Former Newmarket players Trent Walford and Steve Novis, along with 87s founder Charlie Macoun, among Ontario Junior Hockey League class of 2025 inductees
Story reprinted from Newmarket Today:
By Joseph Quigley
Trent Walford said playing hockey for Newmarket in the Ontario Junior Hockey League was life changing.
Raised in Mississauga but born in Newmarket, Walford said he tried out for the Newmarket 87s since he had plenty of family in the area. Walford made the team and said the coach, Wes Jarvis, helped him blossom.
From there, Walford helped lead the team to a league title and make a mark on OHJL history, scoring the most points ever in a single season.
“When I went to Newmarket, all of a sudden, it got me focused,” Walford said. “Part of the reason I played so well was I felt comfortable.”
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is honouring some of Newmarket’s hockey history with three inductees in its 2025 Hall of Fame connected to the town’s hockey teams. Along with Walford, the class also includes builder Charlie Macoun, who founded the Newmarket 87s, which would become the Newmarket Hurricanes. The league is also recognizing Steve Novis, who spent three seasons in Newmarket as part of the Newmarket Flyers in the 1970s.
Walford is getting recognition for a strong career in the mid-1990s. He played for several teams but blossomed with the Newmarket 87s, amassing 291 points in 124 games over three seasons. In his final season, he scored 142 points for the team, a modern-era record in the OJHL. That season earned him player of the year honours and would help the team win a league title and reach the semifinals of the national championships.
He said he was surprised by the nomination.
“It’s become very special, actually. Honestly, I was very flattered,” he said. “It kind of made me realize how old I was and how long ago it was, but it’s brought back a lot of great memories which has been very special to me and obviously to my family, too. I think my parents just couldn’t be happier.”
Walford said hockey was a big part of his life growing up, with him and his brothers all playing. He started skating in Newmarket at age three before moving to Mississauga at age six and continuing playing competitively.
“I was progressing, but it didn’t really click — literally — until I got to Newmarket,” Walford said.
It was there Walford would make its mark and produce at a high clip. He said ownership was willing to make the moves to get the team to a championship in its third year.
“It was a special time,” he said. “We had great chemistry and all the pieces came together.”
Walford went on to play three seasons with the NCAA and then three more seasons in the ECHL. He said he was disappointed with how his career played out after Newmarket, saying Newmarket coach Jarvis brought a lot out of him.
“I’m proud I played college because a lot of people aren’t fortunate enough to do it, but for me, it was almost disappointing …. Truly for me, the highlight of hockey was just playing in Newmarket.”
“As a player, I kind of plateaued,” he said. “I’m proud I played college because a lot of people aren’t fortunate enough to do it, but for me, it was almost disappointing …. Truly for me, the highlight of hockey was just playing in Newmarket.”
It was Macoun who helped found the team where Walford made his mark. Macoun, who passed away in 2020, helped create the Hurricanes and also held numerous executive positions with the OJHL and its previous incarnation, the Ontario Hockey Association.
“Charlie set a standard for team stability and decorum both on and off the ice,” friend Brent Ladds wrote in Macoun’s obituary. “He was a disciplinarian, he possessed a community-first attitude and countless numbers of players became better hockey players, but more importantly, better because of his efforts. He had a tremendous, positive influence on the game and the people around him.”
Walford said Macoun treated his family well.
“He was very special to the community,” Walford said. “He cared. He was a really good man.”
Novis was a major threat with the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League, where he played four seasons, three while in Newmarket. He had high production seasons every year, including 103 points in his final season in Newmarket, finishing his career as the leading point getter of the league’s original era with 348.
Walford went on to become a real estate agent in Las Vegas. He said he has a lot of fond memories of his time playing in Newmarket, especially being close to the fans on the old Main Street hockey rink.
“Newmarket was truly a second home for us,” he said.
Also being inducted with York Region ties is Richmond Hill native Michael Cammalleri, who had a distinguished 15-year NHL career playing in over 906 games that included 294 goals and 642 points with five teams beginning in 2005— the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers, according to an OJHL news release.
Cammalleri, who retired in 2018, coaches youth hockey in Vaughan. He was inducted into the Richmond Hill Sports Hall of Fame in January.
The OJHL Hall of Fame is virtual, and this year’s class will be celebrated in a ceremony to be held in May.
