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Mayfair Gold (TSXV: MFG,NYSE American: MINE) is a development-stage company focused on advancing the Fenn-Gib gold project, a large, bulk-tonnage open-pit deposit situated in one of Canada’s most prolific gold districts. The company’s technical team is actively progressing provincial permitting, engaging in Indigenous consultation, advancing engineering, and conducting ongoing exploration to expand the deposit beyond its current pit boundaries.

The Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS), prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 standards and filed in January 2026, outlines a base-case economic model with an after-tax NPV (5 percent) of C$652 million and an IRR of 24 percent, based on conservative gold prices, demonstrating rapid payback potential. Under a spot price scenario, project economics improve markedly, highlighting the asset’s strong leverage to higher gold prices. Once in operation, the project is expected to generate over $200 million in annual free cash flow, providing a robust source of capital to fund growth initiatives.

Mayfair Gold’s flagship Fenn-Gib gold project is located within the established Timmins Gold District in Ontario, which has produced more than 100 million ounces of gold historically.

Fenn-Gib is Mayfair’s flagship asset, encompassing a significant indicated mineral resource of 181.3 million tonnes grading 0.74 g/t gold for 4.3 million contained ounces, and additional inferred ounces. The project benefits from excellent access via Highway 101 and proximity to regional mining services.

Company Highlights

  • Robust Pre-feasibility Study: The 2026 PFS highlights compelling returns on a modest initial throughput design while leveraging a large resource base.
  • High-grade Early Focus: The staged plan targets higher-grade, near-surface material to optimize permitting timelines, construction risk, financing, and ultimately accelerate value capture.
  • Strategic Location: Fenn-Gib sits on the highly prospective Timmins Gold District, Ontario — a tier-one mining jurisdiction with established infrastructure and a long history of mining-related activity and supportive communities.
  • Strong Financial Backing: The company has a committed shareholder base, including Muddy Waters, Heeney Capital, Oaktree and Vestcor. With a tight share structure and strong Insider ownership of 35% there is clear alignment for long-term shareholder value creation.
  • Exploration Optionality: Mineralization at Fenn-Gib remains open at depth and along strike, with multiple underexplored targets identified across the property. This includes a Southern Block that has not been explored but sits directly on the prolific Porcupine-Destor fault.
  • Long-term optionality: With a truncated timeline to production the company will be in an advantageous spot for growth initiatives that can be funded with free cash flow.
  • CEO Nick Campbell, heads a technically strong and capital-markets-savvy team with a demonstrated ability to unlock value from high-quality gold assets (previously at Artemis Gold and Silvercrest Metals) and position projects for long-term growth.
  • COO Drew Anwyll is an experienced mine builder; he successfully permitted the Marathon PGM project in Ontario and was a senior executive during the construction, commissioning and start-up of Detour Lake, Canada’s largest gold mine.

This Mayfair Gold profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*

Click here to connect with Mayfair Gold (TSXV:MFG) to receive an Investor Presentation

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Investor Insight

Mayfair Gold is progressing its 100 percent-owned Fenn-Gib gold project toward production, with a development plan anchored by a robust 2026 pre-feasibility study (PFS). The company’s strategy emphasizes a smaller scale mine designed to accelerate permitting through Ontario’s One Project One Process platform and exploit near surface high-margin ounces in a capital efficient manner. The PFS only corresponds to 24 percent of the indicated gold resource leaving meaningful optionality for long term growth coupled with exploration upside across a broader land package.

Overview

Mayfair Gold (TSXV:MFG,NYSE American:MINE) is a development-stage company with the primary objective of advancing the Fenn-Gib gold project — a large, bulk-tonnage open-pit deposit located in one of Canada’s most prolific gold districts. The company’s technical team is executing on provincial permitting, Indigenous consultation, engineering and ongoing exploration to expand mineralization beyond the current pit constraints.

Mayfair Gold’s flagship Fenn-Gib gold project is located within the established Timmins Gold District in Ontario, which has produced more than 100 million ounces of gold historically.

The PFS, prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 standards and filed in January 2026, outlines a base-case economic model with an after-tax NPV (5 percent) of C$652 million and an IRR of 24 percent, using conservative gold prices, and demonstrates rapid payback potential. Under a spot price scenario, project economics improve markedly, underscoring the asset’s leverage to higher gold prices. With over $200 million in annual free cash flow once in operation the company will have a robust source of capital to fund growth initiatives.

