Latest news with #CentennialCup
Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Greater Sudbury Cubs welcome new group of prospects to camp
Article content A taste of NOJHL action with the Greater Sudbury Cubs last season only whetted Jameson Fabbro's appetite for a steady serving. Article content The 17-year-old forward from Sudbury made his latest case for a roster spot on the weekend, as one of 40 players from across Northern Ontario and points to the south who participated in the Cubs' spring prospect camp. Article content Six goalies, 13 defencemen and 21 forwards converged on Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex for practices and a pair of games on Saturday, followed by one more game on Sunday. Article content Article content 'Hopefully, I can play here next year,' said Fabbro, an Erie Otters draft choice who helped to lead the Sudbury Wolves U18 AAA squad to a Great North Under-18 League championship this season. Article content Article content 'This is a great junior team and I would love to stay at home and just play junior and get better.' Article content A relative of several high-level hockey players through the Savage and Hillman families, Fabbro also dressed for eight games with the Greater Sudbury juniors, recording his first NOJHL point back in September before witnessing their run to a second straight league title. 'It was definitely an eye-opener, playing up with the big boys,' said Fabbro, a sturdy six-foot, 175-pounder who collected 20 goals and 27 assists in 32 games with the Sudbury U18s. 'But it's a lot easier, playing with the bigger guys and being on a line with them, moving pucks quicker and the pace is definitely faster.' Article content Article content Indeed, he believes head coach Darryl Moxam and his staff would be an ideal fit for his playing style and help him to round out his game as he moves up the ranks. Article content 'They have a great style of coaching and a really fast team,' Fabbro said. 'I feel like I fit in pretty good with that.' Article content And he could be all the more prepared to take that step following a thrilling run with the U18 Wolves, who followed up their fourth-place finish in the 2024-25 regular season by upending higher seeds from Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay and finally host Timmins in the league's championship tournament. Article content 'I got to stay at home and I was more comfortable,' Fabbro suggested. 'Mindset is a pretty big part of the game and that was a good choice I made. My teammates were phenomenal, I knew all of them and we were building chemistry throughout the season. I had a good time.' Article content He's well aware, of course, that the Cubs will have no shortage of potential prospects after making back-to-back appearances at the Centennial Cup national championship and with several standout players set to graduate, and he doesn't plan to leave anything to chance. He expects a busy summer of training, both on and off the ice.
Ottawa Citizen
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Greater Sudbury Cubs begin off-season reload with prospect camp
Article content Ever the competitor, Greater Sudbury Cubs head coach Darryl Moxam was bound to be left with a bitter taste when his team was eliminated from Centennial Cup competition nearly two weeks ago. Article content Given some time to digest the season as a whole, however, the reigning NOJHL Coach of the Year was certainly proud of his players, staff and all members of the organization for the parts they played in helping the Cubs to win a second straight league title and the first national playoff berth for a local entrant since 2000, despite some injuries to key contributors. Article content Article content 'You're never completely satisfied when you don't win your final game of the season,' Moxam told The Sudbury Star this week. 'But when you take some time a week later and kind of reflect on the successes of the individuals and the team and the staff and the organization and the ownership, you're definitely proud, there's no question about it. I couldn't be any happier with our group of players and the commitment they showed.' Article content Article content Greater Sudbury's historic run at the nationals in Calgary finally came to an end on May 16, when the locals dropped a quarter-final decision to the Melfort Mustangs of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the eventual silver medallists. Article content The host Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League emerged as the Centennial Cup champions. Article content 'I understand at that time of year, everyone is competing with injuries and banged up,' Moxam said. 'But it really made us realize, after that last game, how lucky you have to be with injuries and different things to win a national championship. We were no different from anybody else — we just ran into too many injuries and we didn't have enough gas to finish off what we started out to try to achieve in September.' Article content Article content Determined to earn another crack at the title, the Cubs will begin their effort to build another contender with their annual prospect camp, to be held at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex this coming Saturday and Sunday. More than 30 players aged 16 to 20 will take part in roughly five hours of on-ice practice and scrimmages. Article content 'There's a lot of local young men coming out who would like to be a part of it,' Moxam said. 'We are a local, community team and we have a very large percentage of kids from the North and from Ontario and I would love nothing more than to add local, key pieces, kids who have played U18 or U16, and see where we're at as far as that is concerned.' Article content Some out-of-town attendees, such as Eidan Macartney, have also proven to be pleasant surprises. The now 18-year-old centreman from Kitchener not only earned a spot in 2024-25, but proved a reliable two-way performer for the entire season.
