The Navan Grads (officially the Navan Grads Hockey Club) are a Junior A ice hockey team based in Ottawa.[1] The Grads compete in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) as a member of the Yzerman Division, which is the east division of the league. 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.[2][3]
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.[4] Since 2017, the Grads play once again at the Navan Memorial Centre.[5]
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's 2005 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 February 2024, the Navan Grads have qualified for the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history. They won the first round 4 games to 2 against the Pembroke Lumber Kings, and then faced their rival Rockland Nationals where they won the series 4 games to 1.[1] The team then advanced to the Bogart Cup Final for the first time in franchise history and have won their first ever Bogart Cup against the Smiths Falls Bears in six games.[2][3][4] Despite having one of the lowest attendance figures in the league, the team has attracted 5,917 fans in 9 playoff home games to an average of 657, including standing room capacity crowds during Game 1 and 5 of the finals.[5]
On March 14, 2025, a franchise record crowd of 1,214 fans attended the last game of the regular season against the Carleton Place Canadians in the honor of a pre-game ceremony following the team's long time owner Steve Barban's passing in October 2024.[6][7] It is also the largest crowd in Navan Memorial Centre's history.
Rivalries
Rockland Nationals
The rivalry between the Navan Grads and the Rockland Nationals is one of the oldest in the CCHL, featuring two clubs that first played against each other back in 1991 (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 26 games against Navan, respectively.[8]
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.[9] 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 (Jim Durrell Recreation Centre and 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–Jr. Sens games at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre typically bring a lot of Grads fans.
Home arenas
The Grads' home arena is the Navan Memorial Centre. It has been the permanent home of the team since 2017 and contains bench seating for 737 people, which includes a wheelchair section that was added in 2025. The arena previously had a seating capacity of 812 people prior to the renovations, and the team spent the first two months of the 2025–26 season at the Fred Barrett Arena during that time.[10] In September 2025, the team stated that they wanted to rename the rink as the Steve Barban Arena, following their late owner who passed away in October 2024.[11] As the residents of Navan and the Grads' organization consider renaming the rink, it is not clear whether or not the name will be changed.[12]
The team previously played their home games at the R.J. Kennedy Community Centre in Cumberland, Ontario, when the franchise was known as the Cumberland Grads from 1989 to 2017.[13]
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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