With the Junior A hockey season coming to an end, 16 officials—eight referees and eight linespersons—have been selected for the 2026 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons.

The officials who will officiate Canada’s National Junior A Championship in Summerside, P.E.I., are the top officials in their Junior A leagues from 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). The 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

• Sam Currie (Hockey Nova Scotia)
• David Elford (Ontario Hockey Federation)
• Alex Gagné (Hockey Quebec)
• Josh Grimm (Hockey Saskatchewan)
• Jack Hennigan (Ontario Hockey Federation)
• Emile Leblanc (Hockey Quebec)
• Garrett Merrill (Hockey Eastern Ontario)
• Ben Solomon (Hockey Alberta)

Linespersons

• Gage Argue (Ontario Hockey Federation)
• Pierre-Olivier Couture (Hockey Nova Scotia)
• Adam Culbert (Hockey Noa Scotia)
• Ben Fortin (Hockey Quebec)
• Matthew MacPherson (Hockey Eastern Ontario)
• Sam Paré (Hockey Quebec)
• Brandon Peterson (Hockey Alberta)

The officiating coaches for the 2026 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, are Hanoomansingh, François Fortin (Chibougamau, QC) and Todd Robinson (Sackville, NS).

Twenty-one days of waiting are almost over for the Summerside Western Capitals.

The host team for the 2026 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, the Western Capitals have been idle since dropping Game 7 of the South Division final to the Truro Bearcats on April 16, ending their Maritime Hockey League (MHL) playoff run.

The loss ended a rather unique streak for Summerside—in each of the three previous years it played host to Canada’s National Junior A Championship, it had won the league title—the IJHL in 1989, MJAHL in 1997 and MHL in 2013.

Despite the postseason defeat, the Western Capitals have proven themselves among the top teams in the country; they finished even with the Bearcats atop the regular-season standings in the MHL—taking top spot with more regulation wins (29-26)—scored the most goals (232 in 52 games) and finished as one of only three teams in the entire Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) with a power play that converted more than 30% of the time (30.7%).

Eleven different players reached 30 points, with Simon Mullen (14-54—68) recording the second-most assists in the league and posting a 24-game point streak early in the season, and Kolton Bourret finished second in the MHL with a 2.70 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.

Summerside got its money’s worth in the playoffs, going the gull seven games in both of its series; it was pushed to the limit by the Amherst Ramblers in the division semifinals, needing a double-overtime goal from Ryder Howatt in Game 4 to avoid going down 3-1 and getting 23 saves from Bourret in a 1-0 win in Game 7, and it almost came back from a 3-1 series deficit against Truro, pulling to within a goal in the final minutes of what finished as a 3-2 loss in Game 7.

The Western Capitals have historically had success as the host of the national championship; they won the national title on home ice in 1997 and reached the final in 1989 and 2013.

HOW THEY GOT TO SUMMERSIDE

Maritime Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Amherst Ramblers 4-3 (3-2, 2-4, 0-1 OT, 5-4 2OT, 3-4, 9-3, 1-0)
Semifinal: lost to Truro Bearcats 4-3 (1-2 OT, 1-3, 3-0, 0-2, 4-2. 2-1, 2-3)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 32-12-8 (1st in MHL)
Goals for: 232 (1st I MHL)
Goals against: 170 (4th in MHL)
Power play: 70 for 228 (30.7% – 1st in MHL)
Penalty killing: 190 for 229 (83.0% – 2nd in MHL)
Longest winning streak: 5 (Nov. 10-22)

Top 3 scorers:
• Simon Mullen (14G 54A 68P – 8th in MHL)
• Brett Arsenault (25G 34A 59P – 17th in MHL)
• Eliott Robert (22G 26A 48P – 26th in MHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 7-7
Goals for: 36
Goals against: 31
Power play: 10 of 45 (22.2%)
Penalty killing: 54 for 59 (91.5%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Justin Ouellette (4G 11A 15P)
• Elliott Mullen (6G 4A 10P)
• Brett Arsenault (5G 4A 9P)

