Skills event, three games, community events scheduled for Jan. 12 and 13
Mississauga, ON – The Ontario Junior Hockey League announced the schedule of events for the third annual 2023-24 OJHL All-Star Celebration presented by Dairy Farmers of Ontario.
The weekend festivities are scheduled for January 12 and 13, 2024 in beautiful Collingwood, Ont. It’s a celebration of hockey including games, a skills competition and community activities with a theme of “past, present and future”.
The event’s centrepiece is the OJHL All-star Game. The game will feature the best players from across the 24-team OJHL, as selected by the league’s competition committee, facing off in historic Eddie Bush Memorial Arena.
“We are so excited to bring back the OJHL All Star Celebration to Collingwood in January,” said Marty Savoy, Commissioner of the OJHL. “Great community support, amazing organization hosting the top talent from across the OJHL. Should be a fantastic weekend for all”.
The event kicks off on the evening of Friday, Jan. 12, with the second annual 2024 OJHL Skills Competition.
Saturday’s schedule will kick off with the OJHL Alumni Game at 10:30 am, followed by the Hudl-Instat OJHL Prospects Game at 1:00 pm, which will feature the league’s top players born in 2006 and 2007.
The main attraction, the OJHL All-Star Game, will start after the Prospects Game at 5 p.m. and feature the top players from around the league participating in a very competitive game.
Last year, Lucas Buzziol of the Milton Menace fired home a wrist shot at 2:30 of three-on-three overtime to lift Team Hyman (North-West) to a 9-8 win over Team Giordano (South-East) in the All-Star Game in front of a crowd of 1,206 in Collingwood.
In 2019, Jack Ricketts of the host Oakville Blades scored two goals and assisted on a third to lead Team Giordano to a 6-4 win over Team Burns.
Buzziol is committed to NCAA Division I Union College. Ricketts is team captain at DI Holy Cross this year.
The event comes to life in Collingwood with prizes, giveaways and community involvement and is supported by the Town of Collingwood, the Collingwood Blues organization and the many volunteers in the community.
“It is a privilege and an honor to have the opportunity to host the OJHL All Star Celebration for a second consecutive year in Collingwood,” said Dave Steele, Governor of the Collingwood Blues. “We are looking forward to welcoming the new and returning OJHL participants to this memorable event.”
The inaugural All-Star Celebration was a one-day affair held in Oakville in November 2019. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 event expanded to two days and was presented in Collingwood by Dairy Farmers of Ontario.
More information on the event, including rosters, coaches, community events and ticket availability, will be released in the coming weeks.
