If there is any truth to the saying “history repeats itself,” the Sudbury Wolves franchise and its fan base probably have some mixed feelings about the upcoming 2023-24 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season.
Last season, the Wolves organization celebrated its 50th anniversary (1972-2022). It was a time to reflect on some of the biggest moments in team history, such as the exciting run to the OHL championship finals in 2007, as well as to reminisce about the many top-notch players who have played in the Nickel City over the years, including Randy Carlyle, Pat Verbeek, Derek Mackenzie, all three of the Folignos, and many more.
The franchise paid tribute to its storied history in a variety of ways throughout the season, most notably by retiring former captain Marc Staal’s No. 14 jersey. The Pack even qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2019, but were swept in four straight games by the Peterborough Petes, the eventual OHL-champion, in the opening round.
Indeed, the way in which the team’s 50th anniversary season came to an end was unfortunately all-too-familiar for the Wolves.
The fact that the Sudbury Cub Wolves won the Memorial Cup in 1932 — managed by Max Silverman and led by players such as Hector “Toe” Blake — certainly remains a source of local pride more than 90 years later. But, since joining the OHL in 1972, the modern Sudbury Wolves have failed to capture the league title, the J. Ross Robertson Cup, and therefore have yet to qualify to compete for the Memorial Cup. Fans can’t help but wonder, will this be the season that the Wolves finally go all the way?
The Wolves certainly hope so, and the good news is the team’s roster is looking quite strong going into the 2023-24 campaign.
Ken Mackenzie is returning for another stint as head coach, having previously experienced considerable success when he served as the Wolves’ bench boss from 1988 to 1992. The Wolves have six players who have already been drafted to the National Hockey League (NHL) and who are eligible to play another year of junior hockey in Sudbury: forwards David Goyette (Seattle Kraken), Quentin Musty (San Jose Sharks), and Alex Pharand (Chicago Blackhawks); defensemen Noah Collins (Pittsburgh Penguins), and Matthew Mania (Los Angeles Kings); and goaltender Jakub Vondras (Carolina Hurricanes).
In addition, there are several other members of the Wolves who attended NHL development camps this past off-season — Kocha Delic (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Djibril Toure (Ottawa Senators), for instance — or who hope to hear their names called at the 2024 NHL Draft next summer, such as Jakub Chromiak and Nathan Villeneuve.
Rounded out by a core of other familiar veterans and promising rookies, it is not unreasonable to think that the Wolves have a shot at being one of the OHL’s best teams this season.
There have been multiple times in the past where the Wolves entered the year with a lineup stacked full of top junior players and NHL prospects.
In 1995, when the team made it all the way to Game 7 of the OHL semifinals, the club featured future NHL players such Rory Fitzpatrick, Jamie Rivers, Zdenek Nedved and Mike Wilson. Likewise, in the 1999-2000 season, the Wolves, coached by the late legendary junior hockey coach Bert Templeton, had players like Taylor Pyatt, Derek Mackenzie, Alexei Semenov, Brian McGrattan and Norm Milley, the latter of whom became the franchise’s all-time leading goal scorer (167) that year.
The Wolves had a solid regular season, finishing second in the Central Division and going on an undefeated streak of 13 games from February to March, a club record that remains unmatched. Yet the club once more failed to go on a deep playoff run, losing in the second round of the playoffs to the rival Barrie Colts after a controversial penalty call late in Game 7.
More recently, in the 2019-20 season, forward Quinton Byfield, who was chosen second overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2020 NHL Draft, helped lead the Wolves to their first division title since 2001, but the team never got to test its might in the playoffs after the entire OHL season was cancelled in March 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
The next 50 years of Sudbury Wolves history will officially be underway when the puck drops at the 2023-24 season opener at the Sudbury Community Arena versus the Brantford Bulldogs on Sept. 29. The entire organization and its fan base hope that it marks the beginning of the end of a far-too-long championship drought.
Scott Miller is the author of “Leading the Pack: 50 Years of Sudbury Wolves History.
