Niagara IceDogs | |
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City | St. Catharines, Ontario |
League | Ontario Hockey League |
Conference | Eastern |
Division | Central |
Founded | 1998 | –99
Home arena | Meridian Centre |
Colours | Red, black, white |
General manager | Wes Consorti (interim) |
Head coach | Ben Boudreau |
Affiliate | St. Catharines Falcons |
Website | www |
Franchise history | |
1998–2007 | Mississauga IceDogs |
2007–present | Niagara IceDogs |
Current uniform | |
The Niagara IceDogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The franchise was originally known as the Mississauga IceDogs and founded in 1996. The team was relocated to St. Catharines and played its inaugural season in the Niagara region during the 2007–08 OHL season after nine seasons in Mississauga. In 2022 the team was acquired by majority owner Darren DeDobbelaer and minority owner Wayne Gretzky.
The Mississauga IceDogs inaugural season began in 1998–99, and the team struggled, winning only 4 of 68 games. In their first three seasons, the IceDogs won a total of 16 games, in 204 games played. Don Cherry had co-founded the team and coached the team for a season. In 2002 alongside the three other partners they sold all ownership to venture capitalist Joel Albin. [1] The nine season tenure in Mississauga saw the IceDogs finish with a .301 win percentage in 612 regular season games and win one Central Division and Eastern Conference Championship.[ citation needed ]
On July 12, 2006, Eugene Melnyk, who owned the Toronto St. Michael's Majors, bought the Mississauga IceDogs. After the 2006–07 season, Melnyk sold the IceDogs, and moved the Majors to the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. The team approached the City of St. Catharines about moving the team into Jack Gatecliff Arena. St. Catharines City Council voted on a leasing arrangement on April 23, 2007, which passed. The OHL Board of Governors approved the deal on June 5, 2007. [2]
The Niagara IceDogs spent their first seven seasons in St. Catharines in the Jack Gatecliff arena. In six of the seven years at the Jack Gatecliff arena, the IceDogs led the OHL as the best attended team based on capacity percentage. During this time, the IceDogs qualified for the playoffs in every year, making it to the Eastern Conference finals twice. The IceDogs most successful year was in 2011–12 when they won both the Emms Trophy and Bobby Orr Trophy as Central Division and Eastern Conference Champions. They would ultimately fall in the finals, however, to the London Knights in five games. While playing at the Jack Gatecliff arena, Niagara's line-ups featured a number of eventual high NHL draft picks and NHL alumni. First round draft picks included Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Visentin, Ryan Strome, Dougie Hamilton and Brendan Perlini. Other notable players to play for the IceDogs at the Jack Gatecliff are Stefan Legein, Luca Caputi, Andrew Agozzino, Brett Ritchie, Jamie Oleksiak, Freddie Hamilton and Andrew Shaw, who was the first Niagara IceDogs alumnus to win the Stanley Cup.[ citation needed ]
The IceDogs entered a new era when they relocated to the brand new Meridian Centre in St. Catharines. On October 16, 2014, the IceDogs won their first game at the Meridian Centre by a score of 7–4 against the visiting Belleville Bulls. The first goal at the new Meridian Centre was scored by Mikkel Aagaard from Denmark. While the arena's initial season saw the IceDogs go down in five games in the second round to the eventual Memorial Cup champions Oshawa Generals, the organization went all in during the 2015–16 season. While adding key veteran acquisitions as the season went on, including star goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, a second round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, the IceDogs once again battled their way to the OHL Finals. Niagara went on to face the London Knights, a rematch of the 2012 OHL Finals, but once again came up short, losing the series in four games. With the organization facing a rebuild after a disappointing finish to the season, the IceDogs parted ways with head coach and general manager Marty Williamson, commencing a new era for the organization after six seasons that featured two conference championships, one division championship, and six consecutive years of playoffs.[ citation needed ]
The next season saw the IceDogs go into rebuild mode, with younger key future players beginning to make the jump, like Akil Thomas, as most of the vets had moved on, aged out, or had been traded around the trade deadline for picks and prospects. They made the playoffs that year, and lost to the Peterborough Petes in the first round in 4 games. The 2017–2018 season saw them become more competitive, and around the trade deadline added some depth pieces to ensure they could be more competitive than last season's playoffs. They beat the Oshawa Generals in the first round in 5 games, and then faced off against a very good Hamilton Bulldogs team. Despite taking 3 games to overtime, they lost in 5 games.[ citation needed ]
