Sarnia Sting

Sarnia Sting
City Sarnia, Ontario
League Ontario Hockey League
Conference Western
Division West
Founded 1994–95
Home arena RBC Centre (Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Centre)
Colours Black, white and gold
              
General manager Nick Sinclair
Head coach Derian Hatcher
Affiliate(s) Sarnia Legionnaires
Strathroy Rockets

Website
www.sarniasting.com

Franchise history
1969–92 Cornwall Royals
1992–94 Newmarket Royals
1994–present Sarnia Sting

The Sarnia Sting are a junior ice hockey team based in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. They are one of the 20 teams that make up the Ontario Hockey League. They play out of the RBC Centre (formerly the Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Centre).

This 2014-2015 campaign marks the 20th anniversary of the Sarnia Sting. The Sting have done many different things this season as to reminiscing on the past 20 years. They had fans vote to whom they thought to be the best Sting player of all time. They organized a constructed bracket like the NCAA March Madness look and had 64 players go head to head until it dwindled down to Steven Stamkos and Alex Galchenyuk in the finals. In the end, Stamkos was voted on by the fans as the greatest Sarnia Sting player to wear the sweater.

In January 2015, Ottawa Senators forward David Legwand and former NHL defenseman Derian Hatcher entered an agreement to purchase the Sarnia Sting.[1]

History

Sting vs. Spitfires - January 2012

The franchise was granted in 1969 as one of the inaugural teams of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. At the time, the team was located in Cornwall, Ontario and were known as the Cornwall Royals. During the team's tenure in the QMJHL the Royals won the Memorial Cup in 1972, 1980, and in 1981.

For the 1981–82 season, the team transferred to the Ontario Hockey League. In 1992, the franchise moved again to Newmarket, Ontario to play as the Newmarket Royals.

In 1994, the team was bought by the Ciccarelli brothers and moved to Sarnia, Ontario. Robert Ciccarelli is the team's current president and governor. In 1999–2000 he was voted OHL Executive of the Year.

The move of the OHL franchise also forced the Junior "B" Sarnia Bees to change their name to the Sarnia Steeplejacks.

Championships

The Sarnia Sting are in quest of their first J. Ross Robertson Cup and first Memorial Cup. In 1996–97 was the closest the team came to the OHL Championship, but lost in the quarter-finals to Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 3.[2] The lone title so far came in the 2003–04 season, when the team won the OHL West Division, winning the Bumbacco Trophy,[3] but were later eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Coaches

List of Coaches

Multiple seasons in parentheses.

  • 1994–95 D.Boyd, R.Brown, M.Hunter
  • 1995–96 Mark Hunter (5)
  • 1996–97 Joe Canale
  • 1997–99 Mark Hunter (5)
  • 1999–2000 Mark Hunter, Rich Brown (3)
  • 2000–01 Rich Brown, Jeff Perry
  • 2001–03 Jeff Perry (4)
  • 2003–04 Jeff Perry, Greg Walters
  • 2004–06 Shawn Camp (2)
  • 2006–2010 Dave MacQueen (4)
  • 2010–2011 Dave MacQueen, Trevor Letowski
  • 2011–2013 Jacques Beaulieu
  • 2013–2015 Trevor Letowski(2)
  • 2015–present Derian Hatcher

Players

Award winners

Bobby Smith Trophy
Scholastic player of the year.

  • 2004–05 Richard Clune
  • 2006–07 Steven Stamkos

CHL Rookie of the Year
CHL Rookie of the Year.

  • 2010–11 Nail Yakupov

Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy
OHL Top Point Scorer.

  • 1995–96 Aaron Brand
  • 1998–99 Peter Sarno

Emms Family Award
OHL Rookie of the Year.

  • 2010–11 Nail Yakupov

F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy
Best rookie goalie GAA.

  • 1999–00 Andrew Sim
  • 2002–03 Ryan Munce

Ivan Tennant Memorial Award
Top academic high school player.

  • 2004–05 Matt Pelech

Jack Ferguson Award
First overall draft pick.

  • 1994 Jeff Brown
  • 2006 Steven Stamkos
  • 2010 Alex Galchenyuk
  • 2014 Jakob Chychrun

Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy
Top scoring Right Winger.

  • 2008-09 Justin DiBenedetto

Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy
Overage player of the year.

  • 1995–96 Aaron Brand
  • 2008–09 Justin DiBenedetto
  • 2012–13 Charlie Sarault

OHL Executive of the Year
Top executive in the OHL.

