2025 was year of contrast for Fort St. John’s major hockey clubs

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The year 2025 can be best summed up as one of contrast for the two major ice hockey programs within Fort St. John.

The Fort St. John Huskies solidified their status as the class of the Strike Group North West Junior Hockey League (NWJHL) for another year.

Led by head coach Todd Alexander, the club returned to championship glory after a one-year layoff, defeating the La Crete Lumber Barons in thrilling comeback fashion.

After dropping the first two games of the 2024-25 NWJHL finals, the Huskies stormed back, winning three straight at home before capturing their fifth title in six years on opposition ice.

Team general manager Jeremy Clothier spoke to Energeticcity.ca about the calendar year, saying the victory was one of “the definite highs” of 2025.

“The fact we were down two 0-2 to La Crete and managed and came back to win four straight was just a testament to our group,” said Clothier. “[It was a testament] to our resiliency.”

By virtue of their win, the Huskies qualified for the Hockey Alberta Junior ‘B’ Provincials, where the team faced champions of four different leagues and the host Morinville Jets.

It was a bittersweet ending for the Pups. Despite having a plus-three goal differential and scoring 14 goals overall, the Huskies ended up with a two-win, three-loss record, settling for fourth place.

The disappointment was amplified by the fact two of those games were decided by one goal, with one game – against the North Eastern Alberta Hockey League champions, the Wainwright Bisons – a 3-2 loss after the team was ahead 2-0 early in the first period.

“[It was] obviously not the result we wanted,” said Clothier. “But when you have all the top teams there from all the leagues, it’s a test. It is a tough schedule.

“You play three games in three days, then you move on to the playoffs. If you are playing every day, it’s five games in five days. It’s a real grind.” 

Despite the loss of such players as Ashton Underhill, Connor Cozens and Tanner McCracken, the team has continued to compete at a high level this season, currently still sitting in first in the NWJHL’s East/West division.

Clothier says another highlight of the calendar year was hosting the 2025-26 NWJHL All-Star Game and skills competition at the North Peace Arena.

“It’s pretty cool to host something like that,” said Clothier. “To get all the top players from each team here, and let them go ahead and have a little bit of fun with it, makes it all that much better.”

As for Fort St. John’s senior team, it was another year of growing pains for the Fort St. John Senior Flyers, despite continued improvement.

The team struggled throughout the 2024-25 North Peace Hockey League (NPHL) season’s first half, losing 10 games in a row before suddenly going on a bit of a roll.

They won five of seven games in January, before being swept by the Dawson Creek Canucks in the first round of the NPHL playoffs.

Although they started last season with Craig Faulkner behind the bench, he departed mid-way through the season before Eric Nystoruk took over. 

Nystoruk himself was replaced by Reid Campbell, a former defenceman with the club during its last NPHL championship win in 2017-18, before the start of this season.

A promising start to the year has hit a bit of a bump, as the team currently sits in last place in the nine-team league.

Flyers’ general manager Lee Hartman said, like previous years, garnering player personnel is at a premium, stating “the best ability is availability” in a chat with Energeticcity.ca.

“Last year was a difficult year with trying to get participation,” said Hartman. “We have been more successful recruiting people to play this year, but we are still having trouble with availability.”

Still, there were good signs throughout 2025, including Aiden Craig-Steele being named NPHL Rookie Of The Year. 

Craig-Steele has continued where he left off with his strong play in 2025-26, with five goals and eight assists for 13 points in eight games.

There was also a 7-0 shutout win earlier in the current NPHL season, over the Fox Creek Knights on November 4th.

Although the team’s record only has one win, looking through their schedule tells a different story about the team’s level of play: four of their losses have been decided by two goals or less, including a 7-6 defeat at High Prairie on November 8th.

The Flyers will have an extended Christmas break, continuing the season on January 10th, 2026 against the Fox Creek Knights after games on December 18th and 19th were postponed due to weather.

“We have definitely been in every game this year,” said Hartman. “A bounce here or there and we could have got a different result. But it is a slow process – building your way back up to a competitive team in our league.”