Under Armour named event’s title sponsor as part of three-year partnership OHL, GTHL extend event partnership through 2021
Tournament structure features 16 guaranteed spots and 4 Wild Card Play-In Games
Mississauga Rebels headline first edition of weekly Top-10 Rankings
New event logo
Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League, in association with the Greater Toronto Hockey League, today announced a new partnership with Under Armour that includes title sponsorship of the OHL Cup Showcase Tournament which is the annual year-end minor midget championship.
The 2017 OHL Cup powered by Under Armour and hosted by the GTHL takes place March 14-20 featuring 20 teams from across Ontario and the United States showcasing many of the top players eligible for the OHL Priority Selection. All games will be played at Scotiabank Pond in Toronto until the Championship Final moves to the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Monday March 20 where it will be broadcasted nationally on Sportsnet.
“As the official apparel provider of the OHL Cup, we look forward to supporting these talented young players as we fulfill our mission to make all athletes better,” said Shana Ferguson, Under Armour Canada’s Director of Marketing.
In addition to event title sponsorship, Under Armour will provide apparel packages to tournament participants along with championship and MVP gifting.
“The Greater Toronto Hockey League is proud to welcome Under Armour as the Official Sports Apparel Partner of the GTHL and as the title sponsor of the OHL Cup,” said Scott Oakman, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Greater Toronto Hockey League. “Under Armour’s support and dedication to hockey, and in particular, this event, greatly enhances the experience for both players and fans. We appreciate their support immensely.”
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.
“The OHL Cup powered by Under Armour is without question the marquee event on the calendar of all Minor Midget teams in pursuit of a championship, and all OHL teams as they prepare for the Priority Selection,” said Joe Birch, OHL Senior Director of Hockey Development and Special Events. “2017 marks the 15th annual presentation of the OHL Cup to Minor Midget teams and this season we’re excited to welcome new partner Under Armour and continue building on our strong partnership with the GTHL.”
Tournament Structure:
16 of the 20 spots in the 2017 OHL Cup powered by Under Armour are guaranteed through league competition. The 16 guaranteed spots continue to include all four GTHL Semi-Finalists, and the top four teams that place at the OMHA Championship. Three teams from the ALLIANCE will still be guaranteed a spot in the tournament including the Champion and Finalist, along with the winner of a best-of-three Semi-Final Wild Card Series to be played between the losers of the two league Semi-Finals. Also as in past years, two tournament entries are reserved for United States competition, while both an HNO and NOHA representative will also compete. New in 2017, the final guaranteed spot is awarded to HEO but represented by their previous year Bantam Championship team who will be reassembled for tournament competition. This season, HEO’s entry will be members of the 2016 Bantam Champion Eastern Ontario Wild.
Wild Card Games:
The final four entries at the 2017 OHL Cup powered by Under Armour will be Wild Cards determined among eight teams that will play a one game ‘win and in’ scenario. The eight competing teams aiming for the final four tournament spots will continue to include the fifth place team at the OMHA Championship, and the loser of the ALLIANCE Semi-Final Wild Card Series. As introduced in 2016, two spots in Wild Card games will be reserved for GTHL teams. The two competing GTHL teams will be determined through a pair of Wild Card Play-In Series matchups involving the four GTHL teams who qualified for the playoffs but lost in the first round. One spot in a Wild Card will also be reserved for the winner of an OMHA SCTA Consolation Game that features both teams who lost in the SCTA Tournament Semi-Final. The OMHA teams eligible for this matchup will be determined annually based on the league not hosting the OMHA Championship. Finally, the three remaining teams who will compete in the Wild Card matchups will be named by the Tournament Selection Committee. The Committee will evaluate and review a team’s post-season success as the first criteria for selection, with additional criteria to include regular season play and tournament play. All four Wild Card games will take place on Tuesday March 14 with specific matchups and times of play to be determined by random draw among the eight competing teams on Wednesday March 8.
Minor Midget Rankings for the 2017 OHL Cup powered by Under Armour – Week 1
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.
- Mississauga Rebels (GTHL)
- Mississauga Reps (GTHL)
- Mississauga Senators (GTHL)
- London Jr. Knights (ALLIANCE)
- Toronto Marlboros (GTHL)
- Whitby Wildcats (OMHA)
- Toronto Young Nationals (GTHL)
- Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs (OMHA)
- Ajax-Pickering Raiders (OMHA)
- Vaughan Kings (GTHL)
Honourable Mentions:
Quinte Red Devils (OMHA)
Waterloo Wolves (ALLIANCE)
York-Simcoe Express (OMHA)
Toronto Titans (GTHL)
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 – 1st overall Guelph Storm), Owen Lalonde (Windsor Jr. Spitfires – 2nd overall Sudbury Wolves), Danil Antropov (Toronto Marlboros – 6th overall Oshawa Generals), Kirill Nizhnikov (Toronto Jr. Canadiens – 7th overall Mississauga Steelheads), Barrett Hayton (Toronto Red Wings – 9th overall Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds), Peter Stratis (Mississauga Rebels – 11th overall Ottawa 67’s), Akil Thomas (Toronto Marlboros – 12thoverall Niagara IceDogs), Adam McMaster (Niagara North – 13th overall North Bay Battalion), Tyler Weiss (Don Mills Flyers – 15th overall Sarnia Sting), Nathan Dunkley (Quinte Red Devils – 17thoverall Kingston Frontenacs), Allan McShane (Toronto Marlboros – 19th overall Erie Otters), and Jack McBain (Don Mills Flyers – 20th 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).
For more information, please visit ohlcup.ca.
