The Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL) is a Canadian developmental junior ice hockey league. The league has primarily had teams in the Greater Toronto Area, Central Ontario, Northeastern Ontario, and Quebec.
As of December 2019, the league's alumni page lists 889 players from 2006 to 2019 who graduated from the GMHL to play for NCAA colleges, various professional leagues, major junior teams, or represented their country in various IIHF World Championships.
The GMHL is an independent junior league and is not a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League or sanctioned by Hockey Canada.
History The league, founded by Bob Russell and Hockeyworks International Ltd., opened its doors in early 2006, with a unique concept and approach to improving the standard of developing young hockey players within a Junior 'A' league format setting. A draft showcase event took place from May 5 until May 7, 2006 with players from Canada, United States, and Europe taking up residence at the Hockeyworks' World Hockey Centre near Shelburne, Ontario to take part in the league's first tryout camp.
As of September 2006, it became clear that the league would operate its first season with seven teams. The original seven were the Bradford Rattlers, Deseronto Thunder, King Wild, Nipissing Alouettes, Richmond Hill Rams, South Muskoka Shield, and Toronto Canada Moose.
The league's first ever game took place on September 8, 2006 between the King Wild and the Richmond Hill Rams. The final result was a 6–0 victory for the Rams, despite being badly outshot by the Wild. The first goal in the league's history was scored by the Rams' Darren Archibald (future Vancouver Canucks prospect) on the power play during the first period. Rams' goaltender Daniel Jones picked up the historical first victory, as well as the league's first shutout in history.
On November 15, 2006, the GMJHL announced its affiliation with the World Hockey Association and creation of the National Junior Hockey Alliance. The affiliation resulted in a national championship between the GMJHL playoff champion and the winner of the WHA Junior West Hockey League after the 2006–07 season.
The first ever regular season of the GMJHL concluded on February 25, 2007 with the Bradford Rattlers leading the way as regular season champs with a record of 37 wins, 1 regulation loss, and 4 overtime losses. In the playoffs, the Rattlers beat the Deseronto Thunder in six games, and then the King Wild in five games to win the first ever Russell Cup as playoff champions.
In September 2007, the GMJHL started its second season with six new teams, the Douro Dukes, Elliot Lake Bobcats, Espanola Kings, Innisfil Lakers, Tamworth Cyclones, and Temiscaming Royals. The Deseronto Thunder ran into financial trouble after their first season and ownership of the team was transferred to the town. The team is now known as the Deseronto Storm.
On December 11, 2007, the GMJHL announced a seven-game challenge series versus a Russian team known as the Moscow Selects. In late December and early January, the top seven teams of the GMJHL will compete against the Moscow Selects—a mixture of top Top Junior talent from the City of Moscow. The Selects played seven games, against Bradford, Innisfil, Temiscaming, Elliot Lake, Richmond Hill, Deseronto, and South Muskoka, winning each game. In March 2008, the King Wild and Richmond Hill Rams played two games each against the Mexico national ice hockey team. The Wild won both their games, while the Rams lost both of theirs.
For the 2008–09 season, the GMJHL adopted much of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's ice hockey rulebook. The GMJHL added the Minden Riverkings and the Oro-Medonte 77's to the mix, and the Dukes relocated to become the Brock Bucks. At the same time, the Quebec-based Temiscaming Royals walked away from the league to join the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, but were replaced within weeks by the Ville-Marie Dragons.
In December 2008 and January 2009, eight teams of the GMHL hosted Kazakhstan's Under-18 Torpedo UST-Kamenogorsk squad. Victorious were the Elliot Lake Bobcats (twice), South Muskoka Shield, King Wild, Bradford Rattlers, Innisfil Lakers, and a Nipissing/Ville-Marie combined squad. The only loss for a GMHL team happened to the Toronto Canada Moose.
In the summer of 2010, the GMHL expanded in two fashions internationally. First, Canada's only All-Russian team in the Shelburne Red Wings and then late in the summer they expanded to the United States through the expansion of the Jamestown Jets.
On September 17, 2010, the GMHL played its first international regulation game, in Jamestown, New York between the Jamestown Jets and Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks, both expansion teams to the league for the 2010–11 season. Jamestown won the game 4–3. In December 2010, the GMHL named Bob Bernstein commissioner. After serving as commissioner for seven days, Bernstein was relieved of his duties and Ken Girard later resumed as full-time commissioner.
In mid-January 2011, it was announced that the town of Iron Bridge, Ontario and its 500-seat outdoor arena would host a regular season game, known as the North Shore Winter Classic, between the Elliot Lake Bobcats and Algoma Avalanche on January 29, 2011. This is the first known regulation outdoor game in Ontario in the modern era. Elliot Lake would win the game 8–2 in front of an estimated 400 fans.
At the conclusion of the 2011–12 season, the league lost the Elliot Lake Bobcats to the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. Relocation of teams and expansion was busier than ever in 2014. The Mattawa Voyageurs moved to Sundridge to make way for an NOJHL team. The Powassan Eagles moved to Parry Sound to make way for an NOJHL team. The league expanded rapidly with a total of 15 new teams in the off-season of 2014 and 2015. There was a total of 30 teams, with a total of six teams playing in the same market (two teams per town).
The Shelburne Red Wings were sold after the 2013–14 season, and were renamed the Shelburne Stars. However, the Stars did not play in 2014–15 and changed their name to the Shelburne Sharks and began play in 2015–16. In May 2015, the Rama Aces took a leave of absence but never returned. In November 2015, the Brantford Steelfighters suspended their operations after 18 games.
The Shelburne Sharks returned as the Shelburne Stars in June 2016, but the team folded soon afterwards. The Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks re-branded as the West Nipissing Lynx, but remained in Sturgeon Falls. Early into the 2016–17 season, the Toronto Blue Ice Jets were removed from the schedule in the first week, the Bracebridge Blues in the fifth week, the Komoka Dragons in the seventh week, the Lincoln Mavericks in the twelfth week, and Wiarton Rock in the fifteenth week of the season. The Orangeville Ice Crushers would also suspend operations in January 2017 and all remaining games against Orangeville were considered forfeits.
For 2017–18, the league added the Fergus Force, Ville-Marie Pirates, Wiarton Schooners, and Windsor Aces while losing the Toronto Attack. In late August 2017, the Parry Sound Islanders announced they were taking a leave of absence and merged with the Seguin Huskies. The Force and Schooners both folded during the season without winning a game.
After one season following the Islanders merge, the Seguin Huskies folded in 2018. The GMHL also added two teams originally in the Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League in the Niagara-on-the-Lake Nationals and Ottawa Sharpshooters for 2018–19. The Wiarton Schooners returned but folded midseason for the second consecutive season, and third consecutive midseason GMHL team folding in the town of Wiarton.
In 2019, the league added the Western Provinces Hockey Association (WPHA) as a Western Division in the GMHL for the 2019–20 season, which then rebranded as the GMHL West. The WPHA had played the previous season in the Western States Hockey League as the Provinces Division. The 2020 playoffs were then curtailed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and no champion was named. The following 2020–21 season did not take place as scheduled due to pandemic restrictions in Ontario and Quebec, with six teams playing only two games each in December 2020. The four teams in the GMHL West were able to play a partial season and a playoff in May 2021. In 2023, all teams from the GMHL West were removed by the league, which then formed their own league called the National Junior Hockey League (NJHL).
