Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League Explained

Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League
Pixels:160
Country:Canada
Region:Eastern Ontario
Leader Title:Commissioner
Leader Name:Marc Franche
Teams:13
Champ:Barkley Cup
Champions:Perth Blue Wings (4th) (2023)
Headquarters:Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Website:EOJHL

The Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior ice hockey league operating in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Canada and acts as a second tier to the Central Canada Hockey League. The 13 member teams of the league compete for the Barkley Cup. Dating back to the 1960s, the league was known until 2015 as the Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League. The League was known from 2015 to 2020 as the Central Canada Hockey League Tier 2.

History

The EOJHL was founded in 1966 as the Rideau-St. Lawrence Junior "B" Hockey League. Through a merger with the Upper Ottawa Valley Junior "B" Hockey League and the folding of the Lanark-Renfrew Junior "C" Hockey League, the league had grown to 22 different teams.

For the 2007-08 season, the Kemptville 73's moved from the EOJBHL to the Central Junior A Hockey League. A season later, the EOJBHL sold their franchise rights to the then-owners of the Casselman Stars of the Eastern Ontario Junior C Hockey League and then town of Casselman, Ontario. The new team, the Casselman Vikings, began play in the 2008-09 season.

In May 2009, the league dropped the Junior "B" designation from its name, becoming the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League (EOJHL).

For the 2009-10 season, the Carleton Place Kings moved from the EOJHL to the Central Canada Hockey League. The Kings were replaced the same year by the new Almonte Thunder.

In April 2014, the EOJHL Champion Casselman Vikings traveled to Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia to compete in the Eastern Canadian Junior B Championship. Cassleman became the first team west of Atlantic Canada to compete in the Don Johnson Memorial Cup tournament since its inception in 1982. Casselman went 6-0-0 and won the championship.

At the beginning of the 2015-16 season, the league changed its name to the CCHL2 and cut down to 16 teams from 22 teams which saw the removal of the Shawville Pontiacs, Akwesasne Wolves, Gananoque Islanders, Almonte Thunder, Morrisburg Lions, and Gatineau Mustangs.

The CCHL2 consists of two divisions, the Martin Division and Richardson Division. The league offers a 52-game balanced schedule where everyone plays everyone at least once. The two Divisional Playoff champions battle for the Barkley Cup every April.

In March 2017, the Pembroke Lumber Kings (CCHL) announced the purchase of the Prescott Flyers as their CCHL2 affiliate and relocating the team to Cobden and calling them the Whitewater Kings. Also in March, the Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL) announced the purchase of the Clarence Beavers and relocated them to Carleton Place, naming them the Carleton Place Junior Canadians. The Rockland Nationals of the National Capital Junior Hockey League will relocate to Clarence to fill in for the departed Beavers. The Metcalfe Jets will move to the National Capital Junior Hockey League and in return the Embrun Panthers will move up to the CCHL2.

During the 2023 off-season the Whitewater Kings and Brockville Tikis requested a leave of absence. Neither team appears to intend to return. the 2024 off-season had the Alexandria Glens and Char-Lan Rebels merge and re-brand as the Glengarry Brigade.

Teams

Martin Division
Team Centre Founded CCHL Affiliate
Casselman Vikings 2008
Embrun Panthers 1972
Glengarry Brigade 2024
Ottawa Canadians 1973
Ottawa West Golden Knights 1983 Nepean Raiders
Winchester Hawks 1971
Richardson Division
Team Centre Founded CCHL Affiliate
Arnprior Packers 1965
Athens Aeros 1968
Carleton Place Jr. Canadians 1980
Perth Blue Wings 1936
Richmond Royals 1968
Smith Falls Jr. Bears 1967
Valley Timberwolves 1987

Playoff champions

There is no National Championship for Junior B hockey in Canada, similar championships are held in Ontario (Sutherland Cup), Western Canada (Keystone Cup), Quebec (Coupe Dodge), and Atlantic Canada (Don Johnson Memorial Cup).

Up until the end of the 2015 playoffs, each team listed is a division champion, both the league champion and finalists are either "Metro/Valley" or "Rideau/St. Lawrence" Conference champions. Bolded are league champions, Italicized are finalists.

The EOJHL became the CCHL2 for the 2015-16 season reducing to just two divisions.

