All posts by Randy Russon
Crunch time for Keaston
A character kid with a work ethic to match, rookie defenseman Keaston (Sticks) Blais has been acquired by the Cochrane Crunch from the Hearst Lumberjacks in an exchange between the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League cohorts, Hockey News North has confirmed.
An ever-improving, hard-working, right-hand shooting defender with a late October, 2002 birth date, Blais spent the past two seasons with the Timmins Majors of the Great North Under 18 AAA Hockey League.
…[read more]Small market sidekicks
It seems fitting that the Espanola Express and French River Rapids are matched as cohorts, at least through the early going of the 2020-2021 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season.
Not only are Espanola and French River small market franchises with a combined population of just over 7,500 inhabitants, the two towns are separated by a mere 90 miles of highway.
And besides that, both the Express and Rapids came into the NOJHL together as expansion teams back in 2015.
…[read more]Reaction to new way of play
For the foreseeable future at least, this is the new norm for the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
Modifications and restrictions relative to body contact and as per public health officials, the Ontario Hockey Federation and the NOJHL itself, the northern junior loop is adapting its style of play to the Covid-19 pandemic.
All in all, reaction to the new style of play from those who responded, when asked, by Hockey News North has been refreshingly positive.
…[read more]Birds, Beavers set to skate
Here we go.
Nearby rivals separated by a mere 80 or so miles, Soo Thunderbirds and Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League are among those who are back in business.
Following a series of exhibition matches — including a pair between the Soo and Blind River — the NOJHL as a league is slated to begin regular season play this weekend, including a home and home series between the Thunderbirds and Beavers.
…[read more]Sault boy boards the Express
There is another Sault Ste. Marie lad who has left home to play junior A hockey down the road in Espanola.
That is, Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League has added 2001 birth year defenseman Jordan Ritchie, Hockey News North has confirmed.
Ritchie joins fellow Sault boy Cole Delarosbil on the Espanola roster.
…[read more]Back in the game
A pair of exhibition contests have marked the return of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League to game activity.
Along with the rest of amateur hockey across the nation, the NOJHL had been dormant from game play since shutting down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Friday night return to play features included a 5-4 overtime win by the visiting French River Rapids over the Espanola Express and the Soo Thunderbirds scoring a 6-1 home ice verdict over the Blind River Beavers.
See below for photos via Chelsea Solomon in Espanola and Bob Davies in Sault Ste. Marie.
…[read more]NOJHL exhibitions begin
Under strict, modified guidelines relative to COVID-19, the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League will return to play tonight. A pair of exhibition games will make up tonight’s slate, Hockey News North has confirmed via the NOJHL.
…[read more]NOJHL is returning to play!
Junior ‘A’ hockey is soon to return to northeastern Ontario.
Having received the go ahead from the various public health officials, the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League is set to begin the 2020-2021 regular season this month.
With safety precautions and guidelines in place, first pucks are poised to drop on the 2020-2021 campaign, including slated exhibition action between the Soo Thunderbirds and Blind River Beavers this weekend.
…[read more]Getting ready to play up north
The restless hands of time are ticking towards the return of good level hockey in northern Ontario.
As Hockey News North was first to report last week, the Northern Ontario Hockey Association’s Great North Under 18 AAA League has been approved for a modified version of play by public health officials representing the various districts.
And the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League will soon make official its return to play format to begin the 2020-2021 season.
…[read more]SIJHL is returning to play
Junior hockey is back in business in northwestern Ontario.
To be sure, the Superior International Jr. Hockey League has confirmed that is has received approval from Hockey Northwestern Ontario, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and the Northwestern Health Unit to begin play on a modified basis.
To that end, the SIJHL has set up a slate of exhibition games ahead of an anticipated regular season schedule.
…[read more]New scouting gig for Soo boy
As a medium size defenseman at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Mike Dawson made it to the Ontario Hockey League through hard work and perseverance.
A seventh round pick of the Kingston Frontenacs from the Soo Legion midgets at the 1990 priority selections draft, Dawson went on to play three full seasons in the OHL.
He later played five seasons of Atlantic Canada university hockey in total at both Acadia and St. Mary’s followed by two years of pro hockey in Holland and another in the minor pro, Central Hockey League.
Now 47 years of age, the Sault Ste. Marie product has taken his work ethic and knowledge of the game to an ongoing full-time scouting position in the National Hockey League.
…[read more]Great North going cohort
Less is better than nothing.
