Sarnia, Ontario is a small city in southern Ontario with a rich history when it comes to hockey.
It is home to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team, the Sarnia Sting, an organization that has produced several well-known players. Sarnia is also home to the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) team the Sarnia Legionnaires, formerly known as the Sarnia Ranson Bees.
On top of those teams, Sarnia is recognized for hosting the International Silver Stick tournament every year, a minor hockey tournament where teams from North America come to compete.Most recently, Sarnia hosted Hockey Canada’s 2024 Under 17 World Challenge, where Canada White beat Canada Red in the finals, winning the gold medal.
The Sarnia Sting has produced a few notable National Hockey League (NHL) players. Jordan Kyrou, who currently plays for the St. Louis Blues, played for the Sting for his entire OHL career. Jakob Chychrun was also a member of the Sting for two years before going on to play with the Arizona Coytes. He currently plays for the Washington Capitals.
Steven Stamkos played for the Sarnia Sting for two years and went on to have a successful NHL career, where he was captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning for ten years. Currently, he plays for the Nashville Predators.
Sarnia’s impact on hockey extends beyond producing players, as the city has been home to successful figures off the ice, showing that careers in hockey thrive beyond the rink.
Jim McKellar is an amateur scout for the Chicago Blackhawks who grew up in Sarnia. He started his hockey career working with the Sarnia Sting before becoming the Assistant General Manager of the London Knights OHL team for eleven years. From there, he became an amateur scout for the Blackhawks and has been working with them since 2011.
“The Sarnia Ranson Bees were a very strong organization when I was a kid, and it still is to this day. It’s a good organization and I think there’s a lot of players finding their way into the OHL and finding their way into college hockey,” McKellar said. “Obviously, the Sting are a huge presence in town, but I think the history in Sarnia predates them with the Sarnia Bees and a lot of players moving on and making it to the NHL.”
McKellar also noted that there are a few former NHL players that were born in Sarnia, including Dino Ciccarelli, who played in the NHL for almost twenty years before retiring and becoming the owner of the Sarnia Sting from 1994 to 2009.
“The ownership group there does a great job,” McKellar said when asked about the Sting organization. “I know they have a great presence in the community. It’s a great organization that has produced a lot of draft picks, and a lot of players that are finding their way. I think the organization has a great footprint on the town.”
His most recently scouted player from Sarnia was Ethan Del Mastro, who played for the Sting for one season and is now in the Chicago Blackhawks organization.
A lot of people may not know Sarnia’s history, but it can be found everywhere when you look for it. The Wilfrid Laurier University men’s hockey team has a few former members of the Sarnia Sting on their roster, including first-year communications studies major Justin O’Donnell, first-year arts major Brendan Anderson, and first-year arts major Ryan Pryce.
Sarnia, Ontario, has established itself as a hub of hockey excellence, with a legacy that spans generations and impacts both players and the broader hockey community. From hosting tournaments to producing NHL stars, Sarnia’s contributions to the sport are undeniable. This small southern Ontario city embodies a rich tradition of hockey, combining a deep respect for its history with a commitment to nurturing future talent.
Sarnia continues to leave a lasting mark on the game for fans and players alike, it’s clear that Sarnia isn’t just a city that loves hockey, it’s a city that helps shape its future.
