SUDBURY, Ont. – The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League announced Wednesday its award recipients for the 2023-24 season.
Earning the NOJHL’s top individual honour, as the recipient of the Carlo Cattarello Trophy, emblematic as the league’s Most Valuable Player, is Lucas Signoretti of the Espanola Paper Kings.
Signoretti was also tabbed a 1st Team NOJHL All-Star and captured the Jimmy Connors Memorial Trophy as the league’s leading point-getter.
The following is the complete list of the 2023-24 NOJHL winners:
Carlo Cattarello Trophy – NOJHL MVP: Lucas Signoretti, (F) Espanola Paper Kings – Through 50 games played, the 19-year-old Kinburn, Ont., product led all NOJHL skaters in goals, assists and points with 47, 70 and 117 respectively.
Signoretti’s overall point totals are the most in league play since the 2011-12 campaign when Jordan Carroll (Sudbury Cubs) had 136 and current Hearst Lumberjacks head coach Marc-Alain Bégin (Abitibi Eskimos) registered 123.
The Paper Kings centre was twice named the NOJHL’s Forward of the Month; the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s (CJHL) 1st Star of the Month, Fuelled by Gatorade, for October, earned honourable mention for the same award in February and on three occasions was named one of the NOJHL’s Eastlink TV 3 Stars of the Week.
Wrapping up the regular season on a league-best 14-game assist streak, that also featured 14 tallies, Signoretti had 33 multi-point efforts, including 21 of which were three points, or more.
NOJHL Trophy – Best Defenceman: Andrey Manov, (D) Blind River Beavers – Instrumental at both ends of the ice, Manov’s efforts from the back-end helped Blind River finish first overall in the league’s regular standings, as well as only allow a NOJHL-low 148 goals-against.
Averaging over a point-per-game, the 20-year-old from West Vancouver, B.C., set personal single-season bests in goals (12); assists (50) and points (62).
Manov’s five game-winning goals led all league defencemen and he finished second in offensive production among rearguards.
John Grignon Trophy – Rookie of the Year: Noah Tegelaar, (G) Blind River Beavers – A tremendous inaugural campaign featured the 17-year-old Beavers’ netminder leading the NOJHL in wins (27); goals-against average (2.02); save percentage (.928) and shutouts (6).
Hailing from Georgetown, Ont., Tegelaar posted a 27-4-0-0 overall record in 33 appearances and at one point won 14 straight starts, along with 19 of 20.
The NOJHL’s Goaltender of the Month for December was tabbed a league Eastlink TV 3 Stars of the Week honouree on three occasions.
Gilles Laperriere Trophy – Most Improved Player: Owen Fergusson, (F) Espanola Paper Kings – A banner season saw the 19-year-old from Bancroft, Ont., easily surpass all of his previous offensive totals.
Finishing second overall in NOJHL scoring, Fergusson tallied 41 times and helped set-up 69 others for 110 points.
His contributions saw him finish third in power play markers (15); come second in shorthanded goals (5) and tie for second in game-winning efforts (6).
Mitch Tetreault Memorial Trophy – Top Defensive Forward: Jakob Kovacs, (F) Blind River Beavers – Leading all NOJHL skaters in shorthanded goals, with six, his efforts also aided in Blind River boasting a penalty kill rate of over 85%.
The veteran forward from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., also established single-season highs in goals (30); assists (35) and points (65) in helping the Beavers secure the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming playoffs.
NOJHL Trophy – Best Overall Team Player: Harry Clark, (F) Timmins Rock – Skating for his hometown Timmins side, the 20-year-old Clark was a key cog to the Rock’s overall success.
Racking up 101 points, in 56 games played, Clark collected 36 markers and dished out 65 assists to finish fourth in NOJHL scoring with his 101 points.
The skilled and speedy forward, who will attend school and play OUA/USPORTS hockey at York University in Toronto this fall, led all league players in both power play assists (38) and man advantage points (52), helping Timmins boast the top PP% in the the NOJHL.
