The new OHL Top prospects event highlights finalized 2024-25 schedule.
Excitement for the 2024-25 season is building after the OHL released the completed schedule for the upcoming season.
In a reversal of the previously released list of home opening games, the Saginaw Spirit will now open the OHL season at home on Sept, 25 against the Windsor Spitfires.
Peterborough, who had previously been set to kick of the season, will now play their home opener on Thursday, Sept. 26th when they will face the Kingston Frontenacs.
The first meeting between the Memorial Cup Champion Saginaw Spirit and runner up London Knights will occur on Oct, 18 at the Budweiser Gardens in London.
The upcoming season will mark the debut of the OHL Top Prospects event which will be designed to “create an opportunity for more talented, draft-eligible OHL players to showcase their abilities in front of NHL scouts,” according to former OHL Commissioner David Branch.
The best-on-best game will take place at some point in January. At this time, the league is still finalizing the details of the OHL Top Prospects event.
Students and families can rejoice that the league will continue its tradition of holding games primarily over the weekend. In fact, a thumping 72.8 per cent of games are scheduled to be held between Friday and Sunday.
Fans should do their best to keep Fridays clear due to 30 per cent of all games falling on that day. Eight Fridays during the season will see nine different games occurring in a single evening.
There will also be seven school day games with start times prior to noon.
The season will wrap up on March 23, before the beginning of the quest for the J. Ross Robertson Cup. The winner of the cup will of course compete for the Memorial Cup which is to be held in Rimouski, Quebec.
Divisional alignment will remain the same for the 2024-25 season with each team completing 68 games. Out of conference opponents will play at minimum twice, while the majority of intra-conference teams will play a minimum of four times.
Intra-divisional opponents will square off up to six times and in the case of especially close rivalries as many as eight times.
With the upcoming season set, teams will now begin to prepare for the long road ahead.