NEWS

Story written by Buffalo Jr. Sabres Social Media & Web Manager Melissa Kania - photo credit: Brian Watts/OJHL Images

The Ontario Junior Hockey League is holding its annual Governors’ Showcase this week at The Rinks at HARBORCENTER in downtown Buffalo, New York. The Buffalo Jr. Sabres are hosting this year’s showcase, the first to be held on American soil in the league’s history.

Over the course of the week, 22 regular season games will be played on HARBORCENTER’s First Niagara and New Wave Energy rinks. Each team in the OJHL will play two games in the Showcase, which kicked off Tuesday (Sept. 22).

The brand new HARBORCENTER (celebrates its one year anniversary in October) is a two-rink complex that also features a franchise restaurant (716), a custom Tim Hortons and a 12-story Marriott hotel. Also on-site are IMPACT Sports Performance, the Academy of Hockey and five levels of parking. The complex also connects via pedestrian bridge to First Niagara Center, home of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.

In addition to being home to the OJHL’s Jr. Sabres, HARBORCENTER also hosts NCAA Division-1 (Atlantic Hockey) Canisius College men’s hockey and the NWHL’s Buffalo Beauts, as well as specialized HARBORCENTER Cup Tournaments. In its brief one year history, the facility has already hosted premier events including the NHL Combine, the IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship and the IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Championship.

All of that combined makes it the perfect venue for hosting events like the OJHL Governors’ Showcase.

“It’s a first-class event, and we try to put things on at the best facilities, ones that are state-of-the-art,” said Marty Savoy, Ontario Junior Hockey Leage Commissioner.

“I don’t think there’s another building that can compare,” Savoy added, noting that the building's central location - in the heart of downtown Buffalo and just minutes from the Canadian border - also makes it an attractive venue for such events.

The Showcase annually draws scouts from NHL Central Scouting, the NHL, OHL and various American & Canadian colleges and universities.

At least 110 scouts checked-in for the first day of this year's Showcase, including representatives from the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues, several CHL teams, and a multitude of NCAA and CIS universities and colleges.

The Governors’ Showcase offers a chance for scouts to see potential recruits, as well as catch players already committed in action prior to their collegiate & university careers.

The host team of this year’s showcase, the Buffalo Jr. Sabres franchise, has been playing junior hockey since 1976 in various leagues, including the NYPJHL, North American Hockey League, Golden Horseshoe Hockey League and Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League.

Notable alumni of the franchise include current Buffalo Sabres’ captain Brian Gionta, as well as current and former NHL players Kevyn Adams, Bob Beers, Ryan Callahan, Jeff Farkas, Brian Glynn, Todd Krygier, Todd Marchant, Aaron Miller and Lee Stempniak.

Working in the Jr. Sabres organization, which oversees not only the OJHL team, but multiple levels of junior hockey squads - are many NHL alumni. That list includes Governor and Team President Larry Playfair, General Manager Michael Peca and Head Coach John Tucker.

It also includes Ric Seiling, the Jr. Sabres’ Board of Directors representative, who is quite familiar with HARBORCENTER. He also does play-by-play for the team on FASTHockey broadcasts and will soon work at the rink as a co-head coach of the NWHL’s Buffalo Beauts.

“This is one of the premier buildings in the league,” Seiling said, noting the two rinks, workout facilities and restaurants, along with the family-friendly environment that welcomes all ages.

The Ontario Junior Hockey League Governors’ Showcase continues through Thursday, September 24. Results for all games are available on the league’s website at www.ojhl.ca.