More balance likely in NOJHL


By
June 9, 2016

As the Soo Eagles, Espanola Express and French River Rapids adjust from being expansion entries of a year ago to a more-established presence and as the Blind River Beavers and Iroquois Falls Eskis plot a return to old glory, look for the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League to be more-balanced in 2016-2017.

Not that the NOJHL lacked competitiveness in 2015-2016, especially in the East Division where the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners, Cochrane Crunch and Powassan Voodoos were serious title contenders. But the fact of the matter is there was significant disparity between the league champion Soo Thunderbirds and lower-rung entries such as Espanola, French River, Blind River and Iroquois Falls.

As for the Michigan-based Eagles, while they were a solid eighth overall in the 12-team NOJHL as an expansion outfit in ’15-16, look for them to contend in ’16-17, especially if co-coach/general manager Bruno Bragagnolo plays a more-active role.

Bragagnolo was not nearly as prominent a presence in ’15-16 as he was back in 2010-2011 when the Eagles won the championship in their first go-round before departing for the North American Hockey League, only to return to the NOJHL last fall.

With Eagles owner Ron Lavin also involved in the operation of the New Jersey Titans of the NAHL, Bragagnolo’s time was often divided between the Garden State and the Michigan Soo in ’15-16. But with veteran Craig Doremus having recently been hired as coach and general manager of the NAHL Titans, Bragagnolo will be free to concentrate on the NOJHL Eagles in ’16-17.

And let’s face it, with a championship past in the NOJHL and having had first-place success in the NAHL, the highly-regarded Bragagnolo is an accomplished junior hockey coach who gets the most out of his players while walking the fine line of an old school-new era approach.

Over to the two other expansion teams of ’15-16, both Espanola and French River had their struggles. But with more time to recruit for ’16-17 and with both teams under veteran coaching leadership — Tom McCarthy calls the shots in Espanola and Moe Mantha runs the bench in French River — expect the Express and Rapids to be more of a force in season two.

Then there are Iroquois Falls and Blind River, two of the NOJHL’s smaller-market franchises that have had winning seasons and playoff successes only to slip below the watershed in recent years.

Up in the northeastern nook of the NOJHL, the Eskis of Iroquois Falls are under re-construction with second-year owner Allan Donnan finalizing a coaching staff led by native son Jamy Bernier. Iroquois Falls has long been among the attendance leaders of the NOJHL with a hearty group of fans that has supported the Eskis through thick and thin and Donnan has put his trust in Bernier to lead the team back on the winning path.

Blind River, meanwhile, has been a troubled spot over the past few seasons. The Beavers missed the playoffs in finishing eleventh 11th overall in ’15-16 and before that, in 2014-2015, did not win a single game all season.

But 30-year old Kyle Brick, a former assistant coach with the two-time reigning champion Thunderbirds of the Soo, has been hired as the new full-time head coach in Blind River. Brick, in turn, has brought aboard 25-year old Dylan King — a former Ontario Hockey League hard-rock defenseman with the Soo Greyhounds — as an assistant coach.

Brick has also gone for a combination of NOJHL seasoning and success in getting the services of 65-year old Charly Murray as senior advisor/scouting director. Murray has made a number of junior hockey stops spanning parts of five decades and brings to Blind River a keen eye for talent to go with a network of contacts that extends up to the National Collegiate Athletic Association level.

In a previous gig in Blind River eight years ago, Murray played a key recruiting role for a Todd Stencill-coached team that led the Beavers into the second round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history — a run that finally ended in a Game 7 series loss to the Soo T-Birds.

On the subject of the reigning champion Thunderbirds, they will move forward for ’16-17 under the new ownership of The Tech 1921 Ltd. and with 30-year old Jordan Smith in command as coach and general manager.

Smith has proven himself as a winning coach over the past three seasons with the Thunderbirds and with the GM title added to his responsibilities, he has retained holdover assistant coach Ryan Maunu and brought in NOJHL/OHL coaching veteran Toots Kovacs to augment his staff.

Barring the unforeseen, the NOJHL will again operate as a 12-team, two-division league in ’16-17.

In the West, the third-year Elliot Lake Wildcats will be out to build on back-to-back winning seasons by aiming to oust the T-Birds from the lofty perch that has been theirs for three years.

Michigan Soo, Espanola, Blind River and the new-owner/new managed Rayside-Balfour Canadians will also look to try to hold serve with the T-Bird title-holders.

On the East side, Cochrane and Powassan expect to again be strong and French River and Iroquois Falls will also aim to move up in a division that also includes Kirkland Lake and the Timmins Rock, which despite being a bigger-market franchise, has defined mediocrity.


What you think about “More balance likely in NOJHL”

  1. Points to remember:
    1 – Soo Thunderbirds will be lucky to finish in 3rd Place
    2 – Michigan are going to win the West
    3 – Blind River are going to make the Playoffs ahead of Rayside
    4 – Cochrane are going ta finish 1st Place Over-all

  2. . It is all rather quiet w regards to the Canadians w not much news from the Owner or Dave Clancy him self. What’s new RR?

  3. Looks like there’s gonna be no changes for 2016-17, like there were every year for the past 6-7 years. I’d like to see a team back in Mattawa, preferably the Voyageurs being a better name for them. A new arena is much-needed and town representatives are hesitant to build a new one.

  4. I know it’s cost-prohibitive, but one way to improve balance would be to implement a balanced schedule, at least within each division. Last season the teams with the toughest strength-of-schedule (i.e. opponents winning percentage against all other teams):
    1. Eskis .562
    2. Soo Eagles .560
    3. Blind River .536

    And the easiest schedules:
    10. Elliot Lake .501
    11. French River .488
    12. Powassan .462

  5. to KL Flash: Blind River is a great little town and we LOVE the coverage that the Beavers get from R.R. I guess you’s are jellous up in K.L.

  6. Public meeting last night with management of gold miners in kirkland lake to decide future of of gold miners franchise ,apparently team needs 30,000 in three weeks or the team will fold any truth to this?

  7. Elliot Lake Wildcats have traded 1996 goalie Al Rogers to French River Rapids for 1997 defenseman Quinn Robelle.

  8. Kirkland Lake Gold Miners on the verge of folding? How can this be? They just hosted the Dudley-Hewitt Cup. If so, they’ll be the third team to fold within a year of hosting the DHC. Schreiber hosted the 2009, and folded in 2010. Huntsville hosted in 2011, and folded in 2012.

  9. Any player signings to report? It is kind of quiet around the Noj these days not even the odd rumer from RR lol.

  10. If Kirkland Lake folds, there won’t be any balance. It will be 11 teams and there will be no time for an expansion for this upcoming season.

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