Trent Walford
Trent Walford definitely found a home in what’s now the Ontario Junior Hockey League during the mid-1990s. The Mississauga product had proverbial cups of coffee with the Newmarket Royals (now Sarnia Sting) and Niagara Falls Thunder (now Erie Otters). But Walford blossomed with the Newmarket 87s (now Milton Menace) of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League. In 124 games over three seasons (1993-96), Walford amassed 291 points (101 goals/190 assists) for an eye-popping average of 2.35 points per game. “I was progressing, but it didn’t really click — literally — until I got to Newmarket,” Walford told Newmarket Today this spring. He especially remembers fellow Hall of Famer Charlie Macoun. The late 87s and OJHL builder was key. “He was very special to the community,” Walford said. “He cared. He was a really good man. Walfords final season (1995-96) in Newmarket was his finest by far. Walford scored 52 goals and assisted on 90 others for 142 points in 50 games. No shrinking violet, he was also assessed 156 penalty minutes. Walford’s 142 points remains a Modern Era record for a single season in the OJHL. Walford also is second with the single season assist record and is 9th all time in career assists with 190. Fellow 2025 Hall of Fame inductee Darren Hayder (Milton Merchants) and Jason Pinizzotto (Couchiching Terriers) are next at 140 points. Walford was selected as player of the year by the Canadian Junior Hockey League that season. Newmarket won the Buckland and Dudley Hewitt cups that year and advanced to the semifinals at the national championships in Melfort, Sask. Walford played three seasons at NCAA Division I Lake Superior State and parts of three more seasons in the ECHL. Now 48, Walford is a real estate agent in Las Vegas. The call to the OJHL Hall of Fame from Commissioner Marty Savoy caught him off-guard. “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.”