Consensus in chatter around the rink is clear: the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) had a little bit more to showcase this year than usual as all eleven teams gather in Sudbury this week for the annual NOJHL Showcase.
Certainly a big part of that is a sense of increased league parity, with the likes of Iroquois Falls Storm (5-3-0-0) and the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners (4-2-0-2) both far more competitive than they were one year ago. For the record, those two teams posted a combined record of 31-65-2-6 in 2024-2025.
A member of the NOJHL champion Cochrane Crunch in 2017-2018, Storm head coach Alex Brisson takes over the reins as “the guy” after serving as assistant coach in Iroquois Falls last year. The 28 year-old native of Terrebonne (PQ) suggested that the upward tick his team is witnessing in the early going is not simply a product of a more talented team – though to some extent, that might be the case.
“The biggest thing for us is showing heart and compete on every single shift,” said Brisson, his team fighting back from a 2-0 first period deficit against Kirkland Lake on Tuesday to post a 4-3 overtime win as Lucas Willoughby converted on a penalty shot in period number four. “We look for guys that never give up, never say die – and I think we saw it again today.”
A disciple to the likes of NHL coaches Paul Maurice and Martin St Louis, Brisson tapped into both his own playing career in the NOJHL as well as the behind-the-bench lessons of one year ago to formulate a game plan that keyed on some critical dos and don’ts.
“Playing fast offensively; the faster you play in this league, the more you catch teams off-guard and then have the time and space you need to create,” said Brisson. “When you get back on your heels in this league, you get scored on a bunch. On the defensive side of the game, it’s about making sure that without the puck, we’re protecting the net in the right way.”
The NOJHL has long valued the benefits of showcasing both local and northern talent – as well as others who might hold tight ties to Sudbury in some way, shape or form. Benjamin Coupal was but four months old when his family moved south from the area - though by then, the reputation of his father was already well established in these parts.
Yet for as much as Gary Coupal was as tough as they come type of player, his 18 year-old son is making headlines in a different way, netting his eighth goal in as many games for the resurgent Iroquois Falls Storm.
A member of both the Ajax-Pickering Raiders and Central Ontario Wolves' AAA hockey organizations over the years, the younger Coupal was by no means a prolific goal scorer in minor hockey ranks, keenly aware that his current hot streak will give way (hopefully) to continued well rounded play.
“I like to think of myself as a 200-foot player,” said Coupal. “I’m reliable in my own end – and when I am playing well, I am chipping the puck deep and going to work down low. My scoring touch comes and goes for me, I guess. I just try and work very hard and sometimes, the puck just finds me.”
The Iroquois Falls Storm forced overtime with a goal in the final minute from Ben Sherwin, with Coupal suggesting that he and his teammates can’t help but to feed off the steadying and encouraging demeanour of their young coach and his staff.
“Staying positive on the bench is definitely a big thing,” said Coupal. “The teams that stay positive through the highs and the lows often find the most success. We try not to worry about anything that has happened and focus on the next shift.”
Adding to the new highlights to the Showcase is the inclusion of the St Andrews College Saints to the mix, bringing the event to an even twelve team format. The well-regarded Aurora-based program dropped one of the four games decided by two goals or less, surrendering four third period goals to the Powassan Voodoos in a 4-3 loss.
A newcomer to the Voodoos this year, smooth-skating 20 year-old defenceman Benjamin Gisonni has come an awfully long way to partake in the Showcase festivities. Born and raised in Clearwater (Florida), the American product who was involved in figure skating as a youth first met up with Powassan head coach Peter Goulet at a summer hockey tournament in Massachusetts.
Combine that with the fact that his skating instructor in Florida, former NHLer Dimitri Afanasenkov, was a former teammate of Voodoos’ assistant coach Vitali Yachmenev and one can see why Gisonni would travel great distances in pursuit of his hockey dreams.
“Hockey in Florida is different than it is up here,” he noted. “There’s a rink maybe every three to four hours.”
With time and space a precious commodity as he acclimatizes to a higher level of hockey, Gisonni is hoping to strike the right balance in the decision-making process. “One of the things I struggle with is not holding on to the puck for that extra second,” he said. “Sometimes I feel that I should use my skating to give myself a little more time and make a better play.”
“I am still getting comfortable out there, still a little tense.”
In other close encounters, the Espanola Paper Kings edged the French River Rapids 5-4 while the Greater Sudbury Cubs closed out the day with a two goal win (4-2) over the Soo Thunderbirds.
Yet even the more lopsided affairs spoke to the increased eveness of the NOJHL brethren.
The winless Soo Eagles (0-8-0-1) finally put it all together, blasting the Blind River Beavers (3-5-0-1) 6-1 while the surging Timmins Rock (now 5-3-0-0) blanked the high-flying Hearst Lumberjacks (8-2-0-0) 6-0.