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

1989 – Summerside Western Capitals | runners-up | 3-2 | 17GF 20GA
1997 – Summerside Western Capitals | national champions | 3-3 | 22GF 25GA
2009 – Summerside Western Capitals | 5th place | 1-3 | 15GF 17GA
2013 – Summerside Western Capitals | runners-up | 3-3 | 18GF 16GA
2022 – Summerside Western Capitals | 5th place | 3-2 | 16GF 16GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Aidan Souligny – Boston University (2026-27)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 29 – 7th
Oct. 6 – 15th
Oct. 13 – 7th
Oct. 20 – 15th
Oct. 27 – 13th
Nov. 3 – 5th
Nov. 10 – 11th
Nov. 17 – 10th
Nov. 24 – 6th
Dec. 1 – 8th
Dec. 8 – 7th
Dec. 15 – 10th
Dec. 22 – 13th
Jan. 5 – 14th
Jan. 12 – 18th
Jan. 19 – 16th
Jan. 26 – 18th
Feb. 2 – 14th
Feb. 9 – 12th
Feb. 16 – 17th
Feb. 23 – Honourable Mention
March 2 – Honourable Mention
March 9 – 20th

It’s 2013 all over again.

For the second time in franchise history, the Truro Bearcats have earned a place at Canada’s National Junior A Championship. And for the second time, they only need to travel 206 kilometres to get there.

The Bearcats’ lone previous appearance on the national stage came at the 2013 RBC Cup, which was the last time Summerside played host.

With the best from across the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) once again converging on western Prince Edward Island for the 2026 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, the Bearcats will represent the Maritime Hockey League (MHL) .

Truro and Summerside have been joined at the hip all season; the Bearcats were even with the Western Capitals atop the MHL standings with 72 points in the regular season, although Summerside earned the top seed for the playoffs based on more regulation wins (29-26).

The teams met six times in the regular season, with Truro winning four. Five of the six were determined by a single goal—two of those needed overtime and another required a shootout.

Then came the South Division final in the postseason, a seven-game battle that saw the Bearcats go up 3-1, only for Summerside to force Game 7, which Truro won 3-2 after the teams combined for four goals in the final 6:48 and went right down to the final buzzer.

Truro rode the momentum to a five-game win over the Edmundston Blizzard, the defending league champions, to win their fifth MHL championship and first since 2017.

Defence was the Bearcats’ calling card; it allowed a league-low 145 goals in 52 regular-season games, with Louca Connolly leading all MHL goaltenders with a 2.69 goals-against average. Sixteen-year-old Sam Berthiaume was the go-to puck-stopper early in the playoffs, fashioning a 1.71 GAA and .947 save percentage through 12 games, but a hand injury prior to Game 1 of the league final put Connolly back between the pipes.

Truro is looking to end a long drought for MHL teams; it has been 24 years since the Halifax Oland Exports won the league’s most recent national title, and only once since then—Summerside in 2013 (as host)—has an MHL team reached the final.

HOW THEY GOT TO SUMMERSIDE

Maritime Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Pictou County Crushers 4-1 (6-0, 5-1, 5-1, 3-4, 3-2 2OT)
Semifinal: defeated Summerside Western Capitals 4-3 (2-1 OT, 3-1, 0-3, 2-0, 2-4, 1-2, 3-2)
Final: defeated Edmundston Blizzard 4-1 (0-4, 4-3, 5-2, 4-3, 5-3)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 34-14-4 (2nd in MHL)
Goals for: 194 (8th in MHL)
Goals against: 145 (1st in MHL)
Power play: 53 for 197 (26.9% – 2nd in MHL)
Penalty killing: 122 of 152 (80.3% – 5th in MHL)
Longest winning streak: 12 (Nov. 1-Dec. 6)

Top 3 scorers:
• Jake Todd (16G 42A 58P – 18th in MHL)
• Éli Baillargeon (30G 24A 54P – 19th in MHL)
• Callum Aucoin (27G 19A 46P – 33rd in MHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-5
Goals for: 52
Goals against: 35
Power play: 12 of 70 (17.1%)
Penalty killing: 42 of 46 (91.3%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Callum Aucoin (11G 4A 15P)
• Éli Baillargeon (4G 10A 14P)
• Jake Todd (3G 10A 13P)