The 2018–2019 season saw the team go all in. Along with the returning vets from last season, they acquired the likes of (eventual CHL Leading Scorer and Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy recipient) Jason Robertson, Jack Studnicka, and depth pieces like Ivan Lodnia, Jason Paquette, and Matt Brassard. The team also saw the rise of sophomore forward Philip Tomasino. The team would finish first in the OHL Central division, winning the Emms Trophy. In the playoffs, they beat the North Bay Battalion in 5 games. In the second round, they faced the Oshawa Generals. Despite going up 2–0, they proceeded to lose 4 straight ending their season. Stephen Dhillon became the winningest goalie in IceDogs history, setting a franchise record for wins in a season (38), and total wins for his time as an IceDog (98). The IceDogs finished the season with the most goals scored in the league, and in franchise history (326).[ citation needed ]
In March 2019, the OHL fined the IceDogs $250,000 and two first round draft picks for giving secret side deals to players to pay them above the OHL maximum allowed in the Standard Player Agreement. This was reduced via settlement to $150,000, its 2021 first round draft pick, and an admission that the IceDogs violated the league's player recruitment rules. The OHL had launched an investigation into the IceDogs after receiving complaints from a former player that $40,000 of orally agreed upon payments were not made by the team. Led by Toronto law firm, Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP, the report confirmed that the IceDogs made rulebreaking deals to two players and likely had more secret deals with its European players. [3] [4] [5]
The 2019–2020 season saw the team go into rebuild mode once again, losing key players to the NHL or simply age out of the league. At the trade deadline they traded Captain and star forward Akil Thomas and other star forward Philip Tomasino for the purposes of restocking their draft cupboard, which had been depleted the season prior. They would then name Ivan Lodnia captain for the rest of the season. The team had a scary moment when rising young goalie Tucker Tynan was involved in a freak incident during a game against the London Knights, taking a major cut to the thigh when a London Knights player drove into the net and crashed into him. The incident made headlines across Canada and the hockey community. The COVID-19 pandemic would then hit and cause the subsequent cancellation of the rest of the CHL season and then playoffs. The team finished in second last place, and chose 2nd overall in the 2020 OHL draft, where they drafted forward Pano Fimis.[ citation needed ]
Following an investigation, OHL commissioner David Branch suspended both the team's general manager Joey Burke and head coach Billy Burke indefinitely, after it was revealed the two made inappropriate comments about a female colleague via WhatsApp. The brothers, along with the IceDogs organization were fined $150,000 CDN in regards to the incident. The brothers who also serve as minority owners are eligible to apply for reinstatement on June 1, 2024. [6]
Months after the investigation, Bill and Denise Burke sold the team to Darren DeDobbelaer, who became the majority owner, alongside Wayne Gretzky. [7]
Over a year later, the IceDogs faced another third party investigation in regards to bullying and harassment on the team. As a result, team captain Landon Cato and goaltender Josh Rosenzweig were banned by the Canadian Hockey League and team owner/general manager Darren DeDobbelaer suspended for two seasons as a result. The team was also fined $100,000 CDN and stripped of their first round pick in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection Draft. [8]
Emms Trophy
Central Division Championship
Bobby Orr Trophy
Eastern Conference Championship
J. Ross Robertson Cup
Ontario Hockey League Championship
Mario Cicchillo was promoted from assistant coach in 2006–07 for Mississauga and became the first coach of the Niagara IceDogs after it was announced that head coach Mike Kelly resigned to accept a senior advisory position with the team. [9] In August 2009, Cicchillo was fired and assistant coach Mike McCourt was named interim head coach. In early May 2010, the IceDogs announced that the team would not be renewing the contracts of McCourt and his assistants. Former Barrie Colts coach/general manager Marty Williamson was named coach and general manager of the IceDogs in late May 2010. With a rebuild about to begin, the IceDogs decided to part ways with Williamson in 2016 after six successful years and promoted assistant Dave Bell to head coach. In the summer of 2017, Bell left the organization after just one year as head coach to join the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League. [10] Billy Burke served as the head coach from 2017, until his suspension in April 2022. Daniel Fitzgerald was named head coach in July 2022. [11]
