“Special.” That’s the word Carleton Place Canadians owner and general manager Brent Sullivan used to encapsulate the 2024-25 season.
While the season may not have ended the way they wanted, the Canadians have every reason to hold their heads up high. Despite no junior ‘A’ experience for many players on the roster, the Canadians won the Robinson Division for the first time in five years and made the Bogart Cup Finals for the first time since 2019. Overall, Carleton Place surpassed every expectation placed in front of them.
In the regular season, the Canadians achieved a record of 36-15-1-3, good for 76 points. This lifted Carleton Place to first place in the Robinson Division, leading second place Smiths Falls by ten points. The team came second in points league-wide, behind only Rockland. While Carleton Place failed to rank in the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) Top 20, they were listed as an honourable mention at year’s end.
Individually, it was a regular season to remember for many Canadians. Three players were named Rookie of The Month throughout the year. Finn Barton (‘07, Kinburn, ON) won the award in November, Henry Doucet (‘08, Kanata, ON) won in February, and Sam Allaby (‘07, Rothesay, NB) won in March. On top of that, Captain Loic Prud’Homme (‘04, Ottawa, ON) won Player of The Month for the month of December. Not only that, but Prud’Homme was named second star in the country for December by the CJHL.
Multiple Canadians took home season awards as well. Tristan Boudreau (‘07, Nepean, ON) won the Mark Yakabuski award for being the high school academic player of the year. He also had three goals and twelve points in 53 games. Finn Barton won Rookie Player of The Year honours. The 2007 born forward had 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points in 55 games played. Lastly, Ian Vandenberg (‘04, Nepean, Ontario) won Goaltender of The Year. He had a 20-8-1 record with a 2.49 goals against average and 0.917 save percentage this season.
All graduating players had great seasons and secured commitments to NCAA or U SPORTS teams. Loic Prud’Homme led the team with 28 goals and 36 assists for 64 points, the most on the team in all three categories. His 28 goals also ranks ninth in the CCHL. He committed to the University of Ottawa (U SPORTS). Will Bouwer (‘04, Carp, ON) put up 26 goals and 60 points on the year, good for second on the team in both stats. He will play for Queen’s University (U SPORTS) next season. Defenceman Cole Mathews (‘04, Brantwood, TN) was great all year on the backend, scoring two goals, including the overtime winner in the final game of the regular season, with 13 assists for 15 points. He will continue his career with Castleton University (NCAA D3) next year. Masen Culley (‘04, Ashton, ON) had six goals and five assists for 11 points in only 21 games, and will play for Carleton University (USPORTS) next season.
Of course, the entire season led to the Bogart Cup Playoffs. In the first round, Carleton Place would make quick work of the Kemptville 73s in a four game sweep. The Canadians would mount a third period comeback in game two, blitz through game three, and hold off a desperate 73s onslaught to win game four and the series, their first series win since 2019.
The series also included a rare feat in game one, a playoff goalie goal. Ian Vandenberg led the fistbump line down the bench to cap off a 3-1 Carleton Place victory at home. “Well my initial reaction was not too pleasant in a one goal game for him to fire that up the middle,” Brent Sullivan said, “but after seeing it trickle in we all laughed. That’s Vandy though, his confidence level won us so many games this year. Such a cool moment to be a part of.” For his efforts, Vandenberg was awarded second star of the first round.
The second round would put Carleton Place against the reigning champions, the Navan Grads. After shutting out the Grads in game one, the Canadians would end up down 3-1 in the series after game four. This included two heartbreaking overtime losses, including one in 2OT, in games two and four. It was here where the Canadian’s resiliency held strong. “We had a ton of belief in that room. We felt like the series could have been a complete reversal” said Sullivan “We weren’t focusing on winning three straight, it was one game at a time.”
They would proceed to win game five, kill a Navan comeback attempt in game six, and manage to win the series in the seventh game thanks to a two goal performance from Finn Barton. Sullivan expressed that “…this was our time to show everyone the mental toughness we had as a group. That game seven atmosphere and coming back to win that series proved Carleton Place is a special place to play.” Ian Vandenberg would again be rewarded for his efforts, this time being crowned first star of the round with a 2.42 goals against average and 0.918 save percentage.
However, the toughest test was about to come in the finals against the Rockland Nationals, who held the best record in the league and were ranked third in the country by the CJHL at the end of the year. Carleton Place would go blow for blow with the Nationals, with every game being decided by one goal, empty netters notwithstanding. Unfortunately for the Canadians, they were never able to find a way to win, as an overtime game winner for Rockland in game four spelt the end of the series and the CCHL season.
As the Nationals celebrated on one side of the ice, Brent Sullivan huddled up his team at the other end and delivered a heartfelt message. “[I] told them I loved them, I was proud of them, and that it was the best group I had ever coached. They were so emotional and there was nothing I could say to help that, but I knew regardless of that series ending in four we had emptied our tanks. We had nothing left and as a coach you just want to get the most out of your team and I felt that we did that. I loved coaching that group.”
When asked what he wants everyone on the team to take out of this year, Sullivan said “…the importance of daily actions, the importance of how you treat each other and how far a tight group and strong culture can take you. No one even had us making the playoffs before game one, and to make it to the finals is special. We relied on each other and we pushed each other all season and I think it shows that a group that wants to play for each other can go a long way.”
The team now looks towards next season. The journey to back-to-back finals will be tough, but the Canadians will be led by someone who has done just that. The Canadians announced that Cole Burton will be the new coach of the ‘A’ squad going forward, being promoted from the EOJHL’s Jr. Canadians. The twenty-six year old has led the Jr. Canadians to the Barkley Cup Finals in each of his first two years as a head coach.
“He and I are very similar with our preparation, our work ethic, our commitment. I knew this was the right call right away.” Owner Brent Sullivan said of his new coach, “I had zero hesitation that Cole should be coaching at our level and with so many guys having already played for him it will be an easy transition.”
For Sullivan, the decision goes back to last season. “It was very hard on me to leave my job in the OHL mid-season. My family will always be my priority, but that took a toll on me. I wanted to give everything I had to this group this season to re-establish our culture and get things going in the right direction, but it’s time for someone else to coach this team. I want to coach at the next level, but I also want to focus on running this program off the ice to the best of my ability.”
With a taste for the finals for both the Jr. ‘A’ and ‘B’ squads this year, the expectations for next season will grow. For Brent Sullivan, the key to next year is to continue building on what they have started. “Returning players have to take pride in how we do things and make sure it stays that way. If you have a strong culture, it doesn’t have to [be] rebuilt every year but it has to continue to be nurtured. It will get to a point where ‘this is how we do things here in CP’ becomes a standard and I believe we are at that point.”
As they disband for the summer, the Carleton Place Canadians should be a team with their heads held high. “Honestly, the best group I have coached.” Brent Sullivan remarked, “I will miss the day to day with them, the grind, the laughs. I pushed these guys very hard and they responded and I cannot thank them enough for that.”
Story by Zach Beamish