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2013 – Truro Bearcats | 5th place | 1-3 | 8GF 31GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Éli Baillargeon – Université de Sherbrooke (2026-27)
Jayden Connors – University of New Hampshire (2027-28)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 29 – not ranked
Oct. 6 – not ranked
Oct. 13 – not ranked
Oct. 20 – not ranked
Oct. 27 – not ranked
Nov. 3 – not ranked
Nov. 10 – not ranked
Nov. 17 – not ranked
Nov. 24 – Honourable Mention
Dec. 1 – Honourable Mention
Dec. 8 – 19th
Dec. 15 – 18th
Dec. 22 – 11th
Jan. 5 – 18th
Jan. 12 – 17th
Jan. 19 – Honourable Mention
Jan. 26 – Honourable Mention
Feb. 2 – Honourable Mention
Feb. 9 – 20th
Feb. 16 – 20th
Feb. 23 – 19th
March 2 – 19th
March 9 – 19th

If it’s an even-numbered year, it must be Collège Français de Longueuil representing the Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Quebec (LHJAAAQ) on the national stage.

Longueuil will make it three appearances in five years at the Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, following trips to Estevan in 2022 and Oakville in 2024.

And while the LHJAAAQ has historically been known as one of the highest-scoring Junior A leagues in the country, Collège Français has earned its way to Summerside thanks to a shutdown defence.

Longueuil allowed only 103 goals in 48 regular-season games; that ranked it second in the entire Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) (trailing only the Fort Frances Lakers of the SIJHL, who gave up just 98), and its 2.15 goals-against per game placed them fifth in the CJHL.

To put those numbers in perspective, the second-best goals-against total in the LHJAAAQ belonged to the Condors du Cégep Beauce-Appalaches, who gave up 161 goals—58 more than Longueuil.

Collège Français was also lights-out in the playoffs, giving up 20 goals in 13 games as it posted sweeps of Côte-du-Sud and Beauce-Appalaches in the semifinals and final, respectively, shutting out the Condors in the last two games.

(Longueuil’s lone postseason defeat came in double overtime, in Game 2 of its quarterfinal against Valleyfield. Combined with its season-ending six-game win streak, it hasn’t dropped a game in regulation time since Valentine’s Day).

Mathis Lacroix-Goulet was the workhorse in the Collège Français goal, making 34 appearances in the regular season and fashioning a 2.06 goals-against average that was more than a full goal better than second place (3.18). He was also one of only five LHJAAAQ puck-stoppers to post a save percentage above .900, leading the league at .918.

Longueuil will bring Centennial Cup experience to Summerside; eight players—Lacroix-Goulet, captain Gabriel L’Étoile, Samuel Beaulieu, Zachary Berger, Mathys Blanchette, Mathieu Derome, Mathieu Gosselin and Rayen Haché were part of the team that went winless in the preliminary round two years ago in Oakville, scoring only two goals in four games.

HOW THEY GOT TO SUMMERSIDE

Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Québec
Quarterfinal: defeated Valleyfield Braves 4-1 (4-1, 4-5 2OT, 5-2, 6-2, 4-1)
Semifinal: defeated Everest de la Côte-du-Sud 4-0 (6-1, 3-1, 4-2, 2-1 3OT)
Final: defeated Condors du Cégep Beauce-Appalaches 4-0 (6-1, 6-3, 3-0, 4-0)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 41-6-1 (1st in LHJAAAQ)
Goals for: 239 (2nd in LHJAAAQ)
Goals against: 103 (1st in LHJAAAQ)
Power play: 58 for 244 (23.8% – 6th in LHJAAAQ)
Penalty killing: 165 of 192 (85.9% – 1st in LHJAAAQ)
Longest winning streak: 17 (Sept. 5-Nov. 1)

Top 3 scorers:
• Isaiah Parent (29G 40A 69P – 6th in LHJAAAQ)
• Gabriel Provencher (24G 44A 68P – 8th in LHJAAAQ)
• Pierre-Olivier Denis (17G 33A 50P – 35th in LHJAAAQ)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-1
Goals for: 57
Goals against: 20
Power play: 15 for 77 (19.5%)
Penalty killing: 37 of 42 (88.1%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Isaiah Parent (10G 8A 18P)
• Gabriel Provencher (4G 14A 18P)
• Pierre-Olivier Denis (4G 10A 14P)

