Rockland Nationals

The Rockland Nationals (French: National de Rockland), colloquially known as the Nats, are a Junior A ice hockey team based in Rockland, Ontario. The Nationals compete in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) as a member of the East Division. Since 2017, the team has played its home games at Clarence-Rockland Arena, originally known as CIH Arena.

Rockland Nationals
Nickname	Nats
City	Rockland, Ontario, Canada
League	Central Canada Hockey League
Division	East Division
Founded	1968
Home arena	Clarence-Rockland Arena
Colours	Red, blue, white
Owner(s)	Luc Lavictoire
President	André Charlebois
CEO	Jean-Robert Léger
General manager	Carl Robillard
Head coach	Justin Pereira
Media	FloSports
Website	Official website
Franchise history
1968–1973	Ottawa M&W Rangers
1973–2005	Gloucester Rangers
2005–2008	Orleans Blues
2008–2017	Gloucester Rangers
2017–present	Rockland Nationals

Founded in 1968 as the Ottawa M&W Rangers, they are one of the oldest continuously operating junior ice hockey team worldwide. The current Rockland Nationals began play in 2017–18, after the Gloucester Rangers relocated to Rockland after nearly 50 years in Gloucester.

The Nationals have made it to the playoffs six times in seven seasons. As of the 2024–25 season, they are one of the most successful teams in the CCHL, and their arena has been well-attended during Nats home games.

History

The Rockland Nationals played their inaugural home opener on September 8, 2017 and won the game 3–1 against their regional rival Navan Grads in front of a crowd of 1,200.^[1] On March 11, 2018, the Nationals qualified for the playoffs in their inaugural season in Rockland following a 3–2 overtime win on the last game of the 2017–18 season in Pembroke against the Lumber Kings.^[2] They however lost in the first round 4 games to 1 against the Carleton Place Canadians.^[3] In their first season in Rockland, the Nationals averaged 318 fans per game for a total of 9,210 in 29 home games.

On September 7, 2018, a franchise record crowd of 1,502 fans attended the 2018–19 home opener as the Nats invited former Ottawa Senators legend Chris Neil and Ryan Dzingel to make the ceremonial puck drop during the pre-game.^[4] The Nats achieved a 4–1 win over the Navan Grads.^[5] They finished the regular season with a record of 40–17–5 and have made it to the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. They faced the Hawkesbury Hawks in the quarterfinals and won the series 4 games to 1, and then faced the Carleton Place Canadians in the semifinal round, losing the series 4 games to 1.^[6] Their average attendance however increased by 30% from the 2017–18 season, to an average of 413 people per game.

After the 2019–20 season, Rockland finished first place in the East Division with a record of 39–19–4 and qualified for the playoffs for the third straight season.^[7] The playoffs were later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and so was the entire 2020–21 CCHL season. In 2020, the ownership team changed with the sale of André Chaput’s share to Luc Lavictoire.

During the 2021–22 season, the Nationals finished 8th place in the East Division at 24–24–7 and qualified for the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history, but lost the tie-breaker game against the Smiths Falls Bears 4 to 1.^[8][9]

In the 2023–24 season, the Nats finished 3rd place in the East Division at 32–19–3 and qualified for the playoffs for the 5th time in history.^[10] They have won the first round against the Renfrew Wolves 4 games to 2, but lost in the semifinals against the eventual champions, the Navan Grads.^[11]

Following the 2024–25 pre-season, the Rockland Nationals won the first edition of the RE/MAX Cup against long-time rival Hawkesbury Hawks on September 8, 2024, when Clarence-Rockland Arena hosted the 3-day tournament.^[12]

In the 2024–25 regular season, Rockland started the season by winning their first 12 games in a row to a record of 12–0–0, a franchise record since the 1979–80 season. Their first loss in regulation time occurred on November 8, 2024 in Hawkesbury against the Hawks, to a record of 15–1–1. They finished the regular season first place in the CCHL and third in the CJHL, with a record of 45–8–2. The 2024–25 season was also notable for the Nationals drawing 14,935 people to its rink for an average of 574 fans per game, the highest in franchise history.^[13][14]

On April 27, 2025 at Carleton Place Arena, the Nationals won their fifth Bogart Cup championship by defeating the Carleton Place Canadians 4 games to 0 with team forward Anthony Hall scoring the game winner in overtime.^[15] They've averaged 1,086 fans in 8 playoff home games, including a franchise record crowd of 1,892 during Game 7 of the semifinals against the Smiths Falls Bears.^[16]

Team identity

The Rockland Nationals organization operates in both English and French. For many years, public address announcements and press releases have been given in both languages, and the team website and social media outlets are in both languages as well. At home games, the first stanza of O Canada is sung in French, and the chorus is sung in English. It has been estimated that 60 percent of Nats fans who attend games are francophone.

