The 2024-25 season comes to an end Sunday for the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), with two teams – the Calgary Canucks and Melfort Mustangs – remaining in the chase for Canada’s National Junior A Championship.

But how did those two teams, and the rest of the CJHL, get to the championship game at the 2025 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons? And how do the Canucks and Mustangs match up?

Road to the Centennial Cup

255 – Days between the first regular-season game (Stouffville Spirit vs. North York Rangers in the Ontario Junior Hockey League) on Sept. 5, 2024 and the Centennial Cup final on Sunday.

3,572 – Regular season (3,175) and playoff (397) games necessary for 118 teams to become two on the Road to the Centennial Cup.

24,572 – Goals scored in the regular season (22,155) and playoffs (2,417) by the 118 teams across the CJHL, an average of 6.88 goals per game.

104:03 – Duration of the longest game played on the Road to the Centennial Cup (Northern Manitoba Blizzard defeated Dauphin Kings 2-1 in triple overtime in Game 7 of the MJHL final on May 1).

Centennial Cup Final – Head-To-Head

Winning percentage (regular season):
CGY – .685 (37-13-4) – 20th in CJHL
MFT – .821 (46-8-2) – 4th in CJHL

Winning percentage (playoffs):
CGY – .889 (16-2)
MFT – .850 (17-3)

Goals per game (regular season):
CGY – 4.72 (255 goals in 54 games) – 8th in CJHL
MFT – 3.95 (221 goals in 56 games) – 33rd in CJHL

Goals per game (playoffs):
CGY – 5.61 (101 goals in 18 games)
MFT – 3.90 (78 goals in 20 games)

Goals against per game (regular season):
CGY – 2.57 (139 goals in 54 games) – 14th in CJHL
MFT – 2.20 (123 goals in 56 games) – T-5th in CJHL

Goals against per game (playoffs):
CGY – 3.06 (55 goals in 18 games)
MFT – 2.85 (48 goals in 20 games)

Power play (regular season):
CGY – 23.1% (55 for 238) – 36th in CJHL
MFT – 25.0% (50 for 200) – 21st in CJHL

Power play (playoffs):
CGY – 24.7% (20 for 81)
MFT – 22.6% (21 for 93)

Penalty killing (regular season):
CGY – 89.4% (161 of 180) – 1st in CJHL
MFT – 85.3% (232 of 272) – 11th in CJHL

Penalty killing (playoffs):
CGY – 73.6% (53 of 72)
MFT – 89.5% (68 of 76)

As the Junior A hockey season comes to an end, 16 officials – eight referees and eight linespersons – are gearing up for the 2025 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons.

The officials who will officiate Canada’s National Junior A Championship in Calgary are the top officials in their respective leagues across the country. All 16 have participated in the Hockey Canada Officiating Program of Excellence and were coached and evaluated throughout the season across the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). Final selections were made jointly by Hockey Canada and the CJHL.

“These officials have all earned the opportunity to finish their season with a national championship,” said Dan Hanoomansingh (Vancouver, BC), manager of officiating with Hockey Canada. “It is a long season, but they have remained at the top of their game into the playoffs and will deservingly take the ice at the Centennial Cup.”

Referees

• Brayden Arcand (Hockey Alberta)
• Chris Ferreira (Ontario Hockey Federation)
• Alex Homer (Hockey Alberta)
• Yannick Jobin-Manseau (Hockey Quebec)
• Cianna Lieffers (Hockey Saskatchewan)
• Bob Millette (Hockey Saskatchewan)
• Wyatt Rapsky (Hockey Manitoba)
• Mason Stewart (Hockey Alberta)

Linespersons

• Josh Blondeau (Hockey Alberta)
• Kaden Fiacco (Hockey Saskatchewan)
• Devon Gale (Hockey Northwestern Ontario)
• Jacob Hicks (Hockey Alberta)
• Antoine Huot (Hockey Quebec)
• Matthew Lattimer (Hockey Alberta)
• Matthew MacPherson (Hockey Eastern Ontario)
• Dawson Wood (Hockey New Brunswick)

The officiating coaches for the Centennial Cup are Hanoomansingh, François Fortin (Chibougamau, QC) and Justin L’Heureux (Edmonton, AB).