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

1990 – Sieurs de Longueuil | 4th place | 1-4 | 16GF 34GA
2022 – Collège Français de Longueuil | 4th place | 3-3 | 21GF 26GA
2024 – Collège Français de Longueuil | 10th place | 0-4 | 2GF 24GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

None

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 29 – 5th
Oct. 6 – 2nd
Oct. 13 – 1st
Oct. 20 – 1st
Oct. 27 – 1st
Nov. 3 – 1st
Nov. 10 – 1st
Nov. 17 – 1st
Nov. 24 – 1st
Dec. 1 – 1st
Dec. 8 – 3rd
Dec. 15 – 2nd
Dec. 22 – 3rd
Jan. 5 – 3rd
Jan. 12 – 3rd
Jan. 19 – 3rd
Jan. 26 – 3rd
Feb. 2 – 3rd
Feb. 9 – 3rd
Feb. 16 – 3rd
Feb. 23 – 4th
March 2 – 4th
March 9 – 4th

Three minutes.

That’s how far the Rockland Nationals were from a place in the championship game at the 2025 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons.

The Nationals led the host Calgary Canucks 2-0 in the final minute of the second period and 2-1 as the minutes ticked down in the third, only for the Canucks to tie the semifinal late and win it in overtime en route to a home-ice national title.

Twelve months later, Rockland is back at Canada’s National Junior A Championship with unfinished business.

Eight players who experienced that semifinal setback in Calgary helped the Nationals run roughshod over the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), going 52-3 to set a CCHL record for highest win percentage (.945). That mark also led the 116-team Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) as the only team to win 90% of its games.

They were just as dominant in the postseason, dropping just a single game—Game 4 of their first-round series against Carleton Place—and swept aside Kemptville and Smiths Falls in the semifinals and final to book a return trip to the national championship.

Rockland led the CCHL in goals for (284) and power play (29.95%), and was second in goals against (125) and penalty kill (88.02%), all marks that landed in the top 10 of all CJHL teams—fourth, fourth, 10th and second, respectively.

Gabriel Le Houillier scored both goals for the Nationals in that semifinal loss to Calgary a year ago, two of the six he scored in the tournament to go along with four assists. A year later, he will come to Summerside with more regular-season goals and points than any Junior A player in Canada—he posted 59 and 120 to top the CCHL scoring race.

Rockland iced two of the four players across Canada to reach the 100-point plateau, with Mavrick Brunet (26-77—103) leading the nation in assists riding shotgun alongside Le Houillier.

This year marks 50 years since the Nationals—in a past iteration of the franchise—won their lone national championship; in the days of the East vs. West final series, Rockland downed the Spruce Grove Mets in five games to win the 1976 Centennial Cup.

HOW THEY GOT TO SUMMERSIDE

Central Canada Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Carleton Place Canadians 4-1 (8-4, 8-1, 4-2, 1-4, 5-3)
Semifinal: defeated Kemptville 73’s 4-0 (4-2, 5-1, 5-1, 3-1)
Final: defeated Smiths Falls Bears 4-0 (3-1, 4-3 OT, 4-3, 6-2)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 52-3-0 (1st in CCHL)
Goals for: 284 (1st in CCHL)
Goals against: 125 (2nd in CCHL)
Power play: 59 for 197 (29.9% – 1st in CCHL)
Penalty killing: 169 of 192 (88.0% – 2nd in CCHL)
Longest winning streak: 26 (Nov. 14-Feb. 23)

Top 3 scorers:
• Gabriel Le Houillier (59G 61A 120P – 1st in CCHL)
• Mavrick Brunet (26G 77A 103P – 2nd in CCHL)
• Vital Dinis (29G 51A 80P – 3rd in CCHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-1
Goals for: 60
Goals against: 28
Power play: 13 for 52 (25.0%)
Penalty killing: 48 of 58 (82.8%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Mavrick Brunet (8G 26A 34P)
• Gabriel Le Houillier (18G 15A 33P)
• Alex Kelloway (6G 10A 16P)

