The Mississauga Steelheads are a

junior ice hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

team in the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

, based in

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. The Steelheads play their games at the

Paramount Fine Foods Centre The Paramount Fine Foods Centre, formerly the Hershey Centre, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Its current name was adopted on July 1, 2018, following a new naming rights agreement with ...

in Mississauga.

History

The OHL originated in Mississauga with the

Mississauga IceDogs The Mississauga IceDogs were a junior ice hockey team in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Ontario Hockey League from 1998 to 2007. A sale relocated the team to St. Catharines, Ontario for the 2007–08 season and they are now cal ...

. The IceDogs played in Mississauga from 1998 to 2007 being purchased by

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

owner

Eugene Melnyk Eugene Melnyk (May 27, 1959 – March 28, 2022) was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist, and owner, governor, and chairman of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ottawa Senators and the AHL's Belleville Senators. He was the founder, chairman, ...

in 2006. Following the 2006-2007 season, Melnyk sold the Icedogs who moved to St Catherines to become the

Niagara IceDogs The Niagara IceDogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The franchise was originally known as the Mississauga IceDogs and founded in 1996. The team was relocated to St. Cathar ...

. At the same time Melynk moved the

Toronto St. Michael's Majors The Toronto St. Michael's Majors were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The most recent franchise was revived on August 15, 1996. In 2007, the team relocated to Mississauga, Ontario an ...

to Mississauga to become the

Mississauga St. Michael's Majors The Toronto St. Michael's Majors were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The most recent franchise was revived on August 15, 1996. In 2007, the team relocated to Mississauga, Ontario an ...

. The Majors played in Mississauga from 2007-2012, also hosting the

2011 Memorial Cup The 2011 Memorial Cup was a four-team round-robin format ice hockey tournament played from May 20–29, 2011 in Mississauga, Ontario. It was the 93rd annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Ca ...

. Following the 2012 season Melnyk sold the Majors franchise to Elliott Kerr of Mississauga's Landmark Sport Group. As a part of the sale, the Majors identity was returned to St. Michael's College, allowing the team to move forward under the fan-selected "Steelheads" moniker. The Steelheads struggled in their first season in

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

finishing last in the OHL Central Division and 8th overall in the Eastern Conference before losing to the

Belleville Bulls The Belleville Bulls were a junior ice hockey team, founded in 1981 and based in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Eastern Division of the Eastern Conference of the Ontario Hockey League. The team moved to Hamilton, Ontario at ...

in 6 games in the first round. Before the 2013–14 the Steelheads drafted 15 year old

Sean Day Sean Day (born January 9, 1998) is a Belgian-born Canadian-American professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Tampa Bay Lightning of the Na ...

. Day had applied for and been granted Exceptional Player Status to be able to be drafted into the OHL at 15 years old. In the 2013–14 season the Steelheads again finished last in the OHL Central Division and 8th in the Eastern Conference, this time being swept by the number one ranked Oshawa Generals in four games in the first round of the 2014 OHL Playoffs. In 2014–15 the Steelheads finished in 4th in the Central Division ahead of the

Sudbury Wolves The Sudbury Wolves are an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) ice hockey team based in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Sudbury has had various hockey teams competing at the Junior ice hockey, junior and senior ice hockey levels of the game k ...

but missed the 2015 OHL Playoffs finishing five points back. In 2015–16 thanks to strong performances by a trio of top 2016 NHL Draft picks (

Alexander Nylander Alexander Maximiliam Michael Junior Nylander Altelius (born 2 March 1998) is a Canadian-born Swedish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under cont ...

, Michael McLeod,

Nathan Bastian Nathan Bastian (born December 6, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Devils in the second round, 41st overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft ...

) the Steelheads finished above .500 for the first time and ended the season in 7th in the Eastern Conference standings, (4th in their division). Again though the Steelheads would fall in the 1st Round losing to the

Barrie Colts The Barrie Colts are a junior ice hockey team in Ontario Hockey League, based in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Pre-OHL history There were two previous Barrie Colts teams which played Junior A & B hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association, one from 1 ...

in 7 games. 2016–17 was the best season currently in Mississauga Steelheads history. Backed by continued strong performances by Bastian and McLeod as well as a breakout 44 goal season from

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

1st Round Draft Pick

Owen Tippett Owen Tippett (born February 16, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted with the tenth overall pick by the Florida Panthers at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. ...

