All posts by Randy Russon
Dmytruk and the Express
He has played the game at the junior A, major junior, Canadian university, minor pro and European pro levels and also has ample coaching experience. And now, Rob Dmytruk is offering his considerable knowledge to the Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Off season movement
There has been measurable, observable activity since the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League officially re-opened for business on June 1 ahead of the 2022-2023 season.
…[read more]Returnees to Kam River
A trio of 2002 birth year performers — a goalie, a defenseman and a forward — have opted to return to the Kam River Fighting Walleye of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League for the 2022-2023 season, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Marc Lafleur to the Q
Championship coach Marc Lafleur is moving up from the Powassan Voodoos of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Lang on the Kam River gang
High scoring forward Ethan Lang has opted to return to the Kam River Fighting Walleye of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League for his final season of eligibility, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Nolan Newton of the North
Sudbury Cubs of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have stayed in their own back yard to sign the 2021-2022 Northern Ontario Hockey Association player of the year. He is 2006 birth year forward Nolan Newton, who was a fifth round pick of the Barrie Colts at the 2022 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft from the Sudbury Nickel Capitals of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League.
…[read more]Express to Sioux Lookout
The newest team in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League has added a seasoned defenseman with prior experience in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]More roar for the Cougars
It may be summer. But fall and winter are what the Sault College Cougars have eyes on as they continue to commit to returning and incoming players ahead of the 2022-2023 men’s hockey season.
…[read more]Attack on the Voodoos
Powassan Voodoos of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have signed a prospect of the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League by way of the North Bay AAA Trappers of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League.
…[read more]Big d-man heads to Hearst
An inter-league cash transaction has landed the Hearst Lumberjacks of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League a good size defenseman.
…[read more]Eagles sign two Ontario boys
A pair of highly touted Ontario born skaters have been swooped up by the Michigan-based Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Five Eagles off to school
Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League continue to be a program that consistently moves players to the collegiate level of school and the game.
…[read more]Hall of fame at Sault College
He is as down to earth a person as there is in the hockey world. He has never made the game about himself and is known to always credit success to the team over any individual. He is long time, former Sault Ste. Marie under 18 hockey coach Mike Hall, who is now the head master of the men’s program at Sault College.
…[read more]Express route to Hearst
New Liskeard product Adam Shillinglaw has had his Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playing rights transferred, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Rismond to Powassan
Utilizing their affiliation with the North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League, the Powassan Voodoos of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have signed defenseman Tyson Rismond. A 2006 birth year skater, Rismond played for the Sudbury Nickel Capitals of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League in 2021-2022.
…[read more]Double duty for Dent
It is now official. Ted Dent will carry on as both general manager and coach of the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League.
…[read more]Firebirds to Rock
A top goalie prospect of the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League is slated to develop with the Timmins Rock of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League for the 2022-2023 season, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Dog days of school
Many players at the junior A level have aspirations to move on to go to school and play college hockey. And that is what several graduates of the Dryden Ice Dogs of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League have signed up for effective the 2022-2023 school season.
…[read more]Birds boss reflects on big season
Cole Jarrett could not have envisioned what would transpire in his debut season as part owner and head coach of the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. Not only did the Thunderbirds finish atop the standings of the 12-team NOJHL with a regular season record of 38-5-5 but they pulled off an epic comeback to win the league playoff championship.
…[read more]Busy on the Beaver dam
Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League absolutely made a whopper of a splash with the recent signings of three young high end players — a defenseman, a forward, and a goalie — from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League.
…[read more]Beavers add Majors d-man
Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have signed three more rookies ahead of the 2022-2023 season, Hockey News North has confirmed. Included in the trio is 2005 birth year defenceman Tucker McConnell-Fritz from the Timmins Majors of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League.
…[read more]T-Birds trade talented tender
He is on the move from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League champion Soo Thunderbirds to the Lindsay Muskies of the Ontario Jr. Hockey League in a cash exchange. After a spectacular 2021-2022 rookie season, 2004 birth year goalie Noah Metivier is leaving town.
…[read more]Muswagon chooses Sault College
Yet another seasoned skater from the Dryden Ice Dogs of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League has made a commitment to the Sault College Cougars of the Division 2, American Collegiate Hockey Association for the 2022-2023 season.
…[read more]Aboflan opts for Blind River
A third member of the 2021-2022 Great North Under 18 Hockey League champion Soo Jr. Greyhounds has signed with the Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Beavers deal with Walleye
Ryan Doucette will stay at home to play junior hockey for the 2022-2023 season. Doucette has been acquired by the Kam River Fighting Walleye of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League from the Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Blind River to Timmins
Goalie Patrick Boivin is on the move in a Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League trade that has been confirmed by Hockey News North.