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

1995 – Gloucester Rangers | runners-up | 3-3 | 27GF 18GA
2025 – Rockland Nationals | 4th place | 3-3 | 27GF 18GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Mathys Laurent – Concordia University (2026-27)
Danel Myloserdnyy – Concordia University (2026-27)
Connor Pierson – Skidmore College (2026-27)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 29 – 6th
Oct. 6 – 3rd
Oct. 13 – 2nd
Oct. 20 – 2nd
Oct. 27 – 2nd
Nov. 3 – 2nd
Nov. 10 – 3rd
Nov. 17 – 3rd
Nov. 24 – 3rd
Dec. 1 – 3rd
Dec. 8 – 2nd
Dec. 15 – 1st
Dec. 22 – 1st
Jan. 5 – 1st
Jan. 12 – 1st
Jan. 19 – 1st
Jan. 26 – 1st
Feb. 2 – 1st
Feb. 9 – 1st
Feb. 16 – 1st
Feb. 23 – 1st
March 2 – 1st
March 9 – 1st

This much we know about the Toronto Patriots—they can score goals. A lot of them.

There are 116 teams that comprise the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), from Alberta to Prince Edward Island. And this season, the Patriots scored more than all but one of them.

Toronto filled the net to the tune of 296 goals across 56 regular-season games, an average of 5.29 per game. That overall total and GPG total ranked them No. 2 in the CJHL, trailing only the Greater Sudbury Cubs (298 and 5.73).

(Get ready for some fireworks… the Patriots and Cubs will open the preliminary round against each other at the 2026 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, on May 7.)

They slowed down just a little in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) playoffs, scoring 95 times in 20 postseason games as they completed the longest journey of any team on the Road to the Centennial Cup, but still had a GPG number (4.75) that was third-best among the 10 teams coming to P.E.I. (Greater Sudbury scored 5.95 GPG and the Thunder Bay North Stars came in at 4.88 GPG).

So let’s dig a little deeper. What were the keys to the Patriots’ offensive efficiency?

We’ll start with depth. Toronto had six players reach the 20-goal plateau, more than any other OJHL team, and another five scored at least 15. Cole Cooksey went on an absolute tear after joining the Patriots from the OHL in mid-December, potting 15 goals in 17 regular-season games before scoring 15 in 20 playoff contests.

And how about the power play? Toronto clicked with the man advantage at a rate of 33.2%, one of only two CJHL teams to crack 30% and trailing—again—only Greater Sudbury (38.5%). They were even better in the playoffs, scoring on 17 of 71 opportunities (34.9%).

The Patriots are back at Canada’s National Junior Championship for the first time since 2014, when they finished fifth and missed out on the semifinals. OJHL teams have had success in the 10-team era (since 2022), winning a national title (Collingwood, 2024) and reaching another final (Pickering, 2022).

HOW THEY GOT TO SUMMERSIDE

Ontario Junior Hockey League
Conference quarterfinal: defeated Mississauga Chargers 4-0 (8-3, 6-1, 3-2 OT, 5-0)
Conference semifinal: defeated Milton Menace 4-0 (8-4, 5-2, 4-0, 6-2)
Conference final: defeated Collingwood Blues 4-3 (3-4, 4-3 OT, 1-4, 5-2, 4-0, 2-5, 4-2)
Final: defeated Newmarket Hurricanes 4-1 (5-1, 4-3, 2-3 OT, 11-2, 5-2)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-T-OTL): 47-8-0-1 (1st in OJHL)
Goals for: 296 (1st in OJHL)
Goals against: 132 (3rd in OJHL)
Power play: 67 for 202 (33.2% – 1st in OJHL)
Penalty killing: 172 of 204 (84.3% – 5th in OJHL)
Longest winning streak: 14 (Nov. 20-Jan. 11)

Top 3 scorers:
• Hudson Cummins (32G 52A 84P – 3rd in OJHL)
• Tate Collins (24G 52A 76P – 8th in OJHL)
• Luciano Bruno (27G 44A 71P – 10th in OJHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-0
Goals for: 70
Goals against: 27
Power play: 17 for 60 (28.3%)
Penalty killing: 41 of 51 (80.4%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Luciano Bruno (10G 27A 37P)
• Tommy Karmiris (16G 11A 27P)
• Cole Cooksey (15G 12A 27P)

