New Junior B hockey team in Northeastern Ontario

[nosl]

Un club de hockey junior B s’installe à Smooth Rock Falls (FR)
http://www.lavoixdunord.ca/index.ph...ockey-junior-b-s-installe-a-smooth-rock-falls

Click to read more...

 

[Sidekick]

Holy ***t, talk about travel. I think this team officially takes the cake as the most geographically out-of-place junior hockey team in Canada.

I see it's about a 6.5 hour drive to their closest game. So hotels every roadie, I'm sure that's cost affordable!

The NOJHL should really drop to Jr.B anyways. With its overexpansion, it's a local league now. And I'm not saying that is a bad thing - I think it's great - it gives these towns a social outlet. But if the NOJHL was created/promoted at/to the 'A' level to keep 'A' players within the region, then while that's an admirable goal, 12 teams is not possible.

Drop to Junior B, expand to Hearst, Wawa, Sturgeon Falls, Temiskaming Shores, Temiscaming, Ville Marie, St.Ignace...and have a 20-team northeastern Ontario junior B league, and allow any 'A' talent to filter out to the other Jr.A leagues, just like any major junior talent already does....It won't be the best calibre of hockey, but the costs would be lower, and the fans would be more engaged due to the town rivalries.

 

[Sidekick]

Drop to Junior B, expand to Hearst, Wawa, Sturgeon Falls, Temiskaming Shores, Temiscaming, Ville Marie, St.Ignace....

Not New Liskeard; I forgot about the major midget team there. Any Jr.B team would kill it. So how about Little Current instead. Better symmetry anyways.

West: St.Ignace, Soo MI, Soo ON, Wawa, Blind River
Central: Elliot Lake, Espanola, Rayside, Manitoulin, French River

South: Temiscaming, Powassan, Sturgeon Falls, Ville Marie, Kirkland Lake
North: IFalls, Timmins, SRFalls, Hearst, Cochrane

Major Midget stays in the four biggest centres (Sudbury, Soo, NB, Timmins, plus the two more regional teams in Kap and New Liskeard.)



....geez, I'm bored in the off-season

 

[4thline]

Holy ***t, talk about travel. I think this team officially takes the cake as the most geographically out-of-place junior hockey team in Canada.

I see it's about a 6.5 hour drive to their closest game. So hotels every roadie, I'm sure that's cost affordable!

The NOJHL should really drop to Jr.B anyways. With its overexpansion, it's a local league now. And I'm not saying that is a bad thing - I think it's great - it gives these towns a social outlet. But if the NOJHL was created/promoted at/to the 'A' level to keep 'A' players within the region, then while that's an admirable goal, 12 teams is not possible.

To be fair, promoting/ classifying at the A level was ambitious to begin with. Not a slight, just based on the drawing geography/ demographics.

 

[Taoiseach]

Holy ***t, talk about travel. I think this team officially takes the cake as the most geographically out-of-place junior hockey team in Canada.

Are you familiar with the Norbord Midget AA league?

Val-d'Or, Rouyn-Noranda, Amos, La Sarre... Mistissini... And Hearst!

 

[nosl]

@Taoiseach

Les Élans de Hearst are currently searching for a new league as la Ligue Norbord is demotting itself to Midget BB.

They are actually attemping to join the GNML, the midget AAA circuit in Northeastern Ontario. http://www.kapuskasingtimes.com/2015/06/16/flyers-prez-accuses-les-elans-of-subterfuge