New Chaleur Lightning hockey team to replace Acadie-Bathurst Titan
The team will begin playing at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre in fall 2025
Hockey fans in the Bathurst region can celebrate, knowing they won't be without a home team to cheer next season.
On Friday, municipal officials and Maritime Junior Hockey League representatives gathered in the northern city to announce a new team, the Chaleur Lightning.
The team will hit the ice this fall when Bathurst's longtime Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, moves to St. John's, N.L.
The name Chaleur Lightning was inspired by former Peewee AAA and Bantam AAA teams in the area, which the NHL's Sean Couturier played for while growing up in Bathurst.
Franchise president Roger Shannon said the team's logo, a wave and lightning bolt, represent the stormy weather the region often faces.
"It also represents our commitment to bring a good show, and noise, inside the K.C. Irving Regional Centre," he said.
The Lightning isn't a brand new team — it's a move for the Fredericton Red Wings, who ended last season fourth in the northern division and ninth overall. The Red Wings moved from St. Stephen during the 2019-2020 season, after having been first added to the league in 2014.
"We eagerly anticipate this fresh start where we believe we will have a better chance of achieving success both on and off the ice," said a statement from the Red Wings team on social media.
Shannon called the decision to move a "no brainer" because of the challenges of running a hockey league in a large city like Fredericton with multiple sports teams. Shannon also noted that the team will have local owners but said he wouldn't be revealing their names just yet.
Instead of the QMJHL, the Chaleur Lightning will play in the Maritime Junior Hockey League, which is shortened to MHL. The league has 12 teams between two divisions, including the Valley Wildcats, Summerside Western Capitals, and Edmundston Blizzard.
The Lightning will play eight division games during the regular season, before the top four move on to playoffs for the Metalfab MHL Cup.
Shannon said he expects a high level of competitiveness between Chaleur and its northern New Brunswick rivals - the Miramichi Timberwolves and Campbellton Tigers.
"You can bet that there will be a special rivalry cup created between us three," he said. "That part I can't wait to get started on."
Coach and general manager Kyle MacAllister, who coaches the Fredericton Red Wings and previously coached the St. Thomas Tommies, said he and the team are looking forward to the next season already.
"We're certainly excited for the future, we've got a great young core," he said.
MacAllister said the team also wants to be present in the community, and he's happy to see so much local support at this early stage.
"It's not just a hockey team, we want to build strong character [in] young men," he said.
Continuing a legacy in Bathurst
Other people involved with the team include 19-year-old captain and left winger Tyson Snow.
"We just want to get involved and we want to let you know that's one of our priorities — alongside winning games," said Snow, who hails from Newfoundland.
Bathurst Mayor Kim Chamberlain also spoke at the announcement, saying she hopes the new team will exist for as long as the Titan's 27-year reign.
"We are going to continue — for the region, for our youth, for lovers of hockey — and I am so happy for this announcement," she said.
But the Acadie-Bathurst Titan haven't fully wrapped up their time in New Brunswick. The team's two final regular season games will be at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre on March 14 and March 22.
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