2025 Centennial Cup

Last updated

2025 National championship
Centennial Cup
Manitoba Centennial Cup at the HHOF.jpg
Tournament details
City Calgary, Alberta
Venue(s) Max Bell Centre
Dates8–18 May 2025
Teams10
Host team Calgary Canucks
Final positions
Champions Calgary Canucks
Runners-up Melfort Mustangs
Semifinalists
Tournament statistics
Games played25
Goals scored189 (7.56 per game)
Awards
MVPAnthony Hall
Official website
Hockey Canada
←  2024
2026  →

The 2025 Centennial Cup was the 54th annual Junior A national championship tournament of Hockey Canada. The Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) were the winners, after having placed 3rd the year before. The Canucks were also the host team. The tournament took place at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary. The 10-team format included the championship teams from the 9 leagues that collectively make up the CJHL. [1] The 2,121-seat Max Bell Centre opened in 1974 and underwent a major renovation in 2021. [2]

Contents

Calgary Canucks

The Calgary Canucks, as the hosts, did not need to win their league championship to qualify for admission to the tournament. [1] Nonetheless, the Canucks did win the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) championship Inter Pipeline Cup. [3] After finishing the regular season in first place, the Canucks moved through three best-of-seven playoff series with 12 wins and one loss. The last time the Canucks won a national championship was in 1995. They placed 3rd at the 2024 Centennial Cup. [4]

Regular season: 37-13-4 (1st in AJHL)
Playoffs: Defeated Camrose Kodiaks 4-1; defeated Drumheller Dragons 4-0; defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-0.

Grande Prairie Storm

The Grande Prairie Storm were the runners-up of the AJHL. [3] Despite finishing the regular season in 6th place overall, the Storm swept through the quarter and semifinal rounds of the playoffs before being swept by the Calgary Canucks in the final round. Since the Canucks already had a guaranteed berth in the national championship as the host team, the Storm also advanced. [4]

Regular season: 30-17-7 (6th in AJHL)
Playoffs: Defeated Lloydminster Bobcats 4-0; defeated Whitecourt Wolverines 4-0; Lost to Calgary Canucks 4-0.

Melfort Mustangs

The Melfort Mustangs of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) qualified after defeating the Weyburn Red Wings for the SJHL championship Canterra Seeds Cup. [5] [6] The Mustangs were the runners-up at the 2024 Centennial Cup after losing to the Collingwood Blues of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) by a score of 1–0 in the final match. [7] The Mustangs finished 2nd at the 2024 Centennial Cup after losing 1–0 to the Collingwood Blues of the OJHL in the final match. [8]

Regular season: 46-8-2 (1st in SJHL)
Playoffs: Defeated Kindersley Klippers 4-1; defeated Yorkton Terriers 4-0; defeated Weyburn Red Wings 4-1.

Northern Manitoba Blizzard

The Northern Manitoba Blizzard finished the regular season in sixth place of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) overall, and second in their division. [9] The Blizzard swept the first-place Winkler Flyers in four games in the semifinal round. The Blizzard then faced the Dauphin Kings, in the final round that went to triple-overtime in game 7, to win the MJHL championship Turnbull Cup and secure their entry to the nationals. [10] [11]

Regular season: 35-22-1 (6th in MJHL)
Playoffs: Defeated Neepawa Titans 4-1; defeated Winkler Flyers 4-0; defeated Dauphin Kings 4–3

Greater Sudbury Cubs

The Greater Sudbury Cubs of finished he regular season in first place overall of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) and went on to win the league championship Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy after defeating the Hearst Lumberjacks in game 7 of the final round of the playoffs. [12] The Cubs also competed for the 2024 Centennial Cup in Oakville, Ontario but did not make it past the round-robin stage of the tournament. [13]

Regular season: 44-6-2 (1st in NOJHL)
Playoffs: Defeated Iroquois Falls Storm 4-0; defeated Soo Thunderbirds 4-0; defeated Hearst Lumberjacks 4-3.

Trenton Golden Hawks

The Trenton Golden Hawks of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) defeated the Milton Menace, 6-2, to win the OJHL championship Buckland Cup. [14] It was the third year in a row that the Golden Hawks made the league finals. [15]

Regular season: 47-6-3 (1st in OJHL)
Playoffs: Defeated Pickering Panthers 4-1; defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-1; defeated Haliburton County Huskies 4-1; defeated Milton Menace 4-2.

