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27-597: As the Levack Miners , the team won the 1972 NOHA Jr. B League. In 1974, they changed their name to the Onaping Falls Huskies and won four consecutive NOHA Jr. B League titles (1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978) and three branch titles (1975, 1976, and 1978). They, and their league, were promoted to Jr. A in the summer of 1978. Playing exclusively in the NOJHL from 1978 to 1986, the Onaping Falls Huskies were

54-686: A deal fell through with a group from Kirkland Lake. With the Manitoulin Islanders relocated to Kirkland Lake, the team became the Kirkland Lake Blue Devils to commemorate the 1940 Allan Cup champions by the same team name. However, in December 2011, the Blue Devils were folding mid-season as a result of owner Bob Kasner being suspended for 6 months for roster violations. Days later, a new group came and created

81-624: A league title in 1971. The team was founded in 1970 by Marshall and Bob Edwards. After winning the 1970 Midget Championship, the Edwards' thought that the Hawks would fare well in Junior "B". In their first season in the league, the Hawks won the League title. They folded in 1986, after Marshall Edwards left the team due to health problems. [1] This Ontario ice hockey team-related article

108-562: A lease renewal with West Ferris Arena and also because of the thriving OHL market with the North Bay Battalion . The Espanola Rivermen were added to the NOJHL for 2013–14, but left after one season to join the non-Hockey Canada sanctioned Canadian International Hockey League . The Elliot Lake Bobcats relocated to Cochrane, Ontario and became the Cochrane Crunch , who became the league's most-northern team. Weeks later,

135-639: A member of the league, but opted to drop to the NOHA Jr. B Hockey League in 1971; the Canadiens joined them in 1972. The NOHA Jr. B Hockey League was formed in 1970 with a North and South division and teams in Capreol, Levak, Kapuskasing, amongst others. In their first season, the Capreol Hawks won the league championship. In 1971, Espanola jumped on board, followed by Chelmsford in 1972. In 1973,

162-769: A very successful team, winning four league titles in their seven seasons. They won the McNamara Cup in 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1986. At the national level, they were never able to defeat the champions of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League , however, and therefore never advanced to compete for the Dudley Hewitt Cup . In 1980, the Huskies were swept by the North York Rangers 3-games-to-none. In 1981, they were swept by

189-808: Is a Junior ice hockey league and member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League and Northern Ontario Hockey Association . The winner of the NOJHL playoffs competes for the Centennial Cup along with the winners of the 8 other tier 2 junior A leagues across Canada. The current incarnation of the NOJHL comprises twelve teams located in Ontario and Michigan . The teams are currently located in: Blind River , Iroquois Falls , Elliot Lake , Espanola , Hearst , Kirkland Lake , Noelville , Powassan , Rayside-Balfour , Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario , Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan , and Timmins

216-782: The Belleville Bulls 3-games-to-none. And in 1982, the Huskies were swept by the Guelph Platers 3-games-to-none. Both Belleville and Guelph were granted expansion into the Ontario Hockey League soon after these playoff runs. In 1986, the Huskies faced the dominant Orillia Travelways and lost 4-games-to-2. This Ontario ice hockey team-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League#Copeland-McNamara Trophy and Division Champions The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL)

243-775: The Hearst Lumberjacks . In May 2023, the Cochrane Crunch announced they were moving to Iroquois Falls , and became the Iroquois Falls Storm . This would be the third franchise in Iroquois Falls, after the Iroquois Falls Eskis/Abitibi Eskimos (1999-2015) and the Iroquois Falls Eskis (2015-2017). The league had a single conference with 12 teams, as of the 2024–25 NOJHL season . In 2008–09,

270-785: The Ontario Major Junior Hockey League to compete in the higher league. The next best team, the North Bay Trappers , then chose to leave and joined the Ontario Hockey Association 's new Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League . With the top tier of talent gone, the only remaining team in the league was the Chelmsford Canadiens . A season before, the Espanola Screaming Eagles had been

297-807: The Owen Sound Greys 4-games-to-2 for the right to compete for the Dudley Hewitt Cup —the Central Canadian Junior "A" Championship. The next year, the Canadians were back and a new team known as the Thessalon Flyers entered the league. In 1988, the Haileybury 54's joined the league and in 1989 so did the Rouyn-Noranda Capitales . Thessalon folded in 1990, Haileybury moved to Powassan in 1991 and

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324-745: The Royal Bank Cup as national champions. There were six teams in the NOJHL as of 2007. The 2006–07 league champions, the Soo Indians , took a year off in an attempt to sell the franchise. A year later, in 2008, they came back as the Soo Eagles . Also, in the summer of 2008, the Temiscaming Royals jumped from the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League to the NOJHL to expand the league to eight teams. Temiscaming

351-562: The Soo Thunderbirds were founded. Also in 1999, Parry Sound moved to a new OPJHL (founded in 1993). A year later, Nickel Centre moved to Blind River and the Sudbury Northern Wolves were founded. In 2002, Sturgeon Falls moved to North Bay. A season after that, a team from Manitoulin joined and Espanola jumped over to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan . Finally, in 2005, the league's most dominant team in history and

378-556: The Timmins Golden Bears joined as well. A season later, Sudbury became Nickel Centre and then later folded. In 1994, Powassan moved to Sturgeon Falls and the Parry Sound Shamrocks joined the league. In 1996, Rouyn-Noranda folded to make way for a new Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team that was moving to their town. In 1999, Timmins moved to Iroquois Falls, Elliot Lake moved to Nickel Centre, and