…[read more]Beavers are keen on Kallo
Yet another graduate of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League has signed with the Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Burns signs with Blind River
It would appear that the Blind River Beavers are set in the net ahead of the 2022-2023 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season.
…[read more]SIJHL MVP is off to school
Maxime Collette is taking his considerable scoring skills to the Division 3, National Collegiate Athletic Association level.
…[read more]Blind River to Sudbury
Sudbury Cubs have made a move to solidify their veteran goal-keeping presence following the graduation of prime time puck-stopper Joel Rainville.
…[read more]OHL Firebirds to AHL Marlies
Goalie Luke Cavallin, who backstopped the Flint Firebirds to their most successful season in franchise history, has signed a pro contract.
…[read more]New bunch for Crunch
Tom Nickolau has made several staff additions ahead of his second full season as president and head coach of the Cochrane Crunch of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Let the trades begin
Junior hockey is officially open for business ahead of the 2022-2023 season. Multiple transactions involving teams from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have received the proper approval.
…[read more]‘We are the North!’
Team Northern Ontario showed the opposition from the Greater Toronto Area and other Southern Ontario centres who was boss at the recent Draft Day Hockey Inc. Prospects Tournament for 2008 birth year players. Made up of players from Sault Ste. Marie, Blind River and Greater Sudbury, Northern Ontario won all five of its games to emerge as champions of the elite event.
…[read more]Scenes from the SIJHL
It was an uneven 2021-2022 season in which teams played varying numbers of games including one league member that called it quits mid way through the schedule. Still, there were teams and players in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League that rose to different forms of prominence.
…[read more]New conductor on the Express
Jason Rapcewicz has hired an experienced asset for the hockey operations department of the Espanola Express.
…[read more]Good vibes of the NOJHL
It was a 2021-2022 campaign capped by successive seventh and deciding playoff games of epic entertainment. And there was no scarcity of regular season fanfare in a Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League where eight of 12 teams were clear-cut contestants and younger players were prominent performers.
…[read more]Baby Birds lacked experience
The fact that the Soo Thunderbirds went winless in losing all four of their games at the recent 10 team, Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship tournament only tells part of the story.
…[read more]Spirit catches Lincoln Moore
Saginaw Spirit has wasted little time in signing Garden River First Nation product Lincoln Moore to an Ontario Hockey League standard player contract.
…[read more]Set in net is a good bet
It starts with the starting goaltender. As it generally does with a junior A level hockey team. And as the Wisconsin Lumberjacks look to add on and build from this past season into the next one they have the makings of being set in net with holdover Kyler Lowden as the no. 1 goalie.
…[read more]Sault Major names coaches
As part of its elite program, the Sault Major Hockey Association has confirmed a number of head coaches ahead of the 2022-2023 season. They are as follows.
…[read more]The life and times of Lenny
He is a character like few others with an upbeat personality, a devilish smile and a motor of a mouth. He is also a winner and has taken his high wire act as a coach and general manager from the North of Superior Hockey League to the Greater Metro Hockey League to the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League to the Central Canada Hockey League. He goes by the name of Ryan Leonard but is simply — and affectionately — known as Lenny to many in the junior hockey world.
…[read more]Flint continues to motor
This is an unprecedented playoff run for the Flint Firebirds. Now into the third round of the 2022 post season, Flint had never won a single playoff series before in an Ontario Hockey League franchise history that began in 2015.
…[read more]Bright light on Red Lake
A brace of levelling losses has the Red Lake Miners winless through their first two games of the Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship tournament in Estevan, Saskatchewan.
…[read more]Zeppa shines on big stage
Soo Thunderbirds have lost both games to begin the Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship tournament in Estevan, Saskatchewan. The Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League champs lost to the Summerside Capitals of the Maritime Hockey League on Friday despite a big game performance from goalie Noah Zeppa.
…[read more]Teleco Cup assertion
Three junior A hockey teams have committed to the Teleco Cup pre-season tournament that is slated for September 9-11 at Norwest Arena on the outskirts of Thunder Bay. They are one team from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and two from the Superior International Jr. Hockey League including the host Kam River Fighting Walleye.
…[read more]Frenzy of the Fighting Walleye
If there is a model for success for a junior A hockey franchise in its first full season then just take a look at the Kam River Fighting Walleye. Besides a first place finish during the 2021-2022 regular season as the new kids on the block in the seven member Superior International Jr. Hockey League, Kam River — along with the established Dryden Ice Dogs — topped the attendance chart, well above the rest.
…[read more]Good ways of the NOJHL
More and more it has become a league of choice and course of action for players from across Canada and into the United States. It has men who coach for a living, rather than as a sideline. And the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League has parity as evidenced by the fact that seven of its 12 teams finished above the .500 mark — and an eighth came in a mere game below it — during the 2021-2022 regular season.
…[read more]