January 14, 2022, Mississauga, ON – The Ontario Junior Hockey League and the OJHL Foundation announced today the expansion of the OJHL Foundation’s First Assist Program, sponsored by the Legacy Foundation, to support mental health, life skills and wellness. Member OJHL hockey clubs can now access the program virtually. The online option will also soon be available to alumni across the 22-team league. 

The OJHL Foundation’s First Assist Program is a life skills and mental wellbeing program created by mental health experts specifically designed for players at the junior hockey level.  The program has been delivered each season in the OJHL since its inception in 2018.  This year, the program has been revised to allow for both in-person and virtual sessions and all resource materials have been updated accordingly.  

“In these unique and constantly changing times we are fortunate for the relationship and the great work being done by the Coping Center and their team,” said Scott McCrory, Chairman of the OJHL Foundation.  “Our players, team staff and executive, as well as our OJHL alumni, know that if they need help, they have it through the First Assist Program. We thank the generous contributions of the many donors to the OJHL Foundation, including the Legacy Foundation, the main sponsor of the First Assist Program, as the program has proven very effective since our inception, including during these last few trying years.”

The First Assist Program is designed to allow for open discussion. It focuses on how players' mental health can be impacted and how this can translate into performance on and off the ice.  The focus is on stress and highlighting the importance of stress in successfully overcoming challenges. Throughout the program, players learn the connection between mental wellness and mental toughness and learn new skills for supporting mental toughness and reducing stress.

The First Assist Program has trained and added new facilitators to the fold and plans to initiate new First Assist training sessions online for OJHL alumni. Details of the new sessions, including information on accessing them, will be released once the plans are finalized in the coming weeks.

“Over the past four years, we have seen the impact that First Assist has had on our players,'' said Rebecca Pister, PHD, Program Developer with the First Assist Program. “For some, it has been an opportunity to learn something new, for others it has been a chance to share their own fears and concerns in a safe environment, and for some, First Assist has provided them with the skills and resources they needed to reach out and seek life-changing mental health supports.”

For more information on the OJHL Foundation or to donate, please go to www.ojhlfoundation.ca

About the OJHL Foundation – “Developing Young Men Through the Sport of Hockey”

The OJHL Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation based in Mississauga, Ontario Canada.  Proceeds raised are invested directly in the core mandates of the organization.

The OJHL Foundation is designed to provide support for financially disadvantaged junior hockey players, create and provide education bursaries and scholarships, raise heath and concussion awareness and implement programs on mental wellbeing, depression, substance abuse and bullying for all players of the OJHL. 

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 22 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 125 commitments in 2019-20– including more than 45 NCAA Division I scholarships.