Junior B hockey in Listowel, a 31-year tradition, may look drastically different after this season.
The Ontario Hockey Association is proposing changes regarding the future of Junior A, B, C and D puck in Ontario, and although nothing is concrete yet, here is what’s confirmed:
The big date is Feb. 1 – next Monday – the due date for applications regarding the new Premier hockey league being organized by the OHA.
It’s open for all Jr. A and B clubs in the province to apply, but the catch is a hefty $25,000 fee just to be part of the process.
Should the proposal gain traction, those teams not admitted to Premier will fill out the Development 1 and Development 2 leagues below it.
Figures fluctuate as far as the number of teams that will be admitted to Premier – a low of 16 and topping out at 24 – but the rock solid number is 61, as in the number of squads that currently fill out the provincial Jr. A and B leagues.
Development 1 should be of a similar calibre to the current Jr. B, and Development 2 will be a combination of what is now Jr. C and D.
The goal of the OHA is to add more structure to the current setup and improve the quality of play by reducing the number of teams at the top level. Currently Tier 2 Jr. A ices 36 clubs, too many by some estimations.
What does this mean for the future of Listowel Cyclones hockey?
OHA president Brent Ladds said in an interview last Thursday that if Listowel ends up in Development 1 then the quality of play should be fairly consistent with what fans have witnessed in the past.
“I don’t see a whole lot of changes if they maintain they want to play at that level, the Jr. B category, it’s just the creation of a structured program within what we already have,” Ladds explained.
What could be different are the opponents Listowel frequently faces.
At the moment there are eight teams in the Jr. B Midwestern Conference and two of those clubs have expressed keen interest in anteing up the dough to apply.
Ladds could not confirm this, but management of the Cambridge Winter Hawks and Waterloo Siskins have publicly stated to the Cambridge Times and Waterloo Region Record that they want to play Premier next season.
Because the Cyclones is a non-profit and community funded organization, coming up with $25,000 just to apply is a far-fetched idea, not to mention the $300,000 annual operating budget floated around.
“Listowel does not have the facility or the budget to apply for the Premier league,” Cyclone’s general manager Dennis Knox wrote in an email on Monday.
Listowel’s team will exist next year, make no mistake, but the makeup of their league and location of opponents is up in the air.
“I am on side with what the OHA is trying to do, but what our division (Development 1) will look like when all is said and done is anybody’s guess at this time,” Knox said.
This whole concept is aimed at increasing the importance of junior hockey in Ontario to attract university and NHL scouts to games, and improve the quality of play overall.
The application deadline for Development 1 is also approaching and Knox said they will be sending in the paperwork for approval.