Ottawa BlackJacks Announce 2023 CEBL Regular Season Schedule

The Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced its 2023 regular season schedule Tuesday, consisting of 20 games beginning May 24. This year marks the fifth anniversary of Canada’s professional basketball league, and the fourth campaign for the BlackJacks, who were the first expansion franchise of the CEBL.

After a significant offseason for the league, Ottawa will compete against three new opponents this season, including the expansion Winnipeg Sea Bears, and two relocated teams: the Calgary Surge (formerly Guelph) and the Brampton Honey Badgers (formerly Hamilton).

The CEBL has announced a conference model of competition for its fifth season. The league’s 10 teams are divided into an Eastern and Western Conference. The Western Conference includes Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. The Eastern Conference includes Brampton, Montréal, Niagara, Ottawa, and Scarborough. 

Ottawa will play 10 home games at The Arena at TD Place in historic Lansdowne Park. The schedule is highlighted by five home games on Thursday nights, the most of any day in the week. The team has been given the honour of tipping off the entire CEBL season on May 24 when they play host to the league champions, and the team that defeated Ottawa, 76-72, in last year’s CEBL Championship semifinal, the Brampton Honey Badgers. The team will then visit its closest geographical opponents, the Montreal Alliance, before coming back to Ottawa to play back-to-back home games on May 30 and June 1 against Scarborough and Montreal, respectively.

After their first trip out west, the BlackJacks will play their only Saturday night game on June 17, the first of four match ups against the Niagara River Lions. Ottawa will play host to the Montreal Alliance for a second time on Thursday, June 22.

After three consecutive home games (June 27 to July 2), concluding with a Sunday afternoon matinee against the Winnipeg Sea Bears, Ottawa will embark on their longest road trip of the season July 5-14 when they will travel to Saskatchewan, Vancouver, Brampton and Scarborough. The regular season will come to an end at home on Thursday, July 27, against Vancouver.

In addition to world-class professional basketball, the BlackJacks have earned a name for itself by providing fans with exciting and eclectic entertainment from the moment doors open at the venue until the final buzzer. A slate of performers and fan engagement opportunities are being currently finalized by the front office.

The 2023 Championship Weekend takes place in Vancouver from August 11-13. Host Vancouver, along with the top-ranked team from the Eastern Conference, will automatically be seeded into the semifinals hosted at Championship Weekend.

The CEBL postseason will feature play-in games between the third and fourth-ranked teams in each conference. Winners will advance to the quarterfinals and play the second-best team of their respective conferences. The fifth-ranked team in each conference will be eliminated unless Vancouver places fifth in the west in which case the fourth-ranked west team will get eliminated. Quarterfinal winners in each conference will play their respective conference teams already seeded in the semifinals. The full postseason schedule will be revealed at a later date.

All games including playoffs will be live-streamed on CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, and on CEBL Mobile, the official app of the CEBL (available on Android and iOS devices). Nationally televised games will be announced in the near future.

CEBL free agency opens on Wednesday, February 1. The BlackJacks currently have 11 players on their 2023 protected list. BlackJacks Coach James Derouin will work with General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations Jevohn Shepherd to complete the 2023 coaching staff and roster ahead of the 2023 CEBL season.

Fans can now purchase 2023 BlackJacks season seat memberships and Flex Packs at theblackjacks.ca/tickets. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Ottawa BlackJacks Membership Services team directly at 613-690-0519 or by email at [email protected].

Highlights of the 2023 Ottawa BlackJacks season schedule

- 2023 CEBL season opener on May 24 features Ottawa at home against the reigning champion Brampton Honey Badgers.

- Ottawa plays every day of the week except Monday.

- Five home games on Thursday, the most of any day in the week.

- Four games against Niagara.

- Three games against Montreal, Ottawa’s closest geographical opponents.

- Three consecutive home games on June 27, June 29, and July 2.

- Two trips out west.

- Ottawa’s longest road trip of the season is four games in 10 days (July 5 to 14).

- The team will not host Calgary and Edmonton.

- The team will not travel to Winnipeg.

- Season home finale against Vancouver.