What Hockey Team Is in Nova Scotia? (Pro, University, Juniors)

1971 was the year Nova Scotia landed its first professional hockey team.

The team name? The Nova Scotia Voyageurs – based in Halifax.

The Voyageurs were an expansion team within the American Hockey League (AHL) — originally called the Houston Apollos of the Central Hockey League (CHL).

The team was the affiliated minor league farm team for the Montreal Canadiens until 1984 when they eventually moved to Sherbrooke, Quebec to become the Sherbrooke Canadiens.

In this article, I’ll show you what professional hockey teams are in Nova Scotia and what university and junior hockey teams compete in the province.

Pssssst! Are you curious about hockey teams in other Canadian provinces? You can learn more by checking out our other posts: What Hockey Team Is in Quebec and What Hockey Team Is in New Brunswick.

Let’s dive in.

Here’s What Hockey Teams Are In Nova Scotia:

Nova Scotia’s top hockey teams are the Acadia Axemen, CBU Capers, Dalhousie Tigers, Saint Mary’s Huskies, and St. Francis Xavier X-Men (in the U Sports League). The top junior hockey teams (in the QMJHL) are the Halifax Mooseheads and Cape Breton Eagles.

Does Nova Scotia Have a Hockey Team?

So, what is Nova Scotia’s hockey team?

Nova Scotia has dozens of high-level hockey teams but no current professional teams.

The top hockey teams in the province are D1 university hockey teams:

The Acadia Axemen, Dalhousie Tigers, Saint Mary’s Huskies, St. Francis Xavier X-Men, and CBU Capers all compete within the Atlantic University Sport conference in the U Sports League in Canada.

The top junior hockey teams that compete within the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) are the Cape Breton Eagles and Halifax Mooseheads.

Are There Any NHL Teams in Nova Scotia?

So, will you find an NHL hockey team in Nova Scotia?

Unfortunately, not. But, Nova Scotia was once home to several professional teams that competed in the AHL: Cape Breton Oilers, Nova Scotia Voyageurs, Nova Scotia Oilers, and Halifax Citadels.

NHL Players from Nova Scotia

While Nova Scotia doesn’t have its own NHL team, the province is home to many current and retired hockey players from the National Hockey League (NHL).

The most prominent NHL player to come out of Nova Scotia is legend Sidney “Sid the Kid” Crosby.

NHL Players Born in Nova Scotia:

Sidney Crosby
Nathan MacKinnon
Brad Marchand
Al MacInnis
Bobby Smith
Glen Murray
Alex Killorn
Andrew McDonald
Jon Sim
Colin White
Ryan Graves
James Sheppard
Eric Boulton
Aaron Johnson
Mike McPhee
Lowell MacDonald
Doug Sulliman
Logan Shaw
Morgan Barron
Justin Barron
Liam O’Brien
Matthew Highmore

What Hockey Teams Are in Nova Scotia?

So, what hockey teams are in Nova Scotia? Nova Scotia has had several professional hockey teams over the years but currently doesn’t have a professional team. Instead, the top hockey teams in the province are University D1 teams and junior hockey teams as listed below:

NHL

Nova Scotia doesn’t have an NHL team. While they have had several professional hockey teams over the years, they haven’t had one compete in the NHL.

Hockey fans from Nova Scotia typically cheer for the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens.

AHL

The AHL is a high-level professional sports league just one step below the NHL. While Nova Scotia has had a few teams in the American Hockey League (AHL) team in the past, it doesn’t currently have a professional hockey team that competes within the league.

Here are the four AHL teams that have existed in Nova Scotia over the years:

Cape Breton Oilers (1988-1996)
Nova Scotia Voyageurs (1971-1984)
Nova Scotia Oilers (1984-1988)
Halifax Citadels (1988-1993)

D1 University Hockey

While Nova Scotia is better known for its junior hockey, the province has five D1 university hockey teams that compete within the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference as a part of the U Sports League — the top-tier university sports league in Canada:

Acadia Axemen
Dalhousie Tigers
Saint Mary’s Huskies
St. Francis Xavier X-Men
CBU Capers

College Hockey

Nova Scotia doesn’t currently have any college hockey programs.

Junior Hockey

Wondering what junior hockey teams are in Nova Scotia?

Well, Nova Scotia has dozens of junior ice hockey teams spread across 4 leagues.

Here are all the junior hockey teams in Nova Scotia, broken down by the different leagues:

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL – Major Junior) Teams:

So, does Nova Scotia have a major junior hockey team?

Yes! Nova Scotia has two major junior hockey teams in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) team that competes within the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League:

Cape Breton Eagles
Halifax Mooseheads

Maritime Junior A Hockey League (MHL – Junior A) Teams:

Amherst Ramblers
South Shore Lumberjacks
Valley Wildcats
Truro Bearcats
Weeks Crushers
Yarmouth Mariners

Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League (NSJHL – Junior B) Teams:

Brookfield Elks
Cole Harbour Colts
East Hants Penguins
Liverpool Privateers
Sackville Blazers
Valley Maple Leafs
Sid Rowe Division
Team Centre
Antigonish Bulldogs
Cumberland County Blues
Eskasoni Junior Eagles
Membertou Jr. Miners
Pictou County Scotians
Strait Pirates

Nova Scotia Regional Junior Hockey League (NSRJHL – Junior C) Teams:

South Shore Schooners
East Hants Jr. C Penguins
Eastern Shore Thunder
Sackville Knights
South West Storm
Spryfield Attack

Is There High School Hockey in Nova Scotia?

Yes, there is plenty of high school hockey to go around in Nova Scotia. There are four primary high school hockey leagues in the province:

Halifax Metro High School Hockey League (HMHSHL)

Auburn Eagles
Bay View High School
C.P. Allen Cheetahs
Citadel Phoenix
Dartmouth Spartans
Eastern Shore Schooners
Halifax West Warriors
Island View Devils
J.L. Ilsley Judges
Lockview Dragons
Millwood Knights
Sackville Kingfishers
Sommet-Mosaïque
Woodlawn Panthers

Valley High School Hockey League (VHSHL)

Avon View Avalanche
Barrington Barrons
Central Kings Gators
Clare Loups
Digby Mariners
Forest Heights Falcons
Horton Griffins
Northeast Kings Titans
Par-en-Bas Sharks
Parkview Panthers
West Kings Wolverines
Yarmouth Vikings

Northern Nova Scotia High School Hockey League (NNSHSHL)

CEC Cougars
Dr. J.H. Gillis Royals
Hants East Tigers
North Nova Gryphons
Northumberland Night Hawks

Cape Breton High School Hockey League (CBHSHL)

Glace Bay Panthers
Memorial Marauders
Riverview Ravens
Sydney Academy Wildcats

To learn about minor hockey leagues in Nova Scotia, check out the Hockey Nova Scotia website here.

Are you curious to know what hockey teams compete in different U.S. states? Be sure to check out our post: Hockey Teams in Every U.S. State: Complete NHL & College List (2023).