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2014 – Toronto Lakeshore Patriots | 5th place | 1-3 | 10GF 10GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Luciano Bruno – Clarkson University (2026-27)
Tate Collins – Union College (2026-27)
Cole Cooksey – Brock University (2026-27)
Hudson Cummins – McGill University (2026-27)
Anthony Giacalone – Alvernia University (2026-27)
Max Kimelman – Middlebury College (2026-27)
Liam Longo – SUNY Plattsburgh (2026-27)
Robert Palermo – Buffalo State University (2026-27)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 29 – not ranked
Oct. 6 – not ranked
Oct. 13 – not ranked
Oct. 20 – not ranked
Oct. 27 – Honourable Mention
Nov. 3 – 6th
Nov. 10 – 4th
Nov. 17 – 5th
Nov. 24 – 4th
Dec. 1 – 4th
Dec. 8 – 4th
Dec. 15 – 4th
Dec. 22 – 4th
Jan. 5 – 4th
Jan. 12 – 4th
Jan. 19 – 4th
Jan. 26 – 4th
Feb. 2 – 4th
Feb. 9 – 4th
Feb. 16 – 4th
Feb. 23 – 3rd
March 2 – 3rd
March 9 – 3rd

The Greater Sudbury Cubs want to make sure the third time is the charm.

The Cubs made it three championships in as many years in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), booking a third trip to the Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons.

And they won’t be short on experience; the roster includes 14 players who played a year ago in Calgary and four—Noah Kohan, Kaedyn Long, Nolan Newton and Mateo Signoretti—who were part of the first title team two years ago in Oakville.

In 2024, Sudbury finished 1-3 in preliminary-round play and missed out on the playoffs. Last year, it went 2-2 and reached the quarterfinals, falling to the Melfort Mustangs.

Now the Cubs come to Summerside as arguably the hottest of the 10 teams, winners of their last 14 games—including a perfect 12-0 run through the NOJHL playoffs.

And their postseason games weren’t particularly close; Sudbury outscored its opponents by 43 goals (70-27), winning eight games by at least three goals (the other four were one-goal contests, including two—both of them series-clinchers—decided in overtime).

The duo of Briir Long (10-18—28 in 11 GP) and Mason Walker (9-18—27 in 12 GP) did the heavy lifting on offence in the playoffs, while Iain Wintle turned in a 2.05 goals-against average and .934 save percentage while going perfect in his 10 starts.

Over the last three seasons, the Cubs are a combined 126-26-4-4 in the NOJHL during the regular season and have scored 835 goals—an average of 5.15 per game. They’re almost as prolific in the postseason, averaging 4.70 goals per game (202 in 43 games) while going 36-7.

Now they want to go where very few NOJHL teams have gone; just twice have teams from the league reached at least the semifinals at the Centennial Cup—the Rayside Balfour Sabrecats, who got to the final in 2000, and the Thunderbirds, who were semifinalists in 2012.

HOW THEY GOT TO SUMMERSIDE

Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 4-0 (9-1, 6-1, 2-1, 10-3)
Semifinal: defeated Soo Eagles 4-0 (5-1, 9-6, 6-3, 4-3 OT)
Final: defeated Timmins Rock 4-0 (9-3, 4-3, 3-0, 3-2 OT)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-T-OTL): 39-8-3-2 (1st in NOJHL)
Goals for: 298 (1st in NOJHL)
Goals against: 124 (1st in NOJHL)
Power play: 97 for 252 (38.5% – 1st in NOJHL)
Penalty killing: 180 of 216 (83.3% – 2nd in NOJHL)
Longest winning streak: 8 (Jan. 29-Feb. 28)

Top 3 scorers:
• Nolan Newton (37G 54A 91P – 2nd in NOJHL)
• Mason Walker (33G 55A 88P – 3rd in NOJHL)
• Owen King (44G 30A 74P – 6th in NOJHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-0
Goals for: 70
Goals against: 27
Power play: 17 for 60 (28.3%)
Penalty killing: 41 of 51 (80.4%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Briir Long (10G 18A 28P)
• Mason Walker (9G 18A 27P)
• Daks Klinkhammer (10G 9A 19P)

