The Powassan Voodoos hockey team will be formally submitting in a bid to host the 2021 Dudley-Hewitt Cup.
The event, known as the Central Canada Junior ‘A’ Championship, is a four-team tourney involving the winners of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL), the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), along with the host team.
The Voodoos, who fell in the Dudley-Hewitt Cup semifinals to the Georgetown Raiders in 2017, are hoping to be the successful bidder for the event which will take place in late April into early May of 2021.
Voodoos President Jim Bruce says the Voodoos ownership is committed to try to host the high-profile junior ‘A’ event.
“With the Dudley-Hewitt rotating for the next five years starting next year, and the SIJHL scheduled to host 2019-2020, we have had interest from our players past and current plus fans about hosting this event,” said Bruce.
“It just seems to be a perfect fit for our plans moving forward.”
Bruce believes the Voodoos great fans deserve to see an event of this magnitude.
“It would be very exciting for our players and staff who have worked so hard over the last five years to experience this. The Dudley in Trenton was an experience that I personally will never forget and I would really like our players, staff and fans to have that once in a lifetime experience.”
Powassan mayor Peter McIsaac supports a Dudley-Hewitt Cup bid.
“I am very excited for the Powassan Voodoos bid to host the Dudley Hewitt Cup,” said McIsaac.
“I believe the Voodoos are the right organization to bring a Dudley Championship to Powassan and back to the NOJHL. I personally will be signing up to volunteer any way I can.”
Voodoos GM Chris Dawson was the Dudley-Hewitt Cup chairman and president of the North Bay Jr Trappers when they hosted the event in 2013.
“It’s a tremendous tournament,” noted Dawson.
“In my last two experiences as host and guest at the Dudley, fans got to see some amazing talent including Mitch Marner in North Bay in 2013 and Jack Hughes in 2017 in Trenton. We expect more high end talent again in the spring of 2021.”
The successful bid will likely be decided in early 2020.
