New Chaleur Lightning hockey team to replace Acadie-Bathurst Titan

Victoria Walton · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 2:24 PM EST | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Hockey fans successful the Bathurst region can celebrate, knowing they won't beryllium without a location squad to cheer adjacent season.

On Friday, municipal officials and Maritime Junior Hockey League representatives gathered successful the bluish metropolis to denote a caller team, the Chaleur Lightning.

The squad volition deed the crystal this autumn erstwhile Bathurst's longtime Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, moves to St. John's, N.L.

The sanction Chaleur Lightning was inspired by erstwhile Peewee AAA and Bantam AAA teams successful the area, which the NHL's Sean Couturier played for portion increasing up successful Bathurst.

Franchise president Roger Shannon said the team's logo, a question and lightning bolt, correspond the stormy upwind the portion often faces.

"It besides represents our committedness to bring a bully show, and noise, wrong the K.C. Irving Regional Centre," helium said.

The Lightning isn't a marque caller squad — it's a determination for the Fredericton Red Wings, who ended past play 4th successful the bluish part and ninth overall. The Red Wings moved from St. Stephen during the 2019-2020 season, aft having been archetypal added to the league successful 2014.

"We eagerly expect this caller commencement wherever we judge we volition person a amended accidental of achieving occurrence some connected and disconnected the ice," said a connection from the Red Wings squad connected societal media.

Shannon called the determination to determination a "no brainer" due to the fact that of the challenges of moving a hockey league successful a ample metropolis similar Fredericton with aggregate sports teams. Shannon besides noted that the squad volition person section owners but said helium wouldn't beryllium revealing their names conscionable yet.

A league of their own

Instead of the QMJHL, the Chaleur Lightning volition play successful the Maritime Junior Hockey League, which is shortened to MHL. The league has 12 teams betwixt 2 divisions, including the Valley Wildcats, Summerside Western Capitals, and Edmundston Blizzard.

The Lightning volition play 8 part games during the regular season, earlier the apical 4 determination connected to playoffs for the Metalfab MHL Cup.

Shannon said helium expects a precocious level of competitiveness betwixt Chaleur and its bluish New Brunswick rivals - the Miramichi Timberwolves and Campbellton Tigers.

"You tin stake that determination volition beryllium a peculiar rivalry cupful created betwixt america three," helium said. "That portion I can't hold to get started on."

Coach and wide manager Kyle MacAllister, who coaches the Fredericton Red Wings and antecedently coached the St. Thomas Tommies, said helium and the squad are looking guardant to the adjacent play already.

"We're surely excited for the future, we've got a large young core," helium said.

MacAllister said the squad besides wants to beryllium contiguous successful the community, and he's blessed to spot truthful overmuch section enactment astatine this aboriginal stage.

"It's not conscionable a hockey team, we privation to physique beardown quality [in] young men," helium said.

Continuing a bequest successful Bathurst

Other radical progressive with the squad see 19-year-old skipper and near winger Tyson Snow.

"We conscionable privation to get progressive and we privation to fto you cognize that's 1 of our priorities — alongside winning games," said Snow, who hails from Newfoundland.

Bathurst Mayor Kim Chamberlain besides spoke astatine the announcement, saying she hopes the caller squad volition beryllium for arsenic agelong arsenic the Titan's 27-year reign.

"We are going to proceed — for the region, for our youth, for lovers of hockey — and I americium truthful blessed for this announcement," she said.

But the Acadie-Bathurst Titan haven't afloat wrapped up their clip successful New Brunswick. The team's 2 last regular play games volition beryllium astatine the K.C. Irving Regional Centre connected March 14 and March 22.