Company Highlights

  • Robust Pre-feasibility Study: The 2026 PFS highlights compelling returns on a modest initial throughput design while leveraging a large resource base.
  • High-grade Early Focus: The staged plan targets higher-grade, near-surface material to optimize permitting timelines, construction risk, financing, and ultimately accelerate value capture.
  • Strategic Location: Fenn-Gib sits on the highly prospective Timmins Gold District, Ontario — a tier-one mining jurisdiction with established infrastructure and a long history of mining-related activity and supportive communities.
  • Strong Financial Backing: The company has a committed shareholder base, including Muddy Waters, Heeney Capital, Oaktree and Vestcor. With a tight share structure and strong Insider ownership of 35% there is clear alignment for long-term shareholder value creation.
  • Exploration Optionality: Mineralization at Fenn-Gib remains open at depth and along strike, with multiple underexplored targets identified across the property. This includes a Southern Block that has not been explored but sits directly on the prolific Porcupine-Destor fault.
  • Long-term optionality: With a truncated timeline to production the company will be in an advantageous spot for growth initiatives that can be funded with free cash flow.
  • CEO Nick Campbell, heads a technically strong and capital-markets-savvy team with a demonstrated ability to unlock value from high-quality gold assets (previously at Artemis Gold and Silvercrest Metals) and position projects for long-term growth.
  • COO Drew Anwyll is an experienced mine builder; he successfully permitted the Marathon PGM project in Ontario and was a senior executive during the construction, commissioning and start-up of Detour Lake, Canada’s largest gold mine.

Key Project

Fenn-Gib Gold Project

Fenn-Gib is Mayfair’s flagship asset, encompassing a significant indicated mineral resource of 181.3 million tonnes grading 0.74 g/t gold for 4.3 million contained ounces, and additional inferred ounces. The project benefits from excellent access via Highway 101 and proximity to regional mining services.

The 2026 PFS centers on a 4,800 tonnes-per-day open-pit operation designed to process approximately 1.04 million ounces of gold, representing 24 percent of the total resource and reflecting a conservative, execution-oriented approach. Highlights from the study include:

  • After-tax NPV of C$1.37 billion and IRR of 38 percent at current spot gold prices.
    2.7-year payback period on initial capital costs under the base case (1.7 year payback at January 2026 prices)

In addition to economic studies and active dialogue with Indigenous stakeholders, the company has executed engineering contracts with industry providers to support mine planning, processing design, environmental baseline work, and tailings/water management — positioning the project for upcoming permitting and potential construction decision milestones.

Exploration Potential

Beyond the defined pit shell, Fenn-Gib hosts multiple zones including the Main Zone, Deformation Zone, and Footwall Zone, with geological continuity extending along strike and at depth. Newly identified targets such as the Southern Block along the Porcupine Destor-Fault present opportunities for future discovery drilling and resource expansion.

Management Team

Nicholas Campbell — Chief Executive Officer

Nicholas Campbell is a mining executive with more than 20 years of experience across capital markets, corporate development, and mine development. Prior to joining Mayfair, he served as vice-president of Capital Markets at Artemis Gold, executive vice-president of business development at SilverCrest Metals, and chief financial officer of Goldsource Mines. Campbell leads Mayfair’s strategic vision and execution as the company transitions Fenn‑Gib into a defined development stage.

Drew Anwyll — Chief Operating Officer

Drew Anwyll is a professional engineer with over 30 years of global mining experience in both project and operations leadership. His background includes senior technical and operating roles at Generation Mining, Detour Gold, Barrick Gold and Placer Dome. Anwyll’s track record includes leadership through permitting, construction, commissioning, and operational phases, anchoring Mayfair’s operational planning and execution.

Zayem Lakhani — Vice-president, Capital Markets

Zayem Lakhani brings more than 17 years of expertise in investment management, equity research, and corporate development. Before joining Mayfair, he served as portfolio manager and head of Canadian equities at HSBC Global Asset Management, where he oversaw the investment process for approximately $4 billion in capital across diverse strategies. Lakhani brings a unique network and an investor’s perspective to help position the company’s story.

