Jr. Hounds split with Trappers
Coach Guy Blanchard and his under 16 North Bay Trappers managed a weekend split of two games against the visiting under 18 Soo Jr. Greyhounds in Great North Under 18 Hockey League action.
…[read more]Mangone makes his mark
It didn’t take Sault Ste. Marie product Calem Mangone very long to begin a statistical history with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League.
A rookie forward with a 2004 birth date, Mangone earned an assist in his first regular season game in the OHL and then tallied his initial goal in a Saginaw uniform in his second career match as the Spirit split a two game opening weekend set with the visiting Erie Otters.
…[read more]Garden River to North Bay
Local lad Landon Jones has landed in North Bay and made the lineup of the under 16 Trappers of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League.
Hailing from Garden River First Nation just outside Sault Ste. Marie, Jones, who is a speedy forward with a 2006 birth date, earned a spot on the U16 Trappers that are coached by the legendary Guy Blanchard.
…[read more]U18 Hounds home to TB
Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League will play host to the Thunder Bay Kings of Hockey Northwestern Ontario in a three game exhibition series this weekend.
…[read more]Hendo has three hockey hats
Suffice to say that Jamie Henderson will be spending a lot of time in the various rinks of the north over the course of the 2021-2022 hockey season.
A Sault Ste. Marie native known for his thoroughness and relentless attachment and devotion to the game, Henderson has three diverse roles with three different teams in three separate hockey leagues.
…[read more]Here are the U18 Greyhounds
Head coach Jamie Henderson has confirmed the roster for the 2021-2022 edition of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League.
…[read more]New Liskeard to Espanola
Up and coming young defenseman Adam Shillinglaw is ready to board the Express train to Espanola from his hometown of New Liskeard.
That is, Shillinglaw is poised to move up from the New Liskeard Cubs of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League to the Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]It’s all about the Show
Hockey dreams have turned into one aspect of reality for a number of youngsters with northern Ontario roots and associations.
As 30 players from 18 different Ontario Hockey League teams were selected at the recent 2021 National Hockey League draft, a number of them have a connection to the Great North Under 18 Hockey League and the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Traffic on the Express route
Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League has made a flurry of player moves with the small market team making notable additions ahead of the 2021-2022 season.
The transactions involve teams in the Superior International Jr. Hockey League and Ontario Jr. Hockey League as well as the signings of three players from the Great North Under 18 Hockey League and another incoming rookie from Brantford.
…[read more]Net gain for Espanola
He is staying in the north.
Rookie goalie Patrick Boivin has signed with the Espanola Express of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Majors go for Walker
Homegrown product Kevin Walker will serve as the head coach of the Timmins Majors of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League for the 2021-2022 season.
Majors general manager Ron Holmes confirmed the appointment of Walker.
…[read more]Saginaw signs Soo skater
Wow. That didn’t take long.
A mere week after taking Calem Mangone with the second overall pick of the first round of the 2021 Ontario Hockey League under 18 draft, the Saginaw Spirit has signed the Sault Ste. Marie product to a standard player contract.
…[read more]EL Red Wings go local
Alexandre Antoine is staying home to play junior hockey for the 2021-2022 season, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]High on Mangone, Barone
What a difference a year can make.
After being looked over and bypassed through the entire 15 round, 2020 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft, two blossoming players from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds evolved to become top six picks at the three round, 2021 OHL under-18 draft.
And not only does their coach from the Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League have glowing words for Soo boys Calem Mangone and Adam Barone but so too do the general managers who made them OHL draft picks in 2021 after they were disregarded in 2020.
…[read more]Jr. Hounds are U18 picks
Better late than never. After being bypassed at the 15 round, 2020 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft, two players from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds were high picks at today’s 2021 OHL under-18 draft.
…[read more]Fellinger falls to Hounds
Wawa, Ontario native Austin Fellinger has become the Ontario Hockey League property of the Soo Greyhounds.
