First pucks to drop on NOJHL


By
September 8, 2015

The league now features an unprecedented 12 teams — and they all begin regular-season play on Friday of this week.

First pucks will drop on the 2015-2016 Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League regular season with anxious anticipation in the humid air of early September.

Having grown from nine to 12 teams during the off-season, the NOJHL is home to the reigning league and Dudley-Hewitt Cup, Central Canada champion Soo Thunderbirds.

With aforementioned expansion, strong ownership throughout and a lineup of high-end coaches that is second to none in the Canadian Jr. A Hockey League, the once-modest NOJHL has created its own momentum moving forward.

Following is a one-person, quick-hit preview of the upcoming NOJHL season. Teams are listed by division and in predicted order of finish — if only to stir the simmering pot that is heating up.

EAST DIVISION

POWASSAN VOODOOS — General manager Chris Dawson has craftily constructed a revamped roster that has made the Voodoos an early favourite. With skilled, seasoned skaters such as Steven Harland, Jake Staples, Eric Champagne and Tyler Peters up front and Mario Cavaliere and Garrett Forrest as the planned puck-stopping pair, Powassan is poised to make plenty of noise.

KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD MINERS — Not sure if Marc Lafleur is the best coach in the league — ask him and he may tell you — but the KL bench boss is definitely up there with the best of the bunch. KL will play host to next spring’s Dudley-Hewitt Cup championships and the pressure is on Lafleur to produce a winning team. The last thing the NOJHL wants — or needs — is an average team as its host entry. On your Marc, get set, go.

COCHRANE CRUNCH — Crackerjack coach-general manager Ryan Leonard is as good a recruiter and salesperson as there is in the NOJHL. He knows how to pick a team and his passion for the game is priceless. Led by 60-goal scorer Dustin Cordeiro and big-game goalie Brett Young, the Crunch should be a winning bunch.

TIMMINS ROCK — There is stability behind the bench in Paul Gagne. There is the expansive Timmins market that president Scott Marshall says is ready to Rock the NOJHL. It begins with goalie Logan Ferrington but it will be determined by how the players rap to Gagne’s tricky trap.

IROQUOIS FALLS ESKIS — Corey Bricknell, who has valuable experience as an Ontario Hockey League assistant coach, takes the helm of the NOJHL’s attendance leader from 2014-2015. Bricknell has pieced together a team of holdovers from the ruins of the Mattawa Blackhawks and newcomers from various outposts. Win or lose, the Eskis will be well-supported by a legion of loyal fans.

FRENCH RIVER RAPIDS — The new NOJHL entry will be young with almost half of its roster made up of players born in 1998 and 1999. The Rapids are in good hands with Moe Mantha, who after playing in more than 650 games in the National Hockey League as a journeyman defenceman, has coached with success in the minor pros and in both the junior-level OHL and North American Hockey League.

WEST DIVISION

ELLIOT LAKE WILDCATS — Point-producers Spencer MacLean, Alec MacKenzie, Shane Woolsey, Jason Wilson and Liam Blais form a feared force of returning forwards to a formation that also features free-wheeling defenceman Nathan Campbell. Coach Nathan Hewitt is young but experienced and general manager Todd Stencill is an NOJHL warhorse.

RAYSIDE-BALFOUR CANADIANS — Veteran goalies Jessie Morin and Kevin Labelle are a twine-tending two-some who are money in the bank for RBC. Last-year junior forward Ryan Erickson brings seasons of ice time to a tidy team that will model high-end youngsters such as rookie forward Cayse Ton and second-year defenders Ryan Mooney and Brett Whitehead.

SOO THUNDERBIRDS — The defending champs are a nice mix of old and young. There is a ribbon of returnees led by forwards Jaren Bellini, Matt Pinder, Joey Miller and Matt Caruso and defenders Brandon Grandinetti and Andrew Barbeau. On the flip side, there are raw rookies who are ready and raring to roll including young-blood forwards Ryan Mulligan and Mark Tassone.