YearChampion
1967Cardinal Broncos
1968Ottawa 67 Bees
1969Renfrew Lions
1970Ottawa 67 Bees
1971Ottawa 67 Bees
1972Metcalfe Jets
1973Gatineau Volants
1974Ottawa 67 Bees
1975Vanier 72s
1976Morrisburg Lions
1977Renfrew Lions
1978Morrisburg Lions
1979South Ottawa Canadians
1980Saint-Isidore Eagles
1981South Ottawa Canadians
1982South Ottawa Canadians
1983Metcalfe Jets
1984Metcalfe Jets
1985Ottawa West Golden Knights
1986Char-Lan Rebels
1987Metcalfe Jets
EOJHL D. Arnold Carson Trophy Champions
YearMetroRideauSt. LawrenceValley
1988 Prescott Falcons Alexandria Glens Renfrew Timberwolves
1989 South Ottawa Canadians Gananoque Platers Renfrew Timberwolves
1990 Alexandria Glens Renfrew Timberwolves
1991 Navan Grads Westport Rideaus Renfrew Timberwolves
1992 Morrisburg Lions Perth Blue Wings
1993 Athens Aeros Renfrew Timberwolves
1994 Clarence Beavers Athens Aeros Shawville Pontiacs
1995 Metcalfe Jets Gananoque Islanders Arnprior Packers
1996 Char-Lan Rebels Perth Blue Wings
1997 Metcalfe Jets Kemptville 73's Perth Blue Wings
1998 Metcalfe Jets Westport Rideaus Arnprior Packers
1999 Papineau Voisins Kemptville 73's Renfrew Timberwolves
2000 Papineau Voisins Kemptville 73's Renfrew Timberwolves
2001 Clarence Beavers Kemptville 73's Carleton Place Kings
2002 Ottawa West Golden Knights Char-Lan Rebels Goulbourn Royals
2003 Ottawa West Golden Knights Brockville Tikis Goulbourn Royals
2004 Metcalfe Jets Alexandria Glens South Ottawa Canadians
2005 Ottawa West Golden Knights Alexandria Glens Perth Blue Wings
2006 Ottawa West Golden Knights Westport Rideaus Shawville Pontiacs
2007 Gatineau Mustangs Alexandria Glens Stittsville Royals
2008 Ottawa West Golden Knights Alexandria Glens Carleton Place Kings
2009 Ottawa West Golden Knights Alexandria Glens Carleton Place Kings
2010 Ottawa Jr. Canadians Alexandria Glens Perth Blue Wings
2011 Clarence Beavers Winchester Hawks Renfrew Timberwolves
2012 Gatineau Mustangs Casselman Vikings Arnprior Packers
2013 Ottawa Jr. Canadians Athens Aeros Renfrew Timberwolves
2014 Ottawa West Golden Knights Casselman Vikings Almonte Thunder
2015 Casselman Vikings Stittsville Rams
CCHL2 Barkley Cup Champions
Year Richardson Martin
2016 Casselman Vikings
2017 Casselman Vikings
2018 Casselman Vikings
2019 Perth Blue Wings Ottawa Canadians
2020 Playoffs cancelled because of the COVID-19 epidemic – Barkley Cup not awarded
EOJHL Barkley Cup Champions
Year Richardson Martin
2021 Playoffs cancelled because of the COVID-19 epidemic – Barkley Cup not awarded
2022 Casselman Vikings
2023 Perth Blue Wings Casselman Vikings
2024 Casselman Vikings

Other notable awards

Gill Trophy Awarded to Rideau Division Playoff Champions

Alex English Trophy Awarded to St. Lawrence Division Playoff Champions

Ottawa Nepean Sportsplex Trophy Awarded to Metro Division Playoff Champions

Carl Foley Trophy Awarded to Valley Division Playoff Champions

John Shorey Cup Awarded to Rideau/St. Lawrence Conference Playoff Champions

Dwaine Barkley Trophy Awarded to Metro/Valley Conference Playoff Champions

Former member teams

Team Centre Joined Ceased Went to
1988 2015 Folded
1967 2024 Merged with Char-Lan to be Glengarry Brigade
2009 2015 Folded
1967 2023 Folded
1971 1982 Relocated
1969 2009 Joined CCHL
1980 2017 Relocated to Carleton Place
Char-Lan Rebels1979 2024
1986 2015 Joined EBJCHL
2015 Joined QJHL
Goulbourn Royals 1990 2003 Re-Branded Stittsville Royals
1969 2007 Joined CCHL
1969 2017 Joined NCJHL
1971 2015 Joined NCJHL
1974 1991 Joined CCHL
Prescott Falcons
2013 2017 Relocated to Cobden
1974 1987Joined EOJCHL
1986 2015 Folded
1982 2013 Re-Branded Prescott Flyers
Spencerville Bruins
2014 2016 Relocated to Richmond
2003 2014 Re-Branded Stittsville Rams
1967 2021 Relocated to Smiths Falls
2017 2024 Folded (formerly Prescott Flyers)

External links