Why Be a Canuck?

Niagara Falls Jr Canucks

The Niagara Falls Jr Canucks are amongst the best Junior hockey organizations in Canada. Established in 1971, the Canucks play in the Golden Horseshoe Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL).

The Canucks are two-time Sutherland Cup Champions, and boast many alumni who have moved on to higher levels of hockey; including the NHL, OHL, NCAA, USports, and Professionally in Europe and other minor hockey leagues in North America.

The GOJHL has an impressive list of NHL Alumni, including the likes of: Jeff Carter, Boone Jenner, Mark Scheifele, Matt Moulson, Rob Blake, Marty Turco, Steve Mason, Ed Jovanowski, Kyle Wellwood, Dan Paille, Nathan Horton, Cal Clutterbuck and Riley Sheahan amongst many, many more.
Former Niagara Falls Jr Canucks who have graduated to the NHL include Frank Pietrangelo, Kevin Dallman and Gilbert Dionne amongst others.

The Niagara Falls Jr Canucks were established in 1971, and over this time have had only 3 owners. This is unprecedented in Junior hockey, and this stability reflects in the treatment of our players. Canuck's players receive the following benefits and opportunities-

All home games are played out of the Gale Centre; one of the finest facilities in Junior Hockey anywhere.
State of the art dressing room.
Professional coaching and management.
Certified Athletic Trainer and team doctor.
All games broadcast live on HockeyTV.
Exposure to Pro Scouts, and NCAA, OHL, USports coaches and staff.
Equipment provided, including pants, gloves, helmets/visors and sticks, free skate sharpening, tape, etc.
Full team laundry service.
Team Coach bus and meals for road trips.

The Canucks boast one of the finest Coaching Staffs in Junior Hockey. Frank Pietrangelo is the team Owner/ President and Head Coach. Frank, a former Canuck himself, was an OHL draftchoice and NCAA Scholarship winner at the University of Minnesota (1982-86). Drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1983, Frank went on to a very successful 15 year Pro Hockey career, highlighted by a Stanley Cup championship with the Penguins in 1991. Since his retirement in 2000, Frank has been a full time coach. Over his 20+ years as a coach, Frank has had the fortune to coach many great players and help them achieve their goals. Here is a list of some of the players coached by Frank Pietrangelo, where they graduated to, and and where they are today-

