Next year the GOJHL will look a lot younger, with a rule change that limits the number of 20-year-olds that can play on a given team.
Teams have voted in favour of setting the cap at nine over-age players for each roster. The change also comes with some stipulations. If a 20-year-old played for a CHL team as of January 10, 2015, he counts as two over-agers for his GOJHL team. If however, that player had originally been in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League before moving up, he still counts as one.
"We felt it would align us a little bit better with the development of our players," says GOJHL Commissioner Chuck Williams. "As well as put us in line with what all the Junior A leagues do throughout Canada."
Williams adds the decision was overall well-received by the league's teams.
"Some teams had questions about rules and we tweaked it a little bit. We had a couple of different scenarios and this is the one we came up with. It seems to fit best for our league."
The Chatham Maroons ended this season with nine over-agers. As it stands now, they have four current players who will be 20-years-old heading into the 2016/2017 campaign.
