The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League announced Monday its individual and team award recipients for the 2024-25 regular season.
Garnering the league’s top individual honour, as the recipient of the Carlo Cattarello Trophy, emblematic as the league’s Most Valuable Player, is Lucas Signoretti of the Greater Sudbury Cubs.
Signoretti becomes only the second player in league history to capture back-to-back MVP laurels, joining Marty Reynolds who accomplished the feat with the North Bay Trappers back in 1964-65 & 1965-66.
This is also the first time someone has earned the honours with two different clubs in consecutive years.
He accomplished the same feat last season with the Espanola Paper Kings.
The following is the complete list of the 2024-25 NOJHL award honourees:
Carlo Cattarello Trophy – NOJHL MVP: Lucas Signoretti, Greater Sudbury Cubs – Excelling in all situations, the talented centre topped all NOJHL skaters in points at even strength; on the power play, and while shorthanded. … Leading in overall scoring this season with 101 points, he notched 46 goals and had a league-best 55 assists in 50 contests. … The 20-year-old from Kanata, Ont., was first in man advantage points (36) and shorthanded markers/points (5/7). … His 11 game-winning goals were just one off the lead in that department. … He had 29 multi-point efforts during the season, including 16 of three, or more. … Signoretti registered a 15-game point streak at one point during the campaign. … The Cubs went 39-4-0-1 in games in which he collected at least one point.
Mirl “Red” McCarthy Memorial Award – NOJHL Coach of the Year: Darryl Moxam, Greater Sudbury Cubs – Moxam’s efforts behind the bench guided the Cubs to the NOJHL regular season title, which was first time that a team from Sudbury did so since 2005-06, when the also Moxam-coached Sudbury Northern Wolves achieved the feat. … Under him, Greater Sudbury’s 114 goals-against were 25 fewer than the next closest team. … They were also second in goals-scored at 252. … Moxam saw his team lead the league in both power play and penalty kill proficiency at 31% and 88.5% respectively. … This marks Moxam’s second Coach of the Year honour, having won previously 2005-06 while guiding the Sudbury Northern Wolves to the league championship. … With the latest honour, Moxam becomes the NOJHL’s nominee for the prestigious Darcy Haugan/Mark Cross Memorial Award, emblematic of Canadian Junior Hockey League Coach of the Year, presented by the National Hockey League Coaches’ Association.
David Harrison Trophy – Most Gentlemanly Player: Owen King, (F) Blind River Beavers – Incurring just four minor penalties all season, King certainly made the most of his well-disciplined style of play. … The 18-year-old from Cambridge, Ont., hammered in 50 goals for the Beavers, to lead all skaters in that department, becoming the 41st player in NOJHL history, and just the second in the past nine seasons, to accomplish the feat. … King also finished second overall in points (75) and set a new NOJHL record for game-winning goals (12).
NOJHL Trophy – Best Defenceman: Adam Shillinglaw, Hearst Lumberjacks – A stellar campaign on the back-end for the Lumberjacks saw Shillinglaw lead all NOJHL rearguards in goals (21); points (56); shorthanded efforts (2) and game-winning markers (4). … He also tied for top spot in power play tallies among D-men (6). … The 20-year-old from New Liskeard, Ont., wrapped up his regular season career with 150 points in 201 outings, having scored 39 times and helping set-up 111 others. … No other blueliner has had more assists (111) over the past four seasons. … Was twice named the NOJHL’s BrokerLink Insurance Defenceman of the Month during the year. … Shillinglaw served as the Hearst captain.
John Grignon Trophy – Rookie of the Year: Jordan Mayo, (F) Iroquois Falls Storm – As one of the youngest players in the entire league this season, the 16-year-old from Kingston, Ont., topped all NOJHL rookies in goals (24) and finished third in overall points (51). … Mayo led all first-year players in game-winning goals (5) and power play tallies (12). … His dozen extra-man markers were the third-most in the whole league. … He paced Iroquois Falls in scoring, while factoring in on 32% of the Storm’s goals during the campaign. … Had points in each of his squad’s final seven games, as well as nine of 10, to help his side qualify for the playoffs. … Was named the league’s BrokerLink Insurance Rookie of the Month for January.
