The Stouffville Spirit are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Whitchurch–Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. The Stouffville Spirit are members of the Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
History From 1970 until 1984, the Stouffville Clippers were members of the Central Junior C Hockey League and played at the old Stouffville Arena built in 1949. From 1984 until 1995, the team was on a long hiatus. The Clippers were brought back in 1995 playing at the current Stouffville Arena (built 1985), changed their name to the Spirit a season later, and have been members of the OPJHL ever since.
Junior hockey has a long and storied history in Stouffville. In the first half of the 20th Century it had two ice rinks for hockey, Maple Leaf Rink (1901) and Clayton Baker Arena at what is now Memorial Park (1926).
The 1947 Stouffville Red Wings, which played at Clayton Baker Arena, won an OHA championship and played until 1949 in the OHA Senior B when it was renamed the Clippers. Baker Arena was dismantled for the old Stouffville Arena at Memorial Park and reused in Cambray, Ontario. Junior hockey was popular in Stouffville through the 1960s, right into the early 1980s.
The Spirit was founded in 1995. George Stavro, who was granted the franchise by the Ontario Hockey Association, was the team's first coach and general manager. Junior hockey hadn't been played in Stouffville since 1984, when the OHA's junior C Stouffville Clippers folded.
But Stavro didn't last a full season in the Provincial Junior A Hockey League.
In mid-season, he sold the franchise to Stouffville businessman Ed Hakonson, who had tried to obtain a junior A franchise for Stouffville earlier in the '90s. Former Stouffville minor official Wally Crowder was named general manager, and Steve Sedore of Georgina head coach.
The Spirit struggled on and off the ice over the first three seasons. Sedore was replaced as coach by Stouffville minor hockey grad Dan Larmer. Larmer played junior hockey in southern Ontario and college hockey at Mercyhurst in Pennsylvania, before a brief pro career.
A move of home games at the Whitchurch-Stouffville Recreation Complex, from Saturday nights to Thursdays, improved attendance. But the Spirit didn't make the playoffs in its first three seasons.
A new regime took over Spirit hockey operations in 1998. New Spirit general manager Dieter Schmidt had been manager and head coach Brian Perrin was associate coach with the successful Newmarket Hurricanes' organization, before accepting promotions in Stouffville.
Players have advanced to college and major junior hockey since Year 1 of the Spirit.
Hakonson sold shares in the hockey club to Stouffville-area resident Zeev Werek and Larry Goldberg in 1999, then sold the rest of the team to Werek and Goldberg a year later. David Laren joined the Spirit in 2002 as an equal partner. Goldberg left the group in 2005.
Schmidt retired as GM after the 2000–2001 season. His replacement is Stouffville native Ken Burrows, who in 10 years with the Spirit has been vice-president of hockey, assistant coach and scout.
A volunteer board of directors oversees the operation of the Spirit.
The Spirit is proud to be affiliated with the Whitchurch-Stouffville Minor Hockey Association and the Uxbridge Bruins Junior C Hockey Club.
Season-by-season results 1995 - 2020 History - is hidden click to Season GP W L T OTL GF GA P Results Playoffs1995-96 50 13 35 2 - 182 288 30 5th OPJHL-P1996-97 50 8 41 1 - 167 295 19 5th OPJHL-P1997-98 51 16 32 2 1 194 280 35 6th OPJHL-P1998-99 51 23 27 0 1 215 234 47 8th OPJHL-C1999-00 49 24 23 2 0 195 190 50 5th OPJHL-N2000-01 49 35 9 3 2 260 159 75 3rd OPJHL-N2001-02 49 24 18 5 2 207 183 55 4th OPJHL-N2002-03 49 29 18 2 0 241 154 60 3rd OPJHL-N2003-04 49 27 21 1 0 201 178 55 3rd OPJHL-N2004-05 49 25 20 3 1 195 157 54 3rd OPJHL-N2005-06 49 26 10 9 4 172 138 65 3rd OPJHL-N Lost final2006-07 49 28 16 3 2 199 164 61 2nd OPJHL-N Lost Conf. Finals2007-08 