The Powassan Voodoos season ended early last year but now is the time to move forward as training camp opens this week Aug 18,2025 Photo by VOODOOSHOCKEY.COM
After a downbeat ending to last season the Powassan Voodoos open training camp this week with a good corps of returning forwards and plenty of new faces.
Greg Estabrooks – North Bay Nugget
The Powassan Voodoos get their first chance to put last season in the review mirror this week as they open training camp.
The Voodoos struggled mightily after Christmas and got swept in the first round of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League by the Hearst Lumberjacks.
One key new addition in the mind of the club’s brass is Jesse Lefebvre, a North Bay Battalion draft 2022 pick who was acquired in a trade with Renfrew of the Central Canada Hockey League this offseason.
Six members of the 2023 Trappers U18 Great North League championship team are on the roster this season.
Local forwards signed this summer include Battalion prospect and U18 AAA Trappers forward Cam Lockhart, and two other U18 AAA Trappers teammates in Owen Head and Tyler Brunet. Another player the Voodoos are excited about is defenceman Marcus Krats. He’ll be joined by big Battalion 17-year-old prospect Devran Brown, Niagara IceDogs camp invitee Braedon Begley, and Battalion camp invitee Dylan Rousselle.
Peter Goulet returns as head coach and looks for a bounce-back season
“I’m excited about it. You know I’m excited to get it going and excited to see the guys, our new guys that we signed. We signed some really good players. We got a pretty good group of forwards coming back, so I’m super excited about it and can’t wait to get on the ice,” says Goulet, who is also the Chief Scout of the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League.
The Voodoos return to Collingwood for a preseason tournament. It is the 2025 Terry Geddes Cottage Cup Showcase and takes place in Collingwood from Aug 26 to 28th. The five-team tourney involves Powassan, Timmins Rock, Newmarket Hurricanes, Jungadler Mannheim (Germany U20), and the host Collingwood Blues.
“You know we’re playing against great hockey teams. Timmins from our league is there they’ve always been a solid hockey team and you got Newmarket, Collingwood and the U20 Germany team. It’s a good gauge for us to see where our guys are at see where our new guys are at. We have players that have already been there and experienced that, and that you know all the guys returning on a team this year should be better for the upcoming season,” says Goulet.
Powassan Voodoos are getting ready for the coming NOJHL season with a preseason tourney in Collingwood. They open training camp this week. Aug 18,2025
The Voodoos later in the preseason play against the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners, September 6 at 7 p.m. at the Don Shepherdson Memorial Arena in New Liskeard (Temiskaming Shores).
I’m super excited about that game in Temiskaming Shores. That community has a long-standing history of great hockey programs. Great New Liskeard Cubs hockey teams have been around for a long time – Former Voodoos player and now Penguins forward Justin Brazeau is from there,” says Goulet.
The Voodoos open the regular season on Friday, September 13, versus the Soo Thunderbirds.
On another front, the Voodoos will be hosting their annual golf tournament on Wednesday, August 20th at the Highview Golf Course in Powassan. It is sold out.
