The Toronto Patriots are a junior "A" ice hockey team from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Toronto Patriots
CityToronto, Ontario, Canada
LeagueOntario Junior Hockey League
Founded1996
Home arenaWestwood Arena
ColoursBlack, blue, sliver, and white
       
General managerBlake Ricci
Head coachVince Bellissimo
Franchise history
1996–1998Quinte Hawks
1998–2007Bancroft Hawks
2008–2009Upper Canada HC
2009–2011Upper Canada Patriots
2011–2014Toronto Lakeshore Patriots
2014–presentToronto Patriots
Current uniform

History

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Quinte (1996–1998)

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In 1996, the Quinte Hawks of Deseronto, Ontario were granted expansion into the Metro Junior A Hockey League.[1] David Frost was brought in to coach the team. Frost faced criminal charges in 2008 for his conduct for his time with the team,[2] but was acquitted.[3] Frost brought with him Mike Jefferson and Sheldon Keefe.[4] Although both would play in the National Hockey League, Jefferson (later changed to Danton) would become famous for a mysterious murder-for-hire plot that targeted Frost and landed him in prison.[5]

Bancroft (1998–2007)

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In 1998, the Metro Junior A Hockey League folded and merged with the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. The Hawks moved into the OPJHL but were relocated to Bancroft, Ontario.[6] In nine seasons, the Bancroft Hawks would never celebrate a winning season.[7]

In 2007, due to mounting troubles with finding appropriate ownership and supporting the team financially, the Bancroft Hawks were granted a leave from the Ontario Hockey Association.[8]

Upper Canada (2008–present)

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In the summer of 2008, a group of Toronto-based businessmen bought the rights to the Bancroft franchise,[9][10] renamed the team the Upper Canada Hockey Club and moved the team to the North York district of Toronto.[9] The club had a working relationship with Upper Canada College but was not directly affiliated. Despite owning the franchise that used to be the Hawks, no member of the UCHC was involved with the manifestations of the franchise in either Deseronto or Bancroft.

The Upper Canada Hockey Club's first game was an 8-5 loss to the Seguin Bruins on September 6, 2008.[11] The team's first win was at home against the Villanova Knights, 5-4 on September 14, 2008.[12] In 2009, the team changed their name to the Patriots and moved to the Etobicoke district of Toronto. Two seasons later they became the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots. In 2011, the Patriots had their best season yet when they finished third in the South Division and made it to the Conference Final, eventually losing to the Whitby Fury.

In 2014, the team dropped "Lakeshore" from its name. That season, the team won the Buckland Cup and Dudley Hewitt Cup. In 2015, the Patriots won the Buckland Cup for the second consecutive year. They advanced to the Dudley Hewitt Cup tournament but were eventually eliminated by the Fort Frances Lakers.

Season-by-season results

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Season GP W L T OTL GF GA P Results Playoffs
Quinte Hawks
1996-97 50 34 13 3 - 280 143 71 5th Metro A
1997-98 49 23 24 2 - 213 222 48 8th Metro A
Bancroft Hawks
1998-99 51 12 37 1 1 124 224 26 13th OPJHL-E
1999-00 49 18 25 3 3 177 221 42 7th OPJHL-E
2000-01 49 11 35 1 2 171 246 25 9th OPJHL-E
2001-02 49 16 26 5 2 184 209 39 8th OPJHL-E
2002-03 49 21 22 3 3 206 254 48 6th OPJHL-E
2003-04 49 21 24 2 2 194 230 46 6th OPJHL-E
2004-05 49 8 36 2 3 133 261 21 10th OPJHL-E
2005-06 49 11 35 1 2 144 282 25 9th OPJHL-E Lost Conf. QF
2006-07 49 6 39 3 1 134 269 16 10th OPJHL-E DNQ
2007-08 Did Not Participate
Upper Canada Hockey Club
2008-09 49 9 39 - 1 115 286 19 9th OJHL-P
Upper Canada Patriots
2009-10 50 15 31 - 4 163 244 34 9th CCHL-W DNQ
2010-11 50 28 20 - 2 179 184 58 4th OJHL-S Lost Round of 16
Toronto Lakeshore Patriots
2011-12 49 27 17 - 5 199 169 59 3rd OJHL-S Lost Conf. Final
2012-13 55 34 16 - 5 213 154 73 3rd OJHL-S
2013-14 53 35 12 - 6 196 145 76 1st OJHL-S Won League, won DHC
2014-15 54 35 18 0 1 185 134 71 1st OJHL-S Won League, lost in SF DHC
2015-16 54 18 28 1 7 177 158 44 5th of 6 South Div
9th of 11 SW Conf
18th of 22 OJHL
DNQ
2016-17 54 29 23 0 2 182 173 60 4th of 6 South Div
9th of 11 SW Conf
13th of 22 OJHL
Lost Conf. Quarters, 1-3 (B. Cougars)
2017-18 54 40 8 3 3 260 144 86 1st of 6 South Div
1st of 11 SW Conf
1st of 22 OJHL
Won Conf. Quarters, 4-0 (Flyers)
Won Conf. Semis 4-3 (Blades)
Lost Conf. Finals 3-4 (Raiders)
2018-19 54 30 22 0 2 201 197 86 3rd of 5 South Div
5th of 11 SW Conf
10th of 22 OJHL
Lost Conf. Quarters, 3-4 (Buzzers)
2019-20 54 31 17 1 4 225 191 67 2nd of 6 South Div
4th of 12 SW Conf
10th of 22 OJHL
Playoffs cancelled due to covid-19 pandemic
2020-21 Season cancelled due to covid-19 pandemic
2021-22 53 18 30 0 5 179 200 41 4th of 6 South Div
9th of 11 SE Conf
17th of 21 OJHL
Lost Conf. Quarters, 1-2 (Jr. Canadiens)
2022-23 56 29 19 2 4 189 171 64 6th of 11 SE Conf
11th of 21 OJHL
Lost Conf. Quarters, 1-4 (Huskies)
2023-24 56 22 27 3 4 157 207 51 9th of 12 West Conf
18th of 24 OJHL
Did Not Qualify for post season

