The Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) are proud to announce that Callum McAuley has been named the 26th captain in franchise history ahead of the 2025-2026 junior ‘A’ hockey season.
A hometown product and veteran forward, the 19-year-old McAuley brings leadership, experience, and a strong work ethic to the role. Standing at 5’11” and 170 lbs, McAuley has worn the Thunderbirds jersey for the past two seasons, amassing 37 goals and 38 assists for 75 points in 76 regular season games, along with six goals and eight assists in 29 playoff contests.
“It means a lot to be named captain,” said McAuley. “I’ve been fortunate to play with many great leaders during my time here, and one thing they all had in common was being the hardest worker every single day. As captain, I want to lead by example on and off the ice, and set the standard for the entire group.”
McAuley emphasized the importance of unity and accountability heading into the new campaign. “We’ll need to rely on one another. If everyone buys in and plays their part, we’ll be ready for any challenge. This year, from the first drop of the puck, our goal is to be championship contenders.”
Wanting to stay here and wanting to be one of the top players in this league shows a great maturity. To be one of the players a coach needs to lean on is so big for their development both on and off the ice and it’s his time for that. There was a time when we weren’t a great team and had to really get going, and he and a couple others really spearheaded that effort to get us going, added McAuley.
Thunderbird coach Jamie Henderson told Saultsports that “it’s important to have your Captain be someone who exemplifies what you want out of your players both on and off the ice. Whether it was his game day preparation, or his work in the gym, or his practice habits, Callum really showed his maturity in all those areas last season.”
“We will surround him with great assistant captains, who will help carry the leadership role because ultimately on every great team it’s a collective effort and we want to be that team, despite being relatively young once again,” added Henderson.
As the Thunderbirds prepare for another exciting season of NOJHL action, fans can expect a hard-working, passionate team led by a captain who is committed to giving his all every shift.
