The Greater Sudbury Cubs have been there before.
That said, the three-time defending NOJHL (Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League) champions did not enter their last two Centennial Cup appearances riding a 12-game playoff winning streak - for whatever that is worth.
In the mind of head coach Darryl Moxam, there is likely far more value in the two previous trips to nationals that roughly half of the team roster would have endured than to the current run of success the Cubs are riding.
"Because of the experience of the past couple of years, we know that we can compete with any team in the country - but we also understand that there are so many variables at play here," he said.
Call him cautiously optimistic, albeit with more than just one reason or two for optimism.
"If I was to pick one thing that makes me feel most comfortable, that is our depth," said Moxam, noting that the Sudbury post-season success came in spite of the loss of the team's leading scorer in the regular season and one of the best pure skaters in the country in Nolan Newton.
"The next guy just stepped up," said Moxam. "We've always had that mentality as a group, as a team. I am feeling really good right now about the experience that we have from one to twenty-five in our lineup."
Goaltender Iain Wintle was not part of the NOJHL representatives which competed at the last two sets of Centennial Cup playdowns.
But after being acquired from the Gatineau Flames in mid-December, the former QMJHLer (32 games with Gatineau Olympiques in 2024-2025) solidified the last line of defense for the Cubs in the post-season, racking up 10 wins with absolutely sparkling numbers (2.05 GAA; .934 save %).
"I thought my consistency (in the playoffs), for the most part, was pretty good, which is a good thing for a goalie," noted the 21 year-old native of Bowmanville. "And the guys made it easy for me; they played defensively great."
Regular season champions again this year, the Cubs entered the playoffs as the favourites to represent the league in Summerside (PEI) this month. In that sense, many might think the easiest job a netminder might have is to play behind a very talented team.
"That is honestly tougher for a goalie, going five or ten minutes without a shot," said Wintle. "A big part of my success this year was just staying ready."
The locals leave very early Tuesday morning for Toronto, departing Pearson for Charlottetown about a half-dozen hours or so later and opening their four game round robin schedule on Thursday afternoon opposite the Toronto Patriots.
With games running through until May 17th, Wintle knows full well that mental preparation will be key. "For me, the more calm I am, the better I play," said the puckstopper who played alongside NOJHL all-star defenceman Spencer Horgan as members of the U15 AAA Clarington Toros in 2019-2020.
"A big thing going into this tournament is to stay loose, don't overthink it - just go out and play my game."
Coach Moxam might suggest that statement applies to his entire team.
"We want to focus on ourselves and play with pace and within our structure," he said. "We will give them some pre-scouts, some tendencies of the other teams - but focus on ourselves."
"If we play our way and we play to the best of our ability - and a team is going to need to do that to win this - we will compete with everybody."
The remainder of the Cubs schedule in P.E.I. sees the Sudbury crew battling the Truro Bearcats on (Friday) May 8th, facing the Flin Flon Bombers on (Monday) May 11th and closing out pool play with a match-up against the Collège Français de Longueuil on (Tuesday) May 12th.
Over in the other pool, it will be the Thunder Bay North Stars, Canmore Eagles, Niverville Nighthawks, Rockland Nationals and host Summerside Western Capitals battling for a playoff berth.
Last May in Calgary, the Cubs posted a 2-2-0 record, advancing out of their pool before being eliminated thanks to a 7-1 loss at the hands of the Melfort Mustangs.