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List of first round NHL draft picks:
Bobby Smith Trophy
Dave Pinkney Trophy
Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy
| Ivan Tennant Memorial Award
Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy
| Max Kaminsky Trophy
Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy
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| CHL Scholastic Player of the Year
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Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss
Season | Games | Won | Lost | OTL | SL | Points | Pct % | Goals For | Goals Against | Standing |
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2007–08 | 68 | 42 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 85 | 0.625 | 272 | 214 | 2nd Central |
2008–09 | 68 | 26 | 31 | 5 | 6 | 63 | 0.463 | 213 | 264 | 4th Central |
2009–10 | 68 | 26 | 34 | 2 | 6 | 60 | 0.441 | 191 | 233 | 4th Central |
2010–11 | 68 | 45 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 96 | 0.706 | 273 | 197 | 2nd Central |
2011–12 | 68 | 47 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 97 | 0.713 | 291 | 169 | 1st Central |
2012–13 | 68 | 30 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 64 | 0.471 | 227 | 250 | 4th Central |
2013–14 | 68 | 24 | 35 | 3 | 6 | 57 | 0.419 | 223 | 284 | 4th Central |
2014–15 | 68 | 37 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 78 | 0.574 | 274 | 237 | 3rd Central |
2015–16 | 68 | 35 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 77 | 0.566 | 213 | 198 | 3rd Central |
2016–17 | 68 | 23 | 35 | 6 | 4 | 56 | 0.412 | 207 | 274 | 3rd Central |
2017–18 | 68 | 35 | 23 | 7 | 3 | 80 | 0.588 | 240 | 235 | 2nd Central |
2018–19 | 68 | 44 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 95 | 0.699 | 326 | 209 | 1st Central |
2019–20 | 63 | 18 | 39 | 5 | 1 | 42 | 0.333 | 194 | 320 | 4th Central |
2020–21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | Season cancelled |
2021–22 | 68 | 22 | 42 | 3 | 1 | 48 | 0.353 | 218 | 316 | 5th Central |
2022–23 | 68 | 12 | 47 | 8 | 1 | 33 | 0.243 | 199 | 357 | 5th Central |
2023–24 | 68 | 17 | 43 | 6 | 2 | 42 | 0.309 | 193 | 323 | 5th Central |
Season | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
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2007–08 | W, 4–0, Mississauga Majors | L, 4–2, Oshawa Generals | — | — |
2008–09 | W, 4–3, Ottawa 67s | L, 4–1, Belleville Bulls | — | — |
2009–10 | L, 4–1, Ottawa 67s | — | — | — |
2010–11 | W, 4–0, Brampton Battalion | W, 4–1, Oshawa Generals | L, 4–1, Mississauga Majors | — |
2011–12 | W, 4–2, Oshawa Generals | W, 4–0, Brampton Battalion | W, 4–1, Ottawa 67s | L, 4–1, London Knights |
2012–13 | L, 4–1, Oshawa Generals | — | — | — |
2013–14 | L, 4–3, North Bay Battalion | — | — | — |
2014–15 | W, 4–2, Ottawa 67's | L, 4–1, Oshawa Generals | — | — |
2015–16 | W, 4–1, Ottawa 67's | W, 4–0, Kingston Frontenacs | W, 4–0, Barrie Colts | L, 4–0, London Knights |
2016–17 | L, 4–0, Peterborough Petes | — | — | — |
2017–18 | W, 4–1, Oshawa Generals | L, 4–1, Hamilton Bulldogs | — | — |
2018–19 | W, 4–1, North Bay Battalion | L, 4–2, Oshawa Generals | — | — |
2019–20 | Playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North America | |||
2020–21 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North America | |||
2021–22 | Did not qualify | |||
2022–23 | Did not qualify | |||
2023–24 | Did not qualify |
The IceDogs colours are red, black and white. The home jersey is black with red, black and white sleeves with two crossed dog bones on each shoulder. The away jersey is white with red, black and white sleeves with two crossed dog bones on each shoulder. The Niagara logo is a Bull Terrier (modelled after former team part-owner Don Cherry's famous dog, "Blue") playing hockey in hockey gear. The team wears red and black CCM gloves and CCM helmets (black or white, depending upon their jersey colour).[ citation needed ]
The IceDogs moved into the Meridian Centre on October 16, 2014. Located at 1 David S. Howes Way in St. Catharines, the Meridian Centre features a combination of 5,300 permanent and retractable seats.[ citation needed ]
The Garden City Arena Complex (formerly known as the Gatorade Garden City Complex, Garden City Arena and the Jack Gatecliff Arena) is a publicly owned and operated facility in St. Catharines. It is located at 8 Gale Crescent and features two ice surfaces (the Rex Stimers Arena and the Jack Gatecliff Arena). The IceDogs played in the Jack Gatecliff Arena of the complex for 7 seasons. The arena's capacity is 3,145 including standing room, making it smaller than most CHL arenas. With an ice surface of 190 x 85 feet, its dimensions are also smaller than the typical CHL ice surface. It is commonly referred to by fans as 'the Jack'.[ citation needed ]