SOO EAGLES — Back in the NOJHL after three seasons in the NAHL, the Michigan-based Eagles will get firm guidance from the peerless coaching pair of Bruno Bragagnolo and Jim Capy. Both men know how to coach, know how to recruit, know how to teach and know how to win. With a combined 60-plus years of high-level coaching experience, the Bragagnolo-Capy combo is one for the ages.

BLIND RIVER BEAVERS — After being a winless wonder in 2014-2015, the born-again Beavers have a credible coach in Brad Barton, a former OHL bruiser who learned to run a bench in the Ontario Jr. Hockey League. The Beavers have brought in some notable north shore talent that includes three Khull boys — forwards Mark, Max and Steven Khull. Also skating on the Beaver pond are area products Bryce Campbell, Andrew Trowbridge and Jason Uhl.

ESPANOLA EXPRESS — Another first-year entry, the Express will reply on the words of wisdom from esteemed junior coach Tom McCarthy, who as a player holds the distinction of being a first-round pick to both the OHL and the NHL.

PHOTO: 2014-2015 league MVP Steven Harland is back with the Powassan Voodoos for another season.


What you think about “First pucks to drop on NOJHL”

  1. Going to be strong in the west for sure. With strong teams in both Soo’s, Elliot Lake and Rayside. Espanola will be up and down this year with a group of fairly young guys but with excellent leadership behind the bench things will come together. Blind River looks to be on the right track for rebuilding.

  2. East: 1. KL 2. Timmins 3. Powassan 4. Cochrane 5. IF 6. FR
    West: 1. Soo Thunderbirds 2. EL 3. Soo Eagles 4. Rayside 5. Espy 6. BR

  3. Great coverage of the NOJ Randy #1 by a country mile but your predictions are way way off my friend. The T-Birds will win the West {again} and the Eagles will be rite behind the T-Birds.

    1. I beg to differ, I think it will be a tight race for first but to count us out and predict us at the least 3rd with such conviction is a huge mistake. We won the exact same amount of games as you last year, we trailed you and we were a first year team. This year we have something we didn’t have last year returning players with great dynamic that makes us a force to be wreckened with!!!

  4. Timmins is gonna ROCK all the way to the “Dudley” IMHO. Coach Gagne has the winner’s Formula to do this.
    It will be a long winter in Iroquois Falls how ever. I cant see this team winning more then 10 Games.

  5. I never do this but what the heck..,

    West ; Soo T’s, EL, Soo Eag/ Rayside (tie) , Espy, BR ( these two will be very close too)
    East ; KL, POW/Coch (tie), Timmins, Eskies, Rapids (bottom two will be close as well)

  6. After seeing most of the Western Division teams (The Labor Day Tourney, EL/ESP, BR/ESP), I can say with almost certainty that the top 4 teams will be the TBirds/Wildcats/Eagles/RBC (could be better than 4th, didn’t see them play) then Blind River and Espanola trailing.

    I saw Espanola play on the weekend and to be honest, they are going to struggle. They’re a VERY young team with only 8 players over the age of 19, and two over-age players The team is made up of at least 11 players from Sudbury/Espanola/Manitoulin Island Area.

    Players to watch on that team will be returning forward from the Rivermen Cam Anklewich, forwards Joel Grandbois, Aaron Roschinsky, Jason Bednarski, Ian Thompson, as well as their goalies, who I’m sure will see a TON of shots.

    It will be a slow start for the team to rebuild from the CIHL debacle, but they have the right people in charge now, so the sky is the limit for them. In due time, this team will be a team to watch.

  7. The coaching in this league has a direct correlation to the high level of play! Everyone should be proud of what has happened over a relatively short period of time.

    Especially some of the new additions – I’m really looking forward to this Season – Go Beavers!

    By the way BR will surprise some teams this season they have some good team speed and goaltending that will rival any team out there (they will need it some nights)!

    Elliot Lake looks really good (hard to disagree with RR) both Soo teams will be tough and are extremely hardworking – I did not see RBC so we’ll wait and see on them… I did see Cochrane and Kirkland Lake and they both looked good with very good goaltending and some high level scorers…

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