French River looking to rise
French River Rapids will be aiming to move up in the standings among the 11 teams of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League in ’25-26 following a 10th place finish in ’24-25. The youthful Rapids posted a record of 16-33-3 in ’24-25 and lost their final 10 games of the season to miss out on the eighth and final playoff spot.
Coached and managed by team owner Paul Frustaglio, notable members of the Rapids with the start of the ’25-26 season just ahead include a sprinkling of returnees and newcomers.
KEY RETURNEES
Ralph Coulis, Defence
DOB: 11/14/2006
Hometown: Ottawa, Ont.
Entering his third season in French River, the Rapids’ captain will continue to bolster the team’s defensive corps. Coulis is coming off a year where he set personal single season highs in goals, assists, points and power play tallies with five, 14, 19 and four respectively.
Frustaglio’s comments: “Ralph is a third year veteran who brings great leadership. Each season he has improved in all areas of his game, and we believe will be among the top defenceman in the NOJHL. We expect Ralph’s leadership and on-ice skill will help in leading the team to the playoffs.”
Joey Stiles, Forward & Defence
DOB: 03/10/2007
Hometown: Kitchener, Ont.
Stiles is back with the Rapids after a rookie season as a 17-year old. He scored twice and helped set up six more in ’24-25. The multi-faceted performer played both forward and defence as a first year skater in the league.
Frustaglio’s comments: “Joey played an important part for us last season as he shared playing up front at forward and back on defence. He’s an aggressive 200-foot player who gives it his all on every shift. We look for Joey to take his game to the next level.”
Bryson Villenueve, Forward
DOB: 12/31/2008
Hometown: Wahnapitae, Ont.
As the youngest full-time player in the NOJHL last season, Villenueve did not look out of place while dressing for 50 of the Rapids’ 52 regular season games. He went on to collect 18 points in that span on six goals and 18 assists.
Frustaglio’s comments: “Still just a 16 year old, Bryson remains one of the younger players in the league. He’s a local boy from the Alban area of French River. Going into his second season of Jr. A hockey, he had a very good rookie season and played most of it as a 15-year-old. We believe he will have a breakout second season with the Rapids.”
NEWCOMERS
Matis Bureau-Morel, Goalie
DOB: 05/27/2006
Hometown: Gatineau, Que.
Joins French River after splitting time in the NOJHL in ’24-25 with both the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners and Iroquois Falls Storm. Saw 950 minutes of playing time facing 30, or more, shots against in 13 of his 18 league appearances.
Frustaglio’s comments: “Knowing Matis from his time in Kirkland Lake and Iroquois Falls last season, we liked his work ethic and efforts in net. He even shut us down and helped the Gold Miners take points from us in a start against us. We believe his experience and work ethic will help.”
Keiran Caughran, Goalie
DOB: 02/27/2005
Hometown: Victoria, B.C.
Joins the Rapids from the Port Coquitlam Trailblazers of the Pacific Jr. Hockey League where he posted a winning record of 16-14-1 and two shutouts, seeing nearly 2,000 minutes of action in net. His win total tied him for seventh overall in the 15-team PJHL.
Frustaglio’s comments: “Keiran comes to us from B.C. As a 20-year-old we hope he can lead us to many wins this season. We believe his experience combined with 19-year-old Matis Bureau-Morel will provide a marked improvement for the club in net.”
Armando Rojo Bolton, Forward
DOB: 01/30/2006
Hometown: Alax, Ont.
The 19-year old Rojo Bolton heads to French River after spending last season with the Welland Jr. Canadians of the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League where he played in 35 games.
Frustaglio’s comments: “Armando comes to the Rapids from Jr. B in southern Ontario. We believe he will have a breakout year in his second year of junior hockey. He has size and speed. We expect big things from this exciting player.”