In this case, the Northern Ontario Hockey Association’s Great North Under 18 AAA League has been approved for a modified version of play by public health officials representing the various districts, Hockey News North has confirmed.
To be sure, it is a return to play — albeit in cohort form relative to the coronavirus pandemic that has shut down amateur hockey across Canada since March of this year.
…[read more]T-Birds tag another Doucette
Oh, brother.
Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have signed 2001 birth year defenseman Jacob Doucette, Hockey News North has confirmed.
Doucette will join his younger brother, 2004 birth year forward Tyson Doucette, in the Thunderbirds lineup when the NOJHL begins the 2020-2021 season in November.
…[read more]NOJHL is on ice; OHL is not
This is a statement of fact relative to the coronavirus and two levels of junior hockey in Ontario.
That is, the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League does not have to take a lead from the Ontario Hockey League as it pertains to a return to play for the 2020-2021 season.
Because folks, as the OHL will remain in a shutdown until the new year, the majority of the teams in the NOJHL have been on the ice since the middle of September in the form of skills, drills and in-house scrimmages.
…[read more]Angelo Bumbacco passes away
Sault Ste. Marie and its wide ranging hockey family has lost an absolute legend of the game.
Hockey News North has confirmed that the iconic Angelo Bumbacco has passed away at the age of 88.
Born and raised in the Sault, Bumbacco was to undergo hip surgery on Tuesday but he died before going into the operating room, according to a family member.
…[read more]On the NHL ‘watch list’
A pair of former Great North Midget Hockey League opponents and a scoring star from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League are on the radar of the National Hockey League’s central scouting department.
They are among a few hundred prospects who are on the ‘preliminary players to watch list’ ahead of the 2021 NHL draft.
The list is a compilation of top prospects from all the major development leagues throughout North America and Europe. It will be updated throughout the season as scouts further evaluate the players.
…[read more]Birds add well traveled skater
Ryan Williams has a new junior hockey home.
Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have obtained the 2001 birth year forward from the Richmond Royals of the Central Canada Hockey League 2 in a cash exchange.
…[read more]Nine NOJHL teams are active
They have been holding skill sessions and non contact scrimmages while waiting and hoping for the first pucks to be dropped on the 2020-2021 season.
Nine of the 11 teams that make up the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have been together since as far back as the latter part of September while following the various public health protocols relative to the coronavirus pandemic.
And thus far there have been no health incidents reported as the waiting game for a potential return to play in the NOJHL continues.
…[read more]Toms in training with T-Birds
He has the ‘natural athlete’ bloodlines from the Pettenuzzo side of his mom’s family.
And his dad is a very driven individual who went from being a 13th round draft pick to become an Ontario Hockey League star and from being a ninth round draft pick to play in more than 235 games in the National Hockey League.
A budding prospect and a good athlete in his own right as a third round pick of the Soo Greyhounds at the 2020 OHL priority selections draft, 2004 birth year defenseman Connor Toms is currently skating with the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]T-Birds nab Soo boy Novello
Yet another local product has caught the eyes of the Soo Thunderbirds.
Ethan Novello, a 2003 birth year forward, has signed a Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League card with the Thunderbirds, Hockey News North has confirmed.
Novello is known for his work ethic, something that Thunderbirds general manager Trev Zachary alluded to, in correspondence with Hockey News North.
…[read more]Junior hockey’s return to play
Could this be the beginning of more junior hockey action?
The news that the 12 teams representing the Saskatchewan Jr. Hockey League have been cleared for an immediate return to the playing of games might be taken as good news for the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
As the province of Saskatchewan has relatively few cases of the coronavirus, so too does northeastern Ontario, where 10 of the NOJHL’s 11 teams are located.
…[read more]T-Birds add to their net
Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have solidified their goalie tandem ahead of the 2020-2021 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season.
Thunderbirds general manager Trev Zachary has confirmed the acquisition of 2001 birth year net minder Alex Bugeja from the Fort Frances Lakers of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League.
Zachary referred to the 5-foot-10, 190 pound Bugeja as “a very good goalie with focus and work ethic.”
…[read more]Eagles in flight with few vets
Soo Eagles have a fresh faced look to them with no less than 18 newcomers to the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League who have been signed by president and general manager Bruno Bragagnolo.
Still, the Eagles do have a sprinkling of time tested veterans for coach Doug Laprade and his staff to look to for leadership and experience over the course of the 2020-2021 season.
