Media Update
Release date: Friday, Jan. 8, 2016
OJHL’s Trenton Golden Hawks to host 2017 Dudley-Hewitt Cup
Central Canadian Junior ‘A’ Championship to be held from May 2-6, 2017
Trenton, Ont. – The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), in partnership with 2017 Dudley-Hewitt Cup Host Selection Committee has approved the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s (OJHL) Trenton Golden Hawks bid to host the 2017 Dudley-Hewitt Cup (DHC) at the Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens.
The Dudley-Hewitt Cup is presented annually to the Central Canadian Junior ‘A’ Champion in a tournament style format. It is named after George Dudley and W.A. Hewitt, two pioneers of amateur hockey in Ontario. The champions of the NOJHL, OJHL and SIJHL, as well as a host club (rotating annually between the three leagues) play a round-robin tournament, followed by a playoff round. The champion of the Dudley Hewitt Cup represents the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) Central Canadian Region entry into the RBC Cup National Championship.
“Congratulations to the Trenton Golden Hawks and the community of Trenton,” said CJHL President Kirk Lamb. “Given the storied history of the community, and the strength of the organization, the CJHL is confident that the Golden Hawks, the community of Trenton and the OJHL will serve as outstanding hosts of the Dudley-Hewitt Cup.”
Trenton is a community located in Southern Ontario in the municipality of Quinte West and is located on the Bay of Quinte. It is the main population centre in Quinte West. The return of the DHC to Ontario is the fifth time the OJHL has hosted the event in the past 12 years and follows-up on the successful event hosted by the Wellington Dukes in 2014. Previous OJHL hosts include Wellington (2014), Huntsville (2011), Newmarket (2008), Georgetown (2005) and Cobourg (1996).
The Trenton Golden Hawks are currently the top team in the OJHL and have been one of the top teams in the CJHL Top 20 Weekly Rankings for much of the 2015-16 season. Not only do they lead on the ice, but the franchise is also one of the top teams in the league when it comes to attendance and off-ice community involvement.
“It is truly an honour to be awarded the 2017 Dudley-Hewitt Cup,” stated Trenton Golden Hawks Governor Sandy Smith. “The entire community of Trenton has supported us in this bid and we look forward to hosting the best Junior ‘A’ teams in Ontario next spring.”
Following up on the successful 2015 World Junior ‘A’ Challenge (Cobourg/Whitby) and with the 2017 RBC Cup, National Junior ‘A’ Championship, also being hosted by the OJHL and the Cobourg Cougars, just one week after the 2017 DHC, it presents a tremendous opportunity for each event to achieve success and have the entire junior hockey world’s focus squarely on the OJHL.
“The Trenton Golden Hawks are one of the OJHL’s strongest franchises and we are confident they will do a tremendous job in not only hosting the 2017 DHC, but also in building a strong team that will be able to compete for the championship as the host team,” said OJHL Commissioner Marty Savoy. “The community of Trenton are great supporters of the Golden Hawks and I am sure they will fill the rink for all the tournament games.”
The 2017 Dudley-Hewitt Cup in Trenton is currently set to run from May 2 to May 6, 2017.
The Kirkland Lake Gold Miners of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League will host 2016 Dudley-Hewitt Cup May 3-7, 2016 at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