The Grande Prairie Storm will be the only team competing at the 2025 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, that did not win a league championship on its way to Calgary.

The Storm got into the field by reaching the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) final, where they were unceremoniously swept by the Calgary Canucks.

But with the Canucks already among the 10 teams at Canada’s National Junior A Championship as host, Grande Prairie received the AJHL berth, giving it a second chance to hoist a trophy – the most important of them all.

When the playoffs got underway in Alberta in late March, the Storm were the No. 2 team in the North Division, 11 points behind the first-place Whitecourt Wolverines and able to muster only a .500 record over their final 10 games.

They were also set to face hottest team in the AJHL, the Lloydminster Bobcats, who finished the regular season on a nine-game win streak, three of those coming on the road against Grande Prairie.

But the Storm blitzed the Bobcats by a combined 15-5 in the first two games on home ice, held on for a 2-1 win in Game 3 and completed a rather unlikely sweep on Tomis Marinkovic’s overtime winner in Game 4.

The momentum carried right through their semifinal series with the Wolverines, with Chayse Laurie scoring just 17 seconds into overtime in Game 4 to complete yet another sweep.

When the Canucks finished a semifinal sweep of their own the following night, Grande Prairie was officially the first team to confirm its place at the Centennial Cup, its first trip back to the national championship since it played host in 2004.

Marinkovic (20-38—58) led a balanced offence that included four players with at least 40 points and three who surpassed 30. Max Leduc (6-10—16) was the catalyst in the playoffs, pacing a group of six players who averaged at least a point per game.

The Storm will look to become the first non-host team since the Thunder Bay Flyers in 1992 to win the national title without winning its own league.

HOW THEY GOT TO CALGARY

Alberta Junior Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Lloydminster Bobcats 4-0 (7-3, 8-2, 2-1, 4-3 OT)
Semifinal: defeated Whitecourt Wolverines 4-0 (4-1, 2-0, 4-3, 6-5 OT)
Final: lost to Calgary Canucks 4-0 (3-9, 4-6, 4-7, 3-7)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 30-17-7 (6th in AJHL)
Goals for: 209 (2nd in AJHL)
Goals against: 157 (6th in AJHL)
Power play: 51 for 228 (22.4% – 2nd in AJHL)
Penalty killing: 196 of 238 (82.4% – 5th in AJHL)
Longest winning streak: 6 (Oct. 25-Nov. 9)

Top 3 scorers:
• Tomis Marinkovic – 20G 38A 58P (6th in AJHL)
• Will Harris – 23G 25A 48P (20th in AJHL)
• Alec Hall – 19G 27A 46P (25th in AJHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 8-4
Goals for: 51
Goals against: 47
Power play: 14 of 41 (34.1%)
Penalty killing: 29 of 39 (74.4%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Max Leduc – 6G 10A 16P
• Kaiden Bugera – 2G 14A 16P
• Chayse Laurie – 5G 8A 13P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2004 – Grande Prairie Storm | 3rd place | 3-2 | 21GF 18GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

None

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 30 – 10th
Oct. 7 – Honourable Mention
Oct. 14 – 6th
Oct. 21 – 4th
Oct. 28 – 4th
Nov. 4 – 3rd
Nov. 11 – 3rd
Nov. 18 – 7th
Nov. 25 – 5th
Dec. 2 – 10th
Dec. 9 – 9th
Dec. 16 – 16th
Dec. 23 – not ranked
Jan. 6 – not ranked
Jan. 13 – not ranked
Jan. 20 – not ranked
Jan. 27 – not ranked
Feb. 3 – not ranked
Feb. 10 – not ranked
Feb. 17 – not ranked
Feb. 24 – not ranked
March 3 – not ranked
March 10 – not ranked

They were so, so close.

