Stencill’s departure from EL
It can be stated without hesitation — or exaggeration — that the Elliot Lake Wildcats of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League lost the face of the franchise when the affable Todd Stencill recently resigned as general manager.
Citing a new career job in Elliot Lake in the tourism industry, the 51-year old Stencill said that, along with a desire to spend more family time with his wife and their two teen-aged daughters, were prime reasons for departing his position with the Wildcats. Stencill also mentioned the recent passing of his 84-year old father-in-law — with who he had a close relationship — as a factor in walking away from the game at this particular time.
To be sure, Stencill has a long and respectable association with the NOJHL that dates back more than 20 years to when he was an assistant coach with erstwhile champion Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats.
Since then, he has been an assistant coach with two other NOJHL teams that were based in Elliot Lake — the Vikings and Bobcats — before being appointed GM of the expansion, community-owned Wildcats in 2014.
Stencill was also coach-general manager of the old Manitoulin Islanders when he returned to northern Ontario in 2005 after being out in western Canada for seven years for work purposes.
And after a one-year gig in Manitoulin — the franchise faltered and eventually folded after Stencill was let go — he spent three seasons as bench boss of the Blind River Beavers, leaving as the winning-est coach and with the only playoff-series triumph in franchise history.
I have known Stencill for about a dozen years now and have had a good, up-front, working relationship with him. In short, he is a man of his word and someone who can be trusted.
Experienced as an NOJHL coach and GM, one might be inclined to think that Stencill’s departure from junior hockey is not a permanent one, given his extreme passion for the game.
Still relatively young in age and having spent so much of his life around the game, Stencill is well-connected with contacts that extend throughout the NOJHL and into the Ontario Hockey League.
Stencill may have stepped away from his position with the Elliot Lake Wildcats.
But with hockey fires that burn within and with friends in the game who may come calling, I very-much doubt that junior hockey has seen the last of Todd Stencill.
PHOTO: Todd Stencill, in a television appearance as the general manager of the Elliot Lake Wildcats.
Nice read Randy..I as well am sure you will see Todd back at it…Good Luck to you Todd in your new employment…..
Great read Randy Russon! I’m sure Todd will be missed. Hopefully you are right and he’ll be back
The previous year I worked with Todd in Blind River along with Ryan Leonard and scouts Brad Boyer and Chad Vresk was one of the most enjoyable times I’ve had in hockey. Todd always kept it where everyone had a voice and no one was look down on. He’s a good man and those days I look back on with pride. He’s a good man and hockey needs more guys like that that care for the players.
It’s a shocker. I really hope the Elliot Lake Wildcats do stay put in Elliot Lake. They’ve worked really hard to keep NOJHL hockey there.
Todd is good guy and a great hockey mind, my year in Blind River with him, Ryan Leonard the old goat Charly Murray and Brad Boyer was a fun year, and we took the Birds to a game 7. Todd always kept us involved in the game and asked for our input and his players loved to play for him. Good Luck Buddy.