…[read more]OHL still high on Soo boys
For the third year in succession a player from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. has been picked within the first three rounds of the Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]New recruit to Sault College
He played two full seasons as a steady defender with the Timmins Majors of the Great North Midget Hockey League. And he suited up for 16 games as a rookie for the Cochrane Crunch during the abbreviated 2020-2021 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season.
With that behind him, 2002 birth year defenseman Keaston (Sticks) Blais now has his sights set on attending Sault College in the fall and playing for the hockey Cougars.
…[read more]Henderson is on the jobs
His zeal and zest for the game are clear and pronounced.
Talk hockey with him and chances are the conversation will be a long-lasting, long-winded one.
And not only has Jamie Henderson signed up for another term as head coach of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League for next season but he was recently hired as the new general manager for the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]Perry is solid as a Rock
Timmins Rock of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League has stayed local in hiring hard driven, hard working Brandon Perry as its new coach and general manager, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]Nicholls boards the Express
He has served a full two year apprenticeship in the Great North Under 18 Hockey League. And now, 2003 birth year goalie Evan Nicholls has been granted the liberty to tend twine in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]NOJHL guest team scenario
As amateur hockey teams and leagues try to stick handle around COVID-19 and return to game activity with the blessing of public health units, there are various scenarios in consideration.
One such suggestion would have, for example, the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League joining the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League as a guest team.
…[read more]Ready to play up north
They are waiting for the go ahead from the provincial government and the respective public health units and municipalities of northeastern Ontario.
In the interim, players and coaches on teams from the Great North Under 18 Hockey League and the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League are prepared to return to the ice should the provincial stay-at-home lock down be lifted on schedule on February 11 — and if the various public health and city officials subsequently allow indoor rinks to re-open.
…[read more]NE Ontario season scenarios
The best that hockey leagues in northeastern Ontario can hope for relative to the provincial government’s stay at home order is that the current lock down will be lifted on schedule on or about the weekend of February 12.
Hope is an operative word in this current climate of COVID-19. And given that northeastern Ontario is not home to any COVID-19 hot spot areas, a return to play in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and Great North Under 18 Hockey League may be within reach at some point in February.
…[read more]Buffam moving on to KL
As the Powassan Voodoos have officially opted to take a leave of absence from the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, players on their roster are free to sign with other teams for the remainder of the 2020-2021 season.
One such player is Jackson Buffam, a highly regarded forward with a December, 2002 birth date who signed with Powassan prior to the start of the current ’20-21 campaign after three productive seasons with the New Liskeard Cubs of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League.
…[read more]Here ‘n there in the north
Meaningful games have already been played.
Forty one regular season contests have taken place in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
And the major teams from the Great North Under 18 Hockey League have played as many as eight mini matches apiece.
…[read more]Hendo & Hounds on hiatus
They have shown well through eight games to date with their COVID-19 cohorts from the Great North Under 18 Hockey League.
To be sure, head coach Jamie (Hendo) Henderson and his Soo Jr. Greyhounds have posted an impressive record of 4-2-2 against the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves in eight mini matches thus far this season.
But aside from inter squad competition and scheduled skill sessions, the Jr. Greyhounds and the rest of the teams in the Great North are now on hiatus from game play until a yet to be determined date in January.
…[read more]Trio in tune for Jr. Hounds
Veteran Calem Mangone and rookie line-mates Lincoln Moore and Cooper Foster teamed up for seven goals and 12 points as the Soo Jr. Greyhounds put the finishing touches on the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves in Great North Under 18 Hockey League activity from Saturday.
Mangone netted three goals and two assists, Moore had the hat trick and a helper while Foster scored once and set up two others in a 7-2 Soo romp over Sudbury.
…[read more]Great North gets it going
Soo Jr. Greyhounds took two wins and a tie from the visiting Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves as regular season play finally got underway in the Great North Under 18 Hockey League.
In modified form, the rules were much different from the norm as the teams played four games with their respective 22-player rosters divided into groups of 11, featuring 10 skaters and one goalie per squad.
