Two new hockey teams are coming to Charlotte County.
They are part of a hockey league called the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), which crosses the border between the United States and Canada.
Earlier this week the names were announced, the Eastern Charlotte Kingfishers and the St. Stephen Seawolves.
Ted Colley, the president and owner of both Charlotte County teams, said that the NCDC is a step ahead of other leagues in development of young talent.
“The NCDC has been ranked number six for developing kids to get to that next level,” said Colley.
The collegiate league is introducing three new teams along with the two in Charlotte County for the 2025-26 season.
Those include the Woodstock Slammers for New Brunswick, Presque Isle Frontiers in Maine, and Universel Quebec in Quebec.
Colley spoke to the recent spike in rivalry between the U.S. and Canada, adding he thinks that the rivalry will stir things up.
“Hopefully it’s in the spirit of the game and in the spirit of rivalry,” said Colley. “And sports bring us together despite the political atmosphere right now, our two countries are still like brothers.”
Eastern Charlotte Mayor John Craig spoke of the friendly rivalry that has been ongoing for a long time, between Eastern Charlotte and St. Stephen.
“St. Stephen as well having a team will create a great rivalry between the two communities, and we will hopefully play quite a few games,” said Craig.
Craig said that he is excited to “bring new life into the arena”, which has been reinvigorated recently as part of new development in Eastern Charlotte.
Colley said the inspiration for each team name in Charlotte County came from the community, who submitted titles, the highest number of votes on a title got the name.
The Kingfishers is a name from the history of hockey in Charlotte County.
About thirty-five years ago The Kingfishers were a part of minor league hockey in the community, leading to the name being the obvious pick for Eastern Charlotte.
The Seawolves’ name was decided the same way. The individual who provided the idea for each name got a season pass to all of their games.
Colley said that he hopes all of the kids for each team will be in their respective towns for the month of August, with players hitting the ice at the beginning of the 2025 hockey season.
The players who can be up to twenty years of age will attend a highschool, university, or college in their corresponding area according to Craig.
“I’m excited, it’s like all i can think about, it’s gonna be nice growing up in St. Stephen and being able to get a team back for the town,” said Sawyer Russell, a future player for the Seawolves.