Ottawa Citizen
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
N.B. team comes up short at Centennial Cup
The Edmundston Blizzard split their four games at the national junior A hockey tournament and had their season ended by a lopsided loss to the host team and eventual champion. Article content Article content Edmundston's time at the 2025 Centennial Cup in Calgary was cut short by an 8-2 defeat at the hands of the Calgary Canucks in its round-robin finale May 13 at the Max Bell Centre. Article content That was a must-win game for the Blizzard, who were fourth in the five-team Group B and looked to advance to the knockout round as one of the top three teams. Article content Article content Calgary went on to win its third national title with a 7-2 triumph over Saskatchewan's Melfort Mustangs in the final Sunday night. Article content Article content In other round-robin action, Edmundston thumped Quebec's Valleyfield Braves 7-2 May 12. Article content The Blizzard were led at the Centennial Cup by 20-year-old forward Jérémy D'Astous' seven points (two goals, five assists) in four games. Fellow 20-year-olds Carl-Anthony Massé, Philippe Collette, and Moncton product Will Allen each added five points. Article content Nineteen-year-old netminder Austin Caley posted a 2-0 win-loss mark, a 2.29 goals-against average, and a .922 save percentage in three games, while 20-year-old backstop Frédéric Cousineau went 0-2 with a 6.61 GAA and an .815 save percentage. Article content Article content The Blizzard dominated the MHL this year en route to their second league title since the franchise moved to Edmundston from Dieppe in 2017. They went 44-6-2 in the regular season, good for first in the league and Eastlink North Division, before beating the Miramichi Timberwolves in five games and sweeping the Campbellton Tigers and Pictou County Weeks Crushers in four straight contests.
Ottawa Citizen
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Lucky toonies and life-long 'brothers': Host Calgary Canucks win Centennial Cup in dominating style
Article content 'Whatever it takes' was how Brad Moran worded his team's run to a national puck title. Article content Article content So when the Calgary Canucks dug a couple of toonies out of the ice amid Sunday's celebration of winning the 2025 Centennial Cup, it seemed to come as no surprise to the head coach of the newly minted Canadian Junior Hockey League champions … Article content Even though he knew nothing of the lucky coins or who put them there. Article content Article content 'One from 1995, and one from 2025,' said the Canucks GM and head coach, his voice dripping with joy after watching his charges score the coveted CJHL crown 30 years — almost to the day — of the franchise's first and only other Centennial Cup. Article content Article content 'So whatever it takes …' continued Moran of the buried treasure. 'I guess that was the gesture.' Article content If there was magic in those toonies, it didn't take the shine off the determination of the Canucks. Article content Moran's men were full marks for the title victory Sunday, executing dominance in a 7-2 taming of the Melfort Mustangs in Sunday's finale, much to the delight of a frenzied 2,720 fans at jam-packed Max Bell Centre. And it was quite the delight for themselves, coming 12 months after losing 2-1 to the same Mustangs in last year's semifinal round of the 2024 Centennial Cup in Oakville, Ont. Article content Revenge best served cold, you could say. Article content Article content 'It's everything I've dreamed of,' said Canucks captain Bowden Singleton, in the moments after hoisting the Centennial Cup on home ice. 'I might get emotional here in a bit, but I'm just soaking everything in right now. Article content 'That feeling of losing last year and looking at the guys that lost is probably one of the saddest things you ever have to go through, because those 20-year-olds, they gave everything they had.' Article content It was a feeling neither he or any of the seven other returnees of the reigning two-time Alberta Junior Hockey League kings wanted to go through again, unlike the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League-champion Mustangs themselves were forced to do for a second straight Centennial Cup after losing last year in the final to Ontario's Collingwood Blues. Article content 'We started off with one goal to win the regular season and then win the AJHL playoffs and then win the Centennial Cup playoffs,' Singleton said. 'Super surreal, the full circle, and we're going to enjoy it for a long time. We're brothers for the rest of our lives.'
Calgary Herald
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Lucky toonies and life-long 'brothers': Host Calgary Canucks win Centennial Cup in dominating style
Article content 'Whatever it takes' was how Brad Moran worded his team's run to a national puck title. Article content Article content So when the Calgary Canucks dug a couple of toonies out of the ice amid Sunday's celebration of winning the 2025 Centennial Cup, it seemed to come as no surprise to the head coach of the newly minted Canadian Junior Hockey League champions … Article content Even though he knew nothing of the lucky coins or who put them there. Article content Article content 'One from 1995, and one from 2025,' said the Canucks GM and head coach, his voice dripping with joy after watching his charges score the coveted CJHL crown 30 years — almost to the day — of the franchise's first and only other Centennial Cup. Article content Article content 'So whatever it takes …' continued Moran of the buried treasure. 'I guess that was the gesture.' Article content If there was magic in those toonies, it didn't take the shine off the determination of the Canucks. Article content Moran's men were full marks for the title victory Sunday, executing dominance in a 7-2 taming of the Melfort Mustangs in Sunday's finale, much to the delight of a frenzied 2,720 fans at jam-packed Max Bell Centre. Article content And it was quite the delight for themselves, coming 12 months after losing 2-1 to the same Mustangs in last year's semifinal round of the 2024 Centennial Cup in Oakville, Ont. Article content Revenge best served cold, you could say. Article content Article content 'It's everything I've dreamed of,' said Canucks captain Bowden Singleton, in the moments after hoisting the Centennial Cup on home ice. 'I might get emotional here in a bit, but I'm just soaking everything in right now. Article content 'That feeling of losing last year and looking at the guys that lost is probably one of the saddest things you ever have to go through, because those 20-year-olds, they gave everything they had.' Article content It was a feeling neither he or any of the seven other returnees of the reigning two-time Alberta Junior Hockey League kings wanted to go through again, unlike the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League-champion Mustangs themselves were forced to do for a second straight Centennial Cup after losing last year in the final to Ontario's Collingwood Blues. Article content 'We started off with one goal to win the regular season and then win the AJHL playoffs and then win the Centennial Cup playoffs,' Singleton said. 'Super surreal, the full circle, and we're going to enjoy it for a long time. We're brothers for the rest of our lives.'