…[read more]Major returnees in Timmins
Fourth year head coach Brandon Perry and his staff of assistants will look to the experience of a smattering of seasoned performers as the Timmins Majors skate into the 2020-2021 Great North Under 18 Hockey League season.
The 31-year old Perry, a hometown hombre who progressed to play four seasons of Canadian university hockey with the Queen’s Golden Gaels and a term at the minor pro level before returning to Timmins for work and to help raise what is now a growing young family, has a peerless, peppery passion as the coach of the Majors.
…[read more]Cross-river return for Szabo
After skating for several seasons on the Ontario side of the St. Mary’s River at Sault Ste. Marie — including the past two in the Great North Under 18 Hockey League — Dylan Szabo has returned home to play for the AAA Soo Indians of the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association.
A 2003 birth year forward who is well known for his hustle and work ethic, the 5-foot-11, 175 pound Szabo developed his game over the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 terms playing for coach Jamie Henderson and the Soo Jr. Greyhounds.
…[read more]Keaston ‘n Kobe in Cochrane
They both hail from the resilient northeastern Ontario town of Iroquois Falls.
Having both been born in the latter months of 2002, they played minor hockey together in their hometown and surrounding area as childhood friends.
Graduates of different programs from the Great North Under 18 Hockey League, they are now teammates again with the Cochrane Crunch of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
Separated for a couple of seasons, defenseman Keaston Blais and forward Kobe Barrette took different roads to get to the NOJHL in Cochrane, which is located about 30 miles from Iroquois Falls along rugged Highway 11.
…[read more]Here are the Timmins Majors
Head coach Brandon Perry and his staff have selected the 22-player roster that will represent the Timmins Majors of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League for the 2020-2021 season.
By position, the Majors lineup, with players birth year in brackets, is as follows.
…[read more]Hendo is high on his Hounds
An effervescent Jamie Henderson could barely contain his excitement as he talked rapidly into the microphone during a recent guest appearance on local radio station Eagle 95.1 and its Hockey North Show.
The chatty head coach of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 AAA Hockey League was pumped up big time as he talked about his team and the slated return to play after eight months of game activity shutdown relative to the coronavirus health crisis.
…[read more]These are the U-18 Hounds
Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 AAA Hockey League have finalized their roster for the 2020-2021 regular season, which is slated to begin play on the first weekend of December.
…[read more]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]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]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]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]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]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]Deforge lands on the Rock
A hometown standout is remaining at home in Timmins to play hockey this season.
A skilled, smart, front line skater, Landon Deforge is moving up from the Timmins Majors of the Great North Midget Hockey League to the Timmins Rock of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
And both Deforge’s former coach with the Majors and his new coach with the Rock have plenty good to say about the 5-foot-8, 160 pound pivot who has a 2003 birth date.
…[read more]Toms is for the T-Birds
One way or another, Connor Toms will be remaining at home to play junior hockey this season.
If the 16-year old defenseman does not make the roster of the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, he will man the blue line for the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
Thunderbirds general manager Trev Zachary has confirmed the signing of the medium sized defender, who was a third round pick, 44th overall, by the Greyhounds at the 2020 OHL priority selections draft.
…[read more]Mason Chitaroni has Plan B
It is the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League that Mason Chitaroni wants to play for this season.
That is because Chitaroni is a plum prospect of the Knights, who took the 5-foot-10, 150-pound defender in the fifth round, 99th overall, at this year’s OHL priority selections draft from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League.
But if Chitaroni doesn’t make the Knights as a 16-year old, he has a Plan B in place with the Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
…[read more]New Liskeard to Powassan
On to the next level for this dandy duo.
A pair of top performers from the New Liskeard Cubs of the Great North Midget Hockey League have signed with the Powassan Voodoos of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
They are forwards Ben White and Jackson Buffam.
White and Buffam were New Liskeard’s top two point producers during the 2019-2020 season. They were also sixth and seventh, respectively, on the Great North scoring chart.
