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The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) announced Saturday, February 1st that Owen King (Blind River Beavers); Alexandre Valade (Greater Sudbury Cubs); James Meredith (Espanola Paper Kings) and Jordan Mayo (Iroquois Falls Storm) have been named its Forward; Defenceman; Goaltender and Rookie of the Month, respectively, for January.
FORWARD: Owen King, Blind River Beavers – Notching a league-best 11 tallies last month, King also shared the highest point total among all NOJHL skaters during the time frame, with 15.
Averaging close to a goal-a-game this season, with 35 in 38 outings, the 18-year-old from Cambridge, Ontario sits second in the league in markers.
With his solid run in January, King has moved into the Top 5 in NOJHL offensive production with 51 points. Meanwhile, his nine game-winning goals to date are just one off the NOJHL-lead.
Honourable Mention: DonHeaven Veilleux, Hearst Lumberjacks; Mason Walker, Greater Sudbury Cubs
Monthly recipients
September: Brant Romaniuk, Timmins Rock
October: Lucas Signoretti, Greater Sudbury Cubs
November: Samuel Assinewai, Greater Sudbury Cubs
December: Lucas Signoretti, Greater Sudbury Cubs
January: Owen King, Blind River Beavers
DEFENCEMAN: Alexandre Valade, Greater Sudbury Cubs – Stepping up his ice time while a couple of key cogs in the Cubs’ defensive corps were out of the line-up due to injury, Valade did his part, and more, for league-leading Greater Sudbury.
During the period, the 17-year-old rearguard scored twice and helped set-up seven others in eight match-ups for the Cubs.
Valade enters February tied for first in NOJHL rookie scoring among defencemen with 25 points, while his seven tallies top all first-year blueliners.
Honourable Mention: A.J. Saadeh, Blind River Beavers; Cole Wreggitt, Soo Eagles
Monthly recipients
September: Bryan Fenlon, Soo Thunderbirds
October: Luke Hill, Espanola Paper Kings
November: Adam Shillinglaw, Hearst Lumberjacks
December: Mason Chitaroni, Greater Sudbury Cubs
January: Alexandre Valade, Greater Sudbury Cubs
GOALTENDER: James Meredith, Espanola Paper Kings – Sharing the league-lead in wins last month, with four, Meredith’s contributions helped Espanola climb back into playoff contention.
The 17-year-old from Vaughan, Ontario went on to sport a crisp .941 save percentage in 340 minutes of game action. Meredith also posted a shutout in his initial start of the New Year, making 34 stops in blanking the Soo Thunderbirds on the road.
Among the other highlights for the rookie stopper was a 57-save triumph over first place Greater Sudbury to halt the Cubs’ 20-game winning streak.
Honourable Mention: Connor Dunham-Fox, Blind River Beavers; Karsen Chartier, Greater Sudbury Cubs
Monthly recipients
September: Connor Dunham-Fox, Blind River Beavers
October: Noah Beaulne, Greater Sudbury Cubs
November: Dryden Riley, Timmins Rock
December: Jace Knoerle, Soo Eagles
January: James Meredith, Espanola Paper Kings
ROOKIE: Jordan Mayo, (F) Iroquois Falls Storm – Among the impressive contributors on the Iroquois Falls roster, Mayo certainly did his part offensively last month for the Storm.
The skilled 16-year-old centre from Kingston, Ontario finished second among all skaters in goals during the first month of 2025 with nine and shared the overall lead in total points with 15.
With six multi-point performances in January, Mayo has charged up to fifth in league rookie scoring on 18 tallies and 15 helpers through his first 41 league appearances.
Honourable Mention: Kaden Wicklander, (F) Espanola Paper Kings; Alex Povorozniouk, (F) Soo Eagles
Monthly recipients
September: Mason Walker, (F) Greater Sudbury Cubs
October: Alex Povorozniouk, (F) Soo Eagles
November: Reece Liu, (F) Timmins Rock
December: Alex Povorozniouk, (F) Soo Eagles
January: Jordan Mayo, Iroquois Falls Storm
PHOTO CREDITS
King: Helene Rancourt
Valade: Thomas Perry / Timmins Da
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