After winning their second straight Bogart Cup, the best team from the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) has its sights set on one more trophy.
The Rockland Nationals, fresh off their Bogart Cup victory over the Smiths Falls Bears, are in Summerside, Prince Edward Island to compete in the 2026 Centennial Cup tournament. The Nats are representing the CCHL after winning the league’s top prize, and are one of 10 teams battling for junior hockey supremacy. The team finished the season ranked number one in the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), the national governing body for Junior A hockey in Canada.
The winner of the Centennial Cup stakes its claim as the best junior hockey team in Canada. The tournament serves as Canada’s National Junior A Hockey Championship and will be hosted at the Credit Union Place. The Nationals went 52-3 to set a CCHL record for highest win percentage (.945) and were the only team across the 116-team CJHL as the only team to win 90 per cent of its games.
Last year, the Nats were one goal away from playing for the Centennial Cup and came up just short.
That loss, combined with another Bogart Cup, have given the team’s coaching staff, and its players, the motivation and determination to get to that next step.
“That was the goal at the beginning of the year, to get have a chance to compete for the Centennial Cup and play one more game than we did last year,” said Nats head coach Juston Pereira in a conversation with The Vision after the team won the Bogart Cup. “It’s not easy to go back-to-back, especially with so many great teams in our league. But these boys had one goal, and they wanted to play in Summerside and here we are.
With several players just a few weeks away from ending their junior hockey careers, winning a Centennial Cup would be the icing on the cake after a memorable season from the Nats.
“Winning one Bogart Cup is hard and that one was special because it was the first one for the team in 50 years,” said captain Mathys Laurent, who was named the CCHL’s best defenseman for the 2026-2026 season. “We knew if we wanted to play in Summerside, we had to win another Bogart Cup. And to go back-to-back is something that we will remember forever. We will be connected forever no matter what.”
Celebrating history added motivation
The last and only time a Nats team won the Centennial Cup was in 1976, exactly 50 years ago. The Nats celebrated that team with a special ceremony earlier this season, bringing together former players to share their memories of the monumental feat.
“They are all still friends and they will always be part of that history forever, it’s a special feeling,” said Nats forward Gabriel Le Houillier, the 2025-2026 CCHL scoring champion and most valuable player (MVP). “We know we have the team that win the Centennial Cup. We just have to play our game, stay focused and remember how we got here and how we earned a chance to play for that trophy.”
Nats forward Alex Kelloway credits the entire organization – from owners to coaches and his teammates – for their commitment to win.
“We play for one another and look out for our guys on the ice,” said Kelloway. “We have a chance to be part of history. This time with the Nats has been special, and winning the Centennial Cup would make it even more special. But no matter what, I will always remember these guys.”
A send off in style
The community gathered at the Clarence-Rockland Arena last weekend to send the team off as players and coaches prepared for their trip to Summerside where they will compete for the Centennial Cup. It was an event spearheaded by local radio station GO FM.
The team has brought the excitement of hockey back to the city of Clarence-Rockland since Pereira took over as coach where he changed the team’s culture and turned the Nats into a championship contender.
“They (fans) have been at away games cheering us on and have packed our arena to see us play and support us,” said Laurent. “We share our wins with them and we share the Bogart Cup with them and we want to make them proud. TO win another trophy for this city would be great and a thank you for being such great fans.”
The quest for the Centennial Cup begins on May 7. The Nats take on the Cadmore Eagles. Puck drop is 4 p.m. Summerside time, which is 3 pm Rockland time.
Follow all the action here: 2026 Centennial Cup.
Pereira, Laurent and Le Houillier up for CJHL honours
The CJHL recently announced finalists for some major awards featuring several members of the Nats organization.
Head coach Justin Pereira is one finalist for the top coach in the CJHL, while captain Mathys Laurent has been named one of five finalists for the CJHL’s top defenseman. Gabriel Le Houiller, the CCHL’s MVP and winner of the scoring title, was named a finalist for top forward in the CJHL.