One year ago, the Melfort Mustangs won their way all the way to the championship game at the 2024 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons. Just a single win separated the Mustangs from immortality.

Noah Pak and the Collingwood Blues had other ideas.

Pak made 23 saves, and a power-play goal from Jack Silverman proved to be the game’s only scoring as the Blues captured Canada’s National Junior A Championship with a 1-0 victory.

Twelve months later and Melfort has reloaded for another shot at a national title in Calgary.

Thirteen players are back from the 2024 roster, although two skaters – Zac Somers and Tao Flory – combined to play just one game in Oakville, and goaltender Kristian Coombs got into just one in support of standout starter James Venne.

This time around, Somers led the Mustangs in playoff scoring (8-9—17 in 14 games) and Coombs is the unquestioned No. 1 between the pipes, posting a 1.33 goals-against average and .942 save percentage across 12 postseason starts.

Melfort cruised to the top of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) during the regular season, winning 46 of 56 games to finish 13 points clear of second-place Flin Flon.

The Mustangs led the SJHL in goals for (221), goals against (123), power play (25.0%) and penalty kill (85.3%), and put together a 17-game win streak from Nov. 13 to Jan. 4.

They were rarely tested in the playoffs, earning a five-game win over the Kindersley Klippers and a sweep of the Yorkton Terriers before winning the final four games of their five-game final against the Weyburn Red Wings to repeat as SJHL champions – with Coombs recording three shutouts. In all, they allowed only 19 goals in 14 playoff games.

Now comes a second chance at glory.

History is not necessarily on Melfort’s side; since the tournament went back to a one-game final in 1985, only two teams have lost in the final and won the national championship the following year – the Penticton Knights (1985-86) and South Surrey Eagles (1997-98).

HOW THEY GOT TO CALGARY

Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Kindersley Klippers 4-1 (5-2, 6-1, 4-3, 2-3 OT, 5-2)
Semifinal: defeated Yorkton Terriers 4-0 (6-1, 3-0, 4-3, 3-1)
Final: defeated Weyburn Red Wings 4-1 (1-2, 3-0, 1-0, 5-1, 3-0)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 46-8-2 (1st in SJHL)
Goals for: 221 (1st in SJHL)
Goals against: 123 (1st in SJHL)
Power play: 64 for 256 (25.0% – 1st in SJHL)
Penalty killing: 232 of 272 (85.3% – 1st in SJHL)
Longest winning streak: 17 (Nov. 13-Jan. 4)

Top 3 scorers:
• Reilley Kotai – 39G 38A 77P (1st in SJHL)
• Logan Belton – 27G 34A 61P (8th in SJHL)
• Ashton Hutchinson – 18G 34A 52P (15th in SJHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-2
Goals for: 51
Goals against: 19
Power play: 14 for 64 (21.9%)
Penalty killing: 52 of 57 (91.2%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Zac Somers – 8G 9A 17P
• Reilley Kotai – 7G 10A 17P
• Logan Belton – 7G 3A 10P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

1996 – Melfort Mustangs | runners-up | 5-1 | 35GF 10GA
2015 – Melfort Mustangs | 4th place | 2-3 | 12GF 19GA
2024 – Melfort Mustangs | runners-up | 5-1 | 20GF 12GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Zac Somers – University of Maine (2025-26)
Nolan Roberts – University of Guelph (2025-26)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 30 – 7th
Oct. 7 – 10th
Oct. 14 – 16th
Oct. 21 – 8th
Oct. 28 – 12th
Nov. 4 – 9th
Nov. 11 – 14th
Nov. 18 – 10th
Nov. 25 – 8th
Dec. 2 – 7th
Dec. 9 – 3rd
Dec. 16 – 3rd
Dec. 23 – 2nd
Jan. 6 – 2nd
Jan. 13 – 2nd
Jan. 20 – 2nd
Jan. 27 – 3rd
Feb. 3 – 6th
Feb. 10 – 6th
Feb. 17 – 6th
Feb. 24 – 5th
March 3 – 5th
March 10 – 5th

Cinderella has arrived to the ball.

