The Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF - Ontario's governing body of all sanctioned ice hockey) has confirmed that, effective next season, there will be totally open borders across Ontario at the U10 age group and above, at all levels - House League, BB, A, AA, AAA, etc. Please read on for more details.
Open Borders & the Future of Oakville Rangers Rep
* For complete details, please reference this document *
What You Need to Know:
- On December 17th, 2024 the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) announced that next year, players U10 and older can join any team in Ontario. Oakville kids can play anywhere, and non-Oakville kids can play here – no limits. This is the biggest change in minor hockey in 30 years, presenting both challenges and opportunities.
- If you are already a Ranger, then you need to know that this is THE PLACE TO STAY whether you want the best of hometown hockey – playing with friends/classmates or you want to get to the next level.
- If you are not a Ranger but a top player who wants to get to the next level, then read on and discover why the Oakville Rangers Hockey Club is THE PLACE TO PLAY.
- The Oakville Rangers is the place to stay and the place to play - quite simply - THE PLACE TO BE!
The Oakville Ranger's Approach to Open Borders
To succeed in this new world, a club must offer a better product (coaching, development, facilities, resources) to retain and attract players. The Oakville Rangers Hockey Club is fully prepared to thrive in this new environment. Here are just some of the initiatives the club is working on to retain, attract and develop top players:
- The Best Coaches:
- Our experience shows that the best coaches attract and retain the best players, so the club is allocating increased resources to securing the best coaching at AAA and AA.
- More Ice Time:
- Players/teams get better through on-ice development with great coaches (see above).
- Most area clubs have ice shortages that see top teams with just 2-2.5 hours of practice ice a week often at bad facilities and/or bad times.
- The Rangers have the ice we need at great facilities. All Oakville Rep teams have lots of practice ice and AAA teams will get at least 4 hours of practice ice a week.
- Off Ice Development:
- Strength, conditioning and performance training is an integral part of player development.
- Limitless Training Systems (LTS) is now the club's year-round off-ice training partners, and they will be opening a new stand-alone facility exclusively for our teams and players.
- Hockey Advisor:
- The club has retained an experienced player consultant who is an expert on the new NCAA rules, getting drafted to the OHL, committing to the USHL, etc. He will work with our players/families to help them optimize their chances of getting to the next level if that is their desire.
- Videographer/Producer:
- The club will give players/parents access to expert videographers/producers who will work with the club's Hockey Advisor to produce content that scouts and coaches need to see.
- Appleby College Opportunities:
- The club now has a partnership with Oakville's Appleby College - one of Canada's top independent day and boarding schools.
- Ranger players will have an enhanced opportunity to attend the school and play for their Prep team and our hockey programs will work together to maximize player/student development.
- Retention and Additions:
- New policies to encourage local players to stay with the Rangers while strategically adding top talent from across Ontario to fill gaps.
- Focus on building teams that retain an Oakville core.
The club has put the initiatives above in place since November 30 when the OHF informed clubs that Open Borders was likely happening. In addition, there are 2 other enhancements that are close to being realities:
- Interleague Play:
- The OHF's Player Movement Committee will continue to discuss as a primary focus the opportunity for regional play. At this time, there have been no decisions and/or changes made and no commitments from any OHF Member for their teams to participate.
- The Rangers are confident that there will be regional play (OMHA vs. GTHL vs. Alliance) soon.
- Year-Round Development:
- We will offer (OHF compliant) high performance training in May and June and then take a 6 week break when high performance training (Aug 15) and team training camps (August 23) will begin.
- This is in anticipation of clubs being able to offer year-round team training in the future which is on the OHF’s Player Movement Committee’s agenda but has yet to be approved.
Both of these changes would need to be approved by the OHF Members and the OHF Board.
No one really knows how Open Borders will change minor hockey. However, Oakville's Board, Executive and Staff are aligned to doing what it takes and quickly adapting to ensure that the Rangers are a Top 3 club in Ontario and, thanks to the success of our Rep tournaments (including Canada's largest with 350 teams), we have the resources to make it happen. Importantly, there are things that we have never allowed and will never allow in our pursuit of excellence that align with our strong community values and focus on integrity, fairness and teamwork (see full document for details).
What You Need to Know... Again:
- For current Oakville Rangers players: Staying with the Rangers offers unmatched development opportunities and stability in this competitive environment. We are THE PLACE TO STAY.
- For prospective players: The Oakville Rangers are THE PLACE TO PLAY for those seeking top-level coaching, development, facilities, pathways to success and a proven track record (U16 AAA won the OHL Cup last year and had 12 players drafted - 7 from Oakville including #1 overall - the coaches and the core were together for over 5 years).
- The Oakville Rangers Hockey Club is THE PLACE TO BE.
Next Steps:
- If you are interested in trying out for the Rangers this upcoming season, please keep an eye on our website. Detailed information about our coaches, programs, and try outs will be posted soon.
- If you are a great coach and what we have laid out sounds good, please contact us at [email protected]
- Stay tuned for upcoming webinars and updates to learn more about our vision and programs and feel free to read the entire ‘Open Borders’ document by clicking here.
We are excited about the opportunities this new policy presents and are committed to ensuring the Oakville Rangers Hockey Club remains a leader in minor sport and is THE PLACE TO BE. Thanks for being part of it!