, the Steelheads won their first Central Division Title. Entering the 2017 OHL Playoffs in the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference the Steelheads defeated the

Ottawa 67's The Ottawa 67's are a major junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that plays in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Established during Canada's Canadian Centennial, centennial year of 1967 and named in honour of this, the 67's c ...

in 6 games in the 1st Round before defeating the

Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor (commercial), sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. ...

in 5 games in the 2nd Round. In the Eastern Conference Finals the Steelheads swept the

Peterborough Petes The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played at the Peterborough Memorial Centre in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league. ...

in 4 games to win their first

Bobby Orr Trophy The Bobby Orr Trophy is awarded annually to the champion of the Eastern conference playoffs in the Ontario Hockey League. It was first awarded in 1999. The winning team competes for the J. Ross Robertson Cup in the OHL finals versus the Wayne Gret ...

in franchise history. The Steelheads would fall in the

J. Ross Robertson Cup The J. Ross Robertson Cup is a Canadian ice hockey trophy. It is awarded annually in junior ice hockey to the champion of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. It was donated by John Ross Robertson to the Ontario Hockey Association in 1910, and ...

Finals in 5 games to the

Erie Otters The Erie Otters are a Major junior ice hockey team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Midwest division of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of only three American teams in the circuit. The team name refers to the North Am ...

. In 2017–18 Mississauga returned to the bottom of the Eastern Conference ending the season in 7th place, (4th in the Central Division). The Barrie Colts once again defeated the Steelheads in the 1st Round of the Playoffs, this time in 6 games. In 2018–19 Mississauga was the best team of a weak bottom half of the OHL Eastern Conference finishing in 5th place but 20 points back of Sudbury in 4th. In the playoffs the Wolves easily swept Mississauga in 4 games. The

2019–20 OHL season The 2019–20 OHL season was the 40th season of the Ontario Hockey League, in which twenty teams were scheduled to playing 68 games each according to the regular season schedule, from September 19, 2019 to March 22, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pande ...

was cancelled before completion of the regular season, the

or the 2020 Memorial Cup in Kelowna. At the time of cancellation the Steelheads sat in 6th place in the OHL Eastern Conference with a record of 27-29-4-1 but 17 points up on 9th place, which would have guaranteed the Steelheads a 7th playoff appearance in 8 seasons.

Uniforms and mascot

The primary logo for the Steelheads displays a

Steelhead trout Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and N ...

below the word Mississauga with a maple leaf after it. The Steelheads colours are

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

. The secondary logo features the Port Credit lighthouse within an M, representing the city landmark. The Steelheads' blue and white uniforms bear a striking resemblance to those of the nearby

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

of the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

; their home sweaters are white with blue striping and collars, while their road sweaters are blue with white striping and collars. The team mascot is named Sauga. The name was created during a fan contest during the summer of 2012, when the organization asked its fans to create a name for the new Steelheads mascot.http://www.mississauga.com/sports-story/3128035-steelheads-name-mascot-open-shop/

Championships

Division titles * 2016–17

Emms Trophy The Emms Trophy is presented annually to the regular season champion of the Central division in the Ontario Hockey League. The trophy was inaugurated in the 1975–76 season for the winner of the Emms division, the more westerly of the two division ...

– Central Division Conference titles * 2016-17

– Eastern Conference

Finalists vs. Erie Otters

Season-by-season results

Regular season

Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss

Playoffs

*2012-13 Lost to Belleville Bulls 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals. *2013-14 Lost to Oshawa Generals 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals. *2014-15 Out of playoffs. *2015-16 Lost to Barrie Colts 4 games to 3 in conference quarter-finals. *2016-17 Defeated Ottawa 67's 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
Defeated Oshawa Generals 4 games to 1 in conference semi-finals.
Defeated Peterborough Petes 4 games to 0 in conference finals.
Lost to Erie Otters 4 games to 1 in OHL finals. *2017-18 Lost to Barrie Colts 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals. *2018-19 Lost to Sudbury Wolves 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals. *2019-20 Cancelled *2020-21 Cancelled *2021-22 Defeated Barrie Colts 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to Hamilton Bulldogs 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals.

Coaches

*2012–2016: James Boyd *2016–present: James Richmond

Captains

* 2012–13 – Stuart Percy * 2013–14 – Brett Foy * 2014–15 – Bryson Cianfrone * 2015–16 – Joshua Burnside * 2016–17 – Michael McLeod * 2017–18 – Michael McLeod, Nicolas Hague * 2018–19 – Cole Carter * 2019–20 – Liam Ham

NHL alumni

List of Steelheads alumni to play in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL): *

* Trevor Carrick *

Dylan DeMelo Dylan DeMelo (born May 1, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing with the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). DeMelo was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the 6th round (179th overall) of the 2011 ...

* Nicolas Hague * Thomas Harley *

Mason Marchment Mason Marchment (born June 18, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Despite not playing major junior hockey until the age of 19, Marchment was signed by the ...

* Spencer Martin * Michael McLeod *

Ryan McLeod Ryan McLeod (born September 21, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career McLeod was drafted by the Oilers in the second round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He ...

* Stuart Percy *

References

External links

* {{Ontario Sports Ice hockey clubs established in 1996 Ontario Hockey League teams Sport in Mississauga Ice hockey teams in Ontario