GOJHL rebrands to GOHL, as part of new partnership with OHL
Posted Sep 28, 2025 06:00:00 AM.
Last Updated Sep 29, 2025 11:19:23 AM.
It’s a new era for junior hockey development in Ontario.
In a new partnership, the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) will now become the first-of-its-kind development league for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The new deal also means a rebrand for the iconic junior league, dropping the “J” and becoming the Greater Ontario Hockey League (GOHL).
Speaking on the Mike Farwell Show on Friday, Craig Spada, the commissioner of the GOHL, said the goal is to set up a clearer path for those coming out of minor hockey.
He adds that they have sometimes been referred to as “the mini OHL.”
“We’ve set ourselves up that way and I think the main [way to] symbolize is dropping the ‘J’, showing that we are a professional league and that it shows the relationship between us the OHL clearer to players, scouts and everyone involved,” he said.
Over the last few years, the league has made several changes, including adding paramedic-level first responder equipment in all arenas and having support programs to prioritize player safety.
The new partnership also comes with collaboration opportunities, including showcase events tied to the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game.
“It will show all the prospects at our level that scouts will see that are coming to the OHL in the next year or two, and then they’ll see who is already in the OHL and how these players compare,” Spada said.
The GOHL features 23 teams, including local teams the Waterloo Siskins, the Cambridge RedHawks and the Elmira Sugar Kings.
Several notable players who started in the GOHL who went on to play in the OHL — and eventually the NHL — include Joe Thornton, Mark Scheifele, Brandon Montour and Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Easton Cowan.
