The Ontario Hockey Federation has announced that starting next season there will be open boarders across the province for age groups U10 and up for all levels. But it's not welcome news to everyone - and especially not to the Oakville Rangers.
What do these new "open border" rules mean, exactly?
It means that all players can play wherever they want and do not only have to play for teams in their direct vicinity.
So if you lived in Oakville, for example, and your child is in the U10 age group or older, and they wanted to play in Barrie instead of here...they now have full approval to do so - without breaking any rules.
There is also no limit to the amount of Oakville kids that can play on a Barrie team, or any other team.
This change was made by the choice of players and parents. The OHF believes that all players and parents should have a choice of where they want to play in order for a player to have the best chance at success.
This move will also include other minor hockey leagues such as the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA), the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) and the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA).
This move by the Federation is concerning to the Rangers organization and several other teams, according to a statement made by Oakville President John Verdon.
"Small town clubs will fold or be forced to amalgamate to survive. Families will be driving all over the place. Players will not be on teams with their neighbours and classmates," said Verdon.
"Families will not develop a bond with a group of other families. The list of concerns and downsides is long and not hypothetical. We need only look at much of the GTHL to see these sub-optimal minor hockey realities playing out everyday."
Many clubs in Ontario along with the Rangers are also extremely concerned by how fast this new ruling came to be and how the OHF has not given enough thought into the unintended consequences this will cause.
But the Rangers are adamant that they will not let this rule change bring down their program.
They believe that they have the best facilities in all of Canada and are determined to stay competitive among these new changes.
The Rangers organization wants to be "The Place To Stay" if you are a resident of Oakville and "The Place To Play" if you are a top player from around the province.