Teams 2026–27 teams Division Team Joined Location ArenaNorth Almaguin Spartans 2011 South River, Ontario Sundridge Strong Joly Arena Bradford Rattlers 2006 Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario BWG Leisure Centre Meaford Knights 2013 Meaford, Ontario Meaford & St. Vincent Community Centre Temiscaming Titans 2014 Temiscaming, Quebec Le Centre Tottenham Railers 2014 New Tecumseth, Ontario Tottenham and Community Fitness Centre Wasaga River Dragons 2024 Wasaga Beach, Ontario Wasaga Stars Arena Ville-Marie Pirates 2017 Ville-Marie, Quebec Olympia de Ville-Marie Arena West Nipissing Lynx 2010 West Nipissing, Ontario Sturgeon Falls ArenaSouth Bradford Bulls 2012 Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario Bob Fallis Sports Centre Brighton Vikings 2026 Brighton, Ontario King Edward Park Arena Durham Roadrunners 2015 Oshawa, Ontario Delpark Homes Arena Niagara Predators 2013 Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Meridian Credit Union Arena Orangeville Blitz 2026 - Alder Street Recreation Facility Northumberland Stars 2015 Cramahe, Ontario Keeler Center Richmond Hill Rampage 2024 Richmond Hill, Ontario Elvis Stojko Arena St. George Ravens 2013 Brant, Ontario South Dumfries Community Centre Toronto Flyers 2021 Vaughan, Ontario Paramount Ice Arena
2027–28 changes Almaguin announce new ownership. Returning the 2026-27 season Temiscaming Titans - Returning the 2026-27 season Niagara Predators - taking leave of absence Brighton Vikings - expansion franchise Orangeville Blitz - expansion franchise
Regular season champions Bolded are overall regular season champions. SeasonChampionW–L–T–OTLPts2006–07 Bradford Rattlers 37–1–0–4 782007–08 Bradford Rattlers 37–4–0–1 75 SeasonNorth ChampionW–L–T–OTLPtsSouth ChampionW–L–T–OTLPts2008–09 South Muskoka Shield 38–4–0–1 77 Innisfil Lakers 36–6–0–1 73 SeasonChampionW–L–T–OTLPts2009–10 Elliot Lake Bobcats 35–4–0–3 73 SeasonNorth ChampionW–L–T–OTLPtsSouth ChampionW–L–T–OTLPts2010–11 Elliot Lake Bobcats 38–2–0–2 78 Jamestown Jets 27–12–0–3 57 SeasonChampionW–L–T–OTLPts2011–12 Temiscaming Titans 38–3–0–1 77 SeasonNorth ChampionW–L–T–OTLPtsSouth ChampionW–L–T–OTLPts2012–13 Temiscaming Titans 35–6–0–1 71 Bradford Rattlers 42–0–0–0 842013–14 Seguin Huskies 39–1–0–2 80 Bradford Bulls 32–6–0–4 682014–15 Temiscaming Titans 36–5–0–1 73 Tottenham Steam 37–5–0–0 74 SeasonNorth ChampionPtsCentral ChampionPtsSouth ChampionPts2015–16 South Muskoka Shield 73 Tottenham Steam 82 Kingsville Kings 78 SeasonNorth ChampionW–L–OTLPtsSouth ChampionW–L–OTLPts2016–17 New Tecumseth Civics 37–5–0 74 Niagara Whalers 38–3–1 772017–18 Almaguin Spartans 31–11–0 62 St. George Ravens 38–3–1 772018–19 Bradford Rattlers 35–6–1 71 St. George Ravens 39–3–0 78 SeasonNorth ChampionPtsSouth ChampionPtsWest ChampionPts 2019–20 Temiscaming Titans 67 St. George Ravens 68 Slave Lake Icedogs 54 2020–21 Did not play due to the COVID-19 pandemic High Prairie Red Wings 36 2021–22 Temiscaming Titans 72 Durham Roadrunners 68 High Prairie Red Wings80 2022–23 Bradford Rattlers 78 North York Renegades 72 High Prairie Red Wings78 SeasonNorth ChampionW–L–OTLPtsSouth ChampionW–L–OTLPts2023–24 Bradford Rattlers 38–3–1 77 North York Renegades 35–5–2 722024–25 Bradford Rattlers 37–3–2 76 Northumberland Stars 31–9–2 64
Russell Cup playoff champions Bolded are overall champions, Italics are finalist.