The Niagara-on-the-Lake Predators are a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

team based in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. They play in the

Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League The Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL) is a Canadian developmental junior ice hockey league. The league has primarily had teams in the Greater Toronto Area, Central Ontario, Northeastern Ontario, and Quebec. In 2019, they added three ...

(GMHL).

History

The Toronto Predators joined the GMHL as an expansion franchise in February 2013. Founded by Allan Donnan, the Predators called the historic

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...

(now known as Mattamy Athletic Center) home. The Predators played their first game on September 7, 2013, at home, against the

Orangeville Americans The Orangeville Ice Crushers were a junior ice hockey team based in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL). History The Orangeville Americans were announced in the spring of 2011 with the ros ...

. Hockey Hall of Famers Ken Dryden and Darryl Sittler, and singer John McDermott did the opening puck drop, as the Americans won the game 4–2. Mitch Hebert scored the first goal in team history, just five seconds into the game, while goaltender Marc Villeneuve made 49 saves in a losing effort. On September 28, 2013, Robin Bonvin scored in overtime to give the Predators their first franchise victory. Playing on home ice, Marc Villeneuve made 58 saves in net, against the

Knights of Meaford The Knights of Meaford are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Meaford, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL). History The Knights of Meaford joined the GMHL in spring 2013. The Knights are the fir ...

, in the 3–2 victory. Mitch Hebert scored a franchise record four goals on October 27, 2013, against the Powassan Eagles. Hebert was the first Predator to notch a hat trick. After their inaugural season the Predators were taken over by Robert Turnbull. A longtime Hamilton Red Wings (1999–2014) general manager and team president, Turnbull took over from previous owner Allan Donnan (who also owned the Toronto Attack). Before the 2017–18 season, the Predators had relocated home games to Canlan Ice Sports – York in North York. Following the 2020–21 season that was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the team relocated to Niagara-on-the-Lake for the 2021–22 season.

Season-by-season standings

References

External links

Torono Predators website
{{GMHL 2013 establishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 2013 Ice hockey teams in Toronto Niagara-on-the-Lake