Jun 20, 2024 at 04:18 PM ETBryan Crawford was announced as the new commissioner of the OHL on Thursday, taking over from long-standing commissioner David Branch who had held the role since 1979.
Crawford takes over a 20-team league that hosts franchises throughout Ontario, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The OHL is one of three pillars of hockey development in Canada, along with the Western Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, and has had the most players drafted into the NHL since 1969.
Crawford maintains his priority is to hold up the OHL’s status as one of the premier hockey developmental leagues in the world while finding ways to grow and improve on its solid foundation. “We need to be aggressive to make sure we maintain our position by looking forward to improve and strengthening ourselves.”
Crawford pointed to his time with Golf Canada as an example of thinking outside the box in order grow interest in a sport without dismissing its traditions.