The Ontario Elite Hockey League clubs have a lot more to play for, beginning next season.
OEHL member clubs are now eligible to compete for Canada’s national senior hockey championship, the prestigious Allan Cup.
Starting in 2024-25, the “AA” champion of the OEHL will face off against the playoff champion of Sr. AAA Allan Cup Hockey (ACH) in a best-of-three series for the OHA’s Senior Hockey Championship. The series is tentatively scheduled to begin the weekend of March 12, 2025 and conclude no later than March 23, 2025. The winning team will not only be declared Ontario’s senior hockey champion, but will represent Ontario at the 2025 Allan Cup Challenge tournament, taking place April 5-12, 2025 in Innisfail, Alberta.
“This is a great step for senior hockey and a validation of the quality of our product,” said OEHL Chair Gord Lamont. “This fits very well with our vision, which is to deliver the highest quality hockey product possible while maintaining our roots in small town Ontario.”
If the OEHL champion advances to the Allan Cup, the club will be permitted to add five (5) players from other OEHL rosters to bolster their roster for the Allan Cup. First awarded in 1909, the Allan Cup is Canada’s oldest national hockey championship.
Following a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Allan Cup Challenge tournament returned in 2023 and 2024, with the Dundas Real McCoys capturing the Allan Cup on both occasions.
Following the 2025 Allan Cup in Alberta, the 2026 tournament will be held in Newfoundland, then returning to Ontario in 2027.
About the OEHL: Established in 2023, the OEHL is the newest member of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), building on 80 years of senior “AA” hockey legacy, with 11 teams located in Ontario. The OEHL operates within the jurisdiction of the OHA and Hockey Canada, providing the highest quality of family-friendly entertainment while maintaining our roots in small town Ontario.
