26 season: the Petrolia Squires and Delhi Flames.
Petrolia has a long, storied history dating back more than 50 years, including Allan Cup championships in 1976 and 1981. This is the third league in four seasons for the two-time Allan Cup champion Squires, who joined the Western Ontario Super Hockey League in 2023 after leaving the now-defunct Western Ontario Athletic Association senior league.
Delhi is also an established franchise, entering its fourth season, and represents the first OEHL club based out of Norfolk County. “The addition of two more established clubs based in southwestern Ontario is tremendously exciting,” said Commissioner Rick Richardson in this press release. “We continue to see the appeal of the OEHL’s vision of strong, sustainable small-town hockey.”
Overall, the OEHL expanded by seven teams this offseason, with the previous announcements of the addition of the Dunnville Aeros and the Elmvale Harvesters and the Elora Rocks, Shelburne Muskies and Tilsonburg Thunder. There are now 18 teams, split into North and South divisions, that will compete in a 20-game regular season.
In the ACH, expansion was on the menu this offseason as well. St. Catharines and Cambridge are the newest ACH entries. These are two great markets with a lot of hockey history that will no doubt strengthen an already solid league.
OHL Welcomes GOJHL as Official Development League
The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) has always been a training – and breeding ground – for aspiring young hockey players looking to make it to the next level. Earlier this summer, in an exciting new formal partnership, the two leagues announced that beginning this season the GOJHL will become the first official development league of the OHL.
“It’s really just tapping into what has been a pipeline, for the OHL, for many years,” says Craig Spada, GOJHL Commissioner. “Formalizing this partnership is going to bring our players a lot more exposure.”
Case in point, the 2025 Memorial Cup Champion London Knights had more than a dozen OHA players on their roster that came through the OHA system, including: Easton Cowan (Komoka Kings, 2021-22) and Oliver Bonk (St. Thomas Stars, 2021-22).
Spada is also really excited about the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game that is being held in Peterborough on Wednesday January 14, 2026, where a new GOJHL showcase will be integrated into the festivities surrounding the event.
In another off-season development, the GOJHL focused on player safety, adding first responders with full paramedic equipment in every arena. Go here for the complete list of the 2025-26 opening day Rosters for all the GOJHL teams and here for the slate and schedule of 25 Spotlight Games.
Rule Changes Take Effect in PJHL
In a big announcement earlier this summer, effective June 1, players from Junior A and Junior B teams will be allowed to sign with PJHL teams without needing a release or permission from their current clubs. In addition, no compensation or transfer fees will be required between teams. This is good news for junior hockey. As explained when this was announced, this rule change reflects the growing understanding that these junior hockey players are not just athletes — they are also students, employees, and young adults making important life decisions.
“This change gives players more control over their future,” said the PJHL Commissioner, Terry Whiteside. “When hockey is no longer the only priority, the PJHL offers a competitive option that better fits their evolving goals.”
About the Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) was founded on November 27, 1890, and is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior hockey in the Province of Ontario. It is comprised of three Junior hockey leagues and two Senior hockey leagues: Junior A – Ontario Junior Hockey League; Junior B – Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League; Junior C – Provincial Junior Hockey League, Senior –Allan Cup Hockey (AAA) and Ontario Elite Hockey (AA). For the 2025-2026 season, these five leagues encompass 131 teams.
The objectives of the OHA are to foster and encourage the sport of amateur hockey, to conduct competition in the various categories established, to determine teams for entry into the inter-branch competitions that may be provided by Hockey Canada, and to provide for the affiliation of other hockey organizations.
The OHA provides administrative resources, coordinates programs, services and events for hockey participants and provides support to various Development Programs for coaches, officials, trainers and players, Safety and Risk Management Issues and offers resources for Harassment and Abuse education.
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For more information or to set up an interview, please contact:
Chris McCleary
General Manager, Operations & Marketing
Ontario Hockey Association
