GTHL Releases 2025-26 Annual Report

Greater Toronto Hockey League reflects on season of growth, impact, and continued progress

TORONTO, ON — The Greater Toronto Hockey League has released its 2025-26 Annual Report, highlighting a season marked by continued registration growth, expanded community impact, strengthened partnerships, and meaningful progress across League participation, operations, and development.

The 2025-26 season saw total player registration increase to 25,187, up from 24,947 in 2024-25, representing a 0.96 per cent year-over-year increase. Total participants also rose to 30,468, up from 29,845 the previous season, reflecting continued momentum and interest in the game across the GTHL community.

On the ice, the GTHL competitive (A, AA, AAA) program remained active throughout the season, with more than 400 exhibition games, 7,942 regular season games, and 1,236 playoff games played. The King Clancy Cup continued to expand in its second season back, welcoming 86 teams across 14 divisions, while the Founders Cup returned for the first time since the 2019-20 season. Combined, the two tournaments welcomed more than 100 teams and helped extend meaningful hockey opportunities deeper into the season for players, families, officials, and ice partners.

Community partnerships and access-focused initiatives remained a key priority throughout the year. The GTHL partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario Division to pilot the Talk Today program in minor hockey, reaching 108 participants in its first season. The League’s grant-matching partnership with KidSport Ontario also saw significant growth, with approximately $55,000 awarded to nearly 100 athletes in 2025-26.

The GTHL Legacy Fund continued to grow its impact and visibility, with the 2025 GTHL Legacy Classic presented by Spordle raising more than $63,000 for the Fund. The 2025-26 Legacy Fund Community Grant also awarded more than $83,000 to six organizations supporting access, development, and community-based hockey programming.

The season also included important progress in outreach and development. The Try Hockey program operated 26 events in 24 schools, introducing more than 3,500 students to hockey through floorball. Sixteen minor hockey associations hosted NHL/NHLPA First Shift programming, while the GTHL also supported the Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament, Safehaven Skates Day, and the North American VOLT Hockey Tournament.

Development remained a focus across players, coaches, officials, and volunteers. The GTHL certified 981 officials, welcomed 82 referees to the Canadian School of Hockey Officiating summer camp (“Referee Summer Camp”), and continued the Fast Track officiating program with 18 new officials entering the competitive program. The League also successfully introduced the four-official system at the U16 AAA and U18 AAA levels.

Player development highlights included two Development Days, the League’s first-ever all-girls GTHL Development Day, pathway development skill sessions reaching 778 participants across 47 sessions, and the continuation of the GTHL x Ontario Hockey Federation Under-9 Full-Ice Hockey Pilot Program. A total of 56 GTHL minor hockey association select teams participated in the U9 pilot, with participation and feedback helping secure the OHF’s two-year pilot extension.

The GTHL also continued to advance community engagement and culture change. In February, the League hosted its Member Forum: Trust Through Dialogue, bringing together representatives from across House League, A, AA, and AAA hockey to strengthen collaboration, listen to member perspectives, and identify shared priorities. The League also introduced the first-ever Herbert H. Carnegie Award in collaboration with the Carnegie Family, recognizing the Scarborough Hockey Association for leadership in diversity, equity, inclusion, and community engagement.

Communications marked a major milestone with the launch of the new GTHL website on September 15, 2025. The redesigned platform created a more modern, accessible, and user-friendly experience for players, families, bench staff, officials, volunteers, Members, and partners. The website recorded 6.2 million views in 2025-26, up from over 5.7 million the previous season, with schedules, standings, playoff information, and League resources continuing to drive significant traffic.

Partnerships also continued to grow in 2025-26, with new and renewed partnerships helping to support events, house league programming, development initiatives, awards, community storytelling, and participant experiences across the League.

Overall, the 2025-26 Annual Report reflects the GTHL’s continued commitment to growing the game, improving access, supporting development, enhancing League operations, and creating a safer, more inclusive, and more connected hockey community.

The full 2025-26 GTHL Annual Report is available online: CLICK HERE.

ABOUT THE GREATER TORONTO HOCKEY LEAGUE
Founded in 1911, the Greater Toronto Hockey League is a non-profit organization, home to more than 30 community recreational programs and the largest minor hockey league in the world. The GTHL registers more than 30,000 annual participants in Markham, Mississauga, Toronto, and Vaughan. The purpose of the GTHL is to empower, innovate, and provide hockey experiences that foster growth, inclusion, and excellence for all participants, while providing an enriching, equitable, and inclusive environment that benefits all members and the broader community.

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