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2024 – Greater Sudbury Cubs | 8th place | 1-3 | 11GF 18GA
2025 – Greater Sudbury Cubs | 6th place | 2-3 | 14GF 21GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Daks Klinkhammer – Ontario Tech University (2026-27)
Iain Wintle – University of Guelph (2026-27)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 29 – not ranked
Oct. 6 – not ranked
Oct. 13 – not ranked
Oct. 20 – not ranked
Oct. 27 – not ranked
Nov. 3 – Honourable Mention
Nov. 10 – not ranked
Nov. 17 – Honourable Mention
Nov. 24 – 14th
Dec. 1 – 16th
Dec. 8 – 15th
Dec. 15 – 15th
Dec. 22 – 16th
Jan. 5 – 16th
Jan. 12 – 15th
Jan. 19 – 15th
Jan. 26 – 12th
Feb. 2 – 12th
Feb. 9 – 9th
Feb. 16 – 7th
Feb. 23 – 7th
March 2 – 7th
March 9 – 7th

It’s a pretty simple formula: Score a lot of goals, win a lot of games.

That sums up the 2025-26 season for the Thunder Bay North Stars, who filled the net as well as any Junior A team in Canada en route to a Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) championship and a place at the 2026 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons.

Across their 48 regular-season games, the North Stars piled up 229 goals—38 more than any other SIJHL team. Their 4.77 goals per game ranked 12th among the 116 teams that are part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).

They scored at least six goals on 17 occasions, got to eight 11 times and reached 10+ twice.

Despite the league-best total, Thunder Bay didn’t have 30-goal scorer; Lucas Bertolin led with 27, one of three to reach the 20-goal plateau, and another eight hit double-digits.

The North Stars were even better in the playoffs, scoring 78 goals in 16 games—although almost half of those (37) came in a four-game sweep of the seventh-place Ironwood Lumberjacks in the quarterfinals.

They went the absolute distance to win their first SIJHL championship since 2019, getting a goal from James Cullison (his first of the playoffs and just second of the entire season) 9:14 into overtime of Game 7 to eliminate the Fort Frances Lakers, the league’s best regular-season team, and hoist the Bill Salonen Cup.

Thunder Bay had six players average a point per game in the postseason, led by Mitch Vanderwey (8-22—30 in 16 GP), and six had at least eight goals—Matthew Bertolin (11), Easton Glousher (11), Lucas Bertolin (10), Vanderwey (8), Cohen Tangedal (8) and Matthew Lysak (8).

It has been 20 years since the North Stars’ only other appearance at Canada’s National Junior A Championship; led by future NHLers Robert Bortuzzo and Carter Hutton, they reached the semifinals of the 2006 tournament, where they gave back a two-goal lead in the final two minutes of what ended as a 3-2 overtime loss to the Burnaby Express.

HOW THEY GOT TO SUMMERSIDE

Superior International Junior Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Ironwood Lumberjacks 4-0 (7-3, 10-1, 11-1, 8-0)
Semifinal: defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-1 (1-0 OT, 4-3, 2-3, 3-1, 10-3)
Final: defeated Fort Frances Lakers 4-3 (4-3 OT, 3-2, 3-4, 1-2, 4-2, 2-5, 5-4 OT)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 30-14-4 (3rd in SIJHL)
Goals for: 229 (1st in SIJHL)
Goals against: 142 (5th in SIJHL)
Power play: 62 for 215 (28.8% – 1st in SIJHL)
Penalty killing: 204 of 245 (83.3% – 1st in SIJHL)
Longest winning streak: 6 (Feb. 28-March 13)

Top 3 scorers:
• Matthew Bertolin (22G 41A 63P – 2nd in SIJHL)
• Lucas Bertolin (27G 30A 57P – 4th in SIJHL)
• Evan Simeoni (14G 42A 56P – 6th in SIJHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-4
Goals for: 78
Goals against: 37
Power play: 14 for 64 (30.4%)
Penalty killing: 40 of 49 (81.6%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Mitch Vanderwey (8G 22A 30P)
• Lucas Bertolin (10G 13A 23P)
• Matthew Bertolin (11G 10A 21P)

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2006 – Fort William North Stars | 4th place | 2-3 | 12GF 13GA

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

None

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 29 – not ranked
Oct. 6 – not ranked
Oct. 13 – not ranked
Oct. 20 – not ranked
Oct. 27 – not ranked
Nov. 3 – not ranked
Nov. 10 – not ranked
Nov. 17 – not ranked
Nov. 24 – not ranked
Dec. 1 – not ranked
Dec. 8 – not ranked
Dec. 15 – not ranked
Dec. 22 – not ranked
Jan. 5 – not ranked
Jan. 12 – not ranked
Jan. 19 – not ranked
Jan. 26 – not ranked
Feb. 2 – not ranked
Feb. 9 – not ranked
Feb. 16 – not ranked
Feb. 23 – not ranked
March 2 – not ranked
March 9 – not ranked

For the first three seasons of their existence, the Niverville Nighthawks performed like you would expect an expansion team to perform—middle-of-the-pack finishes, early playoff exits.

