Superior International Junior Hockey League

The Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) is a junior A ice hockey league and a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and Hockey Canada. The league operates in the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Winners of the SIJHL playoffs compete for the Dudley Hewitt Cup against the winners of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. The winner of the Dudley Hewitt Cup then moves on to compete for the Centennial Cup, the Canadian Junior A championship.

Superior International Junior
Hockey League
Region(s)Northwestern Ontario
Minnesota
Wisconsin
CommissionerDarrin Nicholas
Director of OfficiatingScott Wrigley
Founded2001
No. of teams7
Associated Title(s)Centennial Cup
Dudley Hewitt Cup
Recent ChampionsKam River Fighting Walleye (2022-23)
Most successful clubThunder Bay North Stars (6)
HeadquartersThunder Bay, Ontario
WebsiteSIJHL

History

Background

North Stars Sean Bassingthwaite battles with Fort Frances player (2008)

Founded in 2001, the SIJHL is successor of several former Thunder Bay junior A hockey leagues and teams. The Fort William War Veterans were the first representatives of the Thunder Bay region, winning the 1922 Memorial Cup as Canadian National Junior A Champions.[1] Although there is not abundant information on the subject, the Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League may date back to the War Veterans and existed until 1980. From 1980 until 2000, the region (Hockey Northwestern Ontario) was represented by a single team at the junior A level: the Thunder Bay Flyers. The Flyers played their regular season games in the United States Hockey League (USHL), a USA Hockey junior A league, and returned to Canada for the playoffs. The Flyers won the Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian Junior Champions in 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1995.[2] The Flyers were also National Champions in 1989 and 1992, winning the Centennial Cup.[3] The Flyers folded after the 1999–2000 USHL Season.[4]

Diesels captain Reilly Miller (2007)

The Northwestern Ontario region has also been represented in the past in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. From 1968 until 1982, the city of Kenora, Ontario, was represented by the Kenora Muskies/Thistles and in the mid-1980s,[5] Thunder Bay had an entry with the Thunder Bay Hornets.[6]

The folding of the Thunder Bay Flyers led to the rebirth of junior A hockey in the Thunder Bay region. The league started under the "Superior International" label in 2001 with five teams, including the Dryden Ice Dogs, First Nation Featherman Hawks, Fort Frances Borderland Thunder, Thunder Bay Bulldogs, and the Thunder Bay Wolves.[7]

2006 Dudley Hewitt Cup

In 2006, the Fort William North Stars won the Dudley Hewitt Cup with a 7–6 overtime win over the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League's Sudbury Jr. Wolves to earn the team and the league its first regional title and its first shot at the national title in the 2006 Royal Bank Cup.[8] The North Stars were eliminated in the Royal Bank Cup semifinal in Brampton, Ontario, with a 3–2 overtime loss to the British Columbia Hockey League's Burnaby Express led by eventual NHL player Kyle Turris.

Expansion and retraction

The presence of the SIJHL in Northwestern Ontario marks the first time since the 1970s that the region has effectively supported a junior hockey league. In 2007, the SIJHL expanded east of Thunder Bay with the Schreiber Diesels[9] and Marathon Renegades.[10] A Wawa, Ontario, franchise was also in the works, but never came to fruition.[11]

2011 Action - Fort Frances vs. Sioux Lookout

On December 17, 2007, the Schreiber Diesels folded mid-season claiming lack of fan support. On December 21, the team was bought by a group of local fans in an effort to keep the Diesels alive.[12] The Marathon Renegades at one point were as high as third place in the SIJHL during the 2007–08 season, but after 37 games played were forced to cancel the rest of its season citing a lack of players through injuries and player defections to other leagues. Al Cresswell, team president, claimed that the shortage of players had become a health risk.

