For the first time in franchise history, the Sudbury Wolves (OHL) will face off against the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in official regular season interleague play during the 2025-26 OHL campaign.
The two clubs—both known for their tenacity and canine-inspired identities—will meet in a home-and-home series, starting Sunday, January 18 at the Sudbury Community Arena, with the return leg set for Sunday, January 25 in Rouyn-Noranda. The matchups are more than symbolic; both games will count towards the OHL and QMJHL regular season standings.
Sudbury joins the Ottawa 67’s as the only OHL teams participating in interleague play this season. Ottawa will go head-to-head in a similar home-and-home series with the Gatineau Olympiques.
“We are excited to be one of the teams that is able to offer our fans interleague play,” said Rob Papineau, Sudbury’s Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager. “Rouyn has been a very strong team in the QMJHL and we have had a great relationship with them prior to COVID, where we played them each season in an exhibition game in Timmins, which we also look forward to bringing back to the hockey fans in Timmins.”
The Wolves and Huskies last clashed in pre-season action in 2018 and 2019 at Timmins’ McIntyre Community Centre. Sudbury came out on top in both contests, highlighted by standout performances from future NHLer Quinton Byfield. In 2018, Byfield posted a goal and three assists in a 7-6 shootout win, and followed up in 2019 with two goals and two assists. Shane Bulitka matched that stat line in the 7-2 victory.
The 2025-26 season sees both clubs looking to improve on their previous campaigns. The Wolves finished sixth in the OHL’s Eastern Conference before a first-round playoff exit against the Kingston Frontenacs. Meanwhile, Rouyn-Noranda placed second in the QMJHL’s Western Conference and reached the third round, falling to eventual league champions, the Moncton Wildcats.
With just four hours separating the two cities, and a growing history between the teams, this interleague series promises to be both a competitive and fan-friendly addition to the upcoming season.