Darren Prins — Interim Chief Financial Officer

Darren Prins is a senior financial executive with extensive experience in corporate development, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, financial reporting, risk management, budgeting, forecasting, and international tax planning. Prins has served as CFO for TSX, TSXV and NYSE‑listed companies across multiple industries, bringing strong financial stewardship to Mayfair’s funding and reporting functions.

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John Feneck, portfolio manager and consultant at Feneck Consulting, weighs in on recent silver and gold price milestones and shares his next targets.

He also discusses stocks he’s watching in sectors like silver, gold and ‘special situations.’

Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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The New York Jets are evidently leaving no stone unturned as they look to revamp their coaching staff ahead of Aaron Glenn’s second season with the team.

The Jets ‘reached out’ to Jon Gruden about potentially joining Glenn’s staff for the 2026 NFL season, according to The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt. However, Gruden ‘wasn’t interested in the job.’

It wasn’t immediately clear what type of role the Jets had offered Gruden. That said, it’s worth noting the team parted ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand on Jan. 27 after just one season.

Gruden hasn’t held an NFL coaching job since the 2021 season, when he resigned from his head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders after emails he sent containing racist, homophobic and misogynistic remarks during his time at ESPN were leaked to the media.

During the 2023 season, Gruden consulted in an unofficial capacity for the New Orleans Saints, and has more recently taken on a role producing content for Barstool Sports.

Despite his absence, Gruden’s name has been bandied about in the rumor mill over the years. NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero mentioned teams had done ‘extensive homework’ on the Super Bowl-winning coach prior to the 2025 NFL coaching cycle.

The Jets’ reported curiosity indicates there is still interest in Gruden. But for now, the 62-year-old will remain out of the NFL.

Meanwhile, the Jets will turn their attention to another veteran coach to help organize their offense. New York is expected to hire Frank Reich to take over as the team’s primary play-caller, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Bill Belichick isn’t getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame unless he buys a ticket.

The legendary New England Patriots head coach failed to gain the necessary votes to be part of the Hall of Fame class of 2026, ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. reported Jan. 27. It was Belichick’s first year of eligibility, failed to receive 40 of the 50 necessary votes from the committee.

Considered to be the greatest coach in NFL history, Belichick has a long list of accomplishments to back that up. He is an eight-time Super Bowl champion and has 333 career wins, ranking second behind only Don Shula, who is in the Hall of Fame.

One of the faces of the Patriots’ dynasty, Belichick’s omission certainly caught everyone off guard. Reaction has been pouring in fast and furious, with none of it being optimistic.

Here’s a look at how the NFL world and social media are taking the news:

Hall of Fame voters react to Belichick snub

Deion Sanders on Bill Belichick snub

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The U.S. women’s national team finished off a sweep of its two January friendlies with a 5-0 win over Chile in Santa Barbara, California, on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

Emma Hayes trotted out a completely rotated lineup from the one that defeated Paraguay on Saturday, Jan. 24. Despite those changes, the side didn’t miss a beat, taking care of business with ease at Harder Stadium.

It was a night of firsts as Croix Bethune, Jameese Joseph, and Emily Sams all opened their international accounts in the opening 45 minutes to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead going into halftime.

Emma Sears and second-half substitute Trinity Rodman added to the goal count after the break as the Americans cruised to the finish line.

Let’s take a look back at how the USWNT players fared another one-sided friendly victory.

GK: Claudia Dickey – 6

Two matches, zero shots on goal allowed for the team. Another night of inactivity between the posts for an American goalkeeper.

LB: Kate Wiesner – 6

There wasn’t as much emphasis on flank play and overlaps for the team in this one, so Wiesner didn’t get involved nearly as much as Saturday’s starter Izzy Rodriguez. Couple that with nothing to do on the other end of the field and it was a quiet night for the Spirit defender.

CB: Emily Sams – 8

On a night with little to do defensively, Sams got bored and decided to get involved on the scoresheet. She notched her first international goal by staying in the box after a set piece and finishing off a Emma Sears pass in front of goal.

She was also credited with an assist for a long ball down the right flank that Sears turned into a magnificent solo goal.