Although the 2008–09 season did not see a return to Marathon, the SIJHL did add the Sioux Lookout Flyers. In the 2008 off-season, the Thunder Bay Bulldogs elected to retract to embolden the Thunder Bay Bearcats.[13] Despite a strong year from the Bearcats and the Schreiber Diesels, both teams elected to cease operation in the summer of 2009. The Fort Frances Jr. Sabres claimed that they would be back for 2009–10, but their owners sold the rights to their players to teams across Canada. In a last-ditch effort, the town of Fort Frances bought the team and renamed them the Fort Frances Lakers, but were forced to find all new players due to the actions of the previous ownership. The Thunder Bay Wolverines elected to apply for promotion to the SIJHL for 2009–10 fresh off of their silver medal performance at the Keystone Cup Canadian Jr. B Championships.[14][15] Back up to five teams, the SIJHL also made a 20-game interleague setup with the Minnesota Junior Hockey League's Wisconsin Mustangs to diversify the league's competition.[16]

Tenth season and American expansion

The 2010–11 season was the tenth season of the SIJHL. The SIJHL received applications for expansion by two American teams: the Duluth Clydesdales and Wisconsin Mustangs.

In June, the Thunder Bay Wolverines pulled out of the SIJHL. A few days later USA Hockey rejected the transfer bid by the Wisconsin Mustangs to join the SIJHL and the expansion bid of the potential of Duluth, Minnesota, despite approval by Hockey Canada and the SIJHL. The league sat at four teams.[17] The two teams appealed the decision and won, officially giving the league six teams and making the league an international league.[17]

The Fort William North Stars were dominant early in 2010–11, but due to financial difficulties, the team was sold to new ownership and became the Thunder Bay North Stars. The Wisconsin Wilderness jumped into the lead mid-season and won the regular season and playoff titles in their first season in the league.

In the summer of 2011, the SIJHL elected to expand with the Iron Range Ironheads awaiting the permission of USA Hockey and Minnesota Hockey. USA Hockey again denied the league. The decision was appealed and on July 12, 2011, expansion was allowed by USA Hockey as well as the continuation of the Duluth and Spooner franchises. Wisconsin won their second straight league title, coming from behind in the final to beat the Fort Frances Lakers in seven games.

The 2012–13 season was a season of decline for the league's American expansion. During the off-season, USA Hockey allowed the league to transfer Iron Range to new ownership and rename it the Minnesota Iron Rangers. Wisconsin was sold and relocated into the same market as Duluth and renamed the Minnesota Wilderness. Three games into the season, the Sioux Lookout Flyers ceased operations and eventually their franchise when a scandal over the carding of players by their new general manager and coach left them without enough players to continue. In early 2013, the league, after multiple cancelled games, stripped the Duluth Clydesdales of their franchise. Then, after clinching their third regular season and playoff crowns, the Wilderness won the league's second ever Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian champions. Minnesota Wilderness became the first American team to win the Dudley Hewitt Cup and the first to gain berth into the Royal Bank Cup Canadian Junior A Championship. After winning the Central Canadian Championship, it was announced that the Wilderness would leave the SIJHL at the end of the Royal Bank Cup to join the North American Hockey League, a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II league. The Wilderness finished fourth in the National Championship round-robin, earning a berth into the semi-final. Despite leading 4–2 in the third, the Wilderness took too many penalties and lost their lead with seconds to go in the third period. The Alberta Junior Hockey League's Brooks Bandits scored in overtime to win the game 5–4 eliminating the Wilderness. With the Wilderness and Clydesdales gone, the Minnesota Iron Rangers were the remaining American team with membership in the league.

In the spring of 2013, the SIJHL announced expansion to Ear Falls, Ontario, with the English River Miners and on July 11, 2013, admitted a new team in Spooner, Wisconsin, also called the Wisconsin Wilderness.[18] The new Wilderness lasted one season.

In the summer of 2014, commissioner and president Ron Whitehead was relieved of his post. Whitehead held his position from 2005 until 2014 and had been a member of the league executive since its inception in 2001. In 2011, Hockey Northwestern Ontario named Whitehead their Central Zone volunteer of the year.[19]

The league added a second team in Minnesota and their sixth franchise for 2016–17 season with the Thief River Falls Norskies. In 2019, the league added another team in Spooner, Wisconsin, called the Wisconsin Lumberjacks for the 2019–20 season. After several seasons of ownership issues and lack of player recruitment, the Minnesota Iron Rangers ceased operations for the 2019–20 season, returning the league to six teams.[20] The 2019–20 season was then curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic with one week left in the regular season and no postseason tournaments were held. The ongoing pandemic border-crossing restrictions caused the two American teams to withdraw from the 2020–21 season while the league added a new team called the Kam River Fighting Walleye. The five Canadian teams would play a few games in November and December 2020 along with two U18 minor teams, the Kenora Thistles and Thunder Bay Kings, to fill in the schedule before the season was cancelled entirely.[21]