David Harrison Trophy – Most Gentlemanly Player: Mason Svarich, (F) Timmins Rock – Featuring the fewest penalty minute totals among any of the league’s Top 20 scorers, Svarich only incurred three minor penalties in 44 outings.
On top of that, Svarich was a 40-goal man for the Rock, with a league-best 17 of those on the power play. He also chipped in with 35 assists to finish seventh in NOJHL scoring.
Jimmy Connors Memorial Trophy – NOJHL Scoring Champion: Lucas Signoretti, (F) Espanola Paper Kings – Through 50 games played, the 19-year-old Kinburn, Ont., product led all skaters in goals, assists and points with 47, 70 and 117 respectively.
Wayne Chase Memorial Award – Best Goals-Against Average: Noah Tegelaar, (G) Blind River Beavers – Topping all league stoppers, Tegelaar sported a league-low 2.02 average, finishing comfortably ahead of his closest rival in that category.
NOJHL Team Goaltending Award (Fewest Goals Allowed): Blind River Beavers – Giving up only 148 goals-against, helped the Beavers finish in first place in the overall standings.
Mirl “Red” McCarthy Memorial Award – NOJHL Coach of the Year: Kyle Brick, Blind River Beavers – Guiding Blind River to their first-ever NOJHL regular season title, Brick’s side went 45-12-0-1 overall.
Special teams work saw Blind River end-up fourth in power play proficiency (25.2%) and third on the penalty kill (85.2%). The Beavers were also 40-3-0-1 when scoring first in a game and they only lost once when leading after two periods.
The Joe Drago Trophy – NOJHL Director of the Year: Jef Jarmovitch, Elliot Lake Vikings – Keeping his organization operational under the most trying of circumstances, Jarmovitch is recognized for his commitment to his team and the NOJHL.
After winning their home opener in his initial campaign at the helm of running the Vikings, Elliot Lake was forced to play the remainder of their games on the road, following the closure of Centennial Arena, due to structural issues.
Yet persevering, they traveled for both practices and regular season contests from mid-September on, in continuing to complete and fulfilling their obligations to the league throughout.
James Aspin Trophy – NOJHL Regular Season Champions: Blind River Beavers – The Beavers went 45-12-0-1 overall, with their 91 points leading the league.
Gary Hall Memorial Award – NOJHL East Champion: Timmins Rock – The Rock claimed the East title for a fourth straight season, finishing the 2023-24 portion of their schedule with 84 points on a 41-15-2-0 run.
William Sidney Jones Memorial Trophy – NOJHL West Champion: Blind River Beavers – Blind River were tops in the West Division with 91 points a record of 45-12-0-1.
Broadcaster of the Year: Denis J. Puska, Hearst Lumberjacks – The veteran broadcaster earns the initial accolades for this award, in recognition of the quality work provided online, for games called via FLOHockey.tv.
Puska is the play-by-play voice of the Hearst Lumberjacks.
NOJHL 1st All-Star Team
Goaltender: Noah Tegelaar, Blind River Beavers – A tremendous inaugural campaign featured the Beavers’ netminder leading the NOJHL in wins (27); goals-against average (2.02); save percentage (.928) and shutouts (6).
Hailing from Georgetown, Ont., Tegelaar posted a 27-4-0-0 overall record in 33 appearances and at one point won 14 straight starts and 19 of 20.
Defence: Andrey Manov, Blind River Beavers – Instrumental at both ends of the ice, Manov’s efforts from the back-end helped Blind River finish first overall in the league’s regular standings as well as only allow a NOJHL-low 148 goals-against.
Averaging over a point-per-game, the 20-year-old from West Vancouver, B.C., set personal single-season bests in goals (12); assists (50) and points (62).
Manov’s five game-winning goals led all league defencemen and he finished second in offensive production among rearguards.
Defence: Spencer Horgan, Espanola Paper Kings – Horgan topped all league blueliners in scoring with 89 points in 53 games played.
In all, the 19-year-old from Bowmanville, Ont., scored 29 times and helped set-up 60 others this season.
Twice a NOJHL Defenceman of the Month award recipient, Horgan boasted 27 multi-point efforts this season.
