The Haliburton County Huskies were thrust into the national spotlight this week after the hometown club cracked the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s ‘Top 20’ team rankings.
Entering at 14th position, the blue and white are one of four Ontario Junior Hockey League teams featured, alongside the Trenton Golden Hawks (fifth), Leamington Flyers (eighth), and Burlington Cougars (15th).
For those who have already been out to a couple games this season, this news likely comes as no surprise. The Huskies have been red-hot to start the year. Since a disappointing opening night defeat to the Flyers Sept. 7, the team has won 10 of 12 games – including its last eight straight.
Saturday’s tilt with the Golden Hawks – a 5-4 Huskies win – was a big test, and one the club passed with flying colours. It wasn’t just the result that’s made people sit up and take notice, it’s the performance level too. The Huskies have squeezed out tight wins against some of the league’s top teams in recent years, but this was one of the first times they stood toe-to-toe with a lofty opponent and, largely, dominated the game.
All credit to head coach and general manager Ryan Ramsay who, according to team owner Paul Wilson, saw this coming a mile away. Despite losing the franchise’s all-time points leader Patrick Saini and a handful of other team leaders over the summer, the Huskies have taken a step forward.
They’ve done so while having the second youngest squad in the OJHL – eight 17-year-olds took to the ice against Trenton.
Wilson remembers when, a couple of seasons ago, the team didn’t have a single high school-aged player on its roster. Now, Haliburton County has become a hub for some of the continent’s most promising up-and-coming players.
That bodes well for the team – but also for the Highlands. Players who come here make connections that last a lifetime. It’s not uncommon to find former stars visiting on game-day. Guys like Saini and Jack Staniland, who spent three years playing here, have said Haliburton County is like a second home and it’s a matter of when, not if, they return.
Having this conveyer belt of young, ambitious men coming to the County in their early years bodes well for the future. The best way to facilitate local growth is to bring people here and show them all our area has to offer.
That’s why it’s so important the community continues to rally around the Huskies. Even though the team has been successful, making playoffs in each of its three seasons in Haliburton County, its future is far from secure. Wilson confirmed over the summer the team is operating at a loss.
Attendance is down about 20 per cent from the 2022/23 season – the first without COVID-19-enforced capacity limits. The team has also struggled to find enough locals willing to become billets, where they welcome a player into their home for a season.
I speak to enough people at games to know what it means for this community to have its very own Jr. A hockey franchise. Attending games has become a family tradition for many.
Wilson and Ramsay say we’re the smallest population base in Canada to host a Jr. A team. If we want that to continue, we need to step up and show our support.
The Huskies have put Haliburton on the hockey map. It’s on the community now to make sure that sticks.
