Kirkland Lake Gold Miners
| Kirkland Lake Gold Miners | |
|---|---|
| City | Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada |
| League | Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League |
| Division | East |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Home arena | Joe Mavrinac Community Complex |
| Colours | gold,blue, and white |
| General manager | Mike Mackley |
| Head coach | Tyler Pracek |
| Website | KL Gold Miners |
| Franchise history | |
| 2003–2005 | Manitoulin Wild |
| 2005–2011 | Manitoulin Islanders |
| 2011–2012 | Kirkland Lake Blue Devils |
| 2012–present | Kirkland Lake Gold Miners |
| Championships | |
| Playoff championships | 1: 2014 |
The Kirkland Lake Gold Miners are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
History
[edit]Manitoulin
[edit]
Founded in 2003 as the Manitoulin Wild, the franchise changed its name to the Manitoulin Islanders in 2005. They were eventually taken over by former NHLer Reggie Leach and the team started to split its time between Little Current, Ontario, and the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Reserve's Arena. With limited community support and win totals dwindling, volunteers were facing burnout and in 2011, direction was given to team president, Kevin Eshkawkogan to find a buyer for the team from off the Island.[citation needed]
Kirkland Lake
[edit]After eight years on Manitoulin Island, the team had to either move or fold.[1] In mid-May 2011, the NOJHL conditionally approved the move of the Manitoulin Islanders to Kirkland Lake, Ontario to become the Kirkland Lake Blue Devils.[2] In their final four seasons in Little Current, the Islanders managed 17 wins in 200 games played.
The Blue Devils moniker was a long used traditional team name in Kirkland Lake, the most notable team to use the name was the Kirkland Lake Blue Devils who defeated the Calgary Stampeders 3-games-to-none to win the 1940 Allan Cup.
On September 9, 2011, the Blue Devils played their inaugural home game and regulation game in their history. The Blue Devils dropped a 9-2 decision to the North Bay Trappers. On October 12, 2011, the Blue Devils won their first game since relocation 3–2 in a shootout against the Sudbury Cubs. Two nights later, the Blue Devils scored their first ever home win, 5-4 in a shootout, against the Blind River Beavers.
On January 12, 2012, team owner, Robert Kasner, announced that he was folding the club mid-season.[3] The folding of the team happened right after Kasner was suspended by the league for six months for multiple roster violations.[4] Soon after the folding, the league announced that a new ownership group was to be brought in to run the team, keeping the team in Kirkland Lake. The team completed the 2011–12 season under the new name, the Gold Miners.[5]
The Gold Miners won their first NOJHL championship in 2014 when they defeated the Soo Thunderbirds. The Gold Miners then traveled to Wellington, Ontario, to participate in the 2014 Dudley Hewitt Cup where they failed to record a win. In 2014–15, the Gold Miners and the Soo Thunderbirds were fighting for first place all season, but Kirkland Lake finished second and the Powassan Voodoos won the playoff series against Kirkland Lake.
The Kirkland Lake Gold Miners were awarded hosting duties for the 2016 Dudley Hewitt Cup, and lost to the Thunderbirds in the semifinal game. The 2022-23 season marked the first year that the Goldminers did not qualify for post season play.
Season-by-season results
[edit]| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | Results | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manitoulin Wild | ||||||||||
| 2003–04 | 48 | 15 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 179 | 245 | 31 | 6th NOJHL | Lost Quarterfinal |
| 2004–05 | 48 | 14 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 164 | 266 | 32 | 6th NOJHL | Lost Quarterfinal |
| Manitoulin Islanders | ||||||||||
| 2005–06 | 48 | 8 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 114 | 229 | 20 | 7th NOJHL | Lost Quarterfinal |
| 2006–07 | 48 | 11 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 138 | 232 | 29 | 7th NOJHL | Lost Quarterfinal |
| 2007–08 | 50 | 2 | 47 | — | 1 | 109 | 311 | 6 | 6th NOJHL | Lost Quarterfinal |
| 2008–09 | 50 | 7 | 40 | — | 3 | 141 | 322 | 17 | 8th NOJHL | Lost Quarterfinal |
| 2009–10 | 50 | 4 | 45 | — | 1 | 131 | 359 | 9 | 8th NOJHL | Lost Quarterfinal |
| 2010–11 | 50 | 4 | 46 | — | 0 | 133 | 347 | 8 | 8th NOJHL | Lost Quarterfinal |
| Kirkland Lake Blue Devils/Gold Miners | ||||||||||
