Niagara Falls Canucks

Niagara Falls Canucks
CityNiagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
LeagueOntario Junior Hockey League
ConferenceWestern
Foundedc. 1971
Home arenaGale Centre
ColoursBlack, Red, and White
     
Owner(s)Frank Pietrangelo
General managerJim Davidson
Head coachFrank Pietrangelo
Franchise history
1971–1992Niagara Falls Canucks
1992–1994Niagara Falls Devils
1994-PresentNiagara Falls Canucks

The Niagara Falls Canucks are a junior ice hockey team based in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Ontario Junior Hockey League which they joined in 2023. For most of the team's history they had played in the Golden Horseshoe division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League until leaving for the OJHL.

History

The Canucks were the successor to the Stamford Hornets in the Niagara District Junior B Hockey League. Stamford took a leave of absence in 1970-71, and the Canucks commenced play in the 1971-72 season. When the league folded in 1979, the Canucks moved to the Golden Horseshoe "B". For a short time in the 1990s, the teams was known as the Devils.

During the 2006 Playoffs, the Canucks won the GHJHL Championship, but ended up falling to the Midwestern Junior B Hockey League's Cambridge Winterhawks 4-games-to-1 in the Sutherland Cup final. The current captain of the Canucks is Ben Evans.

Current

The Niagara Falls Canucks relocated from Niagara Falls Memorial Arena to the Gale Centre prior to the 2011 season. Niagara Falls native Cam McLean was named captain during the grand opening of the new facility.

Move to the OJHL

On June 26, 2023, it was announced that the Canucks franchise had been approved to join the Junior "A" level Ontario Junior Hockey League as an expansion franchise.[1] As a result the Canucks will leave the GOJHL after over 50 years at the Junior "B" level. The Canucks were the second former GOJHL franchise to join OJHL in 2023 after the Leamington Flyers announced their move to the Junior "A" ranks in May of that year.