Mitch Tetreault Memorial Trophy – Top Defensive Forward: Bronson Babyak, Hearst Lumberjacks – A tenacious checker, Babyak brought a defensive minded pace to his game throughout the campaign, while also contributing at key times offensively for the Lumberjacks. … In his final season of Jr. A hockey, the Saskatoon, Sask., product collected three shorthanded markers and assisted on two others for Hearst, who led the league in man-down markers (14) and sat second overall on the PK (83.4%). … He also set personal bests in overall tallies (22); helpers (25) and points (47).
Gilles Laperriere Trophy – Most Improved Player: Cooper Fredericks, (F) Soo Eagles – A dynamic performer for the Eagles, Fredericks amassed 51 more points this season than he had in his initial campaign with the Michigan Soo. … His impressive numbers in 2024-25 saw the 20-year-old, who hails from Miltona, Minn., lead the Eagles in goals (33); points (69); man-advantage markers (9) and shorthanded tallies (4). … Those efforts also saw Fredericks finish fourth in NOJHL scoring.
NOJHL Trophy – Best Overall Team Player: Mathieu Comeau, (F) Hearst Lumberjacks – The veteran forward has been a model of consistency during his four years with the Lumberjacks, performing at a point-per-game clip throughout. … Skating for his hometown Hearst side, the 19-year-old Comeau established single-season highs in goals (24); assists (43) and points (67), finishing fifth in NOJHL scoring. … 18 times he had multi-point outings, with the Lumberjacks going an impressive 34-5-0-1 in games in which he picked up at least one point. … Comeau already sits in the Top 10 in career league-games played (210), with one final year of Jr. A eligibility remaining.
Jimmy Connors Memorial Trophy – NOJHL Scoring Champion: Lucas Signoretti, Greater Sudbury Cubs – Surpassing the 100-point plateau for a second straight season, he led the league offensively in each of the past two years. … Signoretti becomes only the fifth player all-time in the NOJHL to post back-to-back 100-point campaigns.
Wayne Chase Memorial Award – Best Goals-Against Average: Dryden Riley, Timmins Rock – With his 2.39 goals-against average, Riley becomes the third Timmins netminder to earn the honour over the past five campaigns. … The 17-year-old from Belleville, Ont., was also second in the league in both wins (21) and save percentage (.923).
NOJHL Team Goaltending Award (Fewest Goals Allowed): Greater Sudbury Cubs – Allowing only 114 goals-against as part of their league-best 44-6-1-1 record, the Cubs become the first Sudbury-based squad to earn this honour since the Sudbury Northern Wolves did likewise in 2005-06.
The Joe Drago Trophy – NOJHL Director of the Year: Jim Bruce, Powassan Voodoos – Associated with the Voodoos since the club first joined the NOJHL back in 2014, Bruce has served as their team president since Day 1. … Throughout that time, he has been the club’s director, partnering with the league in its overall operations while working in key roles with various NOJHL committees since coming on board.
James Aspin Trophy – NOJHL Regular Season Champions: Greater Sudbury Cubs – Finishing with a NOJHL-best 90 points this season, the Cubs earned the accolades with their 44-6-1-1 mark.
Broadcasters of the Year: Anthony Valade/Dominic Turco, Soo Thunderbirds – Supplying in-depth quality broadcasts through the 2024-25 campaign, the duo bring a value to their FLOHockey calls that continually highlights the NOJHL, its member teams and players with their knowledge, insight and acumen of the league. … As the deans of NOJHL play-by-play broadcasters and colour commentators, the Sault Ste. Marie products are coming up on 15 years behind the mic, while voicing home contests for the Thunderbirds. … They have broadcast multiple big games for Sault Ste. Marie in that span, including calling four NOJHL championships for the club.
Photos: Northern Lights Photography / Points North Media
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