Crest and sweater design

Since 2017, the team's primary colours are blue, red, and white, the same colours as the New York Rangers. The home sweater is predominantly blue in colour and features four red and white stripes: one across each arm, one across the chest and the other across the waistline. The main road sweater is white with a blue and red stripe across the waist, with their red maple leaf logo in the centre.

In the 2024–25 season, the Nationals have unveiled a "Reverse Retro" alternate uniform in collaboration with Adidas. The uniform was essentially the same as their regular red uniform, but with the blue and white replaced by red and black lines.

Broadcasting and arena entertainment

Nats games can be heard on flohockey.tv, via the FloSports streaming platform.^[17] The team's play-by-play broadcaster is Richard Gauthier, who brings over 40 years of experience in sports media as a play-by-play broadcaster and public address announcer for various major sports teams.^[18][19]

The team's public address announcer is François Rochon and their in-game DJ is Alexis Marcotte, also known as ALECKSY as his stage name.^[20] ALECKSY served as the former in-game DJ for the Ottawa Titans of the Frontier League, as well as a current part-time job with the Gatineau Intrépide Midget AAA hockey team. After each Nats' goal, ALECKSY sounds the arena goal horn, which is a Nathan Airchime K3LA, used by several diesel trains in North America.

The Nats have their own theme song titled Trumpeters Cry, which is played as the team comes on the ice. The song was initially used by the Ottawa Senators as their theme song from 2005 to 2024, written by Ottawa singer-songwriter Andres del Castillo, who was formerly of the band Eight Seconds. The song is available in MP3 format at the nhl.com website. A 10-hour version is also available on YouTube.

Rivalries

Navan Grads

The Nationals have developed strong rivalries with two of the eight original CCHL franchises, with whom they frequently shared divisions and competed in postseason play. The oldest is with the Navan Grads, who first faced the Nationals as the Gloucester Rangers in 1974. The teams met three times in the playoffs, including one Bogart Cup Final round. Featuring one of the two closest teams in the league, the rivalry is due to the 26-kilometre drive from Clarence-Rockland Arena to the Navan Memorial Centre.