While they have certainly earned their place at the 2025 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, the Northern Manitoba Blizzard would have to be considered the most unlikely of the 10 national title contenders in Calgary.

Northern Manitoba finished the regular season with the sixth-best record in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), getting to the finish line with losses in three of its last five games.

Among the 118 teams in the Canadian Junior Hockey League, the Blizzard ranked 45th in points percentage (.612) and had the 43rd-best goal differential (+38). The power play was 35th (23.4%) and the penalty kill was 62nd (79.7%).

But when the postseason began? Northern Manitoba was an entirely different team.

The Blizzard eased past the Neepawa Titans in five games, winning four in a row after dropping the opener, and stunned the first-place Winkler Flyers – the defending MJHL champions – with a four-game semifinal sweep.

That set up a league final against the Dauphin Kings that went to the absolute wire, and beyond.

After Northern Manitoba opened up a 3-1 series lead (with the lone blemish a triple-overtime loss in Game 2), the Kings rebounded to force a deciding Game 7.

It took more than 104 minutes of hockey, but Quincy Supprien was the hero late in the third overtime period, sending the Blizzard to Canada’s National Junior A Championship for the first time since they were runners-up as the OCN Blizzard in 2002.

Miguel Bouvier was the offensive star for Northern Manitoba, finishing second in MJHL scoring in the regular season with 74 points (37-37—74), while Taye Timmerman starred between the pipes in the playoffs, posting a 1.68 goals-against average and .937 save percentage while playing every second.

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the last MJHL team to win the national title, when the Portage Terriers hoisted the trophy on home ice.

HOW THEY GOT TO CALGARY

Manitoba Junior Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Neepawa Titans 4-1 (2-3, 4-1, 5-4, 3-2 2OT, 3-2)
Semifinal: defeated Winkler Flyers 4-0 (4-2, 3-1, 3-1, 2-1 OT)
Final: defeated Dauphin Kings 4-3 (4-0, 3-2 3OT, 4-2, 5-2, 0-3, 1-2, 2-1 3OT)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 35-22-1 (6th in MJHL)
Goals for: 188 (8th in MJHL)
Goals against: 150 (T-3rd in MJHL)
Power play: 54 for 231 (23.4% – 5th in MJHL)
Penalty killing: 141 of 177 (79.7% – 8th in MJHL)
Longest winning streak: 7 (Dec. 14-Jan. 11)

Top 3 scorers:
• Miguel Bouvier – 37G 37A 74P (2nd in MJHL)
• Quincy Supprien – 26G 30A 56P (12th in MJHL)
• Marlen Edwards – 24G 20A 44P (35th in MJHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-4
Goals for: 47
Goals against: 30
Power play: 10 for 59 (16.9%)
Penalty killing: 43 of 49 (87.8%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Marlen Edwards – 5G 10A 15P
• Tyler Dahms – 3G 12A 15P
• Quincy Supprien – 7G 6A 13P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2002 – OCN Blizzard | runners-up | 3-3 | 2GF 21GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Keegan McNeill – Fredonia State University (2025-26)
Brett Ward – Fredonia State University (2025-26)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 30 – not ranked
Oct. 7 – Honourable Mention
Oct. 14 – Honourable Mention
Oct. 21 – not ranked
Oct. 28 – Honourable Mention
Nov. 4 – not ranked
Nov. 11 – not ranked
Nov. 18 – not ranked
Nov. 25 – not ranked
Dec. 2 – not ranked
Dec. 9 – not ranked
Dec. 16 – not ranked
Dec. 23 – not ranked
Jan. 6 – not ranked
Jan. 13 – not ranked
Jan. 20 – not ranked
Jan. 27 – not ranked
Feb. 3 – not ranked
Feb. 10 – not ranked
Feb. 17 – not ranked
Feb. 24 – not ranked
March 3 – not ranked
March 10 – not ranked

Defence wins championships.

