All posts by Randy Russon
T-Birds deal Ty Doucette
Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have moved on from their third leading scorer in a trade deadline transaction.
…[read more]Espanola, Dryden make a deal
Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League has added a 20-year goalie from the Dryden Ice Dogs of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Big d-man heads to Dryden
Already the biggest team in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League, the Dryden Ice Dogs have added a 6-foot-4, 230 pound defenseman in a trade with the French River Rapids of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Walleye snags pair from Wolves
The first place team in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League has added two 19-year old forwards from the Saskatchewan Jr. Hockey League in a cash exchange.
…[read more]Eagles edge Wisconsin again
A buzzer beater goal by Jack Mortson with 10 seconds left in the third period — and overtime looming — lifted the Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League to a stunning 4-3 triumph over the Wisconsin Lumberjacks of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League in an inter-league exhibition match today.
…[read more]NOJHL, SIJHL at a glance
Storylines figure to be flush and flowing in both the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and Superior International Jr. Hockey League when the 2021-2022 season recommences.
…[read more]Birds down to two goalies
Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have whittled their goalie group to a pair of local puck-stoppers.
…[read more]Beavers are dam good
They are the epitome of sustained success as a small market franchise in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. And as they have been ever since hiring Kyle Brick as their head hockey honcho in 2016, the Blind River Beavers are once again an NOJHL contender.
…[read more]SIJHL returning to play
Having two teams that are based in the United States will allow the Superior International Jr. Hockey League to return to regular season game action next week.
…[read more]Wisconsin v. Soo Eagles
Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League will play host to the Wisconsin Lumberjacks of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League in a pair of exhibition games this weekend.
…[read more]Nick Porco on the Attack
Sault Ste. Marie native Nick Porco is on the move in an Ontario Hockey League trade, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Kam River goalie has school deal
The goalie with the best numbers in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League has a school commitment for the 2022-2023 season.
…[read more]Mario Culina back in the pros
Sault Ste. Marie product Mario Culina has left the hockey program at Brock University to sign with the Fort Wayne Komets of the minor pro ECHL, Hockey News North has confirmed. A former standout goalie in the Ontario Hockey League, the 24-year old Culina previously played in the ECHL during the 2018-2019 season before going to school.
…[read more]Good trades for all parties
In a perfect junior hockey world the best trades are the ones that benefit all who are involved. Case in point being recent swaps between teams from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, Superior International Jr. Hockey League and Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Big NOJHL-SIJHL trade
Elliot Lake Red Wings of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and Kam River Fighting Walleye of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League have completed a multi-player trade, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Beavers land Jake Kovacs
Skilled, medium size forward Jake Kovacs is back in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Resch on a rush to Red Lake
Red Lake Miners of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League have added an offensive minded, puck moving defenseman via cash transaction with the Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Centennial years in North Bay
They have a secure spot in the Ontario Hockey League history books as a quintessential small market franchise that was the frenzied talk of the town for many a cold winter. The Centennials were North Bay’s first OHL team, arriving from Niagara Falls in 1982 only to leave for Saginaw 20 years later.
…[read more]Cam Baber dealt to London
In a stunning move, the Saginaw Spirit has traded overage captain Camaryn Baber to the London Knights for a fourth round pick at the 2025 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]Fighting Walleye on the PK
Kam River Fighting Walleye only has the fourth best power play in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League with a 17.5 per cent efficiency. But the Fighting Walleye penalty kill ranks as the best among the seven teams of the SIJHL.
…[read more]Superior on the power play
Red Lake Miners have the best power play success rate of the seven teams of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League. And, to be sure, there are multiple engine parts to the high octane Red Lake PP.
…[read more]Hounds return with a win
They may have cancelled — or perhaps just postponed — the World Junior Championships but the Ontario Hockey League has returned to play in some venues, including Sault Ste. Marie.
…[read more]NOJHL power play production
There are three teams among the 12 members of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League that have a power play success ratio of better than 25 per cent.
…[read more]Czech into Flint
Import draft pick Simon Slavicek has signed with the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Tall boys on tap in Dryden
Suffice to say that they like ’em big up in Dryden. For starters, no less than 17 players on the current 24-man roster of the Dryden Ice Dogs of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League are at least six feet tall.
…[read more]Up and down in Elliot Lake
There have been bumps and bruises on what has been a winding road of new adventure for the Elliot Lake Red Wings of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Bright lights of Superior
A writer’s pick of eye-catching and under-the-radar performers and performances from the first segment of the 2021-2022 Superior International Jr. Hockey League season:
…[read more]Early years of OHA Hounds
It was 1972. I was still in high school at Sir James Dunn. I was also working 36 hours a week — 6 p.m. to midnight Monday to Friday and noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday — in the men’s bar at the Windsor Hotel. (Um, not being the scholarly type, I definitely preferred working and making money over attending regular classes at SJD.) 1972 was also the year that the Soo Greyhounds became members of the Ontario Hockey League as an expansion team.