CB: Hal Hershfelt – 6.5

One center back enjoyed all the fun on the night, while the other had very little to do. Playing deeper than her usual midfield role, Hershfelt still offered up three defensive contributions despite the ball barely finding her half of the field.

RB: Ayo Oke – 7

Oke made an impact just 18 minutes into her international career. She recorded an assist on the game’s opening goal with a very nice centered pass into the feet of Bethune. Other than the goal, she had nothing to do on the defensive end of things and didn’t get forward all too often in her 45 minutes on the field.

CM: Sam Meza – 6.5

A solid showing to help control midfield. Credited with one key pass, five recoveries, and three defensive contributions, she did a little bit of everything without standing out.

CM: Riley Jackson – 7

It was much of the same for Meza’s midfield partner, however an assist on Rodman’s great goal will boost up her performance meter just a bit. Otherwise, it was a perfectly fine showing, if not spectacular for the debutant.

CAM: Croix Bethune – 8

After getting her first international goal stolen away by an official scorer decision at the weekend, Bethune left no doubt in opening her account in this one. She did very well to control a pass from Oke, got away from her marker with some strength, and finished clinically.

Other than the goal, she helped run the attack through that advanced midfield spot, often roaming around the field making it difficult for Chile to keep track of her.

LW: Emma Sears – 8.5

It was another fine showing for Sears, who easily could’ve had her second career international hat trick with a little luck. After hitting the post twice in the first half, she bagged her goal with a sensational solo effort and finish just after halftime.

She was also dynamic on the wing, setting up another goal. Every time Sears steps on the field something good happens. More important minutes for this team could be in her future.

FW: Jameese Joseph – 8.5

Joseph put up possibly the best performance of these two friendlies with a great showing after getting the start up top. Her turn to set up her first international goal was something special.

In addition to that lovely piece of skill, she caused havoc for Chile’s back line with some dynamic runs in behind and dangerous service into the box on more than one occasion. Joseph may have improved her stock the most of anyone in this camp.

RW: Yazmeen Ryan – 6.5

Probably the quietest of the attackers on the night, though she was credited with an assist on Joseph’s beautiful goal. However, it wasn’t a noticeably impactful performance otherwise.

Sub: Jordyn Bugg – 6.5

Came in and helped continue the team’s dominance in her 45 minutes. She completed 90% of her passes, while going a perfect 13 for 13 in long balls. It was a positive showing for the youngest player on the roster.

Sub: Trinity Rodman – 7.5

Yes, she scored an amazing goal right after coming onto the field. Blah, blah, blah. More importantly, she got Emma Hayes to celebrate with her.

Sub: Ally Sentnor – 6

Sentnor showed some solid hold-up play as the team’s focal point up top after coming on. But the level of dynamic movement in the final third dropped a little bit after Joseph was removed.

Sub: Claire Hutton – 6

Didn’t get involved much in her 25 minutes. There are surely better days ahead for the youngster.

Sub: Maddie Dahlien – 5.5

Struggled a bit keeping possession and completing passes, ending the match with only six successful passes in 13 attempts.

Sub: Olivia Moultrie – 6

Really didn’t get involved much in her cameo, but did have one key pass to set up a chance.

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Jessica Pegula keeps getting better with age.

The 31-year-old Buffalo native made history while beating Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6 (1) on Wednesday, Jan. 28 in the Australian Open quarterfinals at Melbourne.

Pegula became the first woman in Open Era (since 1968) to reach her first three major semifinals after turning 30.

Pegula, the event’s sixth seed, will oppose fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina in the semifinals on Thursday, Jan. 29. Rybakina took advantage of an error-filled effort by second-seeded Iga Swiatek and rolled to a 7-5, 6-1 quarterfinal win.

After Pegula cruised through the first set against Anisimova, a 24-year-old New Jersey native who was seeded fourth, neither player broke serve through the first seven games of the second set.

Anisimova got the break to go up 5-3, but she couldn’t serve out the set as Pegula broke back. After another break by Pegula for a 6-5 edge, Anisimova responded in kind to force a tiebreaker.

Anisimova won the opening point of the tiebreaker before Pegula reeled off seven straight points to advance.

