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.[1]
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.
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.
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.
In the summer of 2010, the GMHL expanded in two fashions internationally. First, Canada's only All-Russian team[3] 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.[4] 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).[5][6]
Since 2009, the GMHL has had a mid-season prospect tournament. Generally, the top seven teams of the league compete in the tournament with an eighth team, the GMHL Selects representing the other teams in the league.
The 2012 tournament featured both the Bradford Rattlers and South Muskoka Shield being thrown out in the semifinal round. An incident, both on-ice and later off-ice, involving a player from each team and later two more players and a parent from one team entering the altercation, resulted in a police investigation[7] and one team refusing to continue. The league disqualified both teams after the game failed to continue.
Since the 2012 tournament, the league changed the format to a prospect weekend with no championship rounds.
League is formed with seven teams: Bradford Rattlers, Deseronto Thunder, King Wild, Nipissing Alouettes, Richmond Hill Rams, South Muskoka Shield, Toronto Canada Moose
2007–08
Deseronto Thunder become Deseronto Storm
League expands by six teams: Douro Dukes, Elliot Lake Bobcats, Espanola Kings, Innisfil Lakers, Tamworth Cyclones, Temiscaming Royals
Bracebridge Blues removed from schedule after playing five games and forfeiting a sixth.
Komoka Dragons folded after 12 games.
Orangeville Ice Crushers suspended operations in January. Three of the team's owners had been arrested for drug distribution in November 2016 and were suspended by the league. The league transferred control to another shareholder who ceased operations of the team after two months.
2017–18
Fergus Force granted membership as an expansion team. Folded after playing 16 games, all loses, with one credited win for a Wiarton forfeit.
Ville-Marie Pirates granted membership as an expansion team.
Wiarton Schooners granted membership as an expansion team. Folded after eight winless games and a 25–1 loss to the Knights of Meaford.
Toronto Attack removed from GMHL's list of teams on website.
Windsor Aces granted membership as an expansion franchise.
Wiarton Schooners returned to league after folding during the previous season. Folded again after 17 games played, and a 1–16 record, in 2018.[24]
2019–20
Bancroft, Ontario, was granted an expansion franchise with the Bancroft Rockhounds.[25]
Oshawa Riverkings sold and rebranded as Durham RoadRunners.[26]
Niagara-on-the-Lake Nationals folded after one season.
Tillsonburg Hurricanes ceased operations
Cold Lake Wings of Cold Lake, Alberta coming from the Western States Hockey League granted membership as an expansion team in the West Division.
Cold Lake Wings of Cold Lake, Alberta lost their lease in a dispute with the City of Cold Lake and became known as the Edmonton Academy Wings but were unable to obtain a satisfactory lease in Edmonton.
Edmonton Academy Wings of Edmonton, Alberta, former Cold Lake Wings, played as Edmonton Academy Wings umtil November 10, 2019 when they switched names to High Prairie Red Wings and played in High Prairie, Alberta.
High Prairie Red Wings of High Prairie, Alberta, former Edmonton Academy Wings moved to High Prairie part way through 2019-20 season.
Hinton Wildcats of Hinton, Alberta coming from the Western States Hockey League granted membership as an expansion team in the West Division.
Hinton Wildcats of Hinton, Alberta lost their lease in a dispute with the Town of Hinton and folded before the season started.
Northern Alberta Tomahawks of Enoch, Alberta granted membership as an expansion team in the West Division.
Rosetown Red Wings of Rosetown, Saskatchewan granted membership as an expansion team in the West Division.
Rosetown Red Wings of Rosetown, Saskatchewan were announced to move to High Prairie, Alberta but the Alberta Academy Wings seems to have moved there instead but played with Rosetown Red Wing uniforms.[27]
Slave Lake Icedogs of Slave Lake, Alberta granted membership as an expansion team in the West Division.
South Muskoka Shield was forced to suspended operations and put in dormancy with the option to return if new owners are found by February 1, 2024.[33]
Bancroft Rockhounds take leave of absence
New Tecumseh Civics not active
Windsor Aces take leave of absence
The entire GMHL West was removed from the league prior to the 2023–24 season. The Burns Lake Timbermen of Burns Lake, British Columbia; Edson Eagles of Edson, Alberta; Fox Creek Ice Kings of Fox Creek, Alberta; Gibbons Pioneers of Gibbons, Alberta; High Prairie Red Wings of High Prairie, Alberta; Kitimat Saax of Kitimat, British Columbia; Mackenzie Mountaineers of Mackenzie, British Columbia; and Northern Alberta Tomahawks of Enoch, Alberta; formed the National Junior Hockey League (NJHL). The Slave Lake Icedogs of Slave Lake, Alberta folded. The British Columbia teams plus the Northern Alberta Tomahawks folded prior to the NJHL season opening. Most, if not all, the West Division teams were owned by a closely related group.