  • 1999–00 Robert Ciccarelli

Retired numbers

None to date. There are currently no retired numbers; however there are banners in honour of Shawn Burr and Kerry Fraser Banners that were once hung, but have since been taken down, include the ones of Aaron Brand and Peter Sarno who both won OHL scoring titles Trevor Letowski, who all participated at IIHF World U20 Championships in 1997, Danny Fritsche who won gold with the United States men's national junior ice hockey team in 2004 and Steven Stamkos who paticipated in 2008

NHL alumni

Current roster

(as of November 26, 2014)

Goaltenders
Number Nationality Player Catches Acquired Hometown
6 Canada Noah Bushnell R 2013 Tecumseh, Ontario
9 Canada Troy Lajeunesse L 2014 Dokis First Nation, Ontario
32 Canada Justin Fazio L 2013 Sarnia, Ontario
10 Belarus Vladislav Kodola L 2013 Belarus
Defencemen
Number Nationality Player Shoots Acquired Hometown
2 Canada Josh Chapman R 2010 Stouffville, Ontario
11 Canada Hayden Hodgson R 2014 Leamington, Ontario
12 Canada Brandon Lindberg R 2013 Waterloo, Ontario
14 Czech Republic Pavel Zacha L 2014 Brno, Czech Republic
7 United States Anthony DeAngelo R 2011 Sewell, New Jersey
15 Canada Patrick White L 2012 Orleans, Ontario
16 Canada Davis Brown L 2011 Ilderton, Ontario
17 Canada Alexandre Renaud L 2012 Gloucester, Ontario
19 Canada Matteo Ciccarelli L 2012 Sarnia, Ontario
Forwards
Number Nationality Player Shoots Acquired Hometown
21 Canada Daniel Nikandrov L 2011 Markham, Ontario
25 Canada Jordan Kyrou R 2014 Toronto, Ontario
27 Canada Stephen Pierog R 2014 Guelph, Ontario
35 Russia Nikita Korostelev R 2013 Moskva, Russia
3 Canada Alex Black L 2013 Kitchener, Ontario
4 United States Jeff King R 2012 St.Clair, Michigan
5 United States Jakob Chychrun L 2014 Boca Raton, Florida
20 Canada Connor Schlichting R 2013 Newmarket, Ontario
22 Canada Jake O'Donnell R 2014 Bowmanville, Ontario
23 Canada Zachery Core L 2012 Princeton, Ontario
24 Canada Kevin Spinozzi L 2014 Kingston, Ontario
29 Canada Taylor Dupuis L 2013 New Liskeard, Ontario

Team records

Team records for a single season
StatisticTotalSeason
Most points902002–03
Least points392005–06, 2009-10
Most wins412002–03
Least wins162004–05
Most goals for3301995–96
Least goals for1562004-05
Most goals against3212010–11
Least goals against1891999–2000
Individual player records for a single season
StatisticPlayerTotalSeason
Most goalsReid Boucher622012–13
Most goals (rookie)Nail Yakupov492010–11
Most assistsPeter Sarno931998–99
Most pointsPeter Sarno1301998–99
Most points (rookie)Nail Yakupov1012010–11
Most points (defenceman)Andy Delmore781996–97
Best GAA (goalie)Greg Hewitt2.531999–2000
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played

Yearly results

Regular season

Legend: OT = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss

Season Games Won Lost Tied OT SL Points Pct % Goals
For 		Goals
Against 		Standing
1994–95662437 5 -- 530.4022502923rd Western
1995–96663923 4 -- 820.6213302762nd Western
1996–97663524 7 -- 770.5832862512nd Western
1997–9866322113 -- 770.5832532273rd Western
1998–99683725 6 -- 800.5882792162nd West
1999–2000683327 8 -- 740.5442111893rd West
2000–01682831 7 2- 650.4632352443rd West
2001–02682729 5 7- 660.4342362604th West
2002–03684119 7 1- 900.6542342232nd West
2003–04683723 4 4- 820.5742202101st West
2004–05681641 6 5- 430.3161562285th West
2005–06681746- 2 3 390.2871972955th West
2006–07683424- 5 5 780.5742702414th West
2007–08683729- 2 0 760.5592512293rd West
2008–09683526- 4 3 770.5662162104th West
2009–10681746- 3 2 390.2871842955th West
2010–11682536- 5 2 570.4192433214th West
2011–12683427- 2 5 750.5512432352nd West
2012–13683528- 1 4 750.5512472543rd West
2013–14681744- 2 5 410.3012113415th West
2014–15682932- 4 3 650.4782322633rd West
Total1,4206296387249321,4110.497--1 Division Title

Playoffs

Jerseys and Logos

The original Sarnia Sting jersey (worn from 1994/95 - 1998/99) showed a bee playing hockey with its stinger poised. The team's colours were black, white and silver. An alternate jersey (worn from 1997/98 - 1998/99) had a yellow background and a bee holding a stick about the Sarnia name on the chest.

The current jerseys include a white jersey with a bee in the center and a black jersey with "Sarnia" written across the front. During the first half of the season, the team wears the white uniform at home while during the second half of the season they wear the black uniform at home.

During the 2012 offseason the team held a contest to design the team's alternate jersey for the season. The new jersey is yellow with black and white stripes down the arm. The logo is round and includes a picture of the Bluewater Bridges in the background with a bee in the center. Around the bridges and the bee it is inscribed "Sarnia Sting" on top and "Hockey Club" on the bottom.

Arenas

Relocation from Newmarket, Ontario, in 1994, was made on the promise that a new arena would be built in Sarnia. In the meantime the team played their first three seasons at Sarnia Arena located in the downtown area.

In 1997–98 the Sting played their first season at their new home; The Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Centre (now known as the RBC Centre). It's a more modern facility with private boxes and many other amenities. The new building also hosted the Ontario Hockey League All Star Game in 1999, and the RE/Max Canada-Russia Challenge in 2004.

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ 1996–97 OHL season
  3. ↑ 2003–04 OHL season

External links