June 24, 2024
Three Ontario Junior Hockey League alumni are 2024 Stanley Cup champions.
Evan Rodrigues (Georgetown Raiders), Nick Cousins (Trenton Hercs) and Ryan Lomberg (North York Rangers, Upper Canada Patriots) are members of the Florida Panthers.
Rodrigues assisted during the Panthers’ 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Cup final in Sunrise, Florida Monday night.
Rodrigues played two full seasons with Georgetown. Cousins and Lomberg were affiliate players in the OJHL from their minor hockey teams.
It’s the first Cup title in Florida franchise history.
The Panthers won the first three games of the series. The Oilers won the next three, setting up Monday’s winner-takes-all game.
The Oilers had seven ex-OJHLers on their 2024 playoff roster:
- Zach Hyman (Hamilton Red Wings)
- Connor Brown and Darnell Nurse (St. Michael’s Buzzers)
- Evan Bouchard (Oakville Blades)
- Cody Ceci (Peterborough Stars)
- Sam Gagner (Milton IceHawks)
- Corey Perry (Peterborough Bees)
Oilers assistant general manager Bill Scott was an intern with the Stouffville Spirit of the OJHL while attending high school.
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. The OJHL is the home of the 2024 Centennial Cup national champion Collingwood Blues. 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 has had more than 45 NCAA Division I scholarship commitments already this season.