Forward: Lucas Signoretti, Espanola Paper Kings – Through 50 games played, the 19-year-old Kinburn, Ont., product led all NOJHL skaters in goals, assists and points with 47, 70 and 117 respectively.
Signoretti’s overall point totals are the most in league play since the 2011-12 campaign when Jordan Carroll (Sudbury Cubs) had 136 and current Hearst Lumberjacks head coach Marc-Alain Bégin (Abitibi Eskimos) registered 123.
The Paper Kings centre was twice named the NOJHL’s Forward of the Month; the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s (CJHL) 1st Star of the Month, Fuelled by Gatorade, for October, earned honourable mention for the same award in February and on three occasions was named one of the NOJHL’s Eastlink TV 3 Stars of the Week.
Wrapping up the regular season on a league-best 14-game assist streak, that also featured 14 tallies, Signoretti had 33 multi-point efforts, including 21 of which were three points, or more.
Forward: Oliver Smith, Greater Sudbury Cubs – In his final year of junior hockey, Smith delivered in a big way for Greater Sudbury.
The Lively, Ont., product was second in the league in goals scored with 45, giving him 100 overall in his career, and finished third in scoring with 102 points.
Six of his markers were game-winners, which knotted him for second in the NOJHL in that department. Smith also had a 21-game point streak during the campaign.
Forward: Harry Clark, Timmins Rock – Skating for his hometown Timmins side, the 20-year-old Clark was a key cog to the Rock’s overall success.
Racking up 101 points, in 56 games played, Clark collected 36 markers and dished out 65 assists to finish fourth in NOJHL scoring with his 101 points.
The skilled and speedy forward, who will attend school and play OUA/USPORTS hockey at York University in Toronto this fall, led all league players in both power play assists (38) and man advantage points (52), helping Timmins boast the top PP% in the the NOJHL.
GM: Kyle Brick, Blind River Beavers – Formulated the roster that finished first overall in the league standings.
Put together a line-up of veteran savy and youthful talent that made impacts in every area of the ice.
Head Coach: Kyle Brick, Blind River Beavers – Guiding Blind River to their first-ever NOJHL regular season title, Brick’s side went 45-12-0-1 overall.
Special teams work saw Blind River end-up fourth in power play proficiency (25.2%) and third on the penalty kill (85.2%). The Beavers were also 40-3-0-1 when scoring first in a game and they only lost once when leading after two periods.
Trainer/Equipment Manager: Richard Plourde, Timmins Rock – An invaluable member of the Rock staff, Plourde earns 1st Team honours for his continued efforts with the Timmins organization.
NOJHL 2nd All-Star Team
Goaltender: Kolton Bourret, Soo Thunderbirds – Putting up solid numbers this season with Sault Ste. Marie, Bourret finished second in the league in goals-against average (2.28) and third in save percentage (.922).
The 22 victories for the 18-year-old from Thunder Bay, Ont., were the third-most in the NOJHL and the Thunderbirds had a .741 winning percentage in his appearances.
Defence: Alexander Case, Powassan Voodoos – Solid throughout for Powassan, Case collected 41 points from the back-end for the Voodoos in 54 games.
The Kingston, Ont., native scored 10 times and doled out 31 assists to pace all Powassan blueliners offensively and ending up sixth among all league rearguards.
Defence: Noah Janicki, Hearst Lumberjacks – The Hearst captain finished fifth in offensive numbers from league D-men.
In all, the Barrie, Ont., product, who is in his last season in the junior ranks, established personal bests in goals (9); assists (36) and points (45) to lead the Lumberjacks defensive corps.
Forward: Owen Fergusson, Espanola Paper Kings – A banner season saw the 19-year-old from Bancroft, Ont., easily surpass all previous offensive totals.
Finishing second overall in NOJHL scoring, Fergusson scored 41 times and helped set-up 69 others for 110 points.
His contributions saw him finish third in power play markers (15); come second in shorthanded goals (5) and tie for second in game-winning efforts (6).
Forward: Mason Svarich, Timmins Rock – Svarich was a 40-goal man for the Rock, with a league-best 17 of those on the power play.