Dudley Hewitt Cup

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Central Canada Championships
Winners of the NOJHL, OJHL, SIJHL, and host
Round-robin play with 2nd vs. 3rd in semi-final to advance against 1st in the championship game.

Year Round-robin Record Standing Semifinal Gold medal game
2014 W, Fort Frances Lakers 4–1
W, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 4–1
L, Wellington Dukes 3–5
2–1–0 2nd of 4 W, Fort Frances Lakers 6–0 W, Wellington Dukes 2–1
Dudley Hewitt Cup Champions
2015 OTL, Fort Frances Lakers 1–2
W, Dryden Ice Dogs 6–0
OTW, Soo Thunderbirds 4–3
2–0–1 2nd of 4 L, Fort Frances Lakers 4–6

Royal Bank Cup

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Canadian Junior A National Championship
Dudley Hewitt Champions – Central, Fred Page Champions – Eastern, Western Canada Cup Champions – Western, Western Canada Cup – Runners-up and host
Round-robin play with top four advance to a semi-final and the winners to the championship game.

Year Round-robin Record
W–OTW–OTL–L
Standing Semifinal Gold medal game
2014 L, Dauphin Kings 1–2
W, Yorkton Terriers 5–1
L, Carleton Place Canadians 2–4
OTL, Vernon Vipers 2–3
1–0–1–2 5th of 5 did not advance

Playoffs

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MetJHL Years

  • 1997 Lost semi-final
Quinte Hawks defeated Wellington Dukes 4-games-to-1
Third in round-robin quarter-final (4–2)
Aurora Tigers defeated Quinte Hawks 4-games-to-2
  • 1998 Lost quarter-final
Wexford Raiders defeated Quinte Hawks 3-games-to-none

Notable alumni

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Quinte

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References

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  1. ^ "Quinte Hawks". Officialgamepuck.com. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  2. ^ "The Frost Trial - Macleans.ca". Blog.macleans.ca. 2008-10-30. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  3. ^ Rosie Dimanno (2008-11-28). "David Frost acquitted of sexual exploitation charges | Toronto Star". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  4. ^ "Frost case a study in tragedy and farce". ESPN. 2009-08-06. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  5. ^ "CBC Sports Online: Indepth: The Mike Danton case". www.cbc.ca. Archived from the original on 29 May 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Bancroft Hawks". Officialgamepuck.com. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  7. ^ "Bancroft Hawks hockey team statistics and history at". Hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  8. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.ohahockey.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ a b "Community Online | Toronto News". Archived from the original on 2011-07-06.
  10. ^ "Newmarket motorcycle chief fed up with fellow riders' 'stupid speeds'". Yorkregion.com. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  11. ^ "Gamesheet: Upper Canada at Seguin - Sat, Sep 06, 2008". Opjhlleague.stats.pointstreak.com. 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  12. ^ "Gamesheet: Villanova at Upper Canada - Sun, Sep 14, 2008". Opjhlleague.stats.pointstreak.com. 2008-09-14. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  13. ^ "NHL Player Search - Player - Ryan Barnes". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  14. ^ "NHL Player Search - Player - Mike Danton". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  15. ^ "NHL Player Search - Player - John Erskine". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  16. ^ "NHL Player Search - Player - Sheldon Keefe". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  17. ^ "Rudi Ying". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
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