Season-by-season results

Season GP W L T OTL GF GA P Results Playoffs
1971–72 35 13 15 7 - 172 191 33 5th NDJBHL
1972–73 35 19 11 5 - 231 159 43 2nd NDJBHL
1973–74 35 17 16 2 - 190 169 36 4th NDJBHL
1974–75 35 25 6 4 - 262 167 54 1st NDJBHL won league
1975–76 40 28 9 3 - 225 147 59 1st NDJBHL won league
1976–77 40 29 8 3 - 337 165 61 2nd NDJBHL won league
1977–78 40 25 14 1 - 259 193 51 2nd NDJBHL Lost final
1978–79 39 27 7 5 - -- -- 59 1st NDJBHL Lost final
1979–80 44 30 11 3 - 257 185 63 2nd GHJHL
1980–81 42 26 12 4 - 295 206 56 2nd GHJHL
1981–82 36 20 12 4 - - - 44 2nd GHJHL
1982–83 42 15 18 9 - 215 239 39 6th GHJHL
1983–84 42 28 9 5 - 296 192 61 1st GHJHL Lost final
1984–85 42 24 13 5 - 268 208 53 2nd GHJHL Lost final
1985–86 40 19 16 5 - 236 215 43 5th GHJHL
1986–87 42 29 8 5 - 322 215 63 1st GHJHL Won League
1987–88 42 35 5 2 - 394 224 72 1st GHJHL Won League
1988–89 42 27 10 5 - 279 209 59 1st GHJHL Won League
1989–90 48 30 17 0 1 309 278 61 3rd GHJHL
1990–91 42 4 37 1 0 164 307 9 8th GHJHL
1991–92 42 7 34 1 0 137 303 15 8th GHJHL
1992–93 42 15 19 2 6 190 207 38 5th GHJHL
1993–94 40 23 14 2 1 248 210 49 3rd GHJHL
1994–95 42 34 4 4 1 319 188 73 1st GHJHL Won League
1995–96 42 33 5 3 1 283 169 70 1st GHJHL Won League, won Sutherland Cup
1996–97 41 29 7 3 2 298 181 65 2nd GHJHL
1997–98 49 43 3 1 2 379 165 89 1st GHJHL Won League, won Sutherland Cup
1998–99 48 40 3 3 2 238 133 85 1st GHJHL Lost final
1999–00 48 29 17 2 0 219 152 60 4th GHJHL
2000–01 48 33 9 6 0 254 161 72 1st GHJHL
2001–02 48 38 10 0 0 234 136 76 1st GHJHL Won League
2002–03 48 31 12 4 1 232 156 67 2nd GHJHL Lost final
2003–04 48 36 3 8 1 206 109 81 1st GHJHL Lost final
2004–05 48 26 16 5 1 206 169 58 2nd GHJHL Lost final
2005–06 49 36 8 2 3 300 158 77 1st GHJHL Won League
2006–07 49 37 10 1 1 261 178 76 1st GHJHL Lost final
2007–08 49 29 15 5 0 207 178 63 2nd GOJHL-GH Lost semi-final
2008–09 52 25 22 - 5 240 222 55 4th GOJHL-GH Lost Conf. Final
2009–10 51 28 16 - 7 205 202 63 4th GOJHL-GH Lost Conf. Semi-final
2010–11 51 38 9 - 4 280 164 80 1st GOJHL-GH Lost final
2011–12 51 39 8 - 4 231 142 82 2nd GOJHL-GH
2012–13 51 30 18 - 3 226 175 63 4th GOJHL-GH Lost Conf. Quarter-final
2013–14 49 26 22 - 1 210 194 53 6th GOJHL-GH
2014–15 49 24 20 - 5 172 181 53 5th GOJHL-GH Lost Conf. Quarter-final, 0-4 (Avalanche)
2015-16 50 26 20 2 2 194 176 56 4th of 8-GH
13th of 26-GOJHL		 Won Conf. Quarter-final, 4-1 (Meteors)
Lost Conf. Semifinals, 0-4 (Corvairs)
2016-17 50 33 13 0 4 252 131 70 3rd of 9-GH
8th of 27-GOJHL		 Won Conf. Quarter-final, 4-0 (Jr. Canadians)
Lost Conf. Semifinals, 2-4 (Falcons)
2017-18 50 32 14 0 4 210 194 68 4th of 9-GH
8th of 26-GOJHL		 Won Conf. Quarter-final, 4-0 (Blackhawks)
Lost Conf. Semifinal 1-4 (Corvairs)
2018-19 48 41 6 0 1 282 126 83 1st of 9-GH
1st of 25-GOJHL 		Won Conf. Quarter-final, 4-0 (Regals)
Won Conf. Semifinal 4-0 (Panthers)
Won Conf Finals 4-3 (Falcons)
Conference Champions
Lost League Semi 2-4 (Siskins
2019-20 50 34 12 0 4 224 146 72 2nd of 9-GH
6th of 26-GOJHL		 Won Conf. Quarter-final, 4-1 (Meteors)
Incomplete Conf. Semifinal 2-3 (Falcons)
2020–21 Season lost due to Covid-19
2021-22 28 7 37 3 1 64 169 18 8 of 8-GH
25th of 25-GOJHL 		Lost Conf. Quarter-final, 0-4 (Kilty B's)
2022-23 50 21 25 3 1 156 156 46 6 of 8-GH
19th of 25-GOJHL 		Lost Conf. Quarter-final, 2-4 (Meteors)
Ontario Junior Hockey League - Jr "A"
2023-24 56 18 37 0 1 170 245 37 10 of 12-West
19th of 24-OJHL 		Did not qualify for Post Season

Sutherland Cup appearances

1987: St. Thomas Stars defeated Niagara Falls Canucks 4-games-to-none
1989: St. Michael's Buzzers defeated Niagara Falls Canucks 4-games-to-1
1996: Niagara Falls Canucks defeated St. Thomas Stars 4-games-to-2
1998: Niagara Falls Canucks defeated Elmira Sugar Kings 4-games-to-3
2006: Cambridge Winterhawks defeated Niagara Falls Canucks 4-games-to-1
2011: Elmira Sugar Kings defeated Niagara Falls Canucks 4-games-to-1

References

  1. ^ "OJHL ANNOUNCES NIAGARA FALLS AS NEW EXPANSION TEAM". OJHL. Retrieved 27 June 2023.