The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League has been a leader in Canada in terms of player safety for the last few years. It is a league that has looked to expand its footprint, while at the same time transition to a league that is seen as a leader in developing players for NCAA and Canadian University hockey programs.
Multiple sources are now reporting that the NOJHL will grow to nine teams for the 2014-2015 season.
Last night in a stunning reversal of opinion, the Elliot Lake City Council voted 5 to 1 in favor of the creation of a not for profit organization to operate a team in the NOJHL. Previous straw poles indicated a divide in the City Council.
The City of Elliot Lake will spend $40,000.00 on the franchise fee and cover all costs of operating the team in advance of the 2014-2015 season.
Sources are also reporting that the City will retain the name of the Bobcats. The former Bobcats have now relocated to Cochrane Ontario, and renamed the Cochrane Crunch.
Another team will also be filling the vacancy left by the North Bay Trappers relocation to Mattawa Ontario. The former Trappers are now known as the Mattawa Junior A Blackhawks.
Sources have confirmed that the Ontario Hockey Leagues North Bay Battalion will be involved with placing a NOJHL franchise in Powassan Ontario for the 2014-2015 season.
Located outside of North Bay Ontario, Powassan has been home to a GMHL junior hockey team for years. The GMHL team is now said to be having to move in order to make room for the NOJHL franchise.
While the NOJHL lost one team in the Espanola Rivermen, and some believed the league would operate with seven teams moving forward, Commissioner Robert Mazzuca has been actively developing expansion opportunities since November of 2013.
So what’s next for the NOJHL? Look for multiple expansion applications for the NOJHL to return to Michigan for the 2015 season.
