On behalf of the Executive I would like to welcome you back to another exciting season of Cyclones hockey – as we set out to defend our 2024 Sutherland Cup Championship.
We want to thank all our fans, sponsors, volunteers, billet families, and parents for all the support we received during our Sutherland Cup run. Championships do not just happen on the ice – each and every one of these groups of people played a role in bringing home the 2nd Sutherland Cup in franchise history. Being one of only 8 remaining community owned teams in the GOJHL, we could not be more proud of the community support that we receive….this is your cup to defend too!
This season, the GOJHL has transitioned from a three division league (West, Mid-West, and Golden Horseshoe) to a two division league (East and West), with the Cyclones in the West. The reasons for this change is one, to eliminate the round robin, and secondly, to not allow all teams to make the playoffs. During the round robin, the fan base tends to lose interest, which was evident in the 2024 playoffs. In all higher levels of hockey not everyone makes the playoffs, so this will make our league more competitive. Elmira, Stratford, and K-W remain in our division, but this will also bring some different teams to the SKMC, creating new rivalries.
We would like to officially welcome back Jason Brooks, in the role of Sr. Hockey Advisor. Jason has never stopped supporting our organization from behind the scenes, but in times of change in the Canadian Jr. Hockey world it was an easy decision to bring Jason back in a formal Advisory role.
The majority of our Hockey Ops staff will be returning, GM – Trent McClement, Director of Hockey Ops – Randy Petrie, Head Coach – Jesse Cole, and Assistant Coach – Holdyn Lansink will all return. Andrew Leith also joins this group as our Goalie Coach. Andrew has supported the coaches from a video and analytics standpoint for several years, but as a former goalie it gives us someone that can support our goalies on a consistent basis. Luke Israel has taken an assistant coaching job with the Brooks Bandits of the BCHL. This is a great opportunity for Luke as he strives to take his coaching career to the next level. We thank Luke for not only being a great coach, but more importantly being a mentor to the players, and always supporting our organization. We wish him all the best.
We once again have an experienced, local, core group of players that are very thankful for the support they received from our great community last season. They know what it means to be a Cyclone, and they are prepared to lead a highly skilled group of new young talent, both on and off the ice.
As we set out to defend the Sutherland Cup in 2024-25, we would once again like to thank all our fans, sponsors, volunteers, billet families, parents and supporters of CYCS NATION! If you can’t make it to a game, please follow the live play-by play on Flo Hockey TV at www.flohockey.tv.
Enjoy the season!
Yours in Hockey,
Greg McNevan
