The Dudley-Hewitt Cup is the trophy awarded to the the Central Canada Junior A Champion. The trophy is currently decided by round robin tournament format, at the conclusion of the playoffs of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, and Superior International Junior Hockey League, to determine the central seed to the Canadian Jr. A Championship.
The Canadian National Junior A Championship and is competed for by teams within the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
The current format includes the champions of the OJHL, NOJHL and SIJHL and a pre-selected host city, but in the past has included the champions of the Central Canada Hockey League, Quebec Junior Hockey League, and even the champion of the Callaghan Cup (Atlantic Provinces).
HISTORY OF THE CUP
The trophy is named after George Dudley and W.A. Hewitt, two pioneers of amateur hockey in Ontario.
The 2002 Dudley-Hewitt Cup marked a new chapter in Ontario hockey history. Since the mid 1990's, the OPJHL and NOJHL squared off in a head-to-head series to determine the Central Canadian seed in the Royal Bank Cup. In 2001, a new Thunder Bay area league, called the Superior International Junior Hockey League was founded. Late in the 2001-02 season of the OPJHL and NOJHL, the CJAHL informed them that instead of a series the Dudley would be competed for through a round robin format.
FORMAT
The Copeland-McNamara Trophy champions of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, the Bill Salonen Cup champions of the Superior International Junior Hockey League and the Buckland Cup Champions of the Ontario Junior Hockey League compete in a round robin hosted by a pre-determined city to determine the Central Canadian Junior A Champion.
The winner of the Dudley-Hewitt Cup moves on to compete for the Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, Canadian Junior A National Championship.