Then came Year 4.

The Nighthawks were simply dominant in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) this year, winning 51 of 58 games in the regular season (the first team to reach 50 victories since the Portage Terriers in 2015-16) before a 12-1 playoff run clinched their first MJHL championship and a place at the 2026 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons.

Niverville scored more goals than any other MJHL team (280). It allowed fewer (117). It had the No. 1 power play (27.3%) and the No. 3 penalty kill (84.5%).

Among the 116 teams that make up the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), the Nighthawks had the second-best win percentage (.879), second-best goals-against per game (2.02), third-best goal differential (+163) and seventh-best goals per game (4.83).

This is a very, very good hockey team.

Up front, Hayden Wheddon led the MJHL in scoring with 90 points (36-54—90) in 57 games, and the duo of Ben Chornomydz (1.50 GAA, .942 SV%) and Austin Dubinsky (2.18 GAA, .931 SV%) were first and third, respectively, in goals-against average, and first and second in save percentage.

Dubinsky was lights-out in the playoffs, fashioning a 1.31 goals-against average and a ridiculous .956 save percentage with three shutouts across his 13 starts, while captain Adam Vigfusson took the reins offensively with 19 points (10-9—19).

The Nighthawks—who had gone out in the quarterfinals in each of their first three seasons—made quick work of the postseason, allowing more than two goals just twice and outscoring their opposition 53-18.

Manitoba teams have reached the quarterfinals at three of the four tournaments in the 10-team era (since 2022), but only one—the 2022 Dauphin Kings—has gone as far as the semifinals.

HOW THEY GOT TO SUMMERSIDE

Manitoba Junior Hockey League
Quarterfinal: defeated Winkler Flyers 4-0 (8-2, 2-1, 3-2, 4-0)
Semifinal: defeated Waywayseecappo Wolverines 4-1 (2-1, 1-3, 4-2, 3-0, 7-0)
Final: defeated Virden Oil Capitals 4-0 (4-1, 3-1, 6-3, 6-2)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 51-6-1 (1st in MJHL)
Goals for: 280 (1st in MJHL)
Goals against: 117 (1st in MJHL)
Power play: 67 for 245 (27.3% – 1st in MJHL)
Penalty killing: 158 of 187 (84.5% – 3rd in MJHL)
Longest winning streak: 16 (Oct. 15-Dec. 2)

Top 3 scorers:
• Hayden Wheddon (36G 54A 90P – 1st in MJHL)
• Merik Boles (25G 48A 73P – 5th in MJHL)
• Adam Vigfusson (26G 35A 61P – 11th in MJHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 12-1
Goals for: 53
Goals against: 18
Power play: 16 for 60 (26.7%)
Penalty killing: 40 of 42 (95.2%)

Top 3 scorers:
• Adam Vigfusson (10G 9A 19P)
• Merik Boles (5G 9A 14P)
• Hayden Wheddon (3G 11A 14P)

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

First appearance

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS

Merik Boles – University of Regina (2026-27)
Adam Vigfusson – York University (2026-27)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 29 – Honourable Mention
Oct. 6 – 5th
Oct. 13 – 10th
Oct. 20 – 4th
Oct. 27 – 3rd
Nov. 3 – 3rd
Nov. 10 – 2nd
Nov. 17 – 2nd
Nov. 24 – 2nd
Dec. 1 – 2nd
Dec. 8 – 1st
Dec. 15 – 3rd
Dec. 22 – 2nd
Jan. 5 – 2nd
Jan. 12 – 2nd
Jan. 19 – 2nd
Jan. 26 – 2nd
Feb. 2 – 2nd
Feb. 9 – 2nd
Feb. 16 – 2nd
Feb. 23 – 2nd
March 2 – 2nd
March 9 – 2nd