Over 375 teams playing in more than 850 games. Five locations across the province filled with action-packed minor hockey. 41 champions crowned. More media attention. Welcome to the 2022 OMHA Championship Weekends presented by Egg Farmers of Ontario.

The Ontario Minor Hockey Association is thrilled to announce details of our new playoff format. Among the many highlights, the new Championships will see everyone involved playing more meaningful hockey into March.

These new Championships still keep the tradition of #RedHats alive. #RedHats has become popular with everybody involved in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association. The ultimate prize in minor hockey remains the goal for all competing and will be distributed to the winning teams.

Leading up to the OMHA Championship Weekends, starting this year there will be important new league championships in each area. League playoffs will now turn into regional qualifying showdowns to see who moves on to compete for #RedHats. Parents can pack their rinks to show their community support and to cheer on the teams who will be punching their ticket to the OMHA Championships.

CHECK OUT OMHACHAMPIONSHIPS.CA TO LEARN MORE

Define and Categorize Leagues:  
At the beginning of the season each League was assigned a Tier(s) based on the categories of teams playing within the League. This process was used solely for the purpose of determining the number of teams within each Tier of the League compared with the overall number of teams from across the OMHA in that Tier. This then determined the number of teams that League would send to each of the OMHA Championships.

DD*: A DD team within any age division that does not have a second entry team in the same age division at the AE level will be assigned to Tier 3. If the age division has both a DD team and an AE team the DD team will be assigned to Tier 2 and the AE team to Tier 3.

Connecting League Play to Championships to Create Meaningful Competition Where Like Skill Plays Like Skill:
From that point on, the League standings and the performance of the individual team determines which Tier teams will compete at for an OMHA Championship regardless of the individual team’s category. As an example, you are a CC team (Tier 2) competing in a mixed League comprised of BB, B, CC and C teams and are outperforming all teams in your League during regular season and League Playoffs. Based on your teams performance you will advance to the Tier 1 Championship where you will compete with other like skilled teams.

The entry fee for participating teams is $800 for U14 and Below and $950 for U15 and Above.

The OMHA Championships will take place over three weekends: March 25-27, April 1-3 and April 8-10. They will be hosted in five locations around the province: Barrie, Kingston, Oakville, Whitby and Windsor.

Round robin play will occur on the first two days, with the Semi-Finals and Championships being decided on the Sunday. Specific schedules will be released closer to the dates. The weekends will feature sponsor activations and gifts, excited crowds, official merchandise and live-streaming of games.

Click on your Championship to be taken directly to its dedicated page. From there, you'll be able to book local hotels and see the standings and schedules as they become confirmed.

Consistent gameplay formats will be followed at U14 and Below and U15 and Above regarding period lengths and floods.

This new playoff format has been designed with our players, coaches and parents in mind. It extends the length of playing meaningful hockey, minimizes travel for busy hockey families and aligns with the Player Pathways optimal season structure. It removes the elimination-style series, and keeps more teams playing during the year for a longer period of time.

“Our players, parents and volunteers have endured so much during the pandemic. We have been planning this for months and believe this is a great way to give them something special to look forward to and to ensure all our participants can be involved in more meaningful hockey right up to March and beyond,” says Ian Taylor, Executive Director of the OMHA.

“Since 2018, Egg Farmers of Ontario (EFO) has been a proud supporter of the OMHA and are excited to continue that partnership through our involvement in the new OMHA Championship Weekends,” says Scott Helps, EFO Chair. “All teams should take pride in the hard work and perseverance that it takes to win the ultimate prize in minor hockey. These new steps to win the Red Hats will make it more exciting than ever.”

We can’t wait for the first ever OMHA Championship Weekends and look forward to catching all of the action at the rink!

CHECK OUT OMHACHAMPIONSHIPS.CA TO LEARN MORE