The SOJHL was known as the OHA Junior Development Hockey League until the Summer of 2006. The OHAJDL was created from the merging of the Western Junior D Hockey League and the Southern Counties Junior D Hockey League and absorption of the folded Northern Junior D Hockey League. The league carries no official grading like other leagues in the OHA, and acts as the farm system for many local Junior B teams. The league has a long history and is the product of the many downsizings of classifications in the OHA.