405-655: The Canadians moved to Rayside-Balfour and became the Canadians. The Onaping Falls Huskies moved from Levack in 1974, and the Nickel Centre Native Sons , Coniston Flyers, and Sudbury North Stars joined in 1976 when the NOHA merged their small Juvenile league into Jr. B. In 1978, the top teams of the NOHA Jr. B Hockey League created the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and were promoted to Tier II Junior "A". With

432-795: The Elliot Lake market was replaced with the Elliot Lake Wildcats. Over the summer of 2015, the league saw the resurrection of the Rayside-Balfour Canadians , who were the Sudbury Nickel Barons from 2012 to 2015. The Sudbury Nickel Barons, for the second time pulled out of hosting the Dudley-Hewitt Cup due to the relocation and the lack of support in the community. The 2016 tournament was allocated to Kirkland Lake, Ontario and hosted by

459-885: The French River Rapids joined the league, the Espanola Express joined the league putting membership to a record 11 teams - the most the league has carried. In May 2015, the Soo Eagles of the North American Hockey League applied and were approved to return to the NOJHL after leaving in 2012 due to the Michigan-based NAHL teams either folding or relocating. In April 2017, the Iroquois Falls Eskis announced they were moving to Hearst, Ontario , and became

486-707: The Kirkland Lake Gold Miners to keep the team in the league. During the 2011–12 season, the NOJHL implemented concussion safety policy and drug testing programs. The NOJHL is the first league in Canadian Junior A hockey to target either of these hot button issues. In 2012, the Soo Thunderbirds became only the second NOJHL franchise to qualify for the Royal Bank Cup, ending a 10-year drought that saw no NOJHL franchise at

513-696: The Kirkland Lake Gold Miners. The Abitibi Eskimos left Iroquois Falls after 16 years to move to Timmins and become the Timmins Rock . Mattawa, the smallest market in the NOJHL lost the Mattawa Blackhawks to Iroquois Falls to replace the departed Abitibi Eskimos and became known as the Iroquois Falls Eskimos . The league grew to 10 teams with the addition of the French River Rapids of Noëlville, Ontario. Weeks after

540-528: The NOJHL granted expansion to Espanola. A community that have been without an NOJHL team since 2003 when the Screaming Eagles relocated to Northern Michigan. The re-addition brought the league up to 8 teams - the most since the 2004–05 season. The North Bay Trappers relocated out of North Bay to Mattawa at the end of the 2013–14 season and became the Mattawa Blackhawks because the Trappers were denied

567-494: The NOJHL instituted divisions. Overall champions are bolded . Capreol Hawks The Capreol Hawks were a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey team from Capreol , Ontario , Canada. This defunct hockey team was a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League . The team started in 1978 and folded in 1986. Prior to 1978, the Hawks were members of the NOHA Jr. B League, where they won

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594-702: The Royal Bank Cup, despite making the Dudley-Hewitt Cup finals three times since the round-robin format in 2002. Over the summer of 2012, the Sudbury Jr. Wolves severed ties with the OHL's Wolves and became the Sudbury Cubs, and that moniker only lasted one season and became the Sudbury Nickel Barons. The Michigan-based Soo Eagles would also leave to join the USA Hockey Tier II North American Hockey League . In 2013,

621-540: The five former Jr. "B" clubs and the Sudbury Cubs , the league was back in action. In 1981, the Elliot Lake Vikings jumped into the fold. In 1983, the Onaping Falls Huskies dropped out despite winning three league titles in the past four seasons. After a one-season hiatus, they came back for two more years and then folded for good. In 1986, Rayside-Balfour went on hiatus and Capreol folded, dropping

648-713: The last remaining shred of the original NOJHL, Rayside-Balfour, folded. They did not go without leaving their mark. Early in the 2005–06 season, the Sudbury Northern Wolves became heavily involved with the OHL's Sudbury Wolves and the Northern Wolves became the Sudbury Jr. Wolves. The remaining players from the Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats joined the Jr. Wolves. From 1996 until 2002, the Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats won 7 straight NOJHL Championships, three Dudley Hewitt Cups , and once came within one win of winning

675-539: The league down to four teams. The Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League, also down to four teams, operated with the NOJHL as essentially two divisions of the same league. With an interlocking schedule, the NOJHL survived the 1986–87 season, the OPJHL did not and folded after the season concluded. Also, after 8 years of trying and failing, an NOJHL champion defeated an OPJHL champion for the Ontario Hockey Association championship. The Nickel Centre Power Trains defeated

702-475: The league is spread across the southern region of Northeastern Ontario . The current NOJHL origins were in 1970 when the previous NOJHL was unstable footing while competing as a Junior "A" league. In Southern Ontario , the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League was looking to expand north and the league's two top teams, the Sudbury Wolves and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds , accepted an invitation from

729-552: Was the second Québécois team in NOJHL history, after the Rouyn-Noranda Capitales who were in the league from 1989 to 1996. In the spring of 2011, the Royals failed to find new ownership and folded. The Manitoulin Islanders left Little Current, Ontario at the end of the 2010–11 season and relocated to Kirkland Lake, Ontario . At the same time, Temiscaming Royals owner Steve McCharles was attempting to sell his team, but folded after

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