…[read more]Rayside signs rookie goalie
Rayside Balfour Canadians of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have stayed local with the signing of 2003 birth year goalie Jake Marois.
As a member of the fourth place Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves, the 6-foot, 175 pound Marois was the top goalie in the Great North Midget Hockey League in 2019-2020 with a 2.16 goals against average in 1,280 minutes of action.
Marois also played in the Great North in 2018-2019.
His work in the Great North loop was enough for Marois to earn an invitation to attend the upcoming Ontario Hockey League camp of the London Knights as a free agent.
…[read more]Sticks to the Lumberjacks
Overachieving defenseman Keaston (Sticks) Blais has signed with the Hearst Lumberjacks of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
An ever-improving, hard-working, right-hand shooting defender with a late October, 2002 birth date, Blais has spent the past two seasons with the Timmins Majors of the Great North Midget Hockey League.
A character individual who hails from the northeastern Ontario town of Iroquois Falls, Blais greatly advanced his game over two seasons with the Timmins midgets under the watchful eye of no-nonsense Majors coach Brandon Perry.
…[read more]The tree to the Bird house
It is another branch on the hockey tree.
The climb from major midget to junior A hockey is one that some opt to make sooner than others.
But in this case, a pair of more than capable forwards in Michael Chaffay and Ty Zachary took their time in 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]T-Birds to look at local goalie
Once they are cleared to hold their summer ice camp — dependent on restrictions being lifted relative to the COVID-19 pandemic — Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League plan to take a look at local goalie Zach Prusky.
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Prusky, who has a 2003 birth date, spent the 2019-2020 season as a rookie with the New Liskeard Cubs of the Great North Midget Hockey League.
Impressively, in true workhorse fashion, Prusky played the most minutes — 1,741 — of any goalie in the Great North loop in 2019-2020.
…[read more]T-Birds take in two locals
It is a bonus when a junior hockey team can sign a local player.
It is a double bonus when the team can add two locals at once.
Two of the top four scorers from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League will stay at home to suit up for the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League come the 2020-2021 season.
…[read more]Dressed for the Knights
He has the hat. He has the t-shirt.
Next, it is the jersey of the London Knights that Mason Chitaroni wants to wear.
That’s because Chitaroni is a plum prospect of the Knights, who took the 5-foot-10, 150-pound defender in the fifth round, 99th overall, at this year’s Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League.
“I want to show London that they made the right choice in drafting me,” the 15-year old youngster relayed to Hockey News North.
…[read more]Bulls call on Bronson
Dunaújvárosi Acélbikák Steel Bulls have put in a call from Central Hungary to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to ask veteran defenseman Bronson Kovacs to play another season of professional hockey in Erste Liga.
And the 29-year old Kovacs — he will turn 30 in July — told Hockey News North that he has made a verbal agreement to return to the Steel Bulls for the 2020-2021 hockey season. The 2020-2021 campaign will mark the sixth season of pro hockey in Hungary for Kovacs.
…[read more]Great North to NOJHL
Several skaters from the top team in the Great North Midget Hockey League from 2019-2020 are poised to progress to the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League in 2020-2021.
Forwards Michael Chaffay, Dylan Forsyth, Devin Mauro and Ty Zachary and defenseman Mateo Perri are among the stalwarts from the Great North’s Soo Jr. Greyhounds who may be headed to the NOJHL once the 2020-2021 season gets going.
…[read more]Chitaroni has a flip side
It is destination unknown for Mason Chitaroni relative to the 2020-2021 hockey season. That is, the 15-year old defenseman with the world-class speed — he does not turn 16 until October 2 — could be playing in the Ontario Hockey League, the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, or for any one of four teams in the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League when the 2020-2021 campaign gets going.
…[read more]Trying for an OHL tryout
Landon Deforge is not what one would call a big kid, standing in at 5-foot-8 and tipping the scales at 155 pounds. Nonetheless, the skilled, smart, speedy skater played a big role for the Timmins Majors of the Great North Midget Hockey League during the 2019-2020 season.
