Welcome Letter | Information | Education | Coaching Staff
City of Belleville|Official OHL Player Information Website
Draft Information
Bulls History and Tradition:
The Belleville Bulls will celebrate their 28th season in the OHL in 2008-2009. In their previous 27 seasons they have missed the playoffs just twice. This season the Bulls have reached the OHL Championship and will participate in the 2008 Memorial Cup this May in Kitchener. The Bulls have played an exciting brand of hockey in Belleville throughout the years that has helped them win an OHL Championship in 1999 along with multiple division titles and have numerous players win scoring titles. 60 Bulls players have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft since their inception including 10 first round picks.
52 players who played in Belleville have gone on to play in the NHL including three time Stanley Cup Winner Darren McCarty, former all-star defenceman Al Iafrate, budding star Jason Spezza, and the NHL's leading goal scorer in 05-06 Jonathan Cheechoo. In total, 14 former Bulls played in the NHL during the 07-08 season.
Click here for more information on the Bulls history and tradition
The OHL Advantage:
Playing in the OHL means playing in one of the top development leagues in the world. 25% of all players on active NHL rosters played in the OHL and over the past 30 years an average of 50 OHL players have been taken in each NHL Entry Draft. In the 2007 NHL Entry Draft 14 OHL players were selected in the first two rounds.
The OHL and CHL put on a series of special events throughout the season to help raise the profile of the players in the league. These events include: ADT Canada-Russia Challenge, Home Hardware CHL-NHL Top Prospects Game, the OHL All-Star Classic and the MasterCard Memorial Cup. Many of these events are shown nationally on Rogers Sportsnet. In addition to these events, many players in the OHL have the opportunity to represent their country at the World Under-17 Challenge, World Under-18 Championships, and World Junior Championships held around the world annually.
Media Exposure:
Media exposure for the Ontario Hockey League and the Belleville Bulls is at an all-time high. During the 2007-2008 regular season, 62 of the Bulls 68 games were televised locally on Cogeco and were available across the province on the OHL Action Pak through either Cogeco or Rogers Television. All Bulls games are also available on the radio on CJBQ 800 and are streamed online at bellevillebulls.com. Video streams of all games are also available from the OHL on a pay per view basis.
The Bulls receive nearly daily coverage in the Belleville Intelligencer throughout the season with many of those articles available online. bellevillebulls.com is also updated extensively with news and updates throughout the year and a free e-newsletter is available for exclusive content on players, upcoming games, and alumni.
Facilities:
The Belleville Bulls practice and play at the Yardmen Arena at the Quinte Sports Centre. The Yardmen Arena is the only Olympic sized ice surface in the OHL and seats 3,257 fans. In 2006, Belleville played host to the Bell OHL All-Star Classic. The arena is located in the city of Belleville just one km south of the 401 and is just a short drive from Quinte Secondary School.
The Bulls have complete video, training, medical, and equipment repair available on site to maximize efficiency. The recently renovated dressing room and players lounge make the Yardmen Arena an attractive and inviting place to practice and play throughout the season.
The OHL continues to grow in popularity and players can expect to play in front of big crowds throughout the season. During the 07-08 season more than three million fans watched OHL hockey. While playing in the OHL, each player has all of their equipment provided as well as having access to full-time coaches and physical therapists. Players are also provided state of the art training equipment and methods.
