Junior A History

Over the next few years, the Guelph Platers, Belleville Bulls and Kingston Frontenac's would all get their start in this league before jumping to the Ontario Hockey League.  By 1986, the league was suffering from a variety of difficulties. With most of their teams folding or dropping to Junior "B", the league was left with 4 teams; the OHA Jr. "A" League was forced to close its doors at the end of the 1986-87 seasons. The four remaining teams at the end of the OHA Jr. "A" League era were the Final Champion Owen Sound Greys, the Aurora Eagles, the Markham Waxers, and the Richmond Hill Dynes. The Central League agreed to take Markham, Aurora and Richmond Hill, while the Owen Sound Greys went to the Midwestern Junior B Hockey League.

In 1991, the renegade Metro Junior A Hockey League promoted itself to fill the Junior "A" hockey void across the southern part of the province. In 1992, for the Ontario Hockey Association to compete, the Central Junior B Hockey League was promoted to Junior "A" as a pilot project and competed one season as the CBAHL.  In 1993-1994 the pilot league renamed itself the "Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League". The year of 1993 also marked the year that the Canadian Junior A Hockey League was created.  The summer of 1998 marked the death of the Metro Junior A Hockey League, as it merged into the flourishing OPJHL, taking many of the league's teams, including: the Aurora Tigers, Bramalea Blues, Buffalo Lightning, Durham Huskies, Huntsville Wildcats, Markham Waxers, Muskoka Bears, North York Rangers, Pickering Panthers, Port Hope Buzzards, Shelburne Wolves, Syracuse Jr. Crunch, Thornhill Rattlers, Wellington Dukes, and Wexford Raiders.

In the summer of 2008 brought much change to the OPJHL. As approved by the OHA, the semi-autonomous Central Division Hockey pilot program began in 2008–09. This divisions creation was controversial and had been appealed by left out teams to the OHF.  Although the OHA is attempted to play down the significance of the division in some aspects, they have admitted that the new conference would have slightly different rules than the rest of the divisions and that the CDH would be geared more for development.  On September 19, 2008, the league, already a month into the 2008–09 season, announced a name change, a new logo, and a new website. The league will now be known as the Ontario Junior Hockey League. Prior to the start of the season, the three divisions not involved with Central Division Hockey were renamed. The West Division is now the MacKinnon Division, the North Division is now the Phillips Division, and the East Division is the Ruddock Division.  A new and thought to be final chapter in the OJHL saga opened in April 2009. Thirteen more teams left the core of the OJHL to join the Central Division, jumping the number of teams in the CDH to 21 and dropping the remainder of the OJHL to 15 for the 2009–10 season. On June 29, 2009, the OHA Board of Directors voted to separate the OJHL into two completely different leagues.  The group of 15 teams will be known as the Ontario Junior A Hockey League and the other 21 teams became known as the Central Canadian Hockey League.

The two leagues have re-amalgamated for the 2010–11 season and reduced the number of teams in competition by five, buying out or merging during a contraction.  As of the Summer of 2014, the OJHL has shrunk to 22 teams.  In late 2015, the OJHL announced a proposal to increase the league by two teams. The added teams are proposed to be advancement of Junior B teams and not from expansion. However, no teams were added.  March 2019, the OJHL announced the addition of the Collingwood Colts for the 2019–2020 season. Also for the 2019–20 season it was announced that the Newmarket Hurricanes had been sold and would be re-located to Milton and be rebranded the Milton Menace.