If it ain’t broke, the owners of the relocated National Lacrosse League franchise in Oshawa, Ontario, weren’t going to fix it.
The franchise announced at a press conference in Oshawa on Tuesday, September 9, that it would retain the “FireWolves” nickname that it first took on in its former home of Albany, New York, in its new city. They also unveiled a largely unchanged logo and jerseys, with “OSHAWA” replacing “ALBANY” in the logo.
“Lacrosse has a rich history in the Great Lakes region, originating with the Indigenous nations, celebrated by passionate communities and storied franchises like the Whitby Warriors, Brooklin Lacrosse Club, Peterborough Lakers and the Green Gaels Lacrosse Club (formerly the Oshawa Green Gaels),” Oshawa FireWolves owner and CEO said on the league’s website. “In naming our team the Oshawa FireWolves, we honor this heritage and embrace the identity of the Indigenous meanings of ‘Fire’ and ‘Wolf,’ reflecting courage, strength, community, and leadership.”
At Tuesday’s press conference, players wore black jerseys that appeared relatively unchanged from what the team was wearing in Albany, with Indigenous imagery on the sleeves and maroon numbers with gold outlines. The new sweaters didn’t have any shoulder logos, though, and the full Oshawa FireWolves logo appeared on the front rather than the partial wolf’s-head logo.
The Oshawa FireWolves will play out of the Tribute Communities Centre (formerly the General Motors Centre), a 5,180-seat arena that’s also home to the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals. They’ll become the NLL’s seventh Canadian team, joining the Calgary Roughnecks, Halifax Thunderbirds, Ottawa Black Bears, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock and Vancouver Warriors.
A detailed schedule for the 2025-26 NLL season has not yet been announced, but it’s expected to start in November.
