Hockey Canada is the national governing body for amateur hockey in the country. The organization works in conjunction with the 13 member branches, the Canadian Hockey League and U Sports in growing the game at all levels. Hockey Canada oversees the management of programs in Canada from entry-level to high performance teams and competitions, including world championships and the Olympic Winter Games. Hockey Canada is also Canada's voice with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
Within Hockey Canada, there are 13 branches; three of which are in Ontario. Hockey Eastern Ontario (formerly Ottawa District Hockey Association, or ODHA) is the governing body of Amateur Hockey within its boundaries, which include the counties of Renfrew, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville (except the town of Gananoque) and all parts east within Province of Ontario. HEO manages the competitive Junior programs and also minor hockey (formerly Ottawa District Minor Hockey Association, or ODMHA).
For women's hockey, please see the Ontario Women's Hockey Association website.
For District 4, there are currently seven minor hockey associations:
The HEO Minor hockey programs are divided into two groups: House League (where regular season and playoff games are played within the District), and Competitive, which play in leagues that span across districts within HEO Minor. The leagues that District 4 participate in include:
The participating age levels include:
For HEO AA and A levels, the Ottawa Valley Silver Sevens represent all seven associations from District 4 for the following age groups:
The Ottawa B League District 4 participating clubs include:
The participating age levels include:
HEO Minor's District 4 operates the Lanark Carleton Minor Hockey League for its seven associations to participate in. The participating age levels include: