GTHL’s Mississauga Rebels, ALLIANCE’s London Jr. Knights win league titles, Cambridge Hawks officially qualify.

Tuesday action includes 4 Wild Card Play-In Games beginning at 2:00 pm, and 4 Round-Robin contests starting at 7:00 pm.

Toronto, ON – The weekly rankings are determined by a panel of OHL Central Scouting Staff and represent the top teams that are competing to play in the annual year-end championship tournament which takes place March 14-20, 2017.  All games will be played at the Scotiabank Pond in Toronto until the Championship Final moves to the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Monday March 20.

Final Minor Midget Rankings for the 2017 OHL Cup powered by Under Armour – Week 13

*Officially qualified for 2017 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament Powered by Under Armour

Minor Midget playoff action wrapped up over the weekend in both the GTHL and ALLIANCE with the Mississauga Rebels and London Jr. Knights emerging victorious in their respective league finals.  The Rebels overtook the Toronto Marlboros 8-6 in points, while the top ranked Knights defeated the Waterloo Wolves 7-1 in points.  The Cambridge Hawks also became the final team to secure an OHL Cup berth defeating the Kitchener Jr. Rangers 2 games to 0 qualifying as the ALLIANCE’s third entry.

The 2017 OHL Cup powered by Under Armour begins on Tuesday afternoon with four Wild Card Play-In Games followed by four Round-Robin contests.  The schedule for the Wild Card Play-In Games has been revised from the original release to accommodate travel in the anticipated inclement weather.

The original Wild Card 1 matchup between the Grey Bruce Highlanders and the Toronto Nationals scheduled for 10:00 am will now be played at 3:15 pm, while the Wild Card 2 matchup between the Mississauga Senators and the York Simcoe Express originally scheduled for 12:00 pm will now be played at 5:15 pm.  Both games will now be played on Rink 2 at Toronto’s Scotiabank Pond.

2017 OHL Cup Wild Card Play-In Schedule:

Tuesday March 14, 2017
WC 3 – 2:00 pm – Mississauga Reps (GTHL) vs. Halton Hurricanes (OMHA) – Rink 1
WC 1 – 3:15 pm –  Grey Bruce Highlanders (OMHA) vs. Toronto Nationals (GTHL) – Rink 2
WC 4 – 4:00 pm – Toronto Titans (GTHL) vs. Kitchener Jr. Rangers (ALLIANCE) – Rink 1
WC 2 – 5:15 pm – Mississauga Senators (GTHL) vs. York-Simcoe Express (OMHA) – Rink 2

The four winners of the Wild Card Play-In Games will join 16 other clubs who earned their qualification through league play and regional representation.

2017 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament Powered by Under Armour Alignment:

Nash Division:
Mississauga Rebels (GTHL Champ)
Quinte Red Devils (OMHA Bronze)
Cambridge Hawks (ALLIANCE 3rd)
Elite Hockey Group (USA Invite)
WC1

Subban Division:
London Jr. Knights (ALLIANCE Champ)
Brampton 45s (OMHA Silver)
Toronto Jr. Canadiens (GTHL Semi-Finalist)
TPH Thunder (USA Invite)
WC2

Shanahan Division:
Toronto Marlboros (GTHL Finalist)
Ajax-Pickering Raiders (OMHA Semi-Finalist)
Eastern Ontario Wild (HEO Rep)
Thunder Bay Kings (HNO Rep)
WC3

Lindros Division:
Whitby Wildcats (OMHA Gold)
Waterloo Wolves (ALLIANCE Finalist)
Vaughan Kings (GTHL Semi-Finalist)
Team NOHA (NOHA Rep)
WC4

Tuesday March 14, 2017 Round-Robin:

Scotiabank Pond 1
7:00 pm Quinte Red Devils vs. Mississauga Rebels
8:45 pm Whitby Wildcats vs. Vaughan Kings

Scotiabank Pond 2
7:15 pm Toronto Jr. Canadiens vs. London Jr. Knights
9:00 pm Ajax-Pickering Raiders vs. Toronto Marlboros

The showcase provides fans and scouts one last opportunity to see many of the top minor midget aged players from across Ontario and parts of the United States compete for the OHL Cup performing against the best competition prior to the 2017 OHL Priority Selection.

History:

Last season the York Simcoe Express captured their second OHL Cup title and first since 2004 with a 2-1 overtime win over the Toronto Marlboros.  Current North Bay Battalion rookie Rhys Forhan scored both Express goals, while goaltender Andrei Berezinskiy earned tournament MVP honours playing to a 5-0 record with a 2.09 goals-against-average.

The 2016 OHL Priority Selection featured 12 players chosen in the first round who competed in the OHL Cup including Ryan Merkley (Toronto Jr. Canadiens – 1^st overall Guelph Storm), Owen Lalonde (Windsor Jr. Spitfires – 2^nd overall Sudbury Wolves), Danil Antropov (Toronto Marlboros – 6^th overall Oshawa Generals), Kirill Nizhnikov (Toronto Jr. Canadiens – 7^th overall Mississauga Steelheads), Barrett Hayton (Toronto Red Wings – 9^th overall Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds), Peter Stratis (Mississauga Rebels – 11^th overall Ottawa 67’s), Akil Thomas (Toronto Marlboros – 12^th overall Niagara IceDogs), Adam McMaster (Niagara North – 13^th overall North Bay Battalion), Tyler Weiss (Don Mills Flyers – 15^th overall Sarnia Sting), Nathan Dunkley (Quinte Red Devils – 17^th overall Kingston Frontenacs), Allan McShane (Toronto Marlboros – 19^th overall Erie Otters), and Jack McBain (Don Mills Flyers – 20^th overall Barrie Colts).

Notable OHL Cup graduates currently playing in the NHL include Mitch Marner (Vaughan Kings/Toronto Maple Leafs), Connor McDavid (Toronto Marlboros/Edmonton Oilers), Robby Fabbri (Mississauga Rebels/St. Louis Blues), Max Domi (Don Mills Flyers/Arizona Coyotes), Sean Monahan (Mississauga Rebels/Calgary Flames), Taylor Hall (Greater Kingston Frontenacs/New Jersey Devils), Tyler Seguin (Toronto Nationals/Dallas Stars), John Tavares (Toronto Marlboros/New York Islanders), P.K Subban (Markham Islanders/Nashville Predators), and Steven Stamkos (Markham Waxers/Tampa Bay Lightning).

This season the OHL and GTHL announced a new three-year partnership with Under Armour that includes title sponsorship of the OHL Cup Showcase Tournament.  The OHL and GTHL have also announced a five-year partnership extension ensuring the event will continue to be hosted by the GTHL through 2021.

For more information, please visit ohlcup.ca.