The original arena was built in 1932 and became the oldest arena currently used in the CHL following the Windsor Spitfires move to the WFCU Centre in 2008–09. It was previously used by the St. Catharines Teepees, St. Catharines Black Hawks, St. Catharines Fincups and the St. Catharines Saints. Renovated in 1996, it was named after local sportswriter Jack Gatecliff.[ citation needed ]
On March 1, 2009, the Niagara IceDogs hosted a home game at Niagara Falls Memorial Arena in nearby Niagara Falls, Ontario. The arena, slated to close in 2010, was the former home to both the Niagara Falls Flyers and the Niagara Falls Thunder. The game was billed as the last OHL game in the arena. At that time, the announced crowd of 3,167 was the largest home crowd in franchise history.[ citation needed ]
The Mississauga IceDogs were a junior ice hockey team in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Ontario Hockey League from 1998 to 2007. A sale relocated the team to St. Catharines, Ontario for the 2007–08 season and they are now called the Niagara IceDogs.
The Toronto St. Michael's Majors were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The most recent franchise was revived on August 15, 1996. In 2007, the team relocated to Mississauga, Ontario and became the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors until 2012. The hockey program was founded and operated by St. Michael's College School in 1906, and adopted the name "Majors" in 1934, and was commonly referred to as St. Mike's Majors.
The Garden City Arena Complex was a sports complex in St. Catharines, Ontario. It was the main arena facility in that city from its construction in 1938 until the opening of the Meridian Centre in 2014.
The 2003–04 OHL season was the 24th season of the Ontario Hockey League. In November 2003, the OHL Board of Governors renamed the OHL Humanitarian of the Year Award to the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy, in recognition of former Owen Sound Platers player, Dan Snyder, who died in a car accident in September 2003. Twenty teams each played 68 games. The J. Ross Robertson Cup was won by the Guelph Storm, who swept the Mississauga IceDogs in the league final.
The 2004–05 OHL season was the 25th season of the Ontario Hockey League. The OHL inaugurated two awards for scholastic achievement, the Roger Neilson Memorial Award and the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award. Twenty teams each played 68 games. The London Knights set a Canadian Hockey League record, being undefeated in 31 games. On March 11, 2005, the league announced OHL Live Stream, a new streaming service to be developed over a three year period. The J. Ross Robertson Cup was won by the London Knights, defeating the Ottawa 67's.
In 1970, the Junior A level was divided into two more levels, Tier I and Tier II. In 1974, the "Major Junior A" division of the OHA became the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) and began to operate independently of the OHA. Finally in 1980, the OMJHL became the Ontario Hockey League.
The 2006–07 OHL season was the 27th season of the Ontario Hockey League.
The 2007–08 OHL season was the 28th season of the Ontario Hockey League. Twenty teams played 68 games each during the schedule, that started on September 19, 2007, and concluded on March 16, 2008. The Mississauga IceDogs relocated to the Gatorade Garden City Complex in downtown St. Catharines after getting approval of the team's sale to Bill Burke by the Board of Governors on June 5, 2007. The team was renamed the Niagara IceDogs. The Toronto St. Michael's Majors replaced the IceDogs in the Hershey Centre, renaming themselves, the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors. The Kingston Frontenacs moved late-season from the Kingston Memorial Centre to the new K-Rock Centre, which opened on February 22, 2008. On the afternoon of February 18, 2008, Windsor Spitfires team captain Mickey Renaud died after collapsing at his home, at age 19, of the rare heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The playoffs began March 20, with the Kitchener Rangers winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions. The Rangers were also chosen before the start of the season to host the 2008 Memorial Cup tournament.
The 2008–09 OHL season was the 29th season of the Ontario Hockey League. Twenty teams played 68 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on September 17, 2008 and concluded on March 15, 2009. The OHL inaugurated the Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy following his death in the previous season. The Windsor Spitfires played their last game at Windsor Arena on December 4, defeating the Guelph Storm, 2–1. The Spitfires played their first game at the WFCU Centre on December 11 against the Belleville Bulls, losing the game 4–0. The playoffs began on March 18, 2009, and ended on May 8, 2009 with the Windsor Spitfires winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup, and a berth in the 2009 Memorial Cup which was held in Rimouski, Quebec. Windsor went on to win the Memorial Cup.