It’s cliché, but the Kam River Fighting Walleye are living proof the old adage still applies.

The Fighting Walleye earned their second Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) title in three years largely on the back of a stifling defence, allowing less than two goals a game on their 14-game playoff run.

Ironwood managed just four in a four-game sweep in the quarterfinals, Thunder Bay had nine in a four-game semifinal sweep and the Dryden Ice Dogs scored 13 in a six-game defeat in the league final as Kam River booked its spot at the 2025 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons.

Add it up, and that’s 26 goals against in 14 games.

Not surprisingly, goaltender Ashton Sadauskas was the top netminder in the postseason, fashioning a 1.77 goals-against average and .935 save percentage while playing every second for the Fighting Walleye.

That follows a regular season that saw Sadauskas lead the SIJHL in wins (25), GAA (2.39) and save percentage (.926) as Kam River allowed only 118 goals across its 50 games. And don’t think you’ll be more successful on the power play; the Fighting Walleye killed penalties at an 85.1% clip, 12th-best among the 118 teams that comprise the Canadian Junior Hockey League.

This is not to say the Fighting Walleye are one-dimensional. Far from it. Kam River led the SIJHL with 236 goals scored in the regular season and added 54 in the playoffs, averaging almost four goals a game.

Daxton Lang (35-51—86) and Jett Mintenko (30-52—82) ran away atop the league scoring chart, with Mintenko finishing 16 points ahead of third place.

Now comes the journey from tiny Oliver Paipoonge to Calgary, where the Fighting Walleye will look to improve on their last-place finish from the 2023 Centennial Cup in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

HOW THEY GOT TO CALGARY

Superior International Junior Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Ironwood Lumberjacks 4-0 (5-1, 6-2, 6-0, 4-1)
Semifinal: defeated Thunder Bay North Stars 4-0 (5-3, 3-2 OT, 2-1 OT, 4-3 OT)
Final: defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-2 (6-2, 1-2, 3-2 OT, 2-0, 3-4 OT, 4-3 OT)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 39-13-1 (2nd in SIJHL)
Goals for: 236 (1st in SIJHL)
Goals against: 118 (1st in SIJHL)
Power play: 50 for 197 (25.4% – 4th in SIJHL)
Penalty killing: 194 of 228 (85.1% – 2nd in SIJHL)
Longest winning streak: 7 (Feb. 21-March 14)

Top 3 scorers:
• Daxton Lang – 35G 51A 86P (1st in SIJHL)
• Jett Mintenko – 30G 52A 82P (2nd in SIJHL)
• Kaden Goodwin – 25G 41A 66P (4th in SIJHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-2
Goals for: 54
Goals against: 26
Power play: 12 for 49 (24.5%)
Penalty killing: 50 of 60 (83.3%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Jett Mintenko – 8G 9A 17P
• Kaden Goodwin – 8G 7A 15P
• Daxton Lang – 3G 12A 15P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2023 – Kam River Fighting Walleye | 10th place | 0-4 | 6GF 25GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

None

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 30 – not ranked
Oct. 7 – not ranked
Oct. 14 – not ranked
Oct. 21 – not ranked
Oct. 28 – not ranked
Nov. 4 – not ranked
Nov. 11 – not ranked
Nov. 18 – not ranked
Nov. 25 – not ranked
Dec. 2 – not ranked
Dec. 9 – Honourable Mention
Dec. 16 – not ranked
Dec. 23 – not ranked
Jan. 6 – not ranked
Jan. 13 – Honourable Mention
Jan. 20 – not ranked
Jan. 27 – Honourable Mention
Feb. 3 – 20th
Feb. 10 – 20th
Feb. 17 – 20th
Feb. 24 – 20th
March 3 – Honourable Mention
March 10 – Honourable Mention

The Greater Sudbury Cubs are back.

