Niagara Whalers
| Niagara Whalers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada |
| League | Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Operated | 2014–present |
| Home arena | Vale Health & Wellness Centre |
| Colours | |
| Owner(s) | Steven Quinn |
| General manager | Steven Quinn |
| Head coach | Terry Masterson <small(2016-17) |
| Website | Niagarawhalershockey.com |
The Niagara Whalers are a junior ice hockey team based in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the South Division of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL). The Whalers were founded in 2014 and joined the GMHL to compete in the 2014–15 season. The club plays their home games at the Vale Health & Wellness Centre.
History
In May 2014 the Whalers were granted a franchise in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL) for the 2014–15 season.[1] Prior to joining the GMHL the Whalers competed as a showcase organization in Southern Ontario Bantam and Midget tournaments, winning nine of eleven tournaments. A prospects team will continue to compete in the showcase tournaments and will serve as an affiliate to the Junior A club.[2] After being awarded a GMHL franchise the Whalers were approved to play out of the Vale Health & Wellness Centre in Port Colborne, Ontario.[3] The Whalers finished their debut regular season in tenth place overall and third in the South Division of the South Conference.[4][5] The club advanced to Round One of the 2014–15 Russell Cup playoffs where they were drawn against the Halton Ravens. The Whalers were defeated by the Ravens three games to one ending their playoff run.[5] In 2015 the GMHL realigned the teams into three divisions, North, Central and South, and dropped the two conferences for the upcoming 2015-16 season. The Whalers were placed into the eleven team South division.[6]
Season by season results
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | PTS | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | 42 | 23 | 17 | - | 2 | 187 | 191 | 48 | 3rd of 12 S Div ?th of 22 GMHL | Lost in Round One, 3-1 (Halton Ravens) |
| 2015–16 | 42 | 26 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 231 | 149 | 54 | 4th of 10 S Div 11th of 30 GMHL | Won Div. Quarterfinals, 3-0 (Dragons) Lost Div. Semifinals, 3-0 (Kings) |
Players and personnel
Current roster
Team roster for the 2015–16 season[7]
| # | Nat | Name | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 |  | Michael Lask | F | 21 | 2014–15 | Buffalo, New York, United States | |
| 8 |  | Daniel Abbott | F | R | 22 | 2015–16 | Chippawa, Ontario, Canada |
| 10 | | Andrew Robinson | F | L | 21 | 2014–15 | Buffalo, New York, United States |
| 12 | | Matt Johns | F | 18 | 2015–16 | Parksville, British Columbia, Canada | |
| 13 | | Jesse Mulholland | F | 17 | 2015–16 | Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada | |
| 17 | | David Christopher | F | L | 20 | 2014–15 | Buffalo, New York, United States |
| 19 |  | Sam Hodic | F | L | 20 | 2015–16 | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| 21 | | Cam Blakely | F | R | 22 | 2015–16 | Welland, Ontario, Canada |
| 22 | | Vito Scaringi | F | L | 22 | 2015–16 | Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada |
| 23 | | Harry Walker | F | 17 | 2015–16 | Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada | |
| 25 |  | Vaclav Janecek | F | L | 19 | 2015–16 | Czech Republic |
| 27 | | Wade Kenny | F | R | 22 | 2015–16 | Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada |
| 28 |  | Vladislav Arbuzov | F | R | 19 | 2015–16 | Novosibirsk, Russia |
| 88 | | Stanislav Pestikov | F | 22 | 2015–16 | Surgut, Russia | |
| 91 | | Colton Anstey | F | L | 22 | 2015–16 | North Tonawanda, New York, United States |
| 4 | | Daniel Defranco | D | L | 22 | 2015–16 | Lockport, New York, United States |
| 16 | | Vladislav Shipota | D | L | 21 | 2015–16 | Moscow, Russia |
| 18 | | Kade Brunner | D | R | 19 | 2014–15 | Sandusky, New York, United States |
| 20 | | Nathan Walerowicz | D | 2015–16 | Sanborn, New York, United States | ||
| 24 | | Duncan Lockhart-Gibson | D | 2014–15 | Elmvale, Ontario, Canada | ||
| 26 | | Oskar Levin | D | 2015–16 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | ||
| 30 | | Jonathon D'Ilario | G | L | 22 | 2015–16 | St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada |
| 31 | | Phillip Podpecan | G | 2015–16 | Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada | ||
| 32 | | Braedan Turco | G | L | 20 | 2014–15 | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada |
| 33 | | Austin Dero | G | R | 2015–16 | Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada | |
| 35 | | Steven Quinn | G | L | 20 | 2014–15 | Buffalo, New York, United States |
Head coaches
References
- ↑ "Niagara Whalers Expand to Junior". Niagara Whalers. 2014-05-20. Archived from the original on 2015-09-15. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ↑ "Expansion: Niagara Whalers Join GMHL". Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League. 2014-06-09. Archived from the original on 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ↑ Firth, Maryanne (2014-05-27). "Whalers to dock in Port". Welland Tribune. Archived from the original on 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ↑ "2014-2015 League Standings". Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- 1 2 "2014-15 Russell Cup Playoffs". Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League. 2015-01-21. Archived from the original on 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ↑ "Standings". Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-09-24.
- ↑ "Team Roster". Niagara Whalers. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
- ↑ "Andrew Joyner". Elite Prospects. Archived from the original on 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ↑ "Bryan Elliott". Elite Prospects. Archived from the original on 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2015-09-16.