RBC Cup hero earned NCAA DI scholarship while winning national title with OJHL’s Cobourg Cougars
Mississauga, ON – …. The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) has appointed Stefano Durante as the league’s first Director of Player Recruitment, the OJHL announced.
Durante, 27, played three seasons in goal for the OJHL’s Cobourg Cougars, leading the team to the Royal Bank Cup national championship in 2017. The Brampton native received a scholarship to NCAA Division I American International College in Springfield, Mass where he played four seasons and earned a psychology degree. Following a year of pro hockey, Durante returned to the GTA where he works in player development.
Durante’s resume includes being named the OJHL’s Top Goalie twice and its Humanitarian of the Year, Top Goaltender at the 2017 RBC Cup and 2020-21 Atlantic Hockey Conference Goalie of the Year.
Durante’s job description with the OJHL includes: “Developing and implementing a league-wide OJHL Player Recruitment Strategy, which will include presentations to players, parents, and other stakeholders on the advantages of playing in the OJHL at various internal and external events.”
Through the OJHL Board of Directors and Strategic Leadership Team, the league is developing strategic initiatives to drive improvement of the support and value the OJHL provides to players, said league Commissioner Marty Savoy. There will be a particular focus on the awareness of the OJHL, safety and the development of the athlete.
“The league was looking for an individual who has played in the OJHL, who experienced success within the league, who reached their goals by playing at the next level successfully,” said Savoy. “Stefano not only checked all those boxes, but he excelled at each of those levels. As a former OJHL Humanitarian of the Year it speaks volumes to his character and is the perfect person to speak to players and families about the benefits of playing in the OJHL. Stefano has had great success both on and off the ice walking the path that these players are about to walk through.”
Durante is pumped about his new job.
“It’s cool to be back in this league again,” Durante, a practice goalie with the Toronto Maple Leafs, told the OJHL.
His message?
“The OJHL is a special place,” he said. “It’s a big development league. We’ve got a lot of 16- and 17-year-olds playing in it right now. I’m going to tell players and parents that this is a league where you’re going to come in early and you’re going to develop all the way through till you’re 19 and 20 years old.”
“When it’s time to go off to college, whether it’s U SPORTS or NCAA Division I or III, you’re going to be ready just because you’ve gotten those reps in when you were younger. A lot of the other leagues are older, so there’s not that chance for the younger players to play.”
The OJHL has announced 35-plus NCAA Division I commitments already this year.
“And you’re going to develop as a person, too,” Durante said. “We’ve got so many great teams and cities in this league where it will happen.”
Durante is a big fan of playing at home in southern Ontario, where OJHL players get to skate in front of families and friends. Parents Rita and Jimmy Durante have fond memories of seeing Stefano and brother Luca play goal in the league, especially their head-to-head matchups.
To get the message across, Durante will be conducting seminars and Zoom meetings with youth hockey players and teams around North America. He’ll also be networking with college and university coaches in the United States and Canada to promote OJHL players.
He calls winning the RCC Cup “probably the coolest experience of my life.”
“To be able to win that in Cobourg in front of our own fans with a team that was more like family by the end of it. I like to say that Cobourg and the OJ hold a very special place in my heart: Cobourg was a place I got to be a national champion in. It was a place I got to meet lifelong friends. It led me to meet my future wife who I will marry in June while playing in the OJ.”
Earlier this year, the OJHL announced the creation of a Department of Player Safety that was developed to increase processes for the safety and management of our game. Greg Kimmerly, a 20-year NHL Official, was hired to serve as the first OJHL Director of Player Safety.
The league has also announced that starting this season all 24 teams will have tablets on the bench for in-game use by players and coaches to review footage. The video will also be used for goal review challenges by teams.