For the second year in a row, the Cubs claimed the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) championship and, with it, a place at the 2025 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons.

The lineup that will step onto the ice in Calgary includes 13 players who made the trip south to Oakville a year ago, finishing 1-3 in the preliminary round and missing out on the quarterfinals.

The baker’s dozen includes No. 2 scorer Samuel Assinewai, who finished the season on a 24-game point streak and ranked third in NOJHL scoring (34-38—72), and goaltender Noah Beaulne, who had a 2.44 goals-against average and a league-leading six shutouts in the regular season.

Greater Sudbury was rarely challenged atop the NOJHL during the regular season, going 44-6-2 with a +138 goal differential that ranked fourth in the entire Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).

They took charge early, running off a 20-game win streak from early November through late January, and finished 10 points clear of the second-place Hearst Lumberjacks.

Sweeps of Iroquois Falls and the Soo Thunderbirds returned the Cubs to the league final, where the Lumberjacks provided the opposition in what turned out to be a thriller of a series.

After Hearst drew first blood, Greater Sudbury bounced back with three-straight wins to put it on the verge of another NOJHL title. But the Lumberjacks mounted an epic comeback with a six-goal third period in Game 5 and took Game 6 at home to force a decider.

A three-goal Cubs lead shrunk to one in the final minute of Game 7, but Greater Sudbury saw out a 6-4 victory to once again hoist the Copeland Cup.

NOJHL teams have not found much success at the national level; just twice have teams from the league reached at least the semifinals – the Rayside Balfour Sabrecats, who got to the final in 2000, and the Thunderbirds, who were semifinalists in 2012.

HOW THEY GOT TO CALGARY

Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Iroquois Falls Storm 4-0 (7-1, 6-5, 4-3 OT, 2-0)
Semifinal: defeated Soo Thunderbirds 4-0 (7-4, 4-2, 6-3, 5-0)
Final: defeated Hearst Lumberjacks 4-3 (2-6, 5-4 OT, 6-1, 5-1, 6-10, 4-5, 6-4)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 44-6-2 (1st in NOJHL)
Goals for: 252 (2nd in NOJHL)
Goals against: 114 (1st in NOJHL)
Power play: 72 for 232 (31.0% – 1st in NOJHL)
Penalty killing: 215 of 243 (88.5% – 1st in NOJHL)
Longest winning streak: 20 (Nov. 8-Jan. 23)

Top 3 scorers:
• Lucas Signoretti – 46G 55A 101P (1st in NOJHL)
• Samuel Assinewai – 34G 38A 72P (3rd in NOJHL)
• Nolan Newton – 24G 29A 53P (16th in NOJHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-3
Goals for: 75
Goals against: 49
Power play: 25 for 66 (37.9%)
Penalty killing: 54 of 65 (83.1%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Lucas Signoretti – 17G 19A 36P
• Spencer Horgan – 5G 20A 25P
• Daks Klinkhammer – 10G 14A 24P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2024 – Greater Sudbury Cubs | 8th place | 1-3 | 11GF 18GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

None

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 30 – 19th
Oct. 7 – 13th
Oct. 14 – 7th
Oct. 21 – 7th
Oct. 28 – 6th
Nov. 4 – 5th
Nov. 11 – 5th
Nov. 18 – 6th
Nov. 25 – 6th
Dec. 2 – 5th
Dec. 9 – 4th
Dec. 16 – 2nd
Dec. 23 – 1st
Jan. 6 – 1st
Jan. 13 – 1st
Jan. 20 – 1st
Jan. 27 – 2nd
Feb. 3 – 2nd
Feb. 10 – 2nd
Feb. 17 – 3rd
Feb. 24 – 4th
March 3 – 7th
March 10 – 7th

Third time’s a charm.

After coming agonizingly close in each of the last two season, the Trenton Golden Hawks are finally Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) champions, bound for the 2025 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons.