Pegula and Rybakina have split six career matches, with the Kazakhstani player having taken their latest clash in WTA Finals last fall.

A win by Pegula on Thursday would send her to her second career major final. She lost to Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 U.S. Open title match.

Swiatek, a 24-year-old Polish player who has six Grand Slam championships, committed 25 unforced errors on Wednesday while hitting just 10 winners. Rybakina, 26, had a steadier ground game with 25 winners and 19 unforced errors.

‘I’m really pleased with the win,’ Rybakina said in her on-court interview. ‘We know each other pretty well, and I was just trying to stay aggressive. In the first set, the first serve wasn’t working for both of us, so we were trying to step in on the second serve and put pressure on each other. In the second set, I just started to play more free, serve better, and I’m really happy with the win.’

Rybakina is through to a major semifinal for the first time since she reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2024. She has made two career Grand Slam finals, prevailing at Wimbledon in 2022 and losing the Australian Open title match in 2023.

After Swiatek and Rybakina exchanged service breaks in the opening two games, Rybakina saved three break points at 1-1, then broke serve in the 12th game to take the set.

Rybakina won the first three games of the second set and cruised to the finish, never facing a break point in the set.

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MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record Grand Slam title continued in dramatic circumstances after fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti quit their Australian Open quarterfinal match with an injury after taking a two-set lead at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.

Musetti’s retirement when leading 6-4 6-3 1-3 meant Djokovic pulled off a great escape at his most successful hunting ground, with the 10-times champion’s bid for a standalone 25th major to break the tie with Margaret Court still alive.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

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Graphite stocks and prices have experienced volatility in recent years recently due to bottlenecks in demand for electric vehicles, as graphite is used to create lithium-ion battery anode materials.

One major factor experts are watching is the trade war between China and the US.

China introduced export restrictions on certain graphite products on December 1, 2023, making it a requirement for Chinese exporters to apply for special permits to ship the material to global markets. In July 2025, the Trump administration in the US announced it would raise tariffs on battery-grade graphite imports from China to 93.5 percent.

Another trend that shaped the graphite market in 2025 was the increasing substitution of natural graphite with synthetic graphite in battery anode production; this comes in response to Chinese exports restrictions and US tariffs on natural graphite.

This led to much lower prices for natural graphite, and against that backdrop, many Canadian graphite stocks trended down. However, several graphite-focused companies have seen strong performances in the past year.

Below is a look at the year’s best-performing graphite stocks on the TSX, TSXV and CSE. Data was obtained on January 21, 2026, using TradingView’s stock screener, and all companies listed had market caps above C$10 million at that time. Read on to learn more about the operations and news of the top Canadian graphite companies.

1. Titan Mining (TSX:TI)

Year-to-date gain: 1,512.12 percent
Market cap: C$549.85 million
Share price: C$6.64

Titan Mining is a critical mineral mining and development company with zinc and graphite assets in New York, US. The company currently produces zinc concentrate and aims to become an end-to-end producer of natural flake graphite.

Its Empire State Mines (ESM) zinc operations include the ESM 4 mine, which restarted production in January 2018, along with six past-producing mines capable of supplying additional feedstock for its onsite mill.

In addition to zinc, the property also hosts the Kilbourne graphite deposit located 4,000 feet from the existing mill at its Empire Mines operation. A December 2024 maiden resource estimate demonstrates an open-pit inferred resource of 653,000 short tons of contained graphite from 22.42 million short tons of ore with an average grade of 2.91 percent graphitic carbon.

Throughout 2025, Titan focused on advancing its flake graphite demonstration processing facility at Kilbourne, with an initial capacity of 1,000 to 1,200 metric tons of graphite concentrate annually. This early production would be used for product qualification sales to defense companies and industrial companies in early 2026.

Construction of the demonstration plant began in May, and development continued throughout Q3 and Q4.

Titan announced in its Q3 results on November 5 that commissioning had begun and the facility was expected to produce its first graphite concentrate during Q4. Additionally, mining of the Kilbourne demonstration pit began in Q3, and the company had stockpiled 8,000 short tons of ore, with 500 short tons crushed for initial plant feed.

On December 11, the company announced that graphite processing had begun at the facility.