| 2011–12 | 50 | 9 | 39 | — | 2 | 138 | 288 | 20 | 6th NOJHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 0–4 vs. Sudbury Cubs |
| Kirkland Lake Gold Miners | ||||||||||
| 2012–13 | 48 | 25 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 173 | 145 | 55 | 4th NOJHL | Won Quarterfinals, 4–0 vs. Blind River Beavers Lost Semifinals, 1–4 vs. North Bay Trappers |
| 2013–14 | 56 | 43 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 234 | 118 | 92 | 2nd overall | Won quarterfinal against North Bay (4:0) Won semifinal against Elliot Lake (4:1) Won final against Soo Thunderbirds (4:2) |
| 2014–15 | 52 | 38 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 264 | 131 | 80 | 1st of 5, East 2nd of 9, NOJHL | Lost Div. Semifinals, 2–4 vs. Powassan Voodoos |
| 2015–16 | 54 | 39 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 247 | 135 | 81 | 3rd in division 4th overall | Won quarterfinal against Powassan (4:2) Won semifinal against Cochrane (4:1) Lost final against Soo Thunderbirds (4:0) |
| 2016–17 | 56 | 28 | 21 | 4 | 3 | 232 | 190 | 63 | 4th of 6, East 6th of 12, NOJHL | Won Div. Play-in series, 2–1 vs. Iroquois Falls Eskis Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–4 vs. Powassan Voodoos |
| 2017–18 | 56 | 24 | 21 | 4 | 7 | 163 | 180 | 59 | 3rd of 6, East 7th of 12, NOJHL | Lost Div. Semifinals, 1–4 vs. Cochrane Crunch |
| 2018–19 | 56 | 33 | 17 | — | 6 | 194 | 156 | 72 | 2nd of 6, East 3rd of 12, NOJHL | Lost Div. Semifinals, 2–4 vs. Powassan Voodoos |
| 2019–20 | 56 | 18 | 32 | — | 6 | 154 | 228 | 42 | 5th in division 9th overall | Lost first round against Cochrane (2:1) |
| 2020–21 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | 0 | 20 | 15 | 6 | Leave of absence[6] | |
| 2021–22 | 48 | 12 | 33 | — | 3 | 151 | 231 | 27 | 5th in division 11th overall | Lost first round against French River (2:0) |
| 2022–23 | 58 | 7 | 48 | 1 | 1 | 104 | 219 | 16 | 5th in division 11th overall | Did not qualify |
| 2023–24 | 58 | 10 | 41 | 5 | 2 | 145 | 294 | 27 | 5th in division 10th overall | Did not qualify |
| 2024–25 | 52 | 9 | 39 | 1 | 3 | 117 | 284 | 22 | 11th overall | Did not qualify |
| 2025–26 | 52 | 17 | 28 | 0 | 7 | 147 | 226 | 41 | 8th overall | Lost quarterfinal against Greater Sudbury (4:0) |
Source: "Kirkland Lake Gold Miners statistics and history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
Dudley Hewitt Cup
[edit]Central Canada Championships
Winners of the NOJHL, OJHL, SIJHL, and Host
Round robin play with 2nd vs 3rd in semifinal to advance against 1st in the finals.
| Year | Round Robin | Record | Standing | Semifinal | Gold Medal Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | L, Wellington Dukes (OJHL/Host) 1–4 L, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots (OJHL) 1–4 L, Fort Frances Lakers (SIJHL) 3–6 | 0–3–0 | 4th of 4 | Did not qualify | |
| 2016 Host | W, Fort Frances Lakers (SIJHL) 8–5 L, Trenton Golden Hawks (OJHL) 1–5 L, Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL) 2–3 | 1–2–0 | 3rd of 4 | L, Soo Thunderbirds 1–4 | — |
References
[edit]- ↑ "NOJHL notations - Sault This Week - Ontario, CA". 2011-07-24. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ↑ "NOJHL Notes: Bertoncello recommended as new commish - Sault This Week - Ontario, CA". 2011-07-24. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ↑ "Kirkland Lake Blue Devils Burn Out". Retrieved January 13, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "MID DECEMBER IN THE NOJHL". Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- ↑ "NOJHL welcomes new member in the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners". nojhl.com. January 20, 2012. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012.
- ↑ "GoldMiners Request LOA for Balance of Season". Gold Miners. February 22, 2021.
Further reading
[edit]- Sherratt, Brad (6 January 2025). "Gold Miners hire new head coach". northernnews.ca. Postmedia. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
- Sherratt, Brad (26 November 2024). "Gold Miners appoint new general manager". northernnews.ca. Postmedia. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
- Sherratt, Brad (25 November 2024). "Polyblank Sr. "excited" to be behind Gold Miners' bench". northernnews.ca. Postmedia. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
- "Last-place Gold Miners turn coach reins over to Polyblank Sr". northernnews.ca. Postmedia. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
- Sherratt, Brad (13 August 2025). "Kirkland Lake Gold Miners aiming to win NOJHL championship". northernnews.ca. Postmedia. Retrieved 13 August 2025.