Hawkesbury Hawks

The team's other rivals are the Hawkesbury Hawks, who since their CCHL debut in 1974, have played the former Gloucester Rangers more than any other team in both regular season play and the playoffs combined. Since the arrival of the current Rockland Nationals in 2017, the rivalry returned and is also known as the Battle of Highway 17, in result of both arenas located alongside Highway 17, which starts after Trim Road in Orleans, all the way to East Hawkesbury.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season	GP	W	L	OTL	T	GF	GA	Points	Finish	Playoffs
1968-69	40	11	22	7	-	145	202	29	5th CJHL
1969-70	40	30	6	4	-	198	108	64	1st CJHL	Won League
1970-71	48	26	12	10	-	235	158	62	2nd CJHL	Won League
1971-72	48	27	20	1	-	234	188	55	2nd CJHL
1972-73	55	30	20	5	-	293	233	65	2nd CJHL
1973-74	50	25	19	6	-	297	252	56	4th CJHL
1974-75	50	14	27	9	-	241	289	37	5th CJHL
1975-76	50	26	21	3	-	271	203	55	2nd CJHL
1976-77	50	24	21	5	-	241	231	53	3rd CJHL
1977-78	48	30	13	5	-	261	204	65	2nd CJHL
1978-79	48	23	23	2	-	210	235	48	3rd CJHL
1979-80	50	33	12	5	-	284	187	71	2nd CJHL
1980-81	50	28	15	7	-	248	191	63	3rd CJHL	Won League
1981-82	50	11	36	3	-	191	266	25	6th CJHL
1982-83	48	15	28	5	-	189	241	35	6th CJHL
1983-84	53	21	16	6	-	233	235	48	6th CJHL
1984-85	54	18	33	1	2	234	328	39	6th CJHL
1985-86	60	35	21	1	3	311	247	74	4th CJHL
1986-87	54	28	21	2	3	260	248	61	3rd CJHL
1987-88	56	25	27	1	3	275	271	54	6th CJHL
1988-89	55	10	39	1	5	203	316	26	9th CJHL
1989-90	56	34	18	2	2	325	281	72	4th CJHL
1990-91	54	32	15	2	5	347	276	71	3rd CJHL
1991-92	57	40	12	4	1	360	233	85	3rd CJHL
1992-93	56	30	18	3	5	308	261	68	5th CJHL
1993-94	57	37	16	2	2	324	245	78	1st CJHL	Won League
1994-95	55	32	18	2	3	263	219	69	3rd CJHL
1995-96	54	35	18	1	0	249	177	71	3rd in East
1996-97	54	26	24	4	0	209	221	56	3rd in East
1997-98	56	26	21	9	3	223	217	64	2nd in East
1998-99	54	7	43	4	0	18	149	287	5th in East	Did not qualify
1999-00	55	11	41	4	0	26	177	307	5th in East	Did not qualify
2000-01	55	14	35	6	0	37	192	278	4th in East	Lost quarter-final 4-1 to Cornwall
2001-02	55	6	43	7	0	19	162	331	5th in East	Did not qualify
2002-03	55	27	17	11	2	67	246	210	3rd in East	Lost semi-final 4-3 to Nepean
2003-04	55	30	21	4	0	188	167	64	4th in East	Lost final 4-3 to Nepean
2004-05	57	24	26	1	6	194	204	55	3rd in East	Lost quarter-final 4-3 to Hawkesbury
2005-06	57	16	37	1	3	172	262	36	5th in East	Did not qualify
2006-07	55	26	21	6	2	184	190	60	2nd in East	Lost quarter-final 4-2 to Nepean
2007-08	60	14	38	4	4	188	301	36	10th CJHL	Did not qualify
2008-09	60	26	26	-	8	198	247	60	8th CJHL	Lost quarter-final 4-0 to Nepean
2009-10	62	35	21	-	6	277	225	76	4th CJHL	Lost quarter-final 4-2 to Ottawa
2010-11	62	35	25	-	2	263	244	72	4th CCHL	Lost semi-final 4-0 to Pembroke
2011-12	62	13	46	-	3	186	325	29	12th CCHL	Did not qualify
2012-13	62	19	35	-	8	166	246	46	10th CCHL	Did not qualify
2013-14	62	23	32	-	7	219	280	53	9th CCHL	Did not qualify
2014-15	62	31	30	-	1	199	223	63	3rd of 6 East 9th of 12 CCHL	Won Prelim. Playin, 2-0 (73's) Lost Quarterfinals, 0-4 (Junior Senators)
2015-16	62	5	52	3	2	116	305	15	6th of 6 East 12th of 12 CCHL	Did not qualify
2016-17	62	22	34	3	3	141	204	50	4th of 6 East 10th of 12 CCHL	Did not qualify
Rockland Nationals - CCHL
2017-18	62	28	28	6	-	186	204	62	4th of 6 East 8th of 12 CCHL	Lost Quarterfinals 1-4 (Canadians)
2018-19	62	40	17	5	-	205	151	85	2nd of 6 East 4th of 12 CCHL	Won Quarterfinals, 4-1 (Hawks) Lost Semifinals, 1-4 (Canadians)
2019-20	62	39	19	4	-	254	183	82	1st of 6 East 2nd of 12 CCHL	-
2020-21	9	4	5	0	-	28	25	8	Season canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic	-
2021-22	55	24	24	7	-	166	188	55	4th of 6 East 9th of 12 CCHL	Lost Tie-Break Game, 1-0 (Bears)
2022-23	55	20	23	12	-	172	203	52	5th of 6 East 10th of 12 CCHL	Did not qualify
2023-24	55	32	19	4	-	202	175	68	3rd of 6 East 4th of 12 CCHL	Won Quarterfinals 4-2 (Wolves) Lost Semifinals 1-4 (Grads)
2024-25	55	45	8	2	-	250	138	96	1st of 6 East 1st of 12 CCHL	Won Quarterfinals, 4-0 (Colts) Won Semifinals 4-3 (Bears) Won Finals 4-0 (Canadians) Advanced to Centennial Cup

Centennial Cup

Canadian Jr. A National Championships
Maritime Junior Hockey League, Quebec Junior Hockey League, Central Canada Hockey League, Ontario Junior Hockey League, Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, Superior International Junior Hockey League, Manitoba Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, and Host. The BCHL declared itself an independent league and there is no BC representative.
Round-robin play in two 5-team pools with top three in pool advancing to determine a Champion.

Year	Round-robin	Record	Standing	Quarterfinal	Semifinal	Championship
2025	OTL, Edmundston Blizzard (MarJHL), 3-4 W, Valleyfield Braves, (QJHL), 9-4 W, Calgary Canucks (Host), 7-2 L, Melfort Mustangs (SJHL), 2-5	2-0-1-1	3rd of 5 Pool B	Won, 4-0 Northern Manitoba Blizzard (ManJHL)	OT Loss, 2-3 Calgary Canucks (Host -AJHL)	Did Not Qualify

Championships

CJHL Bogart Cup Championships: 1970, 1971, 1981, 1994 (Gloucester Rangers), 2025

Centennial Cup Champions: 1976 (Gloucester Rangers)

Eastern Canadian Fred Page Cup Championships: None

CJAHL Royal Bank Cup Championships: None

Notable alumni

• Mark Aubry
• John Barrett
• Dan Boyle
• Josh Bower
• Todd Charlesworth
• Mathieu Dandenault
• P.C. Drouin
• Blake Dunlop
• Jerome Dupont
• Robert Esche
• Todd Flichel
• Mark Fraser
• Garry Galley
• Steve Guenette
• Derek Holmes
• Mitch Lamoureux
• Gary Laskoski
• Claude Loiselle
• Larry Robinson
• Moe Robinson
• Andre Savage
• Larry Trader
• Bob Warner
• Steve Washburn
• Sean Whyte