…[read more]Mason has Knight vision
He is working out on his own, in the family basement and in the garage. He jogs alone through his neighbourhood — and thinks of the season ahead. A 2020 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft pick of the London Knights, Mason Chitaroni has a vision of where he wants to be when training camp opens.
…[read more]Toms training for next term
Plum, home grown prospect Connor Toms is running the local hub trails and working out in the basement gym of his family’s Sault Ste. Marie home as he preps for the next hockey season.
…[read more]Nickel Caps ‘D’ gets OHL nod
Defenseman Teegan Dumont from the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves of the Great North Midget Hockey League has been invited to the Ontario Hockey League training camp of the London Knights, Hockey News North has confirmed.
…[read more]North country Knights
Soo Greyhounds, Sudbury Wolves and North Bay Battalion are the northern teams of the Ontario Hockey League. But not to be outdone by geography, the powerhouse London Knights of southwestern Ontario have four skaters from northeastern Ontario in their system.
…[read more]Knights of the north
Ontario Hockey League powerhouse London Knights have gone to the often-overlooked Great North Midget Hockey League two years in a row now to take a player within the first five rounds of the annual priority selections draft.
…[read more]Steal of the Knights
Some projected him as a late third round pick. Others had him rated as an early fourth round selection who would not be available come the fifth round.
…[read more]Devin Mauro drafted
Center Devin Mauro of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League has become an Ontario Hockey League draft pick.
…[read more]What a Knight for Chitaroni
Mason Chitaroni said he was hoping the London Knights would draft him. And the Soo Jr. Greyhounds defenseman got his wish at today’s Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]Mason Chitaroni drafted
A good day has turned into a good Knight. Slick defenseman Mason Chitaroni of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League has become an Ontario Hockey League draft pick.
…[read more]Connor Toms drafted
Standout defenseman Connor Toms of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League has become an Ontario Hockey League draft pick.
…[read more]OHL draft and Jr. Hounds
Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League have no less than eight players with 2004 birth dates who are eligible for the upcoming 2020 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
…[read more]Best of the Great North
The eight-member Great North Midget Hockey League — which is comprised of six major midget teams and two minor midget entries — has confirmed its award winners for the 2019-2020 season.
…[read more]Toms is top minor midget
Defenseman Connor Toms of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League has been named the Northern Ontario Hockey Association’s minor midget (2004 birth date) player of the year.
…[read more]Great North playoff slate
The playoff tournament in the Great North Midget Hockey League — which will eventually conclude with the medal games — will begin on Thursday of this week and carry on until Sunday.
…[read more]Zachary ignites Jr. Hounds
Soo Jr. Greyhounds have started a hectic week of play with their arch-rival Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves the right way. Heart-and-soul forward Ty Zachary lit the lamp with a hat trick and added an assist for good measure as the Jr. Greyhounds scored a 4-2 road decision over the Nickel Capital Wolves in Great North Midget Hockey League action from Wednesday.
…[read more]Small forward, Major impact
At 5-foot-8, 150 pounds, Landon Deforge is not what one might call a big kid. But the 2003 birth year forward certainly plays a big role for the Timmins Majors of the Great North Midget Hockey League.
…[read more]SMHA re: Jamie Henderson
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Hockey News North has obtained a copy of the decision made by the Sault Major Hockey Association to suspend head coach Jamie Henderson of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League for five games following an alleged verbal encounter with one of his players.)
…[read more]Jr. Hounds coach can return
Jamie Henderson, who is the head coach of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League, has been handed a conditional five-game suspension by the Sault Major Hockey Association, Hockey News North has confirmed. Henderson had been under indefinite suspension by the SMHA since the middle of last week.
…[read more]Jr. Greyhounds in turmoil
The first-place team in the Great North Midget Hockey League has big issues. And as it currently stands, the Soo Jr. Greyhounds will not be playing their two scheduled home games against the Sudbury Minor Wolves this weekend.
…[read more]