The Road to the Centennial Cup: 26 teams remain in the hunt

TORONTO – It is now less than a month away before the Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, begins at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary.

Heading into action Thursday, there are 26 Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) clubs still in contention to see who will be crowned the national Jr. A champion when the 10-team event concludes on Sunday, May 18.

Four of the nine CJHL-member leagues are down to their respective finals, while two other squads await to see who they will meet in theirs.

The rest remain active in semifinal play to see which teams advance.

Of note, with the Calgary Canucks hosting the Centennial Cup, fellow Alberta Junior Hockey League finalist, the Grande Prairie Storm, becomes the second side to qualify for the nationals, regardless of the outcome in their AJHL’s Inter Pipeline Cup championship series.

Also, there will be at least three different league title holders, coming out the MHL; OJHL and SIJHL as well as a new Centennial Cup champion, with last season’s winner, the Collingwood Blues (OJHL) being dethroned.

Here is where each CJHL league currently stands in their respective playoffs:

MHL

MetalFab Cup

Edmundston Blizzard vs. Pictou County Weeks Crushers
Best-of-seven series
Game 1: T.B.A.

LHJAAAQ

NAPA Cup

Braves de Valleyfield vs. Collège Français de Longueuil
Best-of-seven series

Game 1: Friday, April 11 @ Valleyfield 7:30 p.m.
Game 2: Sunday, April 13 @ Valleyfield 3 p.m.
Game 3: Tuesday, April 15 @ Longueuil 7:30 p.m.
Game 4: Friday, April 18 @ Longueuil 7:30 p.m.
Game 5*: Sunday, April 20 @ Valleyfield 3 p.m.
Game 6*: Tuesday, April 22 @ Longueuil 7:30 p.m.
Game 7*: Thursday, April 24 @ Valleyfield 7:30 p.m.
*-if necessary

CCHL

Bogart Cup

Semifinals
Rockland Nationals vs. Smiths Falls Bears
Best-of-seven series tied 2-2
Game 5: Friday, April 11 @ Rockland 7:30 p.m.

Carleton Place Canadians vs. Navan Grads
Grads lead best-of-seven series 3-1
Game 5: Friday, April 11 @ Carleton Place 7 p.m.

OJHL

Buckland Cup

Semifinals
Leamington Flyers vsMilton Menace
Menace lead best-of-seven series 2-1
Game 4: Friday, April 11 @ Milton 7:30 p.m.

Trenton Golden Hawks vs. Haliburton County Huskies
Golden Hawks lead best-of-seven series 2-0
Game 4: Thursday, April 10 @ Trenton 7:30 p.m.

NOJHL

Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy

Greater Sudbury Cubs vs. T.B.A.
Best-of-seven series

Semifinals
Hearst Lumberjacks vs. Timmins Rock

Lumberjacks lead best-of-seven series 3-1
Game 5: Friday, April 11 @ Hearst 7 p.m.

SIJHL

Bill Salonen Cup
Best-of-seven series
Dryden GM Ice Dogs vs. Kam River Fighting Walleye
Game 1: T.B.A.

MJHL

Turnbull Cup

Semifinals
Dauphin Kings vs. Portage Terriers
Kings lead best-of-seven series 2-1
Game 4: Friday, April 11 @ Dauphin 7:30 p.m.

Northern Manitoba Blizzard vs. Winkler Flyers
Blizzard lead best-of-seven series 3-0
Game 4: Thursday, April 11 @ Northern Manitoba 7 p.m.

SJHL

Canterra Seeds Cup

Melfort Mustangs vs. T.B.A.
Best-of-seven series

Semifinals
Flin Flon Bombers vs. Weyburn Red Wings

Red Wings lead best-of-seven series 3-1
Game 5: Saturday, April 12 @ Flin Flon 7:30 p.m.

AJHL

Inter Pipeline Cup

Calgary Canucks vs. Grande Prairie Storm
Best-of-seven series
Game 1: T.B.A.