Rockland Nationals

The Rockland Nationals of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) finished the regular season in first place and went on to win the league championship Bogart Cup to secure their place in the national tournament. [16] During the regular season, the Nationals went on the longest winning streak of any team in the CJHL, with 21 straight victories, and were ranked first in the nation for 10 weeks. [17]

Regular season: 45-8-2 (1st in CCHL)
Playoffs: Defeated Cornwall Colts 4-0; defeated Smiths Falls Bears 4-3; defeated Carleton Place Canadians 4-0.

Kam River Fighting Walleye

The Kam River Fighting Walleye of the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) finished the regular season in second place, then defeated the first-place Dryden Ice Dogs in the final round of the playoffs to win the league championship Bill Salonen Cup. [18] [19] [20]

Regular season: 39-13-1 (2nd in SIJHL)
Playoffs: Defeated Ironwood Lumberjacks 4-0; defeated Thunder Bay North Stars 4-0; defeated Dryden Ice Dogs 4-2.

Edmundston Blizzard

The Edmundston Blizzard of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) reached to the top of the CJHL Top 20 list in November, becoming the first MHL team to do so since 2011–12. [21] The Blizzard went on to win the league championship Metalfab Cup after sweeping the Pictou County Crushers in the final round of the playoffs. [22] [23] [24]

Regular season: 44-6-2 (1st in MHL)
Playoffs: Defeated Miramichi Timberwolves 4-1; defeated Campbellton Tigers 4-0; defeated Pictou County Crushers 4-0.

Valleyfield Braves

The Valleyfield Braves defeated the Quebec Junior Hockey League (QJHL) defending-championship Collège Français de Longueuil in six games to win the NAPA Cup. [25]

Regular season: 37-9-2 (1st in QJHL)
Playoffs: Defeated Panthères de Saint-Jerome 4-0; defeated Indigo de Granby 4-3; defeated Collège Français de Longueuil 4-2.

Round robin

Teams were randomly assigned to Group A or Group B. During the preliminary round robin phase, each team played each other team in their group once. Three points were awarded for a win in regulation time, two points for a win in overtime or shootout, one point for a loss in overtime or shootout, and no points were awarded for a loss in regulation time. Only the top 3 teams in each group advanced to the next round. [26] Under this formula, the Greater Sudbury Cubs and the Grande Prairie Storm tied for 3rd place in Group A with 6 points each. The 3rd place berth was awarded to the Cubs due to their 6-2 victory in the round robin over the Storm.

Group ATGHNMBGSCGPSKRF
1Trenton Golden Hawks5-45-26-21-2
2Northern Manitoba Blizzard4-56-36-33-2
3Greater Sudbury Cubs2-53-66-22-1
4Grande Prairie Storm2-63-62-63-1
5Kam River Fighting Walleye2-12-31-21-3
Group BCCMMRNEBVB
1Calgary Canucks3-12-78-211-6
2Melfort Mustangs1-35-25-35-4
3Rockland Nationals7-22-53-49-4
4Edmunston Blizzard2-83-54-37-2
5Valleyfield Braves6-114-54-92-7

Playoffs

Based on the results of the preliminary round robin, the quarterfinals included the Northern Manitoba Blizzard against the Rockland Nationals; and the Melfort Mustangs against the Greater Sudbury Cubs. The Nationals defeated the Blizzard, 4-0, and the Mustangs defeated the Cubs, 7-1. [27] [28]

The Trenton Golden Hawks and the Calgary Canucks, who placed first in their respective groups, had a bye in the quarterfinal round and advanced to the semifinals. [26] The Canucks faced the Nationals, and the Golden Hawks faced the Mustangs. The Canucks had previously lost to the Nationals by a score of 7–2 in the preliminary round. [29] By the 2nd period of the semifinal, the Nationals were winning, 2-0, and by the end of 3rd period, the score was tied, 2-2. The Canucks scored the game-winning goal in overtime to advance to the final. [30]

The final was between the Canucks and the Mustangs. Notably, it was the Mustangs who eliminated the Canucks at the 2024 Centennial Cup in the semifinal, before losing in the final. [31] [32] This time, however, the Canucks defeated the Mustangs, 7-2, to win the championship Centennial Cup. [33] [34]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
      
Northern Manitoba Blizzard 0
Rockland Nationals 4
Rockland Nationals 2
Calgary Canucks 3
Calgary Canucks 7
Melfort Mustangs 2
Trenton Golden Hawks 3
Melfort Mustangs 4
Melfort Mustangs 7
Greater Sudbury Cubs 1

Source: "2025 Centennial Cup schedule & results". hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada.

