2023–24 OHL season
LeagueOntario Hockey League
SportHockey
DurationPreseason
August 2023 - September 2023
Regular season
September 2023 – March 2024
Playoffs
March 2024 – May 2024
Number of teams20
TV partner(s)Rogers TV
YourTV
TSN
CBC
Finals championsTBD
2023–24 CHL season
LeagueCanadian Hockey League
SportHockey
DurationOHL
September 2023 – May 2024
QMJHL
September 2023 – May 2024
WHL
September 2023 – May 2024
Number of teams60
TV partner(s)RDS
TSN
CBC
Rogers TV

The 2023–24 OHL season is the 44th season of operation (43rd season of play) of the Ontario Hockey League. The league will play a 68-game regular season which began in September 2023 and conclude in March 2024. The post-season will begin in March 2024 and conclude in May 2024.

The Saginaw Spirit will host the 2024 Memorial Cup, which will be held at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan. The team who wins the J. Ross Robertson Cup will represent the Ontario Hockey League at the Memorial Cup. Should the Spirit win the OHL championship, then the runner-up will represent the league at the tournament.

Off-season

Relocation

On February 7, 2023, the Hamilton Bulldogs announced that the club would be moving to Brantford, Ontario, for three seasons due to renovations and the long-term closure of First Ontario Centre beginning this season. The team also announced that the team would be known as the Brantford Bulldogs and play at the Brantford Civic Centre.[1]

Pre-season

On July 7, 2023, the OHL announced the preseason schedule for the 2023–24 season. In total, there were 48 preseason games which began on September 1 and concluded on September 23.

Neutral site games will be played in Ayr, Beamsville, Cornwall, Hanover, Millbrook, Norwood, Ohsweken, Port Hope and St. Thomas.

OHL training camps began in late August in preparation of the 2023-24 season, which began on September 28, 2023.[2]

Regular season

Standings

Note: DIV = Division; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SL = Shootout losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against;
PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched conference title

Standings as of January 14, 2024[3]

Eastern conference

Rank Team DIV GP W L OTL SOL Pts ROW GF GA
1Sudbury WolvesCentral392113324721182149
2Brantford BulldogsEast391912624619147153
3North Bay BattalionCentral402014514620159154
4Mississauga SteelheadsCentral392116204420136123
5Oshawa GeneralsEast392015314420148121
6Ottawa 67'sEast392016304319131135
7Kingston FrontenacsEast402019104119146167
8Peterborough PetesEast391519413515112147
9Barrie ColtsCentral371521103111119146
10Niagara IceDogsCentral391122512810124164

Western conference

Rank Team DIV GP W L OTL SOL Pts ROW GF GA
1Kitchener RangersMidwest422911206029196131
2Sault Ste. Marie GreyhoundsWest412612215524169134
3London KnightsMidwest412911015929194123
4Saginaw SpiritWest392612015326163128
5Guelph StormMidwest412315214921128121
6Erie OttersMidwest381816404016135154
7Owen Sound AttackMidwest401819213918146154
8Flint FirebirdsWest411721213717144175
9Sarnia StingWest411623203414124164
10Windsor SpitfiresWest391322313012145203

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes[4]

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Anthony Romani North Bay Battalion 4035326712
Hunter Brzustewicz Kitchener Rangers 428596716
Denver Barkey London Knights 3924406416
Carson Rehkopf Kitchener Rangers 3437266328
Matthew Sop Kitchener Rangers 4226356137
David Goyette Sudbury Wolves 3924366016
Zayne Parekh Saginaw Spirit 3920395934
Liam Greentree Windsor Spitfires 3623325516
Deni Goure Owen Sound Attack 4022335518
Luke Misa Mississauga Steelheads 401738554

Leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses: OTL = Overtime losses;
SL = Shootout losses; GA = Goals Allowed; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
[5]

Player Team GP MINS W L OTL SOL GA SO Sv% GAA
Michael Simpson London Knights 311789227007720.9082.58
Brayden Gillespie Guelph Storm 3319131812119010.9062.82
Jacob Oster Oshawa Generals 3420041713319810.9062.93
Jackson Parsons Kitchener Rangers 291628179108040.9002.95
Ryerson Leenders Mississauga Steelheads 3017591515009130.9143.10

