All posts by Randy Russon
Goalie goes 1st to Spitfires
Windsor Spitfires added to their depth at the goalie position by taking Michael Newlove with the first overall pick at the 2024 Ontario Hockey League under 18 supplemental draft.
…[read more]On to the NOJHL finals
And now there are two. It will be the Sudbury Cubs from the West Division and the Powassan Voodoos representing the East Division in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League championship series.
…[read more]Kucher kid is in like Flint
Carter Kucher has spent the past two seasons more than 400 miles away from his Sault Ste. Marie home developing with teams in the Greater Toronto Hockey League.
…[read more]North Channel to OHL Spitfires
There are feel good stories aplenty in the hockey world. And this just could be another one in the making. It deals with a young goalie who started out playing hockey in the little farm town of Echo Bay — located 30 miles or so outside of Sault Ste. Marie — for a house league team called the North Channel Lightning.
…[read more]Sault ties to the OHL draft
They played here. They played there. Regardless of where they performed during the 2023-2024 season, eleven players with 2008 birth dates from Sault Ste. Marie came away with a notable presence at the recently completed Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]MacDonald to the Wolves
Sudbury Wolves have taken forward Danny MacDonald from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League in the 15th round of the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]Liam Watson to North Bay
North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League has picked defenseman Liam Watson of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League in the 13th round of the 2024 priority selections draft.
…[read more]Cam Ingram to Windsor
Goalie Cam Ingram, who hails from the Sault Ste. Marie area town of Echo Bay, has become the Ontario Hockey League property of the Windsor Spitfires.
…[read more]Soo boys in the 11th round
Two Sault Ste. Marie lads who ventured out of town to play during the 2023-2024 season were picked in the 11th round of the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]Walker is a ninth rounder
High scoring forward Mason Walker of the Sudbury U16 Wolves of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League has become the property of the Sudbury after being picked in the ninth round of the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]Brady Real is a draft pick
Defenseman Brady Real of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League has become the property of the Niagara Ice Dogs after being picked in the eighth round of the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]Hounds take James Elliott
Sault Ste. Marie product James Elliott is the property of his hometown Soo Greyhounds. A small size forward, Elliott was taken by the Hounds in the seventh round of the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]Wreggitt is an OHL pick
Cole Wreggitt of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League has become the property of the Sudbury Wolves after being nabbed in the fourth round of the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]Blonda is a first rounder
Sault Ste. Marie product Luca Blonda has become the property of the Sudbury Wolves after being plucked in the first round of the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]Headrick is a first rounder
Garden River First Nation product Evan Headrick has become the property of the Kitchener Rangers after being nabbed in the first round of the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]Rossetto is a 3rd rounder
Sault Ste. Marie product Nik Rossetto has become the property of the Brantford Bulldogs after being snagged in the third round of the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]Sudbury Cubs off to finals
Back to back playoff series conquests of the Soo Thunderbirds and Blind River Beavers have the Sudbury Cubs headed to the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League championship series.
…[read more]Spitfires are setting it up
The flight plan of the Windsor Spitfires is in ascent. The Spitfires, who missed the Ontario Hockey League playoffs in 2023-2024 after finishing in first place in the Western Conference in back to back regular seasons, have taken a big step ahead to next season by choosing 6 foot 5, 235 pound left winger Ethan Belchetz with the first pick of the 2024 OHL priority selections draft.
…[read more]Northern lights on OHL draft
There has been moderate representation from the Northern Ontario Hockey Association branch relative to players being picked at recent Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft proceedings.
…[read more]Clock ticking on OHL draft
The restless hands of time are clicking towards the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft that will be staged on Friday and Saturday of this week.
…[read more]Marson stands out for Hounds
Soo Jr. Greyhounds were outshot, outscored and generally outplayed by the powerhouse Waterloo Wolves in their opening night match at the Central Region Under 18 AAA Hockey Championship Tournament at the Northern Community Centre.
…[read more]Silver for U13 AA Jr. Hounds
TIMMINS — Soo Jr. Greyhounds gave the powerhouse host Timmins North Stars a mighty scare in the title tilt of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association Under 13 AA Tournament of Champions that was held here on the weekend.
…[read more]Hounds, Spirit on the horizon
This has become an intense, heated, hot blooded and extraordinary rivalry between two prime time Ontario Hockey League teams that are separated by the International Bridge, Mackinac Bridge and 240 miles in total.
…[read more]Western Conference sweeps
London Knights, Saginaw Spirit and Soo Greyhounds have all punched their tickets into the second round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs following opening round sweeps in the Western Conference.
…[read more]Plausible OHL draft plums
D-Day is looming. As in Ontario Hockey League draft day. Make that days. And two players from Sault Ste. Marie who headed to Pittsburgh to play in the Jr. Penguins AAA elite program this season are being projected as feasible first –or at least second — round picks at the April 12-13 OHL priority selections draft.
…[read more]Props to the Paper Kings
Their season ended in a junior hockey heartbreak. Espanola Paper Kings held a 3-1 playoff series lead on the favoured Blind River Beavers only to lose the next three matches including the seventh and deciding game.