…[read more]Busy slate for Soo Eagles
Ice time aplenty, in the form of practices and games, is underway for one area junior A hockey team.
To be sure, exhibition matches against high level opponents are on the agenda for the Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League over the next few weeks.
A pair of home games against the powerhouse United States National Team Development Program under-17 squad will be followed by two road trips and then another set of contests within the friendly confines of Pullar Stadium in the Michigan Soo.
…[read more]Practice time at Soo Pee Wee
Restrictions relative to the coronavirus have delayed the start of the minor hockey season as it pertains to the actual playing of league games.
But, for instance, in Sault Ste. Marie, teams in the various age categories have been holding weekly practice and skill sessions and scrimmages that are organized and under the watchful eyes of coaches.
Soo Pee Wee Hockey League has put together teams in age categories that include under 7, under 9, under 11 and under 13.
…[read more]No contact beats no hockey
Remember the days, not so long ago, when fighting was such a big and entertaining part of junior hockey and goons and enforcers were just as popular — maybe more — than the skilled players?
Well, fighting is now a very small part of hockey to the extent that when a scrap breaks out, it almost looks awkward, not to mention foolish.
And as players and coaches and fans have adapted to the sharp decline in fighting, they can probably similarly adjust to hockey without contact for as long as the coronavirus remains the health risk that it currently is.
…[read more]Working the Knight shift
If you don’t like, appreciate, or respect the London Knights, you might want to skip this story.
That is, Luke Evangelista is just the latest example of how the Knights develop their hockey players the London way.
The 2002 birth year forward went from a whitewash of an Ontario Hockey League rookie season with the Knights in 2018-2019 to becoming a second round National Hockey League draft pick of the Nashville Predators in 2020.
…[read more]Local talent a T-Bird priority
When the Soo Thunderbirds were admitted into the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League back in 1999, the locally operated franchise had a firm mandate.
Led by Sam Biasucci and several other Sault Ste. Marie business people, the Thunderbird owners vowed to be a haven for local products who were ready to move up from the town’s minor hockey and high school hockey ranks.
To be sure, Biasucci et al stayed true to form for the first couple of years of the Thunderbirds existence in the NOJHL. And later, when Pat Egan and Al Jones took over as operators and moved on from Jim Capy to Toots Kovacs as their head coach, the Thunderbirds were again made up of 95 to 100 per cent local players.
…[read more]Ex-NOJHLer drafted to NHL
This looms as a feel good story.
Speedy forward Phillipe Daoust, who skated for the French River Rapids of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League as a rookie during the 2018-2019 season, has become a National Hockey League draft pick.
The 6-foot, 165 pound Daoust, who has a November, 2001 birth date, was a surprise pick of the Ottawa Senators in the sixth round of today’s NHL draft.
…[read more]Junior hockey variances
Return to play scenarios for junior hockey in Ontario are contrasts in distinction.
For example, while teams in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and the eastern Ontario based Central Canada Hockey League are on the ice holding drills that vary from skill sessions to non contact scrimmages, members representing the Ontario Hockey League remain in a dormant state relative to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both commissioner Robert Mazzuca of the NOJHL and CCHL commander in chief Kevin Abrams are maintaining a wait and see attitude as they keep in touch with public health officials and their respective governing bodies while overseeing their respective leagues during these unprecedented times.
…[read more]New assistant in Espanola
One of the highest scoring — and, pound for pound, toughest — forwards to ever skate in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League is returning to his roots.
Hockey News North has confirmed that 51-year old Shawn Dubois has joined the Espanola Express as an assistant coach under new bench boss Brent Hughes.
A local resident who is originally from the nearby, Highway 17 town of Blind River, Dubois now works in the Espanola area as a sales person.
…[read more]They call him Captain Kovacs
Dunaújvárosi Acélbikák Steel Bulls have named veteran defenseman Bronson Kovacs their team captain for the 2020-2021 season.
Based in Central Hungary, the Steel Bulls are part of the Erste Liga professional hockey league.
The 2020-2021 campaign, which begins shortly, will mark the sixth season of pro hockey in Hungary for Kovacs, who is a 30-year old native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
…[read more]Birds all over the Rhodes
Soo Thunderbirds are just one of a number of teams in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League who have recently hit the ice ahead of the upcoming season.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, no one can say with any degree of certainty when the 2020-2021 NOJHL season will begin, even in the form of exhibition matches.
Still, the majority of teams in the 11-member NOJHL have been holding non contact skill and drill sessions as health and safety precautions are being observed relative to COVID-19.