Awards

Playoffs trophies
Trophy nameRecognitionRecipient
J. Ross Robertson CupOHL Finals champion
Bobby Orr TrophyEastern Conference playoff champion
Wayne Gretzky TrophyWestern Conference playoff champion
Wayne Gretzky 99 AwardPlayoffs MVP
Regular season — Team trophies
Trophy nameRecognitionRecipient
Hamilton Spectator TrophyTeam with best record
Leyden TrophyEast division champion
Emms TrophyCentral division champion
Bumbacco TrophyWest division champion
Holody TrophyMidwest division champion
Regular season — Executive awards
Trophy nameRecognitionRecipient
Matt Leyden TrophyCoach of the year
Jim Gregory AwardGeneral manager of the year
OHL Executive of the YearExecutive of the Year
Regular season — Player awards
Trophy nameRecognitionRecipient
Red Tilson TrophyMost outstanding player
Eddie Powers Memorial TrophyTop scorer
Dave Pinkney TrophyLowest team goals against
Max Kaminsky TrophyMost outstanding defenceman
Jim Mahon Memorial TrophyTop scoring right winger
Emms Family AwardRookie of the year
William Hanley TrophyMost sportsmanlike player
F. W. "Dinty" Moore TrophyBest rookie GAA
Bobby Smith TrophyScholastic player of the year
Leo Lalonde Memorial TrophyOverage player of the year
Jim Rutherford TrophyGoaltender of the year
Dan Snyder Memorial TrophyHumanitarian of the year
Roger Neilson Memorial AwardTop academic college/university player
Ivan Tennant Memorial AwardTop academic high school player
Mickey Renaud Captain's TrophyTeam captain that best exemplifies character and commitment
Prospect player awards
Trophy nameRecognitionRecipient
Jack Ferguson AwardFirst overall pick in priority selection
Tim Adams Memorial TrophyOHL Cup MVP

2024 IIHF World Junior Championship

The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship was held at Scandinavium and Frölundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden. The tournament ran from December 26, 2023 and ended on January 5, 2024.

Twenty-seven current and former OHL players were on seven rosters in this tournament, including eight on Canada; six on Czechia; five on Slovakia; three on Finland and on the United States; and one on Latvia and Switzerland.[6]

Canada

The Canadian team had eight current and former OHL players on their roster. The players on the Canadian team who currently played in the OHL are: Oliver Bonk, London Knights; Jorian Donovan, Brantford Bulldogs; Ty Nelson, North Bay Battalion; Owen Allard, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds; Owen Beck, Peterborough Petes; Easton Cowan, London Knights and Carson Rehkopf, Kitchener Rangers. Former Guelph Storm player Matthew Poitras of the Boston Bruins was also named to the team. Beck and Poitras were named alternate captains on the team. Sarnia Sting head coach Alan Letang was named the head coach of the Canadian team.

Both Poitras and Rehkopf finished tied for third in team scoring, scoring two goals and adding two assists for four points. Allard scored two goals and added an assist for three points. Both Nelson and Bonk earned three assists, while Cowan scored a goal and earned an assist for two points. Beck scored a goal, while Donovan was held pointless.

Canada finished second in Group A during the preliminary round with a record of 3-0-0-1, earning nine points. In the quarter-finals, Canada was defeated by Czechia 3-2, finishing the tournament in fifth place.

Czechia

Team Czechia had six OHL players on their roster. The players named to the team were: Tomáš Hamara, Brantford Bulldogs; Jakub Vondras, Sudbury Wolves; Eduard Šalé, Barrie Colts; Matyas Sapovaliv, Saginaw Spirit and Adam Zidlicky, Mississauga Steelheads. Simon Slavicek of the Flint Firebirds was named to the extended roster as an injury replacement. Hamara and Sapovaliv were named alternate captains of the team.

Šalé scored three goals and four assists for seven points, finishing fourth in team scoring. Hamara scored two goals and added five assists for seven points, leading the Czechia defense in scoring. Sapovaliv scored three goals and earned an assist for four points and Zidlicky had no points in the tournament. Vondras appeared in one game, as he had a record of 1-0-0 with a 3.51 GAA and a 0.850 save percentage. Slavicek did not appear in any games.

