Greater Sudbury advanced to the Centennial Cup by defeating the Powassan Voodoos in five games to win the NOJHL title. They also knocked off first overall Blind River (4-1) to take the West Division crown, and the Soo Thunderbirds (4-2), during opening round play, in two other best- of-seven series.
The Cubs went 12-4 overall in the 2024 playoffs, playing .750 hockey. They outscored their opponents by a 57-33 margin for a NOJHL-best goal differential rate of plus-24.
Greater Sudbury had a 6-2 record as both the home team, and as the visitor, in the postseason.
The last time a Sudbury-based franchise won it all in the NOJHL was back in 2008, when the Sudbury Jr. Wolves put the broom to the Abitibi Eskimos in a best-of-seven that went the minimum.
DYNAMIC DUO: The Cubs forward duo of Nolan Newton and rookie Hudson Chitaroni were clutch for the club in the playoffs. They shared the NOJHL postseason lead in goals, points and game-winning markers with 12, 22 and three respectively.
Newton appeared in 15 playoff contests, while Chitaroni skated in all 16 match-ups.
Veteran forwards Samuel Assinewai and Ethan Larmand also finished in the Top 10 in league numbers with 14 points each. They both tallied five times and assisted on nine others.
BACK-END PROWESS: Two key cogs, at both ends of the ice, in the Cubs run to the NOJHL crown was the play of defencemen Mason Chitaroni and Josh Kavanagh.
Chitaroni led all league blueliners in offensive production with 13 points, all assists, which was tops overall among all skaters. Kavanagh meanwhile tied for second in D-man scoring with his 11 points, which were also all helpers. Rookie rearguard Hudson Martin tied for seventh in playoff numbers, supplying seven assists along the way.
METIVIER MVP: For the second time in his NOJHL career, Greater Sudbury Cubs goaltender Noah Metiver was named the league’s Playoff Most Valuable Player. The 20-year-old Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario product earned the 2024 MVP nod by leading all league netminders in postseason victories and goals-against average at 11 and 1.89 respectively to help backstop the Cubs to the Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy championship. Boasting a pair of lengthy runs without giving up a goal, his efforts featured four games with 35, or more, saves, along with his 11-4 playoff record. His .932 save mark was second in the league. He only allowing 29 goals in 16 appearances, while making 400 saves. His three shutouts also topped the NOJHL and he also shared a fourth with teammate Noah Beaulne. Metivier, also garnered NOJHL Playoff MVP laurels in 2022, when he backstopped the Soo Thunderbirds to the league championship
In 37 career playoff appearances, the 2004-born netminder, sports a record of 24-11, with a goals-against average of 2.29, a .921 save percentage, along with five shutouts.
SMITH STELLAR: Over the past four seasons, no NOJHL skater has provided more points than Cubs’ co-captain Oliver Smith. In 177 league appearances, he scored 100 times and doled out 126 assists, for 226 points in total. Add in his contributions in the playoffs, Smith has collected a league-high 250 points, including 111 markers.
Smith had 102 points in the 2023-24 regular season, including 45 goals, to finish third in NOJHL scoring. He was named a first team all-star. His six game-winners tied him for second in the league. He also chipped in with 13 points, in 14 playoff games to help the club punch their ticket to Oakville.
HOMEGROWN TALENT: Of the players on the Cubs roster, half of them hail from the Greater Sudbury area. Another six hail from nearby communities, while every player on the team is from Ontario.
COACH MOX: Greater Sudbury head coach Darryl Moxam captained the Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats to both a NOJHL and Dudley-Hewitt Cup championship in 1996-97 and an appearance at the then Royal Bank Cup Canadian National Jr. A event in Summerside, P.E.I. His 100-point season saw him named league and playoff MVP and was tabbed a 1st Team NOJHL All-Star. Moxam went on to earn Canadian Junior Hockey League Player of the Year laurels that same campaign.
PLAYOFFS: The Cubs were fourth overall in power play proficiency at 24.6%, scoring 14 times in 53-man advantage opportunities. On the penalty kill, Greater Sudbury sat third in the NOJHL at 77.6%. They were shorthanded 67 times and allowed 15 tallies against. They were 11-2 when scoring first in a playoff game and were a perfect 9-0 when leading after two periods of play.
REGULAR SEASON NOTES: Sporting the second-best overall record in the 12-team NOJHL, Greater Sudbury boasted a winning percentage of .767 while going 43-12-1-2 overall. The Cubs featured plenty of veteran talent, with a nice mix of youthful skill. NOJHL 1st Team All-Star Oliver Smith 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. 1st Team All-Rookie squad member Hudson Chitaroni led all first-year skaters in scoring, ending up tops in goals (31); assists (46) and points (77). He finished sixth in league scoring. They also boasted two other skaters who had 60-plus points this season in forwards Samuel Assinewai and Nolan Newton. They averaged 63 points between them and combined for 49 tallies. A trio of veteran defencemen, in Josh Kavanagh, Chris Innes and Mason Chitaroni boosted the Cubs back-end as did All-Rookie 1st Team blueliner Hudson Martin. The foursome all had over 30 points apiece. 3rd Team All-Star goaltender Noah Metivier goalkeeper went 24-9-0-1 overall. His win total was second-best in the league with 14 of the starts made by the netminder from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario saw him allow two, or fewer goals, including a pair of shutouts. Fellow goalkeeper Noah Beaulne was 18-3-1-1 with a 2.43 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. Greater Sudbury led the NOJHL in goals scored with 285, with 14 skaters notching 10, or more, markers. Solid defensively as well, the Cubs gave up the third-fewest goals-against at 167. Their 25.5% success rate on the power play ranked them third in the league. The club was first overall in penalty kill proficiency at 85.9%.
Source: NOJHL
