The Powassan Voodoos have a lot to celebrate about as the NOJHL has expanded to a record high 12 teams for the upcoming 2015-16 season. FILE PHOTO.
It's been a busy off-season for the NOJHL(Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League), which has been around since 70's.
Due to the recent success the league's had so far, the NOJHL is expanding. Last year, there were nine teams and this year, three more teams will be added to the mix. Robert Mazzuca is the commissioner of the NOJHL and he's excited about the expansion. “It took us a while to get here,” stated Mazzuca over a phone interview.
“But we will get 12 members for next year and we're looking forward to it. This was in the plans for, I would say about three years. Three years ago we mapped it out a bit to see where we could go, but the key thing is the owners and the ownership groups who's behind the organizations themselves. We believe we got good programs compared to the other Junior A programs out there and we'll be competitive throughout the league.”
One of the breaking points for the expansion was the how cost effective it would be for everyone around the league. Robert mentioned, one of the biggest costs around the league is travel, and with more teams, they can all save money and focus more on hockey.
With more teams, comes more opportunities and more competition.The myth has always been, if someone wants to take the next step for their hockey career, they need to play down south. But with the recent success the NOJHL has seen, coaches and owners feel that they compare well to the other leagues. The last four years, the NOJHL was represented at at RBC cup twice. To make it to the RBC cup, you have to win your own league and be one of the last five teams in the CJHL(Canadian Junior Hockey League) out of a possible 129 teams.
The Soo Thunderbirds were the latest team who represented the NOJHL at the RBC cup in 2015. Next year though, the Soo will a have long road ahead and will be seeing more competition in their own league.
The Soo Eagles, who is based out of Michigan will be making their return to the NOJHL after their three year stint with in the Northern American Hockey League. They will be joined by Espanola Express after their one year hiatus from the league. The Mattawa Jr Blackhawks will be moving to Iroquois Falls under the name of the Eskimos. And the NOJHL will also see a new team located in Noelville, which will be named the French River Rapids.
The French River Rapids, will be under the leadership of team president Allan Donnan as well as head coach and GM Moe Mantha. And the Espanola Express will be coached by former North Bay Trappers head coach Tom McCarthy. McCarthy and Mantha have both played in the NHL and immediately adds creditability for their respective teams.
As a Sturgeon Falls native, Mantha knows the area well and brings with him a vast coaching resume including stops in both the American Hockey League and the OHL.
Voodoos GM Chris Dawson was with the North Bay Jr. Trappers when they captured the title in the seven-team NOJHL in 2012-13. He credits NOJHL commissioner Robert Mazzuca and the league's directors for making this expansion happen.
"This is great news for the Voodoos and our league," stated Dawson.
"The Soo Eagles will be an immediate contender coming from the NAHL. The NOJHL has its challenges competing against our rival leagues in Ontario (CCHL, OJHL) but our league as a whole is working together to try and make it better, and Robert Mazzuca deserves a lot of that expansion credit," he said.
So, for anyone out there who thinks the NOJHL is an inferior league, compared to the ones down south, they should go out to a game and judge for themselves.
Because the competition is only getting better as time rolls along and the future is looking bright for the NOJHL.
