Rayside-Balfour Canadians
The Rayside-Balfour Canadians are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Rayside-Balfour, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL).
| Rayside-Balfour Canadians | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Chelmsford, Ontario |
| League | Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League |
| Division | West |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Home arena | Chelmsford Arena |
| Colours | Red, blue, and white |
| General manager | Jeff Forsyth |
| Head coach | Dan Cuomo (2018–19) |
| Media | The Sudbury Star, Sudbury Sports, CTV Northern Ontario |
| Affiliates | Sudbury Wolves (OHL) Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves (GNML) |
| Franchise history | |
| 2000–2005 | Sudbury Northern Wolves |
| 2005–2011 | Sudbury Jr. Wolves |
| 2011–2012 | Sudbury Cubs |
| 2012–2015 | Sudbury Nickel Barons |
| 2015–present | Rayside-Balfour Canadians |
History
The Sudbury Northern Wolves came into the league in 2000 and were present up until they announced an affiliation agreement with the Ontario Hockey League's Sudbury Wolves midway through the 2005–06 season. The Sudbury Northern Wolves were then re-branded as the Sudbury Jr. Wolves. The team went on to break league records that season. In their first season, the Jr. Wolves won the NOJHL championship over their rivals North Bay Skyhawks. The Jr. Wolves came one goal short of qualifying for the Royal Bank Cup losing to the Fort William North Stars 7-6 in overtime scored by former Sudbury Northern Wolves player, Josh Slobodian.
The Sudbury Jr. Wolves would lose the NOJHL finals to the Soo Indians at the conclusion of the 2006–07 season. The following season, the Jr. Wolves defeated the Abitibi Eskimos and moved on to the Dudley Hewitt Cup in Newmarket, but came back winless. The Sudbury Jr. Wolves last taste of success came in 2010–11 when they went to the NOJHL finals, but lost to the Soo Eagles.
In the summer of 2011, the Jr. Wolves broke their ties with the Sudbury Wolves and elected to change their name to the Cubs. In 2012, the Cubs were sold and changed their name to the Sudbury Nickel Barons and were later awarded hosting duties for the Dudley Hewitt Cup, but they pulled out and the tournament was awarded to North Bay instead.
In spring 2015, the Nickel Barons relocated to Rayside-Balfour and became the Rayside-Balfour Canadians and at the same time pulled out of hosting the 2016 Dudley Hewitt Cup, in which it was allocated to Kirkland Lake. The team was sold to local player agent Adrian Gedye over the spring of 2016.
On August 2, 2016, defenceman Sam Oden died in a car accident in Edina, Minnesota.[1] After the team received the news of Oden's passing, they promptly and permanently retired his jersey number 4.[2]
In the 2017–18 regular season, the team won its first division title with 79 points.
Season-by-season results
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | Result | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sudbury Northern Wolves | ||||||||||
| 2000–01 | 40 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 204 | 172 | 45 | 3rd NOJHL | |
| 2001–02 | 42 | 26 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 253 | 176 | 55 | 3rd NOJHL | |
| 2002–03 | 48 | 28 | 16 | 4 | — | 260 | 200 | 60 | 4th NOJHL | |
| 2003–04 | 48 | 31 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 232 | 168 | 65 | 3rd NOJHL | |
| 2004–05 | 48 | 12 | 33 | 1 | 2 | 159 | 245 | 27 | 8th NOJHL | Lost Quarter-final |
| Sudbury Jr. Wolves | ||||||||||
| 2005–06 | 48 | 36 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 200 | 139 | 73 | 1st NOJHL | Won League |
| 2006–07 | 48 | 29 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 207 | 166 | 64 | 2nd NOJHL | Lost Final |
| 2007–08 | 50 | 28 | 17 | — | 5 | 216 | 176 | 61 | 4th NOJHL | Won League |
| 2008–09 | 50 | 20 | 25 | — | 5 | 207 | 238 | 45 | 6th NOJHL | |
| 2009–10 | 50 | 19 | 27 | — | 4 | 186 | 216 | 42 | 6th NOJHL | Lost Semi-final |
| 2010–11 | 50 | 30 | 14 | — | 6 | 231 | 89 | 66 | 3rd NOJHL | Lost Final |
| Sudbury Cubs | ||||||||||
| 2011–12 | 50 | 29 | 15 | — | 6 | 283 | 229 | 64 | 3rd NOJHL | |
| Sudbury Nickel Barons | ||||||||||
| 2012–13 | 48 | 29 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 186 | 177 | 59 | 3rd NOJHL | |
| 2013–14 | 56 | 19 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 170 | 219 | 45 | 6th NOJHL | Lost Quarter-final |
| 2014–15 | 52 | 31 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 203 | 179 | 67 | 3rd of 4, West 4th of 9, NOJHL | Lost Div. Semifinals, 2–4 vs. Elliot Lake Wildcats |
| Rayside-Balfour Canadians | ||||||||||
| 2015–16 | 54 | 28 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 229 | 208 | 57 | 3rd of 6, West 7th of 12, NOJHL | Lost Div. Semifinals, 1–4 vs. Elliot Lake Wildcats |
| 2016–17 | 56 | 28 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 191 | 209 | 60 | 3rd of 6, West 7th of 12, NOJHL | Lost Div. Semifinals, 3–4 vs. Blind River Beavers |
| 2017–18 | 56 | 37 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 222 | 139 | 79 | 1st of 6, West 2nd of 12, NOJHL | Won Div. Semifinals, 4–2 vs. Blind River Beavers Won Div. Finals, 4–2 vs. Soo Thunderbirds Lost League Finals, 2–4 vs. Cochrane Crunch |
| 2018–19 | 56 | 31 | 20 | — | 5 | 194 | 169 | 67 | 2nd of 6, West 7th of 12, NOJHL | Won Div. Semifinals, 4–2 vs. Soo Eagles Lost Div. Finals, 2–4 vs. Soo Thunderbirds |
| 2019–20 | 56 | 40 | 11 | — | 5 | 260 | 163 | 85 | 1st of 6, West 3rd of 12, NOJHL | Postseason cancelled |
Retired numbers
4 — Sam Oden[2]
References
- "Canadians mourn former teammate". Sudbury Star. August 3, 2016.
- "REST IN PEACE SAM ODEN". Rayside-Balfour Canadians. August 2, 2016.