The 2009–10 OHL season was the 30th season of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Twenty teams played 68 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on September 17, 2009 and ended on March 14, 2010. On September 9, 2009, all 20 teams in the OHL unveiled their new Reebok Edge jerseys, which have been used in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2007 until 2017. The playoffs began on March 18, 2010, and ended on May 4, 2010, with the Windsor Spitfires winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the second consecutive year, which they followed up by winning the 2010 Memorial Cup, hosted by the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL in Brandon, Manitoba.
The 2010–11 OHL season was the 31st season of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Twenty teams, divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences, played 68 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on September 23, 2010 and ended on March 20, 2011. The playoffs began on March 24, 2011 and ended on May 15, 2011, with the Owen Sound Attack winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup, and a berth in the 2011 Memorial Cup, hosted by the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors of the OHL in Mississauga, Ontario.
The 2011–12 OHL season was the 32nd season of the Ontario Hockey League. Twenty teams played 68 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on September 21, 2011 and ended on March 18, 2012. The playoffs began on Thursday March 22, 2012 and concluded on Friday May 11, 2012. The London Knights won the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the second time in franchise history. London secured a berth in the 2012 Memorial Cup hosted by the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL.
The 2012–13 OHL season was the 33rd season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Mississauga St. Michael's Majors were sold during the off-season. As part of the sale, the "St. Michael's Majors" name was returned to St. Michael's College School. The new name of the team will be the Mississauga Steelheads. The Brampton Battalion announced during the season that this would be their last season in Brampton and will relocate to North Bay, Ontario for the 2013–14 OHL season. Twenty teams played 68 games each during the regular season schedule, which began in September 2012 and ended in March 2013. The London Knights won their second consecutive J. Ross Robertson Cup and third in franchise history, and with it a berth in the 2013 Memorial Cup hosted by the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL.
The 2014–15 OHL season was the 35th season of the Ontario Hockey League, in which twenty teams played 68 games each according to the regular season schedule, from September 24, 2014 to March 22, 2015. The Niagara IceDogs began play at their new arena, the Meridian Centre. The Ottawa 67's returned to TD Place Arena after a two-year hiatus due to a renovation. Brian Kilrea returned to coach the Ottawa 67's for one game on October 17, becoming the oldest coach in league history.
The 2015–16 OHL season was the 36th season of the Ontario Hockey League, in which twenty teams played 68 games each according to the regular season schedule, from September 2015 to March 2016. The Plymouth Whalers relocated to Flint and became the Flint Firebirds, playing at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center. The Belleville Bulls relocated to Hamilton and became the Hamilton Bulldogs, playing at FirstOntario Centre. The London Knights won the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the fourth time in franchise history, as they defeated the Niagara IceDogs in four games in the final round of the playoffs. The Knights qualified for the 2016 Memorial Cup held at the ENMAX Centrium in Red Deer, Alberta. London defeated the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 3-2 in overtime in the final game, winning the Memorial Cup for the second time in franchise history.
The 2016–17 OHL season was the 37th season of the Ontario Hockey League, in which twenty teams played 68 games each according to the regular season schedule, from September 21, 2016, to March 21, 2017. The playoffs began on March 23, 2017, and ended on May 12. The Erie Otters won the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the second time in franchise history, and the first time since 2002, as they defeated the Mississauga Steelheads in five games to represent the OHL at the 2017 Memorial Cup held at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario. The Windsor Spitfires also qualified for the tournament as the host team.
The 2017–18 OHL season was the 38th season of the Ontario Hockey League, in which twenty teams played 68 games each according to the regular season schedule, from September 21, 2017 to March 18, 2018. The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds accomplished a streak of 23 consecutive wins between October 27, 2017 and January 4, 2018.
Akil Thomas is a Canadian-American professional ice hockey centre for the Ontario Reign in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Los Angeles Kings. In the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Thomas drafted in the second round, 51st overall, by Los Angeles.
The 2018–19 OHL season was the 39th season of the Ontario Hockey League, in which twenty teams played 68 games each according to the regular season schedule, from September 19, 2018 to March 17, 2019.
Philip Tomasino is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 24th overall by the Nashville Predators in the first round of the 2019 NHL entry draft.