The NOHA is pleased to announce the 2024 winner of the Trainer of the Year Award is Jeff Panamick of the Greater Sudbury Cubs!
Jeff Panamick has been a dedicated trainer with the Greater Sudbury Cubs of the NOJHL the last three seasons and is a very valuable member of the organization. There is not a more dedicated person who goes beyond the usual routine of what his duties are with the Cubs.
While living on Manitoulin Island, Jeff travels into Sudbury on a regular basis because he has a passion for the game of hockey and the players he helps along the way. He has been praised by many of the Cubs' fans for treating their kids with an experience that makes coming to the Team’s games an enjoyable experience.
We sat down with Jeff to discuss his thoughts about volunteering with hockey:
The NOHA is pleased to announce the 2024 winner of the Angus Campbell Merit Award is Jim Lecappelain of the Nipissing District Hockey League!
For parts of four decades, Jim has been an active minor hockey supporter, volunteer, advocate, and leader with the West Ferris, now North Bay Minor Hockey Association, as well as the Nipissing District Hockey League.
He began volunteering with his Association as a Coach with the West Ferris Minor Hockey Association in 1993, when his oldest son put on a pair of skates as a Tyke Player. Over the next 12 years, he committed countless hours to teaching the game, and life skills to local youth while coaching his son’s teams.
With his sons completing their time in minor hockey, he took his passion to the Board Room where he took on various roles with West Ferris, including Vice President and Representative to the Nipissing District Hockey League. While still representing West Ferris at the table, he took his commitment to become the Vice Commissioner of the NDHL. While in this role, he spent countless hours in singlehandedly procuring, organizing and distributing the hundreds of medals awarded annually to U7 players through to U18.
In 2018, with the dawn of the Hockey Canada U9 program as subsequently implemented by the Ontario Hockey Federation and so the NOHA, Jim led a small committee in the development of a unique U9 program incorporating a skills development zone in conjunction with a modified game play zone. This U9 program was subsequently adopted and implemented across three (3) of the current NDHL Divisions, and remains in effect today. Jim's extensive knowledge and experience, spanning some thirty-one (31) years, has proved to be an invaluable asset to hockey in North Bay, the NDHL and so the NOHA., but Moreso to youth across and beyond the Nipissing District.
We sat down with Jim to discuss his thoughts about volunteering with Minor Hockey:
The NOHA is pleased to announce the 2024 winner of the Ken Neeb Memorial Award is Brenda Torresan of Porcupine Minor Hockey!
Brenda Torresan has been a part of Minor Hockey since 1984 it would have been 40 years since September 2024. When in high school, she taught power skating and assisted to Mr. Hepworth’s team, her love for skating and being on the ice didn’t stop there. She began her volunteer career with Whitney Minor Hockey in 1984 when her son began to play hockey.
She remained a volunteer and was part of the amalgamation between Porcupine and Whitney Minor Hockey. She also spent some time with Timmins Minor hockey volunteering throughout her 40 years. She then returned to Porcupine Minor hockey where she spent the better part of another decade doing an excellent job developing our U7 program serving more than 100 skaters a year. She has played an incredible role in all their development building a solid foundation for these young players.
She single-handedly recruited more than 40 volunteers to make the U7 program as successful as it’s been. Despite taking a step back this season, she will continue to offer her support in Minor Hockey. Hockey has been and always will be her passion in her words it’s been quite the ride and will and continues to miss her skates.
We sat down with Brenda to discuss her thoughts about volunteering with Minor Hockey:
