A very tough matchup in a Silver Stick tournament final at home last weekend has done little to detract from an impressive start to the 2025-2026 campaign for the Sudbury U10 "A" Wolves.

While finishing second was not their ultimate goal, the result did mark a second consecutive podium placement for the crew under the guidance of head coach Ken Ruppel and staff.

In early October, the SMHA representatives attended the South Simcoe Storm Classic, posting wins over the Ottawa Sting (4-3), Nickel City Cubs (2-1), South Simcoe Storm (3-0) and King Rebellion (9-1), punching their tickets to an all-northern championship affair.

The Cubs got the better of the Wolves by a final count of 3-0 as both teams found themselves losing to a Collingwood Jr Blues entry a week later, a team that is strong enough to compete quite favourably with "AA" opponents in league play.

Collingwood bested Nickel City 10-0 in one Silver Stick semi-final while the Wolves downed the North Bay Trappers 5-2 to earn a berth in the final, eventually settling for silver.

The good news for both local squads is that while their division of Nickel District Minor Hockey League play might be limited (just four teams in all), the Cubs, Wolves, Trappers and Copper Cliff Reds all seem to match up pretty well head to head, with everyone having lost at least one game and won at least one game just over a month in.

The 2025-2026 Sudbury U10 "A" Wolves are comprised of goaltenders Cameron Perrier and Lincoln Fudge, as well as skaters Adam Willick, Kash Maillet, Jack Blackwell, Maverik Rancourt, Tanner Jessop, Marty Greaves, Sawyer Desloges, Jaxson Wickenden, Lennox Robichaud, Liam Mcquinn, Maxwell Renaud, Liam Timony, Lincoln Dearing, Logan Lefrancois and Kaleb Ruppel.

Joining coach Ken Ruppel on the team staff are assistant coaches Trevor Jessop and Brad Blackwell, trainer Adam Fudge and team manager Tanis Jessop.