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The Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League (SOJHL) is a former Canadian Junior ice hockey league sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association based out of Southwestern Ontario. Prior to the 2012-13 season, the SOJHL was promoted to the Junior C level. [1]
In the summer of 2016, the SOJHL was merged into the Provincial Junior Hockey League.
Founded in the 1960s as the Shamrock Junior D Hockey League. In 1969, the League would change its name to the Western Junior D Hockey League and its champion would go on to win eleven of the next nineteen provincial championships. In the Summer of 1985, the North Junior D Hockey League would fold, leaving the Western League and the Southern Counties Junior D Hockey League. In 1988, the SCJDHL would fold and its remaining teams joined the Western League. Bloated to nineteen teams, the league would continue on as the only Junior D league in Ontario. In 1991, the league became the OHA Junior Development League. In 2006, in an attempt to gain promotion to Junior C, the league dropped any reference of Junior D or Development and renamed itself the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
During the summer of 2006, the Yeck Conference applied to break off from the league and start their own Junior C league, but were turned down by the OHA. A talented and entertaining league, the SOJHL has a long-standing tradition of the OHA in the Southwestern Ontario region.
The SOJHL downsized extensively for the 2008-09 season, losing Mitchell, West Lorne, and Central Elgin. The league also reformatted into three divisions.
The SOJHL saw the Central Elgin franchise return, this time as the Port Stanley Sailors, for the 2009-2010 season. [2]
As of 2012, the SOJHL is in talks with the OHA as to the future of the league. The 2012-13 season will be played at the Junior C level and the league will be folded and divided up into other leagues in the summer of 2013.
In the Spring of 2013, Junior C hockey in Ontario had its first major realignment since the creation of the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League in 1994. The 27 teams between the Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League and the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League were reshuffled. The SOJHL went from 15 to 9 teams, gaining the Aylmer Spitfires, but losing their reigning champion Ayr Centennials, the Burford Bulldogs, Delhi Travellers, Hagersville Hawks, Norfolk Rebels, Tavistock Braves, and Wellesley Applejacks. [3] That summer the Niagara League would divide in half, forming the Midwestern Junior C Hockey League with its former Western Division.
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Winner moves on to the Clarence Schmalz Cup.
| Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Dorchester | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Lambeth | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Dorchester | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Mount Brydges | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Mount Brydges | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Lucan | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Dorchester | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Exeter | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Exeter | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Port Stanley | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Exeter | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Aylmer | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Aylmer | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Thamesford | 0 | ||||||||||||
From 1989 on, the winner of the league was also provincial champions and was awarded the OHA Cup. Bolded are league champions, italicized are runners-up in years with three divisions.
This chart starts at the unification of the Junior D leagues, through the SOJHL's ascension to Junior C, until its merger into the Provincial Junior Hockey League in 2016.
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The Western Ontario Junior C Hockey League was a Junior "C" ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association. The Champion of the Western will compete for the All-Ontario Championship and the Clarence Schmalz Cup. The WOJCHL merged into the Provincial Junior Hockey League in the Summer of 2016.
The Clarence Schmalz Cup is the Ontario Hockey Association's Junior "C" ice hockey championship and championship trophy. The champions of the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) are awarded the Cup. The PJHL was formed in 2016 from the former 8 provincial leagues that previously competed in a tournament, commonly called the All-Ontario Championships, to determine the winner of the Cup.
The Ayr Centennials are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Ayr, Ontario. They play in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
The Delhi Travellers are a junior hockey team based in Delhi, Ontario, Canada. The Travellers play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
The Hagersville Hawks are a Junior ice hockey team from Hagersville, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Provincial Junior Hockey League in the Ontario Hockey Association.
The St. George Dukes are a Junior ice hockey team based in St. George, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
The Tavistock Braves are a Junior ice hockey team based in Tavistock, Ontario, Canada. They currently play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
The Wellesley Apple Jacks are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Wellesley, Ontario. They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
The Exeter Hawks are a Junior ice hockey team based in Exeter, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
The Lambeth Lancers were a Junior ice hockey team based in Lambeth, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
The Lucan Irish are a Junior ice hockey team based in Lucan Biddulph, Ontario. They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
The Mitchell Hawks are a Junior ice hockey team based in Mitchell, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
The Mount Brydges Bulldogs are a Junior ice hockey team based in Mount Brydges, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League and are three-time provincial champions.
The Thamesford Trojans are a Junior ice hockey team based in Thamesford, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association. They currently own the Exeter Hawks.
The Woodstock Lakers are a Semi-Pro ice hockey team based in the city of Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. The Lakers joined the Western Ontario Super Hockey League in 2022, after being a part of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League from 2015-2022. They were originally located in Port Stanley, Ontario, and then in West Lorne, Ontario, and London, Ontario, and Platteville, Ontario. They also formerly played in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). The Lakers left the OHA in 2008 and played as an independent team.
The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league based in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association, Ontario Hockey Federation, and Hockey Canada. The league is considered Junior B by the OHA, although it has attempted several times to be promoted to Junior A.
The Woodstock Navy-Vets are a junior hockey team based in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
The Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League is a former Junior "C" ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association. The Champion of the Niagara competed for the All-Ontario Championship and the Clarence Schmalz Cup.
The Midwestern Junior C Hockey League (MWJCHL) was a Canadian Junior ice hockey league in Southwestern Ontario. The MWJCHL was a member of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada. Its champion competed for the Clarence Schmalz Cup, the OHA Junior C championship.
The Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league spanning parts of Southern Ontario. The PJHL is the third tier of the Ontario Hockey Association and is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada. The league was formed in 2016 with the merging of eight Junior C leagues. PJHL teams compete for the Clarence Schmalz Cup.
