Shanahan's 11-Point Plan to Fix Ontario Junior Hockey

Ottawa's junior hockey community is about to see some of the biggest changes to the sport's structure in years, after former Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan handed Hockey Canada a sweeping 11-point plan to fix how men's junior hockey works across Ontario.

A review years in the making

Shanahan, a Hockey Hall of Famer who spent 11 years as president of the Maple Leafs until 2025, was asked by Hockey Canada back in January 2026 to take a close look at junior hockey across the province. He delivered his findings on September 25, 2026: a formal report with 11 recommendations for how the game should be run.

The review wasn't a quick once-over. Part of the motivation was also practical: junior leagues have had to navigate recent changes to NCAA eligibility rules that now offer more playing opportunities to 19 and 20 year olds, and Ontario's junior system needed a clearer plan for adapting to that shift.

The 11 recommendations

Among the changes Shanahan is proposing:

• Create an executive role at Hockey Canada specifically to oversee men's junior hockey in Ontario
• Separate the governance and delivery of men's junior hockey from minor hockey
• Establish an Ontario men's junior hockey advisory committee
• Allow 16 and 17 year old players to register with eligible teams across the province without geographic restrictions
• Adopt playing rules consistent with the Ontario Hockey League across all men's junior leagues
• Develop a standardized billeting policy for players living away from home
• Require education consultants in all men's junior hockey leagues
• Create a player pathway hotline through Hockey Canada
• Expand programs that help players build careers after their playing days end

Taken together, the recommendations point toward a more centralized, standardized system, one where a player's experience doesn't depend heavily on which league or team they end up with.

Hockey Canada wants to move fast

Hockey Canada president and CEO Katherine Henderson said the organization is eager to start implementing the changes as early as this winter. "We are just as optimistic as he is for the future of men's junior hockey in Ontario, and we are eager to implement his recommendations as early as this winter as we continue to strengthen the experience for players and their families," Henderson said.

Shanahan, for his part, framed the recommendations as a direct reflection of what he heard on the ground. "The 11 recommendations reflect what we heard from individuals across the province, and I am hopeful that once implemented, men's junior hockey in Ontario will be even more athlete- and development-focused, as well as having clearer pathways for players and their families to navigate," he said.

Why it matters in Ottawa

For Ottawa families with kids working their way up through junior hockey, several of these recommendations hit close to home. The push to loosen geographic registration restrictions for 16 and 17 year olds could also open up more options for local players looking at teams outside their immediate region.

With Hockey Canada targeting implementation as soon as this winter, Ottawa's junior clubs, leagues, and billet families may not have long to wait before some of these changes start showing up in how the game is run locally.

Sources: TSN, CP24 (Canadian Press)