Sport | Ice hockey |
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Founded | 2004 |
CEO | Fran Rider, OWHA |
No. of teams | 20 |
Country | Canada |
Most recent champion(s) | Durham West Jr. Lightning (2) |
Most titles | Toronto Jr. Aeros (7) |
Official website | OWHL official site |
The Ontario Women's Hockey League U22 Elite (OWHL), formerly the Provincial Women's Hockey League, is a women's junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2004, it is considered to be the highest level of amateur women's ice hockey in Ontario, and is sanctioned by Hockey Canada and the Ontario Women's Hockey Association.
OWHL alumni have gone on to play in the Professional Women's Hockey League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, U Sports, and the Canada women's national ice hockey team.
The league was founded in 2004 as the Provincial Women's Hockey League by the Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA). It is the women's equivalent to men's junior hockey, but is officially classified by the OWHA as "Intermediate AA," as the OWHA does not have an official "junior" classification system. Despite this, its teams market themselves as women's junior hockey. [1] [2]
In the early years of the league, when PWHL teams had to compete for OWHA provincials they would do so with representatives of the Ottawa District.[ citation needed ] The PWHL franchises proved much more competitive than their Ottawa counterparts and after two seasons Ottawa applied to and joined the PWHL. By the 2009 league playoffs, the Ottawa Senators beat the league powerhouse Toronto Jr. Aeros to win its first league championship.
In the 2019–20 season, the playoffs were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. [3]
At some point following the pandemic, the league was renamed to the Ontario Women's Hockey League (OWHL). [4]
This section needs to be updated.(April 2024) |
Year | Regular Season | League Championship | Provincial Championship |
---|---|---|---|
Provincial Women's Hockey League | |||
2005 | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Toronto Jr. Aeros |
2006 | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Toronto Jr. Aeros |
2007 | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres |
2008 | Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres | Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres | Ottawa NCCP Jr. Capitals |
2009 | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Ottawa Lady Senators | Mississauga Jr. Chiefs |
2010 | Mississauga Jr. Chiefs | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Toronto Jr. Aeros |
2011 | Mississauga Jr. Chiefs | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Mississauga Jr. Chiefs |
2012 | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Bluewater Jr. Hawks | Bluewater Jr. Hawks |
2013 | Whitby Jr. Wolves | Whitby Jr. Wolves | Durham West Jr. Lightning |
2014 | Nepean Jr. Wildcats | Whitby Jr. Wolves | Mississauga Jr. Chiefs |
2015 | Oakville Jr. Hornets | Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres | Oakville Jr. Hornets |
2016 | Durham West Jr. Lightning | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Toronto Jr. Aeros |
2017 | Oakville Jr. Hornets | Oakville Jr. Hornets | Oakville Jr. Hornets |
2018 | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Toronto Jr. Aeros | Toronto Jr. Aeros |
2019 | Kingston Ice Wolves | London Jr. Devilettes | London Jr. Devilettes |
2020 | Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins | No tournament held | |
2021 | Season not played | ||
Ontario Women's Hockey League U22 Elite | |||
2022 | Durham West Jr. Lightning | Durham West Jr. Lightning | Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins |
2023 | Durham West Jr. Lightning | London Jr. Devilettes | Durham West Jr. Lightning |
2024 | Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins | Durham West Jr. Lightning | Burlington Barracudas |
Team | Regular Season | League Championship | Provincial Championship |
---|---|---|---|
Bluewater Jr. Hawks | 1: 2012 | 1: 2012 | |
Burlington Barracudas | 1: 2024 | ||
Durham West Jr. Lightning | 3: 2016, 2022, 2023 | 2: 2022, 2024 | 2: 2013, 2023 |
Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins | 2: 2020, 2024 | 1: 2022 | |
Kingston Jr. Ice Wolves | 1: 2019 | ||
London Jr. Devilettes | 2: 2019, 2023 | 1: 2019 | |
Mississauga Jr. Chiefs/Hurricanes | 2: 2010, 2011 | 3: 2009, 2011, 2014 | |
Nepean Jr. Wildcats | 1: 2014 | ||
Oakville Jr. Hornets | 2: 2015, 2017 | 1: 2017 | 2: 2015, 2017 |
Ottawa Lady Senators | 1: 2009 | ||
Ottawa NCCP Jr. Capitals | 1: 2008 | ||
Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres | 1: 2008 | 2: 2008, 2015 | 1: 2007 |
Toronto Jr. Aeros | 6: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2018 | 7: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 | 5: 2005, 2006, 2010, 2016, 2018 |
Whitby Jr. Wolves | 1: 2013 | 2: 2013, 2014 |
Two teams have won the regular season, league championship, and provincial championship in the same season. The first to do it was the Toronto Jr. Aeros, accomplishing the feat back-to-back in the league's first two seasons.
The following PWHL alumni have represented Canada in international tournaments and in Professional leagues.
Season | Team | Record | Points |
2004-05 | Toronto Jr. Aeros | 23-5-2 | 48 |
2005-06 | Toronto Jr. Aeros [6] | 27-0-3 | 57 |
2006-07 | Toronto Jr. Aeros [7] | 22-6-4 | 48 |
2007-08 | Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres [7] | 27-2-3 | 57 |
2008-09 | Toronto Jr. Aeros [7] | 27-5-2 | 56 |
2009-10 | Mississauga Chiefs [8] | 29-2-3-0 | 61 |
2010-11 | Mississauga Chiefs [9] | 33-3-0-0 | 66 |
2011-12 | Toronto Jr. Aeros [7] | 31-1-1-1 | 64 |
2012-13 | Whitby Jr. Wolves | 29-6-2-1 | 61 |
2013-14 | Nepean Jr. Wildcats [10] | 32-3-2-1 | 67 |
2014-15 | Oakville Jr. Hornets | 31-3-4-0 | 66 |
2015-16 | Durham West Jr. Lightning | 27-2-5-4 | 63 |
2016-17 | Oakville Jr. Hornets | 31-3-4-0 | 66 |
2017-18 | Toronto Jr. Aeros | 31-3-4-0 | 66 |
2018-19 | Kingston Ice Wolves | 28-2-7-1 | 64 |
2019-20 | Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins | 27-4-6 | 61 |
2020-21 | |||
2021-22 | Durham West Jr. Lightning | 28-0-1-1 | 58 |
2022-23 | Durham West Jr. Lightning | ||
2023-24 | Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins |
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For ten years, the PWHL awarded a scholarship in memory of former PWHL player Christie Rose. She was an 18-year-old young woman who died on June 24, 2008, as a result of her injuries suffered in a car accident. [7] The scholarship is awarded on an annual basis to recognize a young woman who shares the same qualities and characteristics as Christie. The scholarship program was ended after it awarded its tenth recipient.
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