Titan released the preliminary economic assessment for the full Kilbourne project at the start of December. The operation is planned with a 13 year mine life and average graphite production of 37,438 metric tons per year. The study reports an after-tax net present value of US$513 million, an internal rate of return of 37 percent and a payback period of 2.69 years.

Then, on December 23, Titan said it had closed on a US$5.5 million financing package with the Export-Import Bank of the United States, which would be used to support accelerated resource drilling, metallurgical test work and engineering programs necessary for the completion of a 2026 feasibility study.

Shares in Titan Mining reached a high of C$7.09 on January 21.

2. HydroGraph Clean Power (CSE:HG)

Year-to-date gain: 1,336.73 percent
Market cap: C$1.11 billion
Share price: C$3.52

HydroGraph Clean Power produces cost-effective, high-purity graphene, hydrogen and other strategic nanomaterials.

Graphene, a pure carbon material extracted from graphite, has myriad potential applications in industries such as transport, solar cells, medicine, electronics, energy, defense and desalination.

HydroGraph has an exclusive license from Kansas State University to produce graphene and hydrogen via the organization’s patented detonation process. While lower-purity graphene is typically produced using natural graphite, HydroGraph’s patented process produces 99.8 percent pure carbon content graphene using acetylene and oxygen.

Much of HydroGraph’s news flow in 2025 centered on strategic partnerships.

Results from a research study conducted with Arizona State University demonstrated that the company’s HydroGraph’s Fractal Graphene is well suited for ultra-high-performance concretes and 3D-printed structures.

In February, HydroGraph announced a technical collaboration with an unnamed global leader in synthetic fiber manufacturing to assess the potential of its graphene technology in high-performance fiber applications.

The following month, HydroGraph shared the launch of a line of advanced graphene dispersions developed in collaboration with battery materials and testing services company NEI. The products have the potential to be used to produce high-performance electrodes for use in energy storage solutions.

The company signed a letter of intent in April that could lead to a North American industrial gas supplier providing it with access to large volumes of high-purity acetylene, an essential feedstock will help the firm advance its plans to build a new graphene production facility in Texas with the capacity to produce over 350 metric tons of graphene annually.

HydroGraph launched its Compounding Partner Program in July with the goal of attaining commercial-scale production of its high-performance Fractal Graphene in thermoplastics. In August, the company announced a partnership with Hawkey Bio to supply graphene for use in its Lung Enzyme Activity Profile early lung cancer detection test.

Then, in September, HydroGraph signed a letter of intent with SEADAR Technologies to provide it with graphene material to coat current and future undersea products.

As for 2026, the company announced on January 6 that it had moved from a tier 2 to tier 1 member with the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre at the University of Manchester. The move will establish a HydroGraph lab in the center and increase access to its facilities.

HydroGraph reached a high of C$4.07 on October 31.

3. Focus Graphite Advanced Materials (TSXV:FMS)

Year-to-date gain: 394.12 percent
Market cap: C$45.47 million
Share price: C$0.42

Focus Graphite Advanced Materials is both a graphite miner and a battery technology company. Its wholly owned flagship Lac Knife high-grade crystalline flake graphite project is located in Northeastern Québec, Canada.

With a completed feasibility study, Lac Knife is one of North America’s most advanced graphite deposits. The company also holds Lac Tétépisca, the highest-purity graphite project in Québec.

In terms of battery technologies, Focus Graphite has a patent-pending proprietary silicone-enhanced spheroidized graphite technology that is designed to enhance battery performance and efficiency.

Throughout 2025, the company has reached several use-case milestones for graphite sourced from Lac Knife.

In mid-June, thermal purification testing on Lac Knife flake graphite resulted in refined concentrate to a purity level of 99.999 percent carbon, which Focus Graphite said “underscores (the company’s) potential to supply ultra-high-purity graphite material for nuclear energy applications, a market historically dominated by synthetic graphite.”

Graphite from the site was further validated in August, when it was used as part of nozzle components aboard Pluto Aerospace’s successful Dash 1 rocket Flight 003. The test was done to evaluate hypersonic performance and thermal resistance. The nozzle temperature exceeded 3,000 degrees Celsius.

The company said the collected data would be used to validate the performance characteristics of the graphite in high-stress environments for use in defense systems.