49 31 13 - 5 245 166 67 4th OPJHL-N 2008-09 53 13 34 - 6 165 246 32 8th OJHL-C2009-10 50 28 19 - 3 153 140 59 4th CCHL-E Lost preliminary2010-11 50 33 11 - 6 262 154 72 3rd OJHL-N Lost semi-final2011-12 49 32 8 - 9 217 152 73 2nd OJHL-N Won League2012-13 55 18 31 - 6 150 219 42 4th OJHL-N DNQ2013-14 53 19 30 - 4 147 191 42 5th OJHL-N DNQ2014-15 - - - - - - - - - -2015-16 54 24 24 3 3 185 192 54 4th of 6 North Div9th of 11 NE Conf11th of 22 OJHL DNQ2016-17 54 28 20 3 3 198 168 62 2nd of 6 North Div7th of 11 NE Conf16th of 22 OJHL Won Conf. Quarters, 4-2 (Royals)Lost Conf. Semifinals, 0-4 (Golden Hawks)2017-18 54 8 43 2 1 116 255 19 6th of 6 North Div11th of 11 NE Conf21st of 22 OJHL DNQ2018-1954123714131225295th of 5 North Div11th of 11 NE Conf21st of 22 OJHLDNQ2019-2054272043172171613rd of 5 North Div6th of 11 NE Conf11th of 22 OJHLPlayoffs Interrupted 2020 - current History2020-21 - - - - - - - - -Season Cancelled2021-22541435 -2126217334th of 5 North Div18th of 21 OJHLLost Conf. Quarterfinals, 0-2 (Panthers)2022-23541828 -7164217448th of 10 North/West Div15th of 21 OJHLLost Conf. Quarterfinals, 0-4 (Blues)2023-24 56 29 20 2 5 204 164 85 8th of 12 East Conf14st of 24 OJHL Lost Conf. Quarters, 0-4 (Golden Hawks)2024-25 56 33 19 0 4 217 156 70 4th of 12 East Conf8th of 24 OJHL Won Conf. Quarters, 4-0 (Dukes)Lost Conf Semifinals 1-4 (Golden Hawks)
Playoffs 1996 DNQ 1997 DNQ 1998 DNQ 1999 Lost Division Quarter-final Collingwood Blues defeated Stouffville Spirit 3-games-to-none 2000 Lost division final Stouffville Spirit defeated Aurora Tigers 4-games-to-none Stouffville Spirit defeated Newmarket Hurricanes 4-games-to-2 Couchiching Terriers defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-none 2001 Lost Division Semi-final Stouffville Spirit defeated Parry Sound Shamrocks 4-games-to-none Couchiching Terriers defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-2 2002 Lost Division Quarter-final Collingwood Blues defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-3 2003 Lost division final Stouffville Spirit defeated Couchiching Terriers 4-games-to-none Stouffville Spirit defeated Newmarket Hurricanes 4-games-to-3 Aurora Tigers defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-2 2004 Lost Division Semi-final Stouffville Spirit defeated Thornhill Rattlers 4-games-to-2 Newmarket Hurricanes defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-1 2005 Lost Division Semi-final Stouffville Spirit defeated Couchiching Terriers 4-games-to-2 Newmarket Hurricanes defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-2 2006 Lost final Stouffville Spirit defeated Seguin Bruins 4-games-to-2 Stouffville Spirit defeated Newmarket Hurricanes 4-games-to-2 Stouffville Spirit defeated Aurora Tigers 4-games-to-2 Stouffville Spirit defeated Oakville Blades 4-games-to-3 St. Michael's Buzzers defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-2 2007 Lost division final Stouffville Spirit defeated Cobourg Cougars 4-games-to-none Stouffville Spirit defeated Collingwood Blues 4-games-to-none Aurora Tigers defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-1 2008 Lost division final Stouffville Spirit defeated Couchiching Terriers 3-games-to-none Stouffville Spirit defeated Huntsville Otters 4-games-to-3 Aurora Tigers defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-1 2009 Lost Division Quarter-final Wellington Dukes defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-none 2010 Lost CCHL Preliminary Peterborough Stars defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-none 2011 Lost semi-final Stouffville Spirit defeated Markham Waxers 4-games-to-2 Stouffville Spirit defeated Newmarket Hurricanes 4-games-to-3 Wellington Dukes defeated Stouffville Spirit 4-games-to-2
Retired Numbers 26 - Randy Johnston (2008)
Notable alumni Will Acton Darren Archibald Drake Caggiula Michael Carcone Trevor Carrick Simon Gysbers Isaak Phillips Christopher Tanev Ethan Werek
References
External links Spirit Webpage