With some unpredictable outcomes, the road to the OHL Cup powered by Under Armour has been everything but boring. Competition leading up to the tournament has seen several top-seeded teams knocked out during the first round of their respective playoff runs, while lower seeded teams were able to find a way to defy the odds. Now, with the tournament only one week away, fans and players are starting to get a better idea of what teams they can expect to see during competition.
Kings of Clinching
- The Jr. Canadiens, Mississauga Rebels, Vaughan Kings, and Toronto Marlboros were all awarded a tournament spot after reaching the semi-finals in the Scotiabank GTHL Playoffs
- The Whitby Wildcats, Quite Red Devils, Brampton 45s, and Ajax-Pickering Raiders (OMHA) were all granted spots after placing in the top four at the OMHA Championships
- The London Jr. Knights and Waterloo Wolves (ALLIANCE) also clinched after making it to the playoff finals
- The Eastern Ontario Wild (HEO) Bantam AAA team from last season will reassemble to compete in the tournament
- The Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) will act as the representative from NOHA
- TPH and Elite Hockey Group will represent the two spots for teams from the United States
- The Thunder Bay Kings (HNO) will represent the one spot granted for HNO
Getting Wild
- The Toronto Titans earned a Wild Card Play-In Game after defeating the Toronto Young Nationals in their play-in series
- The Mississauga Reps were also granted a Wild Card Play-In Game after winning their series against the Mississauga Senators
- The Halton Hurricanes (OMHA) won their consolation game against the Guelph Gryphons. The Hurricanes will compete in a Play-In Game
- The winner of the Kitchener Jr. Rangers and Cambridge Winterhawks (ALLIANCE) series will be granted a Wild Card Play-In Game
Then There Were Three
The remaining three teams to compete in the Wild Card Play-In Games will be named by a selection committee tonight. Teams are selected based post-season success, regular season play, and tournament play.
Tune into the GTHL Facebook and Instagram pages tonight starting at 7 PM to see who the final three teams will be.