All posts by Randy Russon
Soo Eagles to NHL ref prospect
Former Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League defenseman Alec Austin is on the cusp of becoming a National Hockey League referee. …[read more]
Back in Rayside-Balfour
1997 birth year forward Tristan Simm is back with the Rayside-Balfour Canadians for a third season in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, HockeyNewsNorth.com has confirmed. …[read more]
Great North beginnings
One of the youngest players in the Great North Midget Hockey League will debut with the Soo Thunderbirds this weekend when the first-year minor midget entry plays the visiting Timmins Majors. …[read more]
NOJHL season underway
There were some good opening night crowds. There were some good starts for players, coaches and teams alike. The 2017-2018 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season is underway. …[read more]
Western Conference watchtower
To be sure, it is the toughest conference in Canadian major junior hockey. And while there are those who have already anointed the Soo Greyhounds as the team to be reckoned with in the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League, others should not be taken lightly. …[read more]
Choosing the Flint Firebirds
Highly-touted center Kyle Harris has opted to commit to the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League rather than choose from multiple National Collegiate Athletic Association overtures, HockeyNewsNorth.com has confirmed. …[read more]
Opening week in Great North
Opening whistles will sound in the Great North Midget Hockey League this weekend as the Soo Greyhounds, North Bay Major Trappers, New Liskeard Cubs and Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves all have home games. …[read more]
Opening week in the NOJHL
First pucks drop on a number of Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League rinks this week as regular-season play begins in the 12-member loop. …[read more]
Rayside set for start of season
As Rayside-Balfour Canadians will take to the ice for the start of the 2017-2018 regular season on Thursday night, the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League team has a late commitment from a rookie forward. …[read more]
Timmins takes Polar Bear title
Timmins Majors trimmed Soo Thunderbirds 6-3 in the title tilt of the AAA midget division of the second annual Cochrane Polar Bear Classic. …[read more]
Spirit sends Baber to T-Birds
Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League has assigned recently-signed 2001 birth-year forward Camaryn Baber to the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, HockeyNewsNorth.com has confirmed. …[read more]
Camping out with Wolves
Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League have signed four players while reducing their training camp roster to 27. …[read more]
Saginaw Spirit signs Soo boy
Sault Ste. Marie product Camaryn Baber has signed with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League, HockeyNewsNorth.com has confirmed. …[read more]
A goal for Camaryn Baber
Hard-nosed rookie Camaryn Baber did not hurt his chances of making the Saginaw Spirit as a 2001 birth year forward when he scored a goal in the Ontario Hockey League team’s annual Blue-White game that was played on Wednesday. …[read more]
Rayside to Charlottetown
1999 birth-year forward Cayse Ton is moving on from the Rayside-Balfour Canadians of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League to the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Major Jr. Hockey League. …[read more]
Time to show some Spirit
As August gets set to give way to September, roster spots are on the line throughout the Ontario Hockey League. In fact, the Saginaw Spirit will make player determinations tonight with its annual Blue-White match. …[read more]
Sicoly available for trade
Sault Ste. Marie native Nic Sicoly is moving on from the Guelph Storm after two full seasons with the Ontario Hockey League team, HockeyNewsNorth.com has confirmed. …[read more]
Trecroce to Sault College
Nick Trecroce has had a change of plans. Instead of moving on from the Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League to the Division 3, National Collegiate Athletic Association Morrisville State College Mustangs, Trecroce has opted for the Sault College Cougars of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. …[read more]
RBC deals Saginaw goalie
Rayside-Balfour Canadians of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have traded the rights of 2000 birth-year goalie Cameron Lamour to the Chatham Maroons of the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League. Lamour was a third-round pick of the Saginaw Spirit at the 2016 Ontario Hockey League draft. …[read more]
OHL teams like OHL grads
It can be said that the Ontario Hockey League does a pretty good job of taking care of its own when it comes to teams hiring coaches. …[read more]
Soo minor midget roster
HockeyNewsNorth.com has confirmed the roster for the new Soo Thunderbirds minor midget team that will debut as part of the nine-member Great North Midget Hockey League this 2017-2018 season. …[read more]
Espanola via Sudbury minors
Mark these down as a pair of high-end commitments. Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League has signed a dandy duo of 2001 birth-skaters who played for the Sudbury Wolves of the Great North Midget Hockey League last season. …[read more]
Soo connection to Sudbury