He also chipped in with 35 assists to finish seventh in league scoring.
Forward: Daniel Vasic, Blind River Beavers – Only being held off the game sheet three times in 35 outings, Vasic was an offensive sparkplug for first place Blind River.
Beginning with points in each of his first 22 games of the campaign, the 17-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., went on to score 37 times and assist on 22 others.
Tied for second overall with his six game-winning tallies, the Lake Superior State, NCAA Division I commit, also had a league-high 10-game goal streak earlier.
GM: Marc Gagnon, Espanola Paper Kings – His efforts helped the Paper Kings improve their point totals in the NOJHL standings for a second-straight season since he joined the organization.
He also served as director of operations for both NOJHL squads that competed in the 2023 Eastern Canada Cup All-Star Challenge this past November.
Head Coach: Cole Jarrett, Soo Thunderbirds – Jarrett’s work behind the bench aided in the Thunderbirds surpassing their point totals once more and qualify yet again for postseason play.
In three regular seasons with the club, they’ve averaged 38 wins; have won a league championship; earned a berth to the Centennial Cup; and advanced to the final in Jarrett’s first two playoff appearances.
Trainer/Equipment Manager: Derrick Bates, Blind River Beavers – A diligent provider in maintaining Blind River’s athletic training and equipment needs, Bates did his part in the Beaver’s run to first place overall in the NOJHL standings.
NOJHL 3rd All-Star Team
Goaltender: Noah Metivier, Greater Sudbury Cubs – Seeing the bulk of his starts against the top teams in the league, the veteran goalkeeper went 24-9-0-1 overall.
His win total was second-best in the league with 14 of the starts made by the 20-year-old from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., seeing him allow two, or fewer goals, including a pair of shutouts.
Defence: Felix Cadieux-Fredette, Timmins Rock – While serving as captain for the Rock, Cadieux-Fredette was over a point-per-game performer with Timmins, registering 61 in 57 games on five markers and 56 helpers.
Set to attend school and play NCAA D-III hockey at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, the 20-year-old from Ottawa has appeared in 172 NOJHL games in his career, the most of any skater in the league over the past four seasons.
Defence: Kaden Dundas, Soo Thunderbirds – The veteran D-man has dressed in the third-most contests, since he joined the league, at 162.
Fourth in scoring among NOJHL defencemen this season, the 20-year-old Dundas had 45 points for his hometown squad in 46 appearances, scoring 10 times and assisting on 36 more.
Forward: Mathieu MacMillan, Powassan Voodoos – Leading the Voodoos in scoring this season, the second-year skater was eighth in NOJHL scoring.
The 19-year-old from Gloucester, Ont., tallied 25 times and doled out 48 assists along the way for Powassan.
Forward: Tyler Patterson, Hearst Lumberjacks – The NOJHL veteran topped Hearst in scoring on the campaign with 65 points, which was a personal best.
The 36 goals for the 19-year-old from Newcastle, Ont., were also a career-high.
Since joining the NOJHL back in 2020, Patterson has played the second-most games at 170 and has the fourth-highest point total, with 162.
Forward: Jack Paweski, Soo Eagles – Leading the Eagles and ending up ninth among all NOJHL skaters, Paweski averaged well over a point-per-game, in 53 outings.
A 19-year-old from Brighton, Mich., he found the back of the net on 19 occasions and supplied 52 assists, for 71 points, which were all personal single-season highs.
GM: Chris Dawson, Powassan Voodoos – Wearing many hats as a Day 1 member of the Voodoos staff, Dawson continues to provide valuable services with Powassan.
A multiple recipient of league all-star GM nods, his efforts and contributions has seen the team serve as one of the top programs in the NOJHL.
Head Coach: Tyler Pracek, Iroquois Falls Storm – Since taking over behind the Iroquois Falls bench back on October, 18, Pracek helped the Storm reverse their fortunes.
This included qualifying for the NOJHL playoffs in the club’s return to Iroquois Falls.