…[read more]Beavers await the Cubs
Two teams that combined for 180 points during the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League regular season will face off in the West Division playoff finals. It will be the no. 1 seed Blind River Beavers up against the second seed Sudbury Cubs.
…[read more]Beaver fever in Blind River
Blind River Beavers are moving on to the finals of the West Division of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League. Before a packed house of more than 550 fans at the Blind River Community Centre, the top seed Beavers capped a frantic series comeback over the fourth ranked Espanola Paper Kings today in the seventh and deciding game.
…[read more]Hounds hike to series lead
They did not show dominance. But there was determination. And after escaping Game 1 of their best of seven, opening round, Ontario Hockey League playoff series with a narrow 4-3 decision over the Guelph Storm, the Soo Greyhounds skated to a more decisive 4-1 verdict over the visitors in Game 2.
…[read more]Cubs clinch … bye, bye Birds
Sudbury Cubs have completed a playoff series comeback over the Soo Thunderbirds. Backed by a second successive shutout by goalie Noah Metivier — a Sault Ste. Marie product no less — the visiting Cubs blanked the Thunderbirds 4-0 tonight to take the opening round, best of seven Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League series four games to two.
…[read more]Nothing quite like a Game 7
Blind River Beavers have forced a seventh and deciding game in their opening round, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series with the Espanola Paper Kings.
…[read more]Rock around the playoff clock
Reigning champion Timmins Rock has become the first team to proceed to the second round of this year’s Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoffs.
…[read more]U16, U18 Jr. Hound coaches
Sault Ste. Marie is poised to be represented by both Under 16 and Under 18 teams as members of the AAA level Great North Under 18 Hockey League effective the 2024-2025 season. And the head coaches of both programs are already finalizing their staffs ahead of the ’24-25 campaign.
…[read more]1st round OHL playoff forecast
Opening face-offs in the 2024 Ontario Hockey League playoffs are slated to take place tonight. And following are one writer’s opening round predictions as to how the best of seven series will play out.
…[read more]Spitfires to pick first overall
Windsor Spitfires have won the Ontario Hockey League draft lottery. The Spitfires will select first overall at the upcoming April 12 OHL priority selections draft.
…[read more]Along the NOJHL playoff path
Four more more games were played on the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League’s first round playoff slate on Tuesday.
…[read more]U12 to U15 AAA go interlocking
It is being lauded as additional and increased competition. That is, AAA level teams from the Under 12 to Under 15 age groups that represent the Northern Ontario Hockey Association will play games outside their region as part of an interlocking schedule effective the 2024-2025 season.
…[read more]Spitfires not bad in between
WINDSOR — Between a bad start and a bad finish the Windsor Spitfires were not a bad team in the middle of this season. But after finishing atop the Western Conference standings the previous two seasons, the Spitfires failed to qualify for the Ontario Hockey League playoffs this time around.
…[read more]Paper Kings up on Beavers
First week of playoffs in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League are in the books. And of the four first round sets, Espanola Paper Kings are the only lower seeded team with a series lead.
…[read more]Best of the Great North
Timmins Majors are the playoff champions of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League following a 2-1 title tilt triumph today over the host Sudbury U18 Wolves. Meanwhile, the GNU18HL has confirmed its award winners for the 2023-2024 regular season.
…[read more]On to the OHL playoffs
What a difference one year can make. Twelve months ago the Soo Greyhounds were ending a lousy Ontario Hockey League season in which they missed the Western Conference playoffs by a wide margin with a mere 55 points from a record of 20-33-15.
…[read more]EL Vikings … against all odds
There are times when sports — in this case junior hockey — is not about wins and losses. In the case of the Elliot Lake Vikings of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, this is a story of survival — not to mention perseverance, courage, strength, commitment and dedication in the face of adversity.
…[read more]Evans aids victorious Vipers
Sault Ste. Marie product Gage Evans played a noteworthy role for the Windsor LaSalle Vipers in their recent Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League opening round playoff series triumph over the arch rival Chatham Maroons.
…[read more]OHL playoff perspectives
Post season play in the Ontario Hockey League is looming. And writers and broadcasters and super fans are busy listing who they think is going to come out on top and join the host Saginaw Spirit as the two OHL teams at this year’s Memorial Cup tournament.
…[read more]Back to back for Lady Cougars
Sault College Cougars have repeated as national champions of the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s Division 2 women’s program.
…[read more]Dearing boys and Gartshore
Three members of the AA Under 18 Soo Jr. Greyhounds made impressions as affiliate players when the Blind River Beavers and Espanola Paper Kings faced off in a recent Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League game.
…[read more]Hounds set up for playoff run
Fear The North. That is the slogan that the Soo Greyhounds have taken on and are boosting ahead of the looming Ontario Hockey League playoffs.
…[read more]Flint clicks playoff ticket
They have clinched the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League. And with five games to play in the regular season, the Flint Firebirds could still finish as high as fifth place.
…[read more]