Teams

TeamCentreArenaJoined
Dryden Ice DogsDryden, OntarioDryden Memorial Arena2001
Fort Frances LakersFort Frances, OntarioMemorial Sports Center2009
Kam River Fighting WalleyeOliver Paipoonge, OntarioNorWest Arena2020
Kenora IslandersKenora, OntarioMoncrief Construction Sports Centre2023
Red Lake MinersRed Lake, OntarioCochenour Arena2013
Sioux Lookout BombersSioux Lookout, OntarioSioux Lookout Memorial Arena2022
Thunder Bay North StarsThunder Bay, OntarioFort William Gardens2001
Wisconsin Lumberjacks[lower-alpha 1]Spooner, WisconsinThe Spooner Civic Center2019
  1. Team is not participating in the 2020–21 season due to border closures between Canada and the United States amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former member teams

TeamCentreJoinedLeftStatus
Duluth ClydesdalesDuluth, Minnesota20102013Membership revoked
Fort Frances Borderland ThunderFort Frances, Ontario20012005Folded
Fort Frances Jr. SabresFort Frances, Ontario20072009Folded
Marathon RenegadesMarathon, Ontario20062008Folded
Minnesota Iron RangersHoyt Lakes, Minnesota20112019Suspended
Minnesota WildernessCloquet, Minnesota20102013Left for NAHL
Schreiber DieselsSchreiber, Ontario20052009Folded
Sioux Lookout FlyersSioux Lookout, Ontario20082012Folded
Thunder Bay BearcatsThunder Bay, Ontario20012009Folded
Thunder Bay BulldogsThunder Bay, Ontario20012008Merged with Bearcats
Thunder Bay WolverinesThunder Bay, Ontario20092010Folded
Wisconsin WildernessSpooner, Wisconsin20132014Folded
Thief River Falls NorskiesThief River Falls, Minnesota20162022Folded

Former interleague teams

Bill Salonen Cup champions

Bill Salonen Cup

The winners of the SIJHL Playoffs are awarded the Bill Salonen Cup. Although the Jack Adams Trophy is supposed to be awarded to the branch Junior A champion, Hockey Northwestern Ontario will not bring it out unless there are two leagues vying for the branch championship.[22]

Year Champion Finalist
2002Dryden Ice DogsFort Frances Borderland Thunder
2003Fort Frances Borderland ThunderThunder Bay Bulldogs
2004Fort William North StarsDryden Ice Dogs
2005Fort William North StarsFort Frances Borderland Thunder
2006Fort William North StarsDryden Ice Dogs
2007Schreiber DieselsFort William North Stars
2008Dryden Ice DogsFort William North Stars
2009Fort William North StarsThunder Bay Bearcats
2010Fort William North StarsDryden Ice Dogs
2011Wisconsin WildernessDryden Ice Dogs
2012Wisconsin WildernessFort Frances Lakers
2013Minnesota WildernessFort Frances Lakers
2014Fort Frances LakersMinnesota Iron Rangers
2015Fort Frances LakersDryden Ice Dogs
2016Fort Frances LakersDryden Ice Dogs
2017Dryden Ice DogsEnglish River Miners
2018Dryden Ice DogsThunder Bay North Stars
2019Thunder Bay North StarsRed Lake Miners
2020Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022Red Lake MinersKam River Fighting Walleye
2023Kam River Fighting WalleyeThunder Bay North Stars

Dudley Hewitt Cup

Dudley Hewitt Cup - Regional Championship, competed for by SIJHL champions since 2001. Won in 2006 and 2013.
Year Champion Finalist Host
2006Fort William North StarsSudbury Jr. Wolves (NOJHL)Thunder Bay, Ontario
2013Minnesota WildernessSt. Michael's Buzzers (OJHL)North Bay, Ontario

