WELLINGTON – The selection committee made up of representatives from the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) and Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is proud to announce that the Wellington Dukes will host the 2014 Dudley-Hewitt Cup - Central Canadian Junior ‘A’ Championship from April 29 to May 3, 2014 at the Essroc Arena within the Welllington and District Community Centre.

The Dudley-Hewitt Cup is a round-robin tournament competition between the league champions of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), OJHL and Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL), as well as the tournament host, with the winner representing Central Canada at the RBC Cup, National Junior ‘A’ Championship.

This marks the fourth time an OHA/OJHL-based club has hosted the event since the round-robin tournament format began in 2003. The Dukes join the Georgetown Raiders (2005), Newmarket Hurricanes (2008) and Huntsville Otters (2011) as OHA/OJHL hosts. Wellington is also a two-time Dudley-Hewitt Cup champion, having won the event in 2003 in Fort Frances, Ontario and 2011 in Huntsville, Ontario.

Last season, the SIJHL champion Minnesota Wilderness defeated the OHA/OJHL champion St. Michael's Buzzers 4-3 in overtime of the championship game to claim the title. Overall the OHA/OJHL has won 20 Central Region titles, including 12 of the last 18 Dudley-Hewitt Cup tournaments.

"The Wellington Dukes have consistently been one of the OJHL’s most successful franchises since joining the OJHL in 1998-99," stated OJHL Commissioner Marty Savoy. “After successfully hosting the second annual Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge last season, the Dukes organization and its tremendous volunteer base have proven themselves worthy of hosting yet another spectacular event.”

“The OHA is once again excited to be a key component of the selection and hosting effort for the Dudley-Hewitt Cup,” stated Scott Farley, OHA CEO. “The OJHL and the Wellington Host Committee, in partnership with the OHA, will be able to showcase the best in Ontario in Junior ‘A’ Hockey. Fans will not want to miss the excitement.”

"It is an honour for me to be a part of this storied franchise (Wellington Dukes) at this time in its glorious history," said Dukes President Michael Mulvihill. "To be allowed to play a small role in bringing the Dudley-Hewitt Cup to Prince Edward County....I'm living the dream. Time to get to work."

"The County of Prince Edward is thrilled to be providing the facilities for the Dudley-Hewitt Cup," said Lisa Lindsay, Prince Edward County's Manager of Community Centres and Events Marketing. "Not only is this an opportunity to showcase our municipal arena at the Wellington and District Community Centre, but it's also an opportunity to boost community spirit while raising the profile of the Prince Edward County."

2014 Dudley-Hewitt Cup Tournament Ticket Packages are now available to all Wellington Dukes Season Ticket holders at a discounted price of $85.00 for all 8 games, including exhibition, regular season and Dudley-Hewitt Cup. Please contact the Dukes office at (613) 399-2292 or contact Team Executive member Betty Masterson at (613) 399-1573 for more ticket information.

Further information and announcements regarding the 2014 Dudley-Hewitt Cup will be forthcoming throughout the course of the 2013-14 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 23 member clubs. A proud member of the 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 the CIS, NCAA, CHL, Minor Pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL has had more than 130 commitments in 2012-13, including 54 NCAA Division I scholarships. For more information, visit www.ojhl.ca or follow us on Facebook (OJHLOfficial) and Twitter (@OJHLOfficial).

About the OHA
Founded in 1890 to govern amateur hockey in Ontario, the Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA currently has 115 teams and over 2,700 players in its jurisdiction. For more information about the OHA, please go to www.ohahockey.org. Follow us on Twitter as well @OHAHockey1.

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For further information;

Marty Savoy                                                 Stephen Boscariol                         Marty Abrams
Commissioner,                                             Development Coordinator                General Manager/Head Coach
Ontario Junior Hockey League                       Ontario Hockey Association            Wellington Dukes
905-919-3623                                               (519) 622-2402 ext. 7                     613-399-2924
msavoy@theojhl.ca sboscariol@ohahockey.org mabrams10@sympatico.ca