Plenty at stake in the NOJHL
There are heaps and leaps to play for — including ongoing development — in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League ahead of the end of the ’25-26 regular season schedule which is slated to conclude on March 15.
All teams play a 52 game regular season schedule, meaning there are about seven weeks left to play.
At the top, the two time reigning champion Sudbury Cubs are trying to hold off the relentless Timmins Rock. Sudbury has a narrow lead on Timmins but the Rock has four games in hand on the Cubs. Below Sudbury and Timmins are separate races.
Powassan Voodoos, Hearst Lumberjacks, Soo Thunderbirds and Espanola Paper Kings are in a four team saw off for third and fourth places — which leads to home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Then there is the matter of four teams fighting it out for seventh and eighth place, which are the final two playoff spots.
Firmly in the seventh slot — thanks to a surge that has them within range of the .500 mark after a terrible start to the season — are the Soo Eagles. The Eagles have opened up a decent lead on three teams who are within mere percentage points of each other in a frantic push for the eighth and final playoff spot — Blind River Beavers, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners and Iroquois Falls Storm.
Only the small market French River Rapids, despite the best efforts of ownership, management and the coaching staff, are all but eliminated from playoff contention.
DEVELOPING PLAYERS FOR THE OHL
As it has been on a consistent basis for many years now, the NOJHL represents a reputable development program for higher levels of the game, including the Ontario Hockey League.
Among the younger — as in 2008 and 2009 birth year — skaters who are OHL draft picks and continuing their development path in the NOJHL are forwards Mason Walker (Sudbury Wolves) and Ty Dubreuil (Windsor Spitfires) and defenseman Cole Wreggitt (Sudbury Wolves) of the Sudbury Cubs, defenseman Liam Watson (North Bay Battalion) of the Soo Eagles, forward Edan Etheridge (Saginaw Spirit) of the Timmins Rock, forward Danny MacDonald (Sudbury Wolves) of the Blind River Beavers, forward Adam Pszeniczny (Owen Sound Attack) of the Soo Thunderbirds, forward Owen Smith (North Bay Battalion) of the Espanola Paper Kings, forward Jax Pereira (North Bay Battalion) of the Powassan Voodoos, forward Theo Bourdon-Lemoyne (London Knights) of the Hearst Lumberjacks, et al.
Good stuff Randy