The Walkerton Capitals are a

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 Walkerton,

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 C ...

, Canada. They played in the

Western Junior C Hockey League The Western Ontario Junior C Hockey League was a Junior "C" ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association. The Champion of the Western will compete for the All-Ontario Championship and the Clarence Schmalz Cu ...

.Western C Teams , Western Junior C Hockey League , Junior C , Leagues , Ontario Hockey Association
/ref> until the 2016-17 season when the league became a division became the Pollock Division of the

Provincial Junior Hockey League The Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league spanning parts of Southern Ontario. The PJHL is the third tier of the Ontario Hockey Association and is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Cana ...

History

The Walkerton Blackhawks entered the Central Ontario Junior C Hockey League in 1976, jumping up from Junior D. The Hawks finished that season with a moderate 11-24-1 record as an expansion franchise and had their first playoff berth. In 1980, the Central League became the Grey-Bruce Junior C Hockey League as many of the further reaching teams like the

Listowel Cyclones The Listowel Cyclones are a junior ice hockey team based in Listowel, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. They currently play at the Steve Kerr Memorial Complex. History and The E ...

and New Hamburg Hahns left the league to pursue Junior B hockey. In 1987, the league accepted the expansion of the Mount Forest Patriots and in 1988 renamed itself the Western Ontario Junior C Hockey League. The Walkerton Hawks have been a long running mainstay in this league. They sat out the 2004-05 season to reorganize their franchise, but have come back strong since.Owen Sound Sun Times - Ontario, CA
/ref> During their time off, ownership considered a move to

Saugeen Shores, Ontario Saugeen Shores is a town in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, formed in 1998. In addition to the two main population centres of Southampton and Port Elgin, the town includes a portion of the village of Burgoyne and the North Bruce area, straddling the ...

. In the 2005-06 season, their first after their short hiatus, the Walkerton Hawks finished in fifth place. They challenged the fourth-seeded

Goderich Sailors The Goderich Flyers are members of the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) and are based in Goderich, Ontario, Canada. History After the failed and short-lived Lakeshore Pirates folded in 1999, the town of Goderich pushed for a new team. T ...

in the league quarter-final and defeated them 2-games-to-none. In the league semi-final, they competed against the league's top seeded

Wingham Ironmen The Wingham Ironmen are a Junior ice hockey team based in Wingham, Ontario, Canada. They began play in the Northern Junior D Hockey League and eventually moved up to the Western Junior C Hockey League where they played until the 2016-17 season ...

. The Ironmen swept the series 4-games-to-none.Home , Ontario Hockey Association
/ref> The 2006-07 season saw the Walkerton Hawks step into high gear at the end of the season and push into the third seed over the

Hanover Barons The Hanover Barons are a junior hockey, junior ice hockey team based in Hanover, Ontario, Hanover, Ontario, Canada., Durham, Ontario (2009-10 OnlHanover Barons/ref> They play out of the Western Junior C Hockey League, Provincial Junior Hockey Lea ...

. In the league quarter-final, the Hawks played against the sixth seeded

. Walkerton won the series 3-games-to-1. In the semi-final, the Hawks drew the second seeded

. To the dismay of the Ironmen, the Hawks swept them 4-games-to-none. This resulted in Western league final between the Walkerton Hawks and the first seeded

Kincardine Bulldogs The Kincardine Bulldogs are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Kincardine, Ontario. They play in thProvincial Junior Hockey Leaguewhich is an amalgamation of all former junior C leagues in Southern Ontario including the Bulldogs former W ...

. This was the end of the road for the Hawks as the Bulldogs came out on top 4-games-to-1. The playoffs for the 2019-20 season were 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 ...

, leading to the team not being able to play a single game. May 20, 2022 the team announced that they were re-branding the club to the Walkerton Capitals

Season-by-season standings

(*) ''The 1999-00 Season was altered drastically due to the folding of the Lakeshore Pirates. As a disproportionate number of games had been played by each team against Lakeshore, all history of these games was erased.'' *1976-1981 & 1982-1996 *1981-1982 *1996-2004 *2004–Present

Notable alumni

* Kevin Czuczman *Lauchlin Elder ( NLL lacrosse player) *

Nathan Perrott Nathan A. Perrott (born December 8, 1976) is a Canadian professional boxer and former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League with the Nashville Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Dallas Stars between 2001 and 200 ...

Legends of Hockey – NHL Player Search – Player – Nathan Perrott
/ref>

References

External links

Hawks Webpage
{{OHA-C Ice hockey teams in Ontario