…[read more]Solid as a Rock in net
Timmins Rock is atop the overall standings of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League with 48 points in 30 games and an .800 winning percentage from a record of 23-5-2. And as the Rock can light it up offensively, its goals against average of 2.36 is the best in the 12-team NOJHL.
…[read more]High, low levels of Superior
A form of disparity between the top four teams and the bottom three of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League is rather evident at the current stage of the 2021-2022 season.
…[read more]Soo teams lead the wild West
Soo Thunderbirds and Soo Eagles are one-two in the standings of the West Division with the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League on a holiday hiatus. But the Blind River Beavers and Sudbury Cubs are in close pursuit of the best of the West and the Espanola Express and Elliot Lake Red Wings cannot be taken lightly.
…[read more]Hearst to Sudbury
Seasoned skater Liam Doyle is on the move in a Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League future considerations transaction, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Up north in the OHL
Soo Greyhounds and North Bay Battalion are among the high achieving teams of the Ontario Hockey League ahead of the 2022 portion of the regular season slate. As for the OHL’s third team that is based in northeastern Ontario, the Sudbury Wolves have been a first half failure.
…[read more]Calem shows his local Spirit
Calem Mangone is home in Sault Ste. Marie for the Christmas holiday break. And the rookie right wing sensation with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League helped to spread some holiday cheer to an under 11 team in the Soo.
…[read more]Kam River in command
This is the feel good story of the 2021-2022 Superior International Jr. Hockey League season. That is, the newest competing member of the seven team league is in first place at the Christmas holiday break.
…[read more]The iconic Manitoulin Islanders
They won a mere fraction of the regular season games they played from 2005 to 2011. Yet, 10 years after their departure from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, the Manitoulin Islanders are still an iconic franchise, at least to me.
…[read more]Bailey Brkin gets AHL call
Utica Comets of the American Hockey League — the top farm club of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League — have confirmed that they have signed goalie Bailey Brkin to a tryout contract. The 22-year old Brkin is a former standout with the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League.
…[read more]Great North takes a break
Holiday season is here for the eight teams of the Great North Hockey League. And a return to play in 2022 will likely depend on a go-ahead from public health units in northeastern Ontario.
…[read more]Brkin is workin’ as a pro
He ended his junior career in style after moving from the Western Hockey League to the Ontario Hockey League and the Soo Greyhounds. And now at age 22, goalie Bailey Brkin is off to a good start in his first season of professional hockey.
…[read more]Dryden rides into the break
A record of 16-9-1 through 26 games will take the Dryden Ice Dogs into the Christmas holiday break with 33 points in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League standings.
…[read more]Old scout still loves the game
He is 70 years old and a cheerful, delightful fellow with plenty of colourful stories to tell from a lifetime in amateur hockey. And besides that, good guy Charly Murray still has much to offer in terms of time, experience, knowledge and a genuine love for the game, especially at the under 18, junior and college levels.
…[read more]Barnard boards the Express
Hard hit by several long-term injuries, the Espanola Express recently added a young forward via Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League trade with the top-ranked Timmins Rock.
…[read more]Dryden on a 10-game tear
It was a month ago and the Dryden Ice Dogs were at the 15-game mark of the 2021-2022 season and below the .500 level with a record of 6-8-1. But Dryden has since won 10 straight games to boost its record to 16-8-1 in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League standings.
…[read more]20-year old stars of Superior
They were all born in 2001. Which means as 20-year old players, they are all in their final season of Superior International Jr. Hockey League eligibility. And the way they are all playing at such a high level leads us to believe that their hockey careers will be far from over when the 2021-2022 season ends.
…[read more]Express gets back on track
A trio of newcomers and a saving relief effort have managed to help the Espanola Express to get back on the right track in the West Division of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Four-player NOJHL trade
Espanola Express and Sudbury Cubs have pulled the string on a Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League trade that involves four skaters.
…[read more]Good, old NOJHL coaches
It is a junior league that has been a hockey focus of mine for more than 20 years, from around the time that the Soo Thunderbirds became members in 1999. And among the folks who I have encountered and got to know while writing and commentating about the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League is a list of former head coaches.
…[read more]Hearst to Espanola
Alexander Christopoulos is getting a fresh start to his junior hockey career as a 2002 birth year forward.
…[read more]