Sault Ste. Marie’s link to the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League has doubled over the course of the summer. …[read more]
Michigan rivalry in the OHL
They represent two gritty industrial towns while surrounded by the scenic splendor of mid and lower Michigan. Separated by about 35 exits along Interstate 75, Flint Firebirds and Saginaw Spirit are an emerging Ontario Hockey League rivalry. …[read more]
Two Wolves join the Attack
Sudbury Wolves have shipped veteran forward Alan Lyszczarczyk, overage goalie Zack Bowman and a conditional fourth round draft pick to the Owen Sound Attack. …[read more]
Soo T-Birds sign Cicchello
Tristano Cicchello, a 2001 birth year defenseman who starred for the Soo Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League last season, has signed with the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, HockeyNewsNorth.com has confirmed. …[read more]
Wolves get Nolan Makkonen
Sudbury Wolves and Guelph Storm have completed a major Ontario Hockey League trade involving defensemen Owen Lalonde and Nolan Makkonen and a bounty of high draft picks. …[read more]
Northern breeze
Holding steady with 12 teams and two divisions, they are taking to the practice ice preparatory to another Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season. …[read more]
Major plans for Great North
Incoming teams aside, there is one established club that may have more to prove than any other once the 2017-2018 Great North Midget Hockey League season gets underway. …[read more]
Big coup for Sault College
Sault College Cougars of the American Collegiate Hockey Association have landed one of the better defensemen from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. …[read more]
Express check-in via St. Louis
Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey has signed 6-foot-5, 200-pound forward Logan Fennema from the St. Louis Jr. Blues of the North American 3 Hockey League. …[read more]
Hounds track free agent
Ryan Roth, an American-born forward with a 2000 birth date, has committed to the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. …[read more]
Storm catches Cam Hillis
Better late than never. A year after being a second round pick of the Guelph Storm, forward Cam Hillis has committed to the Ontario Hockey League team for the coming season. …[read more]
Western Conference power
A powerhouse sector in 2016-2017, the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League is expected to be forceful again in 2017-2018. …[read more]
Sault College via Timmins
Defenseman Kevin Lanoix, who hails from the northeastern Ontario town of Timmins, has committed to the Sault College Cougars of the American Collegiate Hockey Association for the 2017-2018 season. …[read more]
Wolves add to local link
Sudbury Wolves have added yet another local product to their hockey operations staff with the hiring of Alain Valiquette as their new goalie coach. …[read more]
Major, minor issues up north
As first pucks are set to drop on the 2017-2018 Great North Midget Hockey League season in less than a month, there are issues of major and minor concern. …[read more]
Espanola Express via Tri City
Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League has signed 1999 birth-year forward Tyler Bourassa from the Tri City Hawks of the United States Premier Hockey League. …[read more]
Saginaw staff solidified
Two coaching vacancies from late July have now been filled and the upstart Saginaw Spirit has solidified its staff preparatory to the 2017-2018 Ontario Hockey League season. …[read more]
Safe hire for Saginaw Spirit
Read between the lines. Read within the lines. Read the messages clear. Any juxtapose aside, the hiring of Troy Smith as the new head coach of the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League is seen as a safe bet. …[read more]
Big Jace hops the Express
Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League has gone big to sign 6-foot-4, 215-pound defenceman Jace Pitawanakwat. …[read more]
Saginaw settles on Smith
Saginaw Spirit confirmed this morning what HockeyNewsNorth.com was first to report on Sunday — Troy Smith is the new head coach of the Ontario Hockey League team. …[read more]
Coach Troy Smith has Spirit
He is taking over an up-and-coming Ontario Hockey League team that is on the cusp of success. To be sure, Troy Smith is stepping into a good situation as the new head coach of the Saginaw Spirit. …[read more]
Saginaw to name new coach
As the Saginaw Spirit is positioned to rise as one of the up-and-coming teams in the Ontario Hockey League, it will name its new head coach on Monday. …[read more]
Soo Eagles add old scout
Seasoned scout Charly Murray has joined the staff of the Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, HockeyNewsNorth.com has confirmed. …[read more]
Sault College via Blind River
There is a multiple player connection between the Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and the Sault College Cougars of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. …[read more]
Big commit to Sault College
Power forward Tyler Brown, who has multiple seasons of high-level experience in the Quebec Major Jr. Hockey League, the Maritime Hockey League and the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, has committed to the Sault College Cougars for the 2017-2018 season. …[read more]
Polar Bear Classic coming up
Hosted by the Cochrane Crunch of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, the second annual Polar Bear Classic will be an expansion of the first, with a midget division added. …[read more]