Change. Change is always painful for someone. For those who resist, or those not willing to progress, change is challenging. For those who refuse to accept change, it will inevitably lead to those persons being left behind.
The Ontario Hockey Association made a real step toward embracing the changing landscape of hockey by abandoning an antiquated Junior C League system.
Moving into the future the OHA has created the Provincial Junior Hockey League. The PJHL will consist of four conferences with two divisions in each conference.
Why make the change, and why do it now?
The GOJHL united Junior B Hockey in Ontario, and it has worked. The proof is in the use of the GOJHL as a conditioning and training ground for OHL players, and in the amount of other players who move up to Junior A, as well as others moving on to NCAA and Canadian University’s.
Scheduling becomes more consistent, operation standards become more consistent and governance becomes more effective. The end result is a better product on the ice and a better experience for players and fans. That is simply smart business.
Competitiveness in the recruiting process is sure to grow as everyone adapts to the new structure and recruiting boundaries have yet to be clarified. One thing that is certain is that the local teams will maintain a local talent base as the idea of increasing the number of import player cards from four to seven was quickly voted down.
The key to success in any business is knowing what your customers want and developing a plan to deliver what they want to them. The reason most business operations fail is because owners want to sell what they want to sell whether the market demand is there or not. The OHA and the PJHL member organizations made a progressive, aggressive and very smart move with this merger.
Joseph Kolodziej – Publisher