Trainer/Equipment Manager: Dr. Derrick Beleutz, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners – As the team chiropractor and head athletic trainer with Kirkland Lake, his work with the squad was extremely beneficial throughout the season.
He also served as the trainer/equipment manager for Team NOJHL East at the Eastern Canada Cup All-Star Challenge in Trenton, Ont.
1ST All-Rookie Team
Goaltender: Noah Tegelaar, Blind River Beavers – A tremendous inaugural campaign featured the Beavers’ netminder leading the NOJHL in wins (27); goals-against average (2.02); save percentage (.928) and shutouts (6).
Hailing from Georgetown, Ont., Tegelaar posted a 27-4-0-0 overall record in 33 appearances and at one point won 14 straight starts and 19 of 20.
Defence: Hudson Martin, Greater Sudbury Cubs – A solid contributor in his initial year in the league saw Martin finish among the top rookie rearguards.
The 16-year-old blueliner from Midhurst, Ont., picked up 37 points while dressing for all 58 Greater Sudbury games with 10 goals and 27 assists.
Defence: Tyler Vorstadt, Blind River Beavers – Despite only being 16, the Brooklin, Ont., product proved to be a solid supplier at both ends of the ice for Blind River.
Vorstadt had 34 points in 48 appearances with a half-dozen markers and 28 helpers, finishing fourth in scoring among rookie defencemen.
Forward: Hudson Chitaroni, Greater Sudbury Cubs – Stepping right into the Cubs line-up, Chitaroni was solid from the onset.
As a 16-year-old from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., he led all first-year skaters in scoring, ending up tops in goals (31); assists (46) and points (77).
Forward: Jacob Smith, Soo Thunderbirds – Another solid rookie, Smith supplied 66 points in 58 contests for his hometown Sault Ste. Marie side.
The 17-year-old Smith notched 29 tallies and provided 37 helpers to finish second in rookie numbers.
Forward: Benjamin Pouliot, Soo Eagles – Pacing all first-year players in game-winning goals with six, Pouliot went on to score 24 times in all for the Eagles.
In his initial campaign in the NOJHL, the Howell, Mich., product also added 34 assists, with his 58 points being third-best by rookies.
2nd All-Rookie Team
Goaltender: Dryden Riley, Timmins Rock – Registering 21 wins in his opening year with the Rock, the 16-year-old from Belleville, Ont., was among five goaltenders overall with 20-plus triumphs.
Riley also finished in Top 10 in league play in goals-against average and save percentage. His 2.55 GAA was fourth while his .913 save mark placed him seventh.
Defence: Declan Gallivan, Soo Thunderbirds – Having just turned 17 earlier this month, while skating for his hometown team, Gallivan proved he belonged.
Contributing like a seasoned blueliner, he averaged close to a point-per-game for the Thunderbirds with 36 in 39 appearances.
Defence: Candon O’Neill, Soo Thunderbirds – Having earlier committed to attend Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., on NCAA Division I scholarship, O’Neill was another solid performer on the backend for the T-Birds.
The 16-year-old from the Soo, provided 31 points in 39 appearances in his early days in the NOJHL.
Forward: Reyth Smith, Powassan Voodoos – Scoring 27 times and assisting on 26 more, Smith played at close to a point-per-game pace for Powassan.
Hailing from Windsor, Ont., the skilled Voodoos forward was third in goals among rookies and ended up fifth in points, with his 53.
Forward: Brant Romaniuk, Timmins Rock – At No. 4 overall in offensive production by first-year players, Romaniuk chipped in nicely for his hometown Timmins club.
The 16-year-old competed at a point-per-game clip for the Rock with 57 points, in as many appearances, including notching 23 goals.
Forward: Gavin McLenaghan, Elliot Lake Vikings – Even with only skating on Centennial Arena ice once before having to play the rest of his games with his teammates away from Elliot Lake, McLenaghan proved he could still contribute.
The 18-year-old from Miramichi, N.B., led the Vikings in scoring with 45 points in 57 match-ups, with his 25 tallies being the fourth-highest total among all rookies in the NOJHL.
Signoretti photo credit: Petrah Joehl / Sudbury Light Event Photography
