FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OJHL ANNOUNCES FRANCHISE RELOCATIONS FOR COBOURG AND TORONTO AHEAD OF THE 2026-2027 SEASON
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO — May 29, 2026 — The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) announced today the simultaneous relocation of two member franchises, ahead of the upcoming 2026-2027 season.
Under the approved dual-relocation strategy, the Haliburton County Huskies will relocate to Cobourg, Ontario, to compete as the Cobourg Cougars out of the Cobourg Community Centre. Concurrently, the current Cobourg franchise will relocate to Toronto, Ontario, to compete as the Toronto Warriors out of Scotiabank Pond.
A mutual agreement between both ownership groups includes the formal transfer of the historic “Cobourg Cougars” brand and identity to the incoming Haliburton management team, who will also assume the arena tenancy agreement with the Town of Cobourg.
“Maintaining the current structural alignment was putting the operational and financial viability of both franchises at critical risk,” said OJHL Commissioner Marty Savoy. “This cooperative strategy serves the best interests of the OJHL. It preserves a historic, highly desirable hockey market in Cobourg under proven, experienced leadership, while simultaneously relocating a struggling franchise a vital fresh start in a resource-rich, premier Toronto market.”
As part of the relocation and standard league compliance protocol, the OJHL will work closely with Toronto Warrior ownership during the transition, conducting a comprehensive operational review to establish strict performance benchmarks and standards for the upcoming season.
About the OJHL – “League of Choice”
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior ‘A’ league operating under the auspices of the Canadian Junior Hockey League with 24 member clubs. A proud member of the CJHL and Ontario Hockey Association, the OJHL was originally named the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League and it was formed out of the Central Junior ‘B’ Hockey League in 1993-94. With a long and storied history of developing players for the next level, including U SPORTS, the NCAA, CHL, minor pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL had more than 135 commitments in 2024-25, including 54 to NCAA Division 1 and 29 to the Ontario Hockey League. In addition, the OJHL had 39 OHL Affiliate Players who played 152 OHL games. Thirty OJHL alumni were on NHL rosters at the start of the 2025-26 season.
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