Two years ago, the Golden Hawks reached the Buckland Cup Final, only to fall short against the Collingwood Blues in five games.

Last year they got one game closer, dropping a six-game final to the Blues, who went on to win Canada’s National Junior A Championship.

This year, Trenton made sure there would be no “almost.” But it wasn’t without its share of drama.

After dropping just one game in each of their first three series – wins over Pickering, Stouffville and Haliburton County – the Golden Hawks opened up a 3-1 lead over the Milton Menace in the OJHL final.

Milton spoiled the party with a Game 5 win in Trenton and took a 2-0 lead into the final three minutes of Game 6 before Kyloe Ellis and Cooper Matthews scored 67 seconds apart, and Taeo Artichuk netted the championship winner at 11:59 of overtime to give the Golden Hawks their elusive OJHL title.

Trenton finished the regular season with the best points percentage in the entire Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), going 47-6-3, and had a goal differential of +129 (265 for, 136 against), scoring the second-most goals in the CJHL.

David Fournier (42-50—92) and Artichuk (33-56—89) were the stars up front, finishing two-three in the OJHL scoring race, while Ryan Sanborn was lights out between the pipes; he went 20-1-1 in the regular season with a 1.76 goals-against average and six shutouts, and played every second of the playoff run, fashioning a 1.97 GAA and .935 save percentage in 21 games.

Trenton is back at the national championship for the first time since it made back-to-back trips in 2016 and 2017, reaching the semifinals in its first appearance.

HOW THEY GOT TO CALGARY

Ontario Junior Hockey League
Preliminary Round: defeated Pickering Panthers 4-1 (3-1, 1-4, 4-2, 3-1, 4-1)
Quarterfinal: defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-1 (3-1, 6-4, 1-2, 5-4 2OT, 5-0)
Semifinal: defeated Haliburton County Huskies 4-1 (5-4 OT, 2-1, 3-4 2OT, 4-2, 4-2)
Final: defeated Milton Menace 4-2 (3-0, 3-2, 0-4, 7-2, 2-4, 3-2 OT)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 47-6-3 (1st in OJHL)
Goals for: 265 (1st in OJHL)
Goals against: 136 (4th in OJHL)
Power play: 56 for 226 (24.8% – 4th in OJHL)
Penalty killing: 185 of 221 (83.7% – 5th in OJHL)
Longest winning streak: 15 (Oct. 25-Dec. 7)

Top 3 scorers:
• David Fournier – 42G 50A 92P (2nd in OJHL)
• Taeo Artichuk – 33G 56A 89P (3rd in OJHL)
• Devin Mauro – 25G 35A 60P (27th in OJHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 16-5
Goals for: 71
Goals against: 47
Power play: 11 for 89 (12.4%)
Penalty killing: 69 of 78 (88.5%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Corbin Roach – 7G 19A 26P
• Taeo Artichuk – 11G 10A 21P
• Cooper Matthews – 12G 6A 18P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2016 – Trenton Golden Hawks | 3rd place | 3-2 | 15GF 14GA
2017 – Trenton Golden Hawks | 5th place | 0-4 | 4GF 18GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Joey Brehmer – Lake Superior State University (2026-27)
Kyloe Ellis – Ontario Tech University (2025-26)
Candon O’Neill – Lake Superior State University (2026-27)
Ryan Sanborn – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2025-26)
Matthew Souliere – Princeton University (2026-27)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 30 – 11th
Oct. 7 – 5th
Oct. 14 – 5th
Oct. 21 – 11th
Oct. 28 – 13th
Nov. 4 – 8th
Nov. 11 – 7th
Nov. 18 – 5th
Nov. 25 – 2nd
Dec. 2 – 1st
Dec. 9 – 1st
Dec. 16 – 1st
Dec. 23 – 4th
Jan. 6 – 4th
Jan. 13 – 4th
Jan. 20 – 4th
Jan. 27 – 1st
Feb. 3 – 1st
Feb. 10 – 1st
Feb. 17 – 2nd
Feb. 24 – 1st
March 3 – 2nd
March 10 – 2nd

This season in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) there were the Rockland Nationals, there was everybody else.

