OHL Appoints Darrell Woodley as Director of Hockey Development
May 23, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release
Toronto, ON - The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) today announced the appointment of Darrell Woodley to the role of Director of Hockey Development, a position crucial to the league's mission of growing and strengthening hockey in Ontario and across North America.
Woodley will oversee the development and implementation of the ongoing evolution of the Ontario Development Model and serve as the league's day-to-day liaison with key stakeholders including Hockey Canada, the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF), Hockey Eastern Ontario (HEO), Hockey Northwestern Ontario (HNO), the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), the province's various junior development leagues, minor hockey organizations and school sport hockey partners.
Woodley, who has worked as the OHL's Director of Central Scouting since 2011 and also has experience as a regional scout with Hockey Canada, is looking forward to the new opportunity.
"With a tremendous amount of change occurring across the hockey landscape, it's an exciting time to embark on a new challenge," said Woodley. "I've thoroughly enjoyed my time in the OHL as a player, coach, management team member, scout and employee at the league office and I'm looking forward to investing in the work of developing the best young players not just for the OHL, but also for Hockey Canada and its Program of Excellence."
A player for the Oshawa Generals and Barrie Colts from 1994-97, Woodley also served in roles as the Director of Player Development with the Colts starting in 2002, also serving as an Assistant Coach before joining the league office in 2011.
"Darrell brings a wealth of experience to this role," said OHL Commissioner Bryan Crawford. "He'll serve as the league's lead on the Ontario Development Model, and will seek to ensure that the development strategy reflects a unified vision for player growth, competitive balance and long-term success. His work will be important in the area of strengthening affiliation agreements between OHL clubs and junior development leagues such as the GOJHL, OJHL, CCHL and NOJHL among others."
Woodley will also oversee annual league events such as the OHL Cup, OHL Performance Development Program and the return of the Battle of the Border while also exploring opportunities to expand grassroots hockey development and diversity outreach programming.
Established in 1981, the OHL Central Scouting Department, of which Woodley was Director, has officially ceased operations as the OHL centres its attention on player development moving into the 2025-26 season and beyond. OHL member teams and their respective scouting departments will continue to identify talent at various levels of the game while the league office, with Darrell Woodley leading the effort, places a greater emphasis on the development of young players coming up through Ontario's hockey system.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from May 23, 2025
- OHL Appoints Darrell Woodley as Director of Hockey Development - OHL
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- Brantford Bulldogs Name Scouting Staff - Brantford Bulldogs
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