The Navan Grads (officially the Navan Grads Hockey Club) are a Junior A ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Grads compete in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) as a member of the Yzerman Division. The club is owned by the family of former owner Steve Barban, who died in October 2024, while the team's broadcasting partners is FloSports.
The club was founded as the Rockland Boomers for the 1973–74 season, and rebranded to the Navan Grads after one season. The residents of Navan renamed the franchise to the Grads after buying it in 1974. The team played home games at the Navan Memorial Centre for its first 15 seasons before moving to the R.J. Kennedy Community Centre. Since 2017, the Grads play at the Navan Memorial Centre.
Several individuals who hold an association with the club have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Nineteen players have had their numbers retired by the Grads, including the first in Junior A history.
History
In the summer of 1974, the residents of Navan banded together and purchased the rights of the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League's Rockland Boomers. They moved them to Navan, and the Grads were born. In 1989, the board of directors for the Navan Grads felt that the region of Cumberland would be better suited with a team that reflected the region. The team's name from then on was the Cumberland Grads from 1989 to 2017.
In the summer of 1991, the Grads became the 10th team in the Central Canada Hockey League. The Grads best season came in 2002–03 when the team finished 1st overall and were major contenders to qualify for the Fred Page Cup. The Grads won their first-ever playoff series against the Kanata Stallions defeating them 4 games to 0. The Ottawa Jr. Senators upset the Grads 4 games to 2 in the semi-finals, when game 6 went to triple overtime and Ottawa scored the game-winning goal on a penalty shot in the third overtime period. Craig Nooyan, Christian Boucher, Jason Murfitt, Jonathon Matsumoto, Brent Patry, Brendan MacIntyre, and Craig Baxter were among several returning players for 2003–04. The Grads wound up finishing second overall, and suffered a first-round upset to the Kanata Stallions in seven games, in spite of having led the series 3 games to 1.
Assistant coach Mark Grady took over Bruce Johnson's duties as head coach in 2004–05. Claude Giroux made his rookie debut with the Grads in 2005, and he was selected by the QMJHL's Gatineau Olympiques after having been passed over at the Ontario Hockey League 2005's draft.
The Grads missed the playoffs multiple times since then or have failed to make it past the first round in the CJHL playoffs.
In 2024, the Navan Grads made it to the playoffs, and have won their first Bogart Cup in history against the Smiths Falls Bears in five games.
On March 14, 2025, a franchise record crowd of 1,214 fans attended the game against the Carleton Place Canadians in the honor of the team's long time owner Steve Barban's passing in October 2024.[1][2] It was also the largest crowd in the arena's history.
Rivalries
Rockland Nationals
The rivalry between the Navan Grads and the Rockland Nationals is the oldest in the CCHL, featuring two clubs that first played against each other back in 1974 (when the Nationals were known as the Gloucester Rangers). Since the arrival of the current Rockland Nationals in 2017, the rivalry remains symbolic due to the 26-kilometre drive from Navan Memorial Centre to the Clarence-Rockland Arena. Since 2017, the Grads have won 14 games against Rockland, while the Nationals have won 25 games against Navan, respectively.[3]
The Grads and the Nats have faced each other once in the playoffs, when Navan have defeated Rockland in the 2024 Bogart Cup semi-finals 4 games to 1.[4] Due in part to the number of Grads fans living close to Rockland, Grads–Nationals games at the Clarence-Rockland Arena typically hold a significant amount of Grads fans.
Ottawa Jr. Senators
The Ottawa Jr. Senators entered the CCHL in 1979, and the rivalry is due to the 24-kilometre distance between their home arenas (Peplinski Arena and the Navan Memorial Centre respectively). The teams compete in the same division and meet frequently during regular season games. Due in part to Ottawa's relative proximity to Navan, Grads–Senators games at the Peplinski Arena typically bring a lot of Grads fans.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
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