Individual awards

The following individual awards were announced before the championship game. [35]

Map of competitors

Canadian Junior Hockey League
2025 Centennial Cup

References

  1. 1 2 "Calgary set to host 2025 Centennial Cup". Calgary Herald. Postmedia. 12 August 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  2. ↑ Gilligan, Melissa (7 January 2022). "'A better and more accessible experience': Max Bell Centre's $14M renovation complete". CTV News Calgary. Bell Media. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  3. 1 2 Saelhof, Todd (23 April 2025). "'Competitiveness' drives Calgary Canucks to 11th AJHL championship". calgaryherald.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Road to the 2025 Centennial Cup: Calgary Canucks". hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  5. ↑ Zary, Darren (28 April 2025). "Melfort Mustangs win back-to-back SJHL championships". thestarphoenix.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  6. ↑ Zary, Darren (6 May 2025). "2025 Centennial Cup: Melfort Mustangs ready to give it another go". thestarphoenix.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  7. ↑ Carneiro, Alessandra (19 May 2024). "Collingwood Blues crowned Centennial Cup champions". CTVNews. Bell Media. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  8. ↑ "Road to the 2025 Centennial Cup: Melfort Mustangs". hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  9. ↑ "2024–25 MJHL standings". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  10. ↑ Little, Ben (2 May 2025). "Northern Manitoba Blizzard takes Turnbull Cup in three-overtime thriller against Dauphin Kings". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  11. ↑ "Blizzard win Turnbull Cup in game seven triple OT". mjhlhockey.ca (Press release). 2 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  12. ↑ "Road to the 2025 Centennial Cup: Greater Sudbury Cubs". hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  13. ↑ "Cubs Capture Back-to-Back NOJHL Titles with 2025 Game Seven Victory Over Hearst". saultsports.com. TruHous Media. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  14. ↑ "Road to the 2025 Centennial Cup: Trenton Golden Hawks". hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  15. ↑ "Golden Hawks looking to soar at national championships". intelligencer.ca. Postmedia. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  16. ↑ "Rockland Nationals sweep Carleton Place Canadians to win Bogart Cup". Lanarkleedstoday.ca. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  17. ↑ "Road to the 2025 Centennial Cup: Rockland Nationals". hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  18. ↑ Dunick, Leith (30 April 2025). "Mintenko's OT winner earns Walleye a second SIJHL championship". NWONewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  19. ↑ Dunick, Leith (27 April 2025). "Ice Dogs force Game 6 with overtime win over Walleye". NWONewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  20. ↑ "Road to the 2025 Centennial Cup: Kam River Fighting Walleye". hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  21. ↑ DeLong, Nathan (2 December 2024). "N.B. junior hockey team ranked first in Canada". Telegraph-Journal. Postmedia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  22. ↑ MacKenzie, Richard (25 April 2025). "Pictou County Crushers come up short against a powerful Blizzard squad". saltwire.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  23. ↑ Northup, Kevin (25 April 2025). "Blizzard win second MHL Cup, down Crushers in 4-straight". 101.5 The Hawk. Acadia Broadcasting. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  24. ↑ "Road to the 2025 Centennial Cup: Edmundston Blizzard". hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  25. ↑ "Two weeks away from the start of the Junior 'A' national championships, will it be the NOJHL Lumberjacks or Cubs?". saultsports.com. TruHous Media. 23 April 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  26. 1 2 "Key details of the Centennial Cup". hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  27. ↑ Palmer, Randy (17 May 2025). "Melfort Mustangs into semifinal at Centennial Cup after comfortable win over Sudbury Cubs". SaskToday.ca. Harvard Media. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  28. ↑ Spitters, John (17 May 2025). "Semifinal Saturday at Centennial Cup". Quinte News. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  29. ↑ "Split weekend leaves Calgary Canucks in control of Centennial Cup playoff fate". Calgary Herald. Postmedia. 11 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  30. ↑ Hunt, Stephen (18 May 2025). "Calgary Canucks head for Centennial Cup final after 3-2 overtime win over Rockland". CTVNews. Bell Media. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  31. ↑ "Collingwood Blues edge Melfort Mustangs to win Centennial Cup". TSN. Bell Media. Canadian Press. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  32. ↑ O'Flanagan, Rob (18 May 2025). "Mustangs playing to be best in Canada...again". melfortjournal.com. Postmedia. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  33. ↑ Ellis, Brendan (19 May 2025). "Calgary Canucks beat Melfort Mustangs 7-2 to win 2025 Centennial Cup". CTVNews. Bell Media. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  34. ↑ Romuld, Darrell (19 May 2025). "Settling for Silver: Mustangs fall in Centennial Cup Final". CTVNews. Bell Media. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  35. ↑ "Centennial Cup taps Cubs' Moore as most sportsmanlike". Sudbury.com. Village Media. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.

Sources

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