		OHL DRAFT TEAM		NHL STATUS
SCOTT LAUGHTON	OHL	OSHAWA GENERALS	1ST ROUND OHL	PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 1ST ROUND FORMER TEAM CANADA JR TEAM CAPTAIN
CONNOR BROWN	OHL	ERIE OTTERS	13TH ROUND	TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 6TH ROUND OTTAWA SENATORS
JARROD MAIDENS	OHL	OWEN SOUND ATTACK	1ST ROUND OHL	OTTAWA SENATORS 3RD ROUND
MATIA MARCANTUONI	OHL	KITCHENER RANGERS	1ST ROUND OHL	PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 4TH ROUND
GIANLUCA CURCURUTO	OHL	SOO GREYHOUNDS	1ST ROUND OHL	COLUMBUS BLUEJACKETS 7TH ROUND
CHRIS MARCHESE	OHL	ERIE OTTERS	1ST ROUND OHL
MARCUS McIVOR	OHL	BRAMPTON BATTALION	1ST ROUND OHL
DYLAN BLUJUS	OHL	BRAMPTON BATTALION	2ND ROUND OHL	DALLAS STARS 3RD ROUND
EVAN McENENY	OHL	KITCHENER RANGERS	2ND ROUND OHL	VANCOUVER CANUCKS
RYAN LOMBERG	NCAA	UNIVERSITY OF MAINE	1ST ROUND USHL	CALGARY FLAMES
DEVIN SHORE	NCAA	UNIVERSITY OF MAINE	5TH ROUND OHL	DALLAS STARS 2ND ROUND ANAHEIM DUCKS
DANIEL RENOUF	NCAA	UNIVERSITY OF MAINE	3RD ROUND USHL	DETROIT RED WINGS
ZACK PRYZBEK	NCAA	BROWN UNVIVERSITY	6TH ROUND OHL
DEVIN RYMARCHUK	OHL	OWEN SOUND ATTACK	5TH ROUND OHL
MATT McLEOD	OHL	BRAMPTON BATTALION	3RD ROUND OHL
BRETT FOY	OHL	ST MIKES MAJORS	6TH ROUND OHL
ERIC DIODATI	OHL	ST MIKES MAJORS	7TH ROUND OHL
DARRYL SNELLING	OHL	BELLEVILLE BULLS	2ND ROUND OHL
CODY PAYNE	OHL	OSHAWA GENERALS	3RD ROUND OHL	BOSTON BRUINS 5TH ROUND
TERRY TRAFFORD	OHL	SAGINAW SPIRIT	3RD ROUND OHL
KYLE ROWE	OHL	SOO GREYHOUNDS	5TH ROUND OHL
MATTHEW LANE	NCAA	BOSTON UNIVERSITY	5TH ROUND OHL
LUKE NOGARD	NCAA	UNIV OF NEBRASKA/OMAHA	12TH ROUND OHL
CAL HOFFORD	NCAA	U OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN	5TH ROUND USHL
ZACH AVOLIO	OHL	PETERBOROUGH PETES	12TH ROUND OHL
BRODIE TUTTON	NCAA	GENESSEO COLLEGE	7TH ROUND OHL
JEFFREY HEARD	OHL	NIAGARA ICEDOGS	5TH ROUND OHL
BRENDEN MILLER	OHL	BRAMPTON BATTALION	8TH ROUND OHL
PATRICK MURPHY	OHL	ERIE OTTERS	5TH ROUND OHL
GEMEL SMITH	OHL	OWEN SOUND ATTACK	6TH ROUND OHL	DALLAS STARS 5TH ROUND
ALEX LEPORE	OHL	BRAMPTON BATTALION	10TH ROUND OHL
ANTHONY MARRA	NCAA	GENNESEO COLLEGE
JOE SULLIVAN	OHL	PETERBOROUGH PETES	3RD ROUND OHL
ANDREW POTURALSKI	NCAA	UNIV OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
JESSE GRAHAM	OHL	NIAGARA ICEDOGS	1ST ROUND OHL	NEW YORK ISLANDERS 3RD ROUND
LUKE MERCER	OHL	NIAGARA ICEDOGS	1ST ROUND OHL
JAMIE LEWIS	OHL	NIAGARA ICEDOGS	3RD ROUND OHL
SLATER KOEKOEK	OHL	PETERBOROUGH PETES	1ST ROUND OHL	TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 1ST ROUND
CONNOR JARVIS	OHL	BRAMPTON BATTALION	7TH ROUND OHL
CONNOR CURRIE	OHL	ST MIKES MAJORS	12TH ROUND OHL
PETER ANGELOPOULOS	OHL	SOO GREYHOUNDS	3RD ROUND OHL
BLAKE RICHARD	OHL	KINGSTON FRONTENACS	10TH ROUND OHL
LUKE CAIRNS	OHL	ERIE OTTERS	4TH ROUND OHL
NICK LEPONE	OHL	KINGSTON FRONTENACS	14TH ROUND OHL
JOHNNY CURRAN	NCAA	NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
MARCUS MICHALSKI	NCAA	BUFFALO STATE UNIVERSITY
DYLAN PIETRANGELO	NCAA	UNIVERSITY OF S MAINE
TREVOR SIMONICK	NCAA	BROCKPORT
NIGEL SLADE	NCAA	MANHATTANVILLE COLLEGE
JOSEPH MURDACA	OHL	MISSISSAUGA STEELHEADS	12TH ROUND OHL
MAC HOLLOWELL	OHL	SOO GREYHOUNDS	12TH ROUND OHL	TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
AUSTIN WRIGHT	NCAA	RIT
PETER FALIVENA	OHL	KINGSTON FRONTENACS	5TH ROUND OHL
FRANKIE PUCCI	OHL	ERIE OTTERS	7TH ROUND OHL
CARSON EDWARDSON	OHL	ERIE OTTERS	10TH ROUND OHL
MATTHEW THORPE	QMJHL	ARMADA
JOSEPH BLANDISI	OHL	BARRIE COLTS	3RD ROUND OHL	NEW JERSEY DEVILS
DRAKE CAGGIULA	NCAA	UNIV OF NORTH DAKOTA		EDMONTON OILERS
KURTIS HENRY	OHL	ERIE OTTERS
HARRISON COTTAM	OHL	LONDON KNIGHTS

Frank’s experiences have seen him play with many of hockey’s all time greats, many of them members of the Hall of Fame. Having had the opportunity to be teammates and play with these players, he’s been able to share his experiences with his current players, which has helped tremendously with their development. Furthermore, most of these contacts are prominent figures in the hockey world today, and are very helpful in the recruitment and placement of current Canuck players. Some of Frank’s former teammates include:

