2023–24 OHL season
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.
| 2023–24 OHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Ontario Hockey League |
| Sport | Hockey |
| Duration | Preseason August 2023 - September 2023 Regular season September 2023 – March 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 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 will be 48 preseason games beginning on September 1 and concluding 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 will begin 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 October 27, 2023[3]
Eastern conference
| Rank | Team | DIV | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississauga Steelheads | Central | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 9 | 48 | 34 |
| 2 | Peterborough Petes | East | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 33 | 30 |
| 3 | Sudbury Wolves | Central | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 39 | 28 |
| 4 | Ottawa 67's | East | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 6 | 32 | 27 |
| 5 | North Bay Battalion | Central | 12 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 41 | 41 |
| 6 | Oshawa Generals | East | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 32 | 42 |
| 7 | Kingston Frontenacs | East | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 36 | 53 |
| 8 | Barrie Colts | Central | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 38 | 41 |
| 9 | Brantford Bulldogs | East | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 34 | 43 |
| 10 | Niagara IceDogs | Central | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 29 | 36 |
Western conference
| Rank | Team | DIV | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kitchener Rangers | Midwest | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 9 | 62 | 35 |
| 2 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | West | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 | 57 | 43 |
| 3 | London Knights | Midwest | 12 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 43 | 33 |
| 4 | Guelph Storm | Midwest | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 36 | 23 |
| 5 | Sarnia Sting | West | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 44 | 39 |
| 6 | Erie Otters | Midwest | 12 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 41 | 56 |
| 7 | Saginaw Spirit | West | 9 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 34 | 32 |
| 8 | Owen Sound Attack | Midwest | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 32 | 33 |
| 9 | Flint Firebirds | West | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 33 | 49 |
| 10 | Windsor Spitfires | West | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 35 | 61 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes[4]
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Brzustewicz | Kitchener Rangers | 12 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 6 |
| Carson Rehkopf | Kitchener Rangers | 12 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 8 |
| Matthew Sop | Kitchener Rangers | 12 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 6 |
| Adrian Misaljevic | Kitchener Rangers | 12 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 8 |
| Jack Beck | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | 13 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 6 |
| Luke Misa | Mississauga Steelheads | 12 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 2 |
| Dalyn Wakely | North Bay Battalion | 12 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 12 |
| Anthony Romani | North Bay Battalion | 12 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 0 |
| Carey Terrance | Erie Otters | 12 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 8 |
| Denver Barkey | London Knights | 12 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 4 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter George | Owen Sound Attack | 8 | 430 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 0.930 | 2.09 |
| Collin MacKenzie | Ottawa 67's | 6 | 337 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0.937 | 2.14 |
| Brayden Gillespie | Guelph Storm | 9 | 534 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0.927 | 2.14 |
| Jakub Vondras | Sudbury Wolves | 9 | 516 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0.919 | 2.21 |
| Michael Simpson | London Knights | 9 | 538 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0.918 | 2.34 |
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.
- "OHL Standings". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- "Canadian Hockey League – Official Site of the Canadian Hockey League".
- "Canadian Hockey League – Official Site of the Canadian Hockey League".