The Nationals were the undisputed class of the CCHL all season long, going 45-8-2 to finish 21 points ahead of defending league champion Navan in the Yzerman Division and 16 points clear of Carleton Place in the league standings.

They scored the most goals (250), allowed the fewest (112) and iced the best penalty kill (84.9%).

Three of their 10 losses came in the final four games of the season, with little to play for. And from Dec. 13 to Feb. 21, Rockland ran off a 21-game win streak, longest in any of the nine leagues that comprise the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).

But there always has to be a little bit of adversity in every playoff run, right?

In the semifinals, the Nationals faced off against the Smiths Falls Bears, quickly jumping out to a 2-0 series leadby outscoring the Bears 9-1. But Smiths Falls battled back to win the next two and pulled out an overtime win in Game 6 to force the series to the distance.

The decider entered the dying minutes of the third period even at 1-1 before Spencer Bowes netted the series-winning goal with 3:28 to go, and Rockland quickly dispatched Carleton Place in four games in the league final to secure its place in Calgary.

The Nationals have been a score-by-committee team all season; five players reached the 50-point mark during the regular season, led by Anthony Hall (36-40—76), and eight hit double digits across 15 playoff games.

CCHL teams have not fared well since the start of the 10-team format in 2022, reaching the semifinals only once in three tournaments. The league’s peak run came from 2011-15, when the Pembroke Lumber Kings won Canada’s National Junior A Championship (2011) and Carleton Place reached a pair of championship games (2014, 2015).

HOW THEY GOT TO CALGARY

Central Canada Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Cornwall Colts 4-0 (4-3, 3-2 OT, 6-5, 4-2)
Semifinal: defeated Smiths Falls Bears 4-3 (6-0, 3-1, 1-5, 2-5, 6-2, 3-4 OT, 3-1)
Final: defeated Carleton Place Canadians 4-0 (3-1, 3-2, 4-2, 5-4 OT)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 45-8-2 (1st in CCHL)
Goals for: 250 (1st in CCHL)
Goals against: 138 (1st in CCHL)
Power play: 39 of 196 (19.9% – 8th in CCHL)
Penalty killing: 180 of 212 (84.9% – 1st in CCHL)
Longest winning streak: 21 (Dec. 13-Feb. 21)

Top 3 scorers:
• Anthony Hall – 36G 40A 76P (5th in CCHL)
• Gabriel Le Houllier – 29G 43 A 72P (6th in CCHL)
• Jacob Charron – 26G 41A 67P (7th in CCHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-3
Goals for: 56
Goals against: 39
Power play: 6 for 53 (11.3%)
Penalty killing: 30 of 41 (73.2%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Gabriel Le Houllier – 9G 6A 15P
• Rémi Gagné – 3G 11A 14P
• James Marshall – 7G 5A 12P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

1995 – Gloucester Rangers | runners-up | 3-3 | 27GF 18GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Jacob Charron – Concordia University (2025-26)
Josh O’Connor – Dalhousie University (2025-26)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 30 – 1st
Oct. 7 – 1st
Oct. 14 – 1st
Oct. 21 – 1st
Oct. 28 – 1st
Nov. 4 – 1st
Nov. 11 – 1st
Nov. 18 – 1st
Nov. 25 – 3rd
Dec. 2 – 4th
Dec. 9 – 7th
Dec. 16 – 7th
Dec. 23 – 6th
Jan. 6 – 6th
Jan. 13 – 6th
Jan. 20 – 6th
Jan. 27 – 6th
Feb. 3 – 3rd
Feb. 10 – 3rd
Feb. 17 – 1st
Feb. 24 – 2nd
March 3 – 1st
March 10 – 3rd