…[read more]A flock full of local Birds
In true homegrown fashion, the Soo Thunderbirds have already signed 11 — yes, 11 — local skaters ahead of the 2020-2021 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season.
…[read more]Skills, drills on the Express
Second year skater Cole Delarosbil is taking to the approach of his new coach.
Delarosbil, a 2001 birth year forward from Sault Ste. Marie, was responding to being asked by Hockey News North how the first week of the skills and drills camp of the Espanola Express went under new bench boss Brent Hughes.
The 38-year old Hughes was hired as head coach of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League team earlier this summer after three straight winning seasons as an assistant with the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Major Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Nice local look for T-Birds
Scout local. Stay local. Play local.
The current operators have got it down pat.
Most recently, it was confirmed that Tyson Doucette, a 2004 birth year forward, is moving up from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League to the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Soo T-Birds stay local
Tyson Doucette, a 2004 birth year forward, is moving up from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League to the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Mauro boys in Beaver dam
They are a pair of high performance players with speed and a smart skill set.
And they just happen to be siblings.
To be sure, a brother act is prepared to take the stage for the Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
As in, Devin Mauro will join his older brother Justin Mauro in Blind River for the upcoming NOJHL season.
…[read more]Birds go Young in the net
Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have a new goalie. Hockey News North has confirmed the signing of a new Bird in the nest, er, net.
…[read more]Hockey is back in town
Across Canada, return to play guidelines are either in place or about to be observed as players in various levels of hockey are back on the ice.
As an example, minor hockey is back in Sault Ste. Marie, at least in the form of organized team sessions that have been slated at various local rinks.
…[read more]Flint deals with London
Once a Knight, now a Firebird.
Flint Firebirds have acquired highly touted forward Sahil Panwar in an Ontario Hockey League transaction with the London Knights.
Flint has transferred its fourth round pick at the 2021 OHL priority selections draft to London in exchange for the 6-foot-1, 180 pound Panwar.
…[read more]Net gain for Espanola
Goalie Owen Willis, a 2018 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft pick of the London Knights, has signed with the Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
Willis, who has a late 2002 birth date, was London’s 13th round pick in 2018.
The 6-foot-3, 175 pound Willis tended twine for the Toronto Titans under-18 team in 2019-2020.
…[read more]T-Birds sign two Soo boys
A pair of local products have flapped their way into the Bird nest, Hockey News North has confirmed.
Parker Morgan, a 2000 birth year forward, and Kaden Dundas, a defenseman with a 2003 birth date, have signed up to play for the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]T-Birds add Timmins d-man
Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have acquired smart, skilled 2001 birth year defenseman Cameron Dutkiewicz in a cash exchange.
A Timmins native, the 6 foot, 190 pound Dutkiewicz spent the 2019-2020 season with the Renfrew Timberwolves of the Central Canada Hockey League 2 division.
He netted four goals, 11 assists, 15 points in 40 games for Renfrew.
…[read more]OHL to Austria pro league
A durable, honest, hard nosed, two way right winger has turned three full seasons in the Ontario Hockey League into a professional contract in Austria.
Daylon Groulx, who would be going into his overage season in the OHL, has instead opted to turn pro as a 20-year old.
The 6 foot, 185 pound Groulx finished up his OHL career with the Ottawa 67’s in 2019-2020 after being acquired from the Owen Sound Attack for three draft picks.
…[read more]Bibby boards the Express
Destination, Espanola.
A 15-year old youngster who was chosen at the 2020 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft has signed with the Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
He is left winger Luke Bibby, a 13th round draft pick of the Owen Sound Attack from the Brantford 99ers under-16 team.
…[read more]Beavers give Jameus a shot
After originally committing to the Soo Eagles, Nick Jameus has instead signed with the Blind River Beavers.
A 2002 birth year forward, Jameus spent his rookie, 2019-2020 season in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League with the Elliot Lake Wildcats.
Elliot Lake has taken a leave of absence from the NOJHL for the 2020-2021 season.
…[read more]Express train runs north
No less than seven players with northeastern Ontario roots could very well be impact performers for the Espanola Express this season.
All are veterans with prior experience in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League who just might be a part of the Express having its first winning season in a franchise history that began in 2015.
Espanola is coming off of a 2019-2020 season in which it posted a record of 17-34-5 in sneaking into the West Division playoffs for the first time since its inaugural 2015-2016 NOJHL campaign.
…[read more]