2023–24 OHL season
| 2023–24 OHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Ontario Hockey League |
| Sport | Hockey |
| Duration | Preseason August 2023 – September 2023 Regular season September 28, 2023 – March 24, 2024 Playoffs March 2024 – May 2024 |
| Number of teams | 20 |
| TV partner(s) | Rogers TV YourTV TSN CBC |
| Finals champions | TBD |
| 2023–24 CHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Canadian Hockey League |
| Sport | Hockey |
| Duration | OHL September 2023 – May 2024 QMJHL September 2023 – May 2024 WHL September 2023 – May 2024 |
| Number of teams | 60 |
| 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
Relocation
On January 31, 2024, the Mississauga Steelheads announced plans for the club to relocate to Brampton, Ontario for the 2024-25 OHL season. The team plans to play at the CAA Centre and will be known as the Brampton Steelheads. Previously, Brampton hosted the Brampton Battalion in the OHL from 1998-2013 until the franchise relocated to North Bay, Ontario.[3]
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 March 5, 2024[4]
Eastern conference
| Rank | Team | DIV | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x-Brantford Bulldogs | East | 59 | 33 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 76 | 32 | 231 | 211 |
| 2 | x-Sudbury Wolves | Central | 59 | 34 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 74 | 33 | 277 | 231 |
| 3 | x-Oshawa Generals | East | 61 | 33 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 75 | 32 | 238 | 189 |
| 4 | x-North Bay Battalion | Central | 59 | 32 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 72 | 31 | 256 | 214 |
| 5 | x-Ottawa 67's | East | 59 | 31 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 69 | 30 | 214 | 202 |
| 6 | x-Mississauga Steelheads | Central | 59 | 31 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 69 | 30 | 211 | 191 |
| 7 | Kingston Frontenacs | East | 60 | 28 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 59 | 27 | 220 | 246 |
| 8 | Barrie Colts | Central | 57 | 25 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 53 | 21 | 205 | 229 |
| 9 | Peterborough Petes | East | 59 | 18 | 33 | 7 | 1 | 44 | 17 | 156 | 243 |
| 10 | Niagara IceDogs | Central | 59 | 16 | 36 | 6 | 1 | 39 | 16 | 170 | 275 |
Western conference
| Rank | Team | DIV | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x-London Knights | Midwest | 60 | 43 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 90 | 41 | 283 | 179 |
| 2 | x-Saginaw Spirit | West | 60 | 44 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 89 | 44 | 258 | 192 |
| 3 | x-Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | West | 59 | 39 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 82 | 36 | 255 | 186 |
| 4 | x-Kitchener Rangers | Midwest | 60 | 38 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 78 | 38 | 256 | 197 |
| 5 | Erie Otters | Midwest | 60 | 28 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 61 | 25 | 217 | 238 |
| 6 | Guelph Storm | Midwest | 58 | 27 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 60 | 24 | 173 | 188 |
| 7 | Owen Sound Attack | Midwest | 60 | 26 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 60 | 26 | 215 | 230 |
| 8 | Flint Firebirds | West | 59 | 26 | 29 | 3 | 1 | 56 | 25 | 204 | 237 |
| 9 | Sarnia Sting | West | 60 | 23 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 50 | 19 | 185 | 257 |
| 10 | Windsor Spitfires | West | 59 | 18 | 34 | 4 | 3 | 43 | 17 | 213 | 302 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes[5]
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Goyette | Sudbury Wolves | 59 | 36 | 62 | 98 | 29 |
| Anthony Romani | North Bay Battalion | 59 | 47 | 48 | 95 | 16 |
| Carson Rehkopf | Kitchener Rangers | 52 | 50 | 37 | 87 | 41 |
| Dalyn Wakely | North Bay Battalion | 58 | 34 | 53 | 87 | 63 |
| Denver Barkey | London Knights | 56 | 31 | 56 | 87 | 24 |
| Deni Goure | Owen Sound Attack | 60 | 32 | 53 | 85 | 22 |
| Zayne Parekh | Saginaw Spirit | 58 | 30 | 55 | 85 | 46 |
| Hunter Brzustewicz | Kitchener Rangers | 59 | 12 | 72 | 84 | 18 |
| Easton Cowan | London Knights | 47 | 30 | 53 | 83 | 62 |
| Matthew Sop | Kitchener Rangers | 59 | 37 | 44 | 81 | 49 |
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[6]
| Player | Team | GP | MINS | W | L | OTL | SOL | GA | SO | Sv% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Simpson | London Knights | 43 | 2479 | 30 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 109 | 3 | 0.905 | 2.64 |
| Jacob Oster | Oshawa Generals | 53 | 3148 | 28 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 153 | 3 | 0.903 | 2.92 |
| Jackson Parsons | Kitchener Rangers | 45 | 2548 | 25 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 127 | 4 | 0.896 | 2.99 |
| Andrew Oke | Saginaw Spirit | 36 | 1975 | 25 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 1 | 0.888 | 3.01 |
| Charlie Schenkel | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 41 | 2319 | 25 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 119 | 4 | 0.884 | 3.08 |
Awards
| Playoffs trophies | ||
|---|---|---|
| Trophy name | Recognition | Recipient |
| J. Ross Robertson Cup | OHL Finals champion | – |
| Bobby Orr Trophy | Eastern Conference playoff champion | – |
| Wayne Gretzky Trophy | Western Conference playoff champion | – |
| Wayne Gretzky 99 Award | Playoffs MVP | – |
| Regular season — Team trophies | ||
| Trophy name | Recognition | Recipient |
| Hamilton Spectator Trophy | Team with best record | – |
| Leyden Trophy | East division champion | – |
| Emms Trophy | Central division champion | – |
| Bumbacco Trophy | West division champion | – |
| Holody Trophy | Midwest division champion | – |
| Regular season — Executive awards | ||
| Trophy name | Recognition | Recipient |
| Matt Leyden Trophy | Coach of the year | – |
| Jim Gregory Award | General manager of the year | – |
| OHL Executive of the Year | Executive of the Year | – |
| Regular season — Player awards | ||
| Trophy name | Recognition | Recipient |
| Red Tilson Trophy | Most outstanding player | – |
| Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy | Top scorer | – |
| Dave Pinkney Trophy | Lowest team goals against | – |
| Max Kaminsky Trophy | Most outstanding defenceman | – |
| Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy | Top scoring right winger | – |
| Emms Family Award | Rookie of the year | – |
| William Hanley Trophy | Most sportsmanlike player | – |
| F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy | Best rookie GAA | – |
| Bobby Smith Trophy | Scholastic player of the year | – |
| Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy | Overage player of the year | – |
| Jim Rutherford Trophy | Goaltender of the year | – |
| Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy | Humanitarian of the year | – |
| Roger Neilson Memorial Award | Top academic college/university player | – |
| Ivan Tennant Memorial Award | Top academic high school player | – |
| Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy | Team captain that best exemplifies character and commitment | – |
| Prospect player awards | ||
| Trophy name | Recognition | Recipient |
| Jack Ferguson Award | First overall pick in priority selection | – |
| Tim Adams Memorial Trophy | OHL Cup MVP | – |
References
- ^ "CHL OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs temporarily moving to Brantford". tsn.ca. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ "OHL Announces 2023 Preseason Schedule". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Steelheads announce plans to relocate to Brampton for 2024-25 season". CHL.ca. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ "OHL Standings". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ "Canadian Hockey League – Official Site of the Canadian Hockey League".
- ^ "Canadian Hockey League – Official Site of the Canadian Hockey League".