CJHL League-by-League playoff scoring & goaltending leaders (As of April 10)        
MHL              
PLAYER NAME POS. TEAM GP G A PTS
Lucas Canning F Pictou County Weeks Crushers 9 9 5 14
Thomas Larouche F Campbellton Tigers 10 6 8 14
Charles-Antoine Lavallee F Amherst Ramblers 6 6 7 13
Mathis Perron F Amherst Ramblers 6 6 7 13
GOALTENDER NAME   TEAM W L AVG. SV%
Thomas Fontaine Pictou County Weeks Crushers 8 1 2.16 0.938
Austin Caley Edmundston Blizzard 4 0 2.42 0.893
Frédéric Cousineau Edmundston Blizzard 4 1 2.81 0.915
LHJAAAQ              
PLAYER NAME POS. TEAM GP G A PTS
Mathis O’Driscoll F Collège Français de Longueuil 12 8 17 25
Xavier Labbé F Condors du Cégep Beauce-Appalaches 13 10 13 23
Nathan Lévesque F Braves de Valleyfield 11 6 15 21
GOALTENDER NAME   TEAM W L AVG. SV%
Philppe Boucher Collège Français de Longueuil 2 1 1.70 0.953
Mathias Hernandez Cobras de Terrebone 2 2 2.53 0.935
Kyle Hagen Braves de Valleyfield 8 3 2.70 0.913
CCHL              
PLAYER NAME POS. TEAM GP G A PTS
Sebbie Johnson F Navan Grads 11 10 11 21
Shaan Kingwell F Navan Grads 10 4 11 15
Kiki Brown F Navan Grads 11 7 7 14
Tyson Parker F Smiths Falls Bears 10 3 11 14
GOALTENDER NAME   TEAM W L AVG. SV%
Ian Vandenberg Carleton Place Canadians 5 3 2.25 0.923
Benoit Forget Rockland Nationals 6 2 2.45 0.907
Tomas Gagne Navan Grads 7 3 2.57 0.93
OJHL              
PLAYER NAME POS. TEAM GP G A PTS
Luke Johnston F Milton Menace 12 12 11 23
Madden MacDougall F Milton Menace 12 11 12 23
Graeme MacAuley D Milton Menace 12 6 15 21
GOALTENDER NAME   TEAM W L AVG. SV%
Ryan Sanborn Trenton Golden Hawks 10 2 1.80 0.939
Tyler Hodges Haliburton County Huskies 8 6 1.92 0.952
Amir Valiullin Toronto Jr. Canadiens 6 5 2.01 0.939
Carter Bickle Milton Menace 10 2 2.01 0.937
NOJHL              
PLAYER NAME POS. TEAM GP G A PTS
Lucas Signoretti F Greater Sudbury Cubs 8 12 12 24
DonHeaven Veilleux F Hearst Lumberjacks 8 7 7 14
James Legler F Soo Thunderbirds 11 6 8 14
GOALTENDER NAME   TEAM W L AVG. SV%
Noah Beaulne Greater Sudbury Cubs 1 0 2.00 0.923
Karsen Chartier Greater Sudbury Cubs 7 0 2.19 0.922
Alexandre Boivin Hearst Lumberjacks 7 1 2.47 0.916
SIJHL              
PLAYER NAME POS. TEAM GP G A PTS
Tyler Jordan F Thunder Bay North Stars 11 6 7 13
Alex Lucas F Sioux Lookout Bombers 7 4 9 13
Tag Bryson F Thunder Bay North Stars 11 3 9 12
GOALTENDER NAME   TEAM W L AVG. SV%
Ashton Sadauskas Kam River Fighting Walleye 8 0 1.58 0.937
Matthew Ofukany Sioux Lookout Bombers 2 2 2.26 0.943
Kellan Mooney Dryden GM Ice Dogs 4 0 2.27 0.925
MJHL              
PLAYER NAME POS. TEAM GP G A PTS
Cayden Glover F Dauphin Kings 8 3 6 9
Tyler Dahms F Northern Manitoba Blizzard 8 1 8 9
Marlen Edwards F Northern Manitoba Blizzard 8 3 5 8
GOALTENDER NAME   TEAM W L AVG. SV%
Ryan Velan Portage Terriers 1 0 0.75 0.977
Cole Sheffield Dauphin Kings 6 2 1.87 0.937
Taye Timmerman Northern Manitoba Blizzard 7 1 1.91 0.929
Leif Ekblad Winkler Flyers 2 1 1.91 0.898
SJHL              
PLAYER NAME POS. TEAM GP G A PTS
Ryder Ringor F Flin Flon Bombers 10 8 8 16
Liam Hunks D Flin Flon Bombers 10 1 12 13
Reilley Kotai F Melfort Mustangs 8 6 6 12
Anthony Piccininno F Flin Flon Bombers 10 2 10 12
GOALTENDER NAME   TEAM W L AVG. SV%
Madden Mulawka Melfort Mustangs 2 0 1.50 0.917
Kristian Coombs Melfort Mustangs 6 1 1.83 0.923
Matthew Kieper Flin Flon Bombers 5 5 1.88 0.934
AJHL              
PLAYER NAME POS. TEAM GP G A PTS
Bowden Singleton F Calgary Canucks 9 3 11 14
Luc Trevors F Calgary Canucks 9 7 6 13
Kaiden Bugera D Grande Prairie Storm 8 2 10 12
GOALTENDER NAME   TEAM W L AVG. SV%
Nicholas Jones Grande Prairie Storm 7 0 2.12 0.929
Lukas Renaud Calgary Canucks 8 0 2.52 0.915
Zac Onyskiw Whitecourt Wolverines 4 5 2.68 0.915

Bracket graphic courtesy Hockey Canada