Single-season team records

Timeline of teams in the SIJHL

2001–02
2002–03
2003–04
  • Nipigon Golden Hawks move to Thunder Bay and become K&A Golden Hawks
  • Fort William Wolves become Fort William North Stars[23]
  • Northwest Wisconsin Knights break off interlock
2005–06
  • Schreiber Diesels join league[9]
  • Fort Frances Borderland Thunder leaves league[24]
  • MSU-Bottineau Lumberjacks enter into interlocking schedules
2006–07
  • Marathon Renegades join league[10]
  • Thunder Bay Golden Hawks become Thunder Bay Bearcats
  • MSU-Bottineau Lumberjacks break off interlock
  • Fort Frances Jr. Sabres join league[25]
2007–08
  • Marathon Renegades withdraw from league mid-season (January)[11]
2008–09
  • Sioux Lookout Flyers join league[26]
  • Thunder Bay Bulldogs merge into Thunder Bay Bearcats[13]
2009–10
2010–11
2011–12
  • Iron Range Ironheads join league[28]
2012–13
  • Iron Range Ironheads change name to Minnesota Iron Rangers
  • Wisconsin Wilderness relocate and become Minnesota Wilderness
  • Sioux Lookout Flyers cease operations
  • League revokes Duluth Clydesdales franchise
2013–14
2014–15
  • Wisconsin Wilderness folded
2016–17
  • Thief River Falls Norskies joins league
2018–19
  • English River Miners rebranded to Red Lake Miners
2019–20
  • Wisconsin Lumberjacks joins league
  • Minnesota Iron Rangers suspended
2022-23
  • Sioux Lookout Bombers join league

References

  1. "Memorial Cup History – Champions". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  2. "Dudley Hewitt Cup Champions". Rauzulusstreet.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  3. "The Royal Bank Cup Championship". Rauzulusstreet.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  4. pbadmin (2000-03-28). "USHL-Flyers Write Final Chapter - Hockey's Future". Hockeysfuture.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  5. "KenoraThistles". Officialgamepuck.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  6. "Thunder Bay Hornets". Officialgamepuck.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  7. Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal, March 2002.
  8. "The Official Website of Hockey Canada". Hockeycanada.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  9. "SIJHL season underway without Thunder | Fort Frances Times Online". Fftimes.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  10. "New team joins SIJHL | Fort Frances Times Online". Fftimes.com. 2006-07-26. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  11. "OHA News". Hockey Now. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011.
  12. "Diesels get back on track | Fort Frances Times Online". Fftimes.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-10. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  13. "The Newspaper of the Northwest". The Chronicle-Journal. Archived from the original on 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  14. "Jr A Wolverines Home Page". Hometeamsonline.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  15. "SIJHL ups its roster - Thunder Bay News". Tbnewswatch.com. 2009-06-24. Archived from the original on 2012-05-10. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  16. "Superior International Jr Hockey League - standings | Pointstreak Sports Technologies". Pointstreak.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  17. "Hockey USA allows American teams to join SIJHL". Tbnewswatch.com. 2010-07-12. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  18. The Chronicle-Journal (2013-07-12). "SIJHL to go with 6 teams for 2013-14 season". The Chronicle-Journal. Archived from the original on 2013-07-13. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  19. "SIJHL Commissioner and RIC Recognized at HNO AGM". Canadian Junior Hockey League. June 27, 2011. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  20. "MINNESOTA IRON RANGERS TO TAKE ONE YEAR LEAVE OF ABSENCE FROM SIJHL". SIJHL. June 12, 2019.
  21. "SIJHL CANCELS 2020-21 SEASON". SIJHL. March 1, 2021.
  22. Hockey Northwestern Ontario Handbook. http://www.hockeyhno.com/
  23. "Head games | Fort Frances Times Online". Fftimes.com. 2003-03-12. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  24. "Thunder pull out of SIJHL | Fort Frances Times Online". Fftimes.com. 2005-06-01. Archived from the original on 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  25. "SIJHL passes new Fort team | Fort Frances Times Online". Fftimes.com. 2007-06-11. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  26. "The 9th season of the SIJHL underway Thursday" (PDF). Superior International Junior Hockey League. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  27. "Fort Frances Lakers are born | Fort Frances Times Online". Fftimes.com. 2009-09-11. Archived from the original on 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  28. "Lakers unveil draft picks | Fort Frances Times Online". Fftimes.com. 2011-07-14. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2013-07-25.

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