Czechia finished in third place in Group B during the preliminary round with a record of 2-0-1-1, earning seven points. In the quarter-finals, Czechia defeated Canada 3-2 to advance to the semi-finals. In their semi-final game, Czechia lost 5-2 to Sweden, sending them to the Bronze Medal game. In their final game of the tournament, Czechia defeated Finland 8-5 to finish the tournament in third place and win the Bronze Medal.

Finland

Team Finland had three OHL players on their roster. Arttu Kärki, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds; Kasper Halttunen, London Knights; and Rasmus Kumpulainen, Oshawa Generals were named to the team.

Halttunen scored three goals and three assists for six points to finish third in team scoring. Kärki had three assists and Kumpulainen scored twice during the tournament.

Finland finished in third place in Group A during the preliminary round with a 1-1-0-2 record, earning five points. In the quarter-finals, Finland defeated Slovkia 4-3 in overtime to advance to the next round. In the semi-finals, Finland lost to the United States 3-2, putting them into the Bronze Medal game. Finland ended the tournament in fourth place, as they lost to Czechia 8-5 in their final game.

Latvia

Latvia had one OHL player on their roster. Sandis Vilmanis of the Sarnia Sting was named to the team and was named an alternate captain for the team.

Vilmanis scored two goals and two assists for four points, finishing second in team scoring.

Latvia finished the preliminary round of the tournament in fourth place in Group A with a record of 1-0-0-3, earning three points. Latvia lost to the United States 7-2 in the quarter-finals, as they finished the tournament in eighth place.

Slovakia

Team Slovakia had five OHL players on their roster. Dalibor Dvorský, Sudbury Wolves; Filip Mešár, Kitchener Rangers; Martin Misiak, Erie Otters; and Servac Petrovsky of the Owen Sound Attack were named to the team. Roman Kukumberg of the Sarnia Sting was named to the extended roster as an injury replacement player. Mešár was named as an alternate captain.

Petrovsky scored five goals and four assists for nine points, while Mešár had two goals and seven assists, earning nine points, tying them for the team lead in points. Dvorský scored three goals and three assists for six points, while Misiak earned three assists. Kukumberg appeared in three games, however, he did not earn a point.

Slovakia finished the preliminary round of the tournament with a 3-0-0-1 record, finishing in second place in Group B with nine points. In the quarter-finals, Slovakia lost to Finland 4-3 in overtime. Slovakia finished the tournament in sixth place.

Switzerland

Team Switzerland named one OHL player to their team, which Rodwin Dionicio of the Saginaw Spirit.

Dionicio scored two goals and added two assists for four points, leading the defense in scoring and finishing third overall in team scoring.

Switzerland had a record of 1-0-0-3 in four games during the preliminary round, earning three points and fourth place in Group B. In the quarter-finals, Switzerland lost to Sweden 3-2 in overtime. Switzerland finished the tournament in seventh place.

United States

The United States had three players from the OHL on their roster. Sam Hillebrandt, Barrie Colts and Gavin Hayes, Flint Firebirds were named to the team. Carey Terrance, Erie Otters was named to the extended roster as an injury replacement player.

Hayes earned two assists in the tournament. Hillebrandt and Terrance did not appear in any games.

The United States finished in first place in Group B with a 3-1-0-0 record, earning eleven points, during the preliminary round. In the quarter-finals, the United States defeated Latvia 7-2 to advance to the semi-finals. In the semi-final game, the United States defeated Finland 3-2 to advance to the Gold Medal game. The United States captured the Gold Medal with a 6-2 victory over Sweden.

References

  1. "CHL OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs temporarily moving to Brantford". tsn.ca. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  2. "OHL Announces 2023 Preseason Schedule". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  3. "OHL Standings". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  4. "Canadian Hockey League – Official Site of the Canadian Hockey League".
  5. "Canadian Hockey League – Official Site of the Canadian Hockey League".
  6. Sweetland, Josh. "24 OHL players named to rosters for 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship". CHL.ca. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
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