	PLAYED WITH IN	CURRENT POSITION
MARIO LEMIEUX	PITTSBURGH	OWNER PITTSBURGH PENGUINS	HALL OF FAME
PAUL COFFEY	PITTSBURGH	EDMONTON OILERS STAFF	HALL OF FAME
JAROMIR JAGR	PITTSBURGH	OWNER CZECH PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE TEAM
BRIAN TROTTIER	PITTSBURGH	PITTSBURGH PENGUINS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION	HALL OF FAME
LARRY MURPHY	PITTSBURGH	TV COLOUR	HALL OF FAME
RON FRANCIS	PITTSBURGH	SEATTLE NHL GM	HALL OF FAME
TOM BARRASSO	PITTSBURGH	CAROLINA HURRICANES GOALIE COACH
JOE MULLEN	PITTSBURGH	PHILADELPHIA FLYERS ASS’T COACH	HALL OF FAME
CHRIS PRONGER	HARTFORD	NHL STAFF
MARK RECCHI	PITTSBURGH	PITTSBURGH PENGUINS ASSISTANT COACH	HALL OF FAME
DAVE MORRISON	MANCHESTER	TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS HEAD OF SCOUTING
DAVE HAKSTOL	MINNESOTA MOOSE	ASSISTANT COACH TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
JEFF THOMLINSON	MANCHESTER	HEAD COACH KREFIELD (DEL)
KEVIN STEVENS	PITTSBURGH	PITTSBURGH PENGUINS SCOUT
SCOTT YOUNG	PITTSBURGH	COACH ST MARKS BOSTON PREP
WENDELL YOUNG	PITTSBURGH	GM CHICAGO WOLVES (AHL)
JAY CAUFIELD	PITTSBURGH	TV PITTSBURGH FOX
MARK HUNTER	HARTFORD	OWNER/GM LONDON KNIGHTS (OHL)
PHIL BOURQUE	PITTSBURGH	RADIO PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
BOB ERREY	PITTSBURGH	TV PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
BARRY PEDERSEN	PITTSBURGH	TV BOSTON BRUINS AND NESN
JIM PAEK	PITTSBURGH	HEAD COACH SOUTH KOREA NATIONAL TEAM
ULF SAMUELSON	PITTSBURGH	ASSISTANT COACH NEW YORK RANGERS
NICK KYPREOS	HARTFORD	HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA- TV
PAT VERBEEK	HARTFORD	TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING ASSISTANT GM
JOHN STEVENS	HARTFORD	ASSISTANT COACH LOS ANGELES KINGS
TROY LONEY	PITTSBURGH	OWNER YOUNGSTOWN PHANTOMS (USHL)

Finally, Frank has played under some of the finest Coaches and General Managers in the game of hockey. This tutelage has been a tremendous help, and Frank can draw from resources that are not possibilities for others. Here is a list of prominent hockey figures that have mentored Frank in some way:

	TEAM	ROLE	CURRENT POSITION
BRIAN BURKE	HARTFORD	GM	HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA/TSN TV
PAUL HOLMGREN	HARTFORD	HEAD COACH	PHILADELPHIA FLYERS ASS'T GM
PIERRE McGUIRE	PITT/HART	ASS’T COACH/GM	TV NBC
DARCY REGIER	HARTFORD	ASS’T COACH	FORMER BUFFALO SABRES GM
SCOTTY BOWMAN	PITTSBURGH	HEAD COACH	HALL OF FAME
CRAIG PATRICK	PITTSBURGH	GM	ASS’T GM BUFFALO SABRES
GILLES MELOCHE	PITTSBURGH	GOALIE COACH	FORMER PITTSBURGH PENGUINS GOALIE COACH
RICK PATTERSON	PITTSBURGH	ASS’T COACH	DIRECTOR PLAYER PERSONEL ANAHEIM DUCKS
JOEL QUENNEVILLE	SPRINGFIELD	HEAD COACH	FLORIDA PANTHERS HEAD COACH
ED JOHNSTON	PITT/HART	GM	ADVISOR TO PITTSBURGH PENGUINS GM
RICK LEY	MUSKEGON	HEAD COACH	FORMER HEAD COACH OF THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
WILLIE DESJARDENS	KAUFBEUREN	HEAD COACH	HEAD COACH EUROPE
FRANK SERRATORE	MINN MOOSE	HEAD COACH	AIR FORCE HEAD COACH (NCAA)
BOB JOHNSTON	PITTSBURGH	HEAD COACH	-
RICK KEHOE	PITTSBURGH	ASS’T COACH	NEW YORK RANGERS SCOUT
GREG MALONE	PITTSBURGH	HEAD SCOUT	TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING HEAD SCOUT
TONY ESPOSITO	PITTSBURGH	GM	RETIRED
STEVE WEEKES	HARTFORD	GOALIE COACH	NHL GOALIE COACH

Assistant coach Steve Hollett is also a former pro. Steve had a very successful OHL Junior career with the Soo Greyhounds, was a Washington Capitals draftchoice, and played 4 years of pro hockey. Assistant coaches Joseph Pantusa and Austin Wright are former Canucks, and bring valuable experience and leadership to the team. Joe was a member of the Canuck's 1998 Sutherland Cup winning team, while Austin was a former Canuck leading scorer and captain, who received a scholarship to RIT.
Jarrod Maidens is the team Skills Coach. Jarrod was a first round OHL draftchoice to the Owen Sound Attack (4th overall), and a third round NHL draftchoice of the Ottawa Senators. His youthful energy is a great addition to our staff, and his mentoring is elite.

As for the City of Niagara Falls, what more needs to be said about one of the 7 wonders of the world! Millions of people come to visit this beautiful city every year, and we are proud to call it Home.

Niagara is also home to some of the finest Post-Secondary Educational Institutions in Ontario. Brock University and Niagara College are both local. We encourage all of our players to continue with their education while playing for our team.

The Niagara Falls Jr Canucks continue to thrive for excellence. If you believe you have a future in the Hockey World, there is no better place to be than with the Canucks!!

Why Be a Canuck??

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