French River Rapids

French River Rapids
French River Rapids
City	Noëlville, Ontario
League	Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League
Founded	2015
Home arena	Noelville Arena
Colours	Blue, red, and white;
General manager	Paul Frustaglio
Head coach	Paul Frustaglio
Affiliate	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

The French River Rapids are a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey team based out of Noelville, Ontario. They are members of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and play their home games at Noelville Arena.

History

The Rapids were one of two expansion teams that entered the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) prior to the start of the 2015–16 season along with the Espanola Express. The team hired former NHL defenseman Moe Mantha, Jr. as its first general manager and head coach.^[3] The team played its first game on September 11, 2015, losing at home 6-5 to the Powassan Voodoos before a crowd of 450.^[4] After losing the first 13 games in franchise history, the team picked up its first victory with a 3-2 overtime win against the Espanola Express, the other expansion team.^[5] Moe Mantha, Jr. left the club near the end of the season to take over as the interim head coach of the Saginaw Spirit. His record as head coach of the club was 1–41–1–1.

In summer 2016, the French River Rapids came under new ownership when Jessy Landry purchased the franchise from original owner Allan Donnan. Landry then assumed the role of president and general manager and was able to get Mantha to return as head coach of the Rapids. However, after the team was assured of another last place finish in the league, Landry stepped down in February 2017.^[6] In April 2017, under new management of team president Paul Frustaglio, the Rapids named Sherwood Bassin the director of hockey operations and Ken Strong as head coach.^[7]

Towards the start of the 2017–18 season, the Rapids had a four-game win streak (surpassing their total wins in a season) within their first ten games.

Season-by-season records

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts	Result	Playoffs
2015–16	54	2	49	1	2	124	347	7	6th of 6, East 12th of 12, NOJHL	Did not qualify
2016–17	56	3	51	1	1	128	376	8	6th of 6, East 12th of 12, NOJHL	Did not qualify
2017–18	56	13	38	0	5	164	287	31	6th of 6, East 11th of 12, NOJHL	Did not qualify
2018–19	56	14	39	—	3	155	244	31	6th of 6, East 11th of 12, NOJHL	Did not qualify
2019–20	56	13	38	—	5	136	250	31	6th of 6, East 11th of 12, NOJHL	Did not qualify
2020–21	8	4	4	—	0	36	38	8	Withdrew from season due to the COVID-19 pandemic^[8]
2021–22	48	23	24	1	0	197	196	47	4th of 6, East 8th of 12, NOJHL	Won E Qualifier 0-2 (Kirkland Lake Gold Miners) Lost E Div Semifinal 0-4 (Timmins Rock)
2022–23	58	9	46	2	1	145	304	21	4th of 6, East 10th of 12, NOJHL	Lost E Div Semifinal 0-4 (Timmins Rock)
2023–24	58	10	46	1	1	164	344	22	6th of 6, East 11th of 12, NOJHL	Did not qualify