Then, on October 22, Focus reported that the anode material passed phase 1 battery validation conducted by Charge CCCV and American Energy Technologies Company. The independent lab tests confirmed near-theoretical electrochemical capacity around 371 milliampere-hours per gram, as well as strong suitability for lithium-ion batteries.

Shares of Focus Graphite reached a high of C$0.66 on November 3.

4. First Canadian Graphite (TSXV:FCI)

Year-to-date gain: 340 percent
Market cap: C$10.39 million
Share price: C$0.33

Formerly known as Green Battery Minerals, First Canadian Graphite is an exploration company advancing its Berkwood graphite project in Central Québec. The property sits adjacent to Nouveau Monde Graphite’s NPV Uatnam graphite project.

A June 2019 mineral resource estimate (MRE) demonstrated an indicated resource of 299,200 metric tons of graphitic carbon from 1.76 million metric tons of ore with a grade of 17 percent graphitic carbon, and an inferred resource of 250,200 metric tons graphitic carbon from 1.53 million metric tons of ore with an average grade of 16.4 percent.

In April 2025, the company announced its name change to First Canadian Graphite from Green Battery Minerals.

Much of First Canadian’s focus in 2025 was on its corporate governance and financing. On August 26, the company appointed Florent Baril to its board of directors. Baril has more than 40 years of experience in project engineering and resource development and was also the co-author for the Berkwood project’s MRE.

Then, on November 18, the company announced its intention to open a hard dollar financing round for up to 1.5 million units to raise gross proceeds of up to C$225,000 for general working capital. It also stated that it would offer an additional 1.5 million flow-through shares to raise C$300,000, to be directed to exploration expenses at Berkwood.

In a follow-up on December 12, First Canadian said it was applying to the TSX for approval to increase the hard dollar financing to a total of C$740,000, consisting of 4.93 million shares.

The most recent news came on January 12, when First Canadian reported that it had initiated airborne electromagnetic (EM) and magnetic surveys over Berkwood, covering five high-priority targets, to assess the probability and scope of hosted graphite occurrences.

The release also said that the company staked an additional 125 claims, bringing the total to 315 claims covering 16,542 hectares. First Canadian noted it was reviewing the claims and may add additional EM flyovers of the new property area.

First Canadian reached a high of C$0.43 on January 12.

5. Northern Graphite (TSXV:NGC)

Weekly gain: 58.82 percent
Market cap: C$17.04 million
Share price: C$0.135

Northern Graphite is a flake graphite developer and producer. In Ontario, Canada, it owns the producing Lac des Iles mine and the construction-ready Bissett Creek project, and in Namibia, it owns the past-producing Okanjande graphite mine.

According to a February 2024 technical report, the company’s flagship Lac des Iles mine hosts an indicated resource of 213,000 metric tons of graphitic carbon, with an additional inferred resource of 106,000 metric tons.

According to the company’s 2024 results released on May 1, the mine produced 11,697 metric tons of graphite concentrate in 2024. Northern Graphite noted that the mine was closed for maintenance and repair between November and mid-January.

However, in its Q1 report released on May 30, the company said it expected the existing pit at Lac-De-Iles to be exhausted by the fall of 2025 and was seeking support from various levels of government for the funding needed to extend the mine life by an additional 8 years.

On August 26, that support came in the form of up to C$6.23 million from Natural Resources Canada. At the time, Northern Graphite said it would begin work to extend the pit as soon as it could to avoid putting the mine on care and maintenance.

However, due to a bearing failure at the mill, the company chose to place the mine and mill on temporary care and maintenance on November 20 to begin repairs and to prepare for pit extension in 2026.

“Rather than stopping the plant now and again in January, we decided to start the maintenance program immediately in order to avoid having two separate shutdowns,” Northern CEO Hugues Jacquemin said.

The company is also advancing several battery anode material facilities projects’ the Baie-Comeau facility in Québec, the Yanbu facility in Saudi Arabia and a processing facility in Northern France.

In mid-April, the company announced a partnership with infrastructure and business development company BMI Group to evaluate the feasibility of developing its Canadian battery anode material facility in a former paper mill in Baie-Comeau that BMI is developing as a hub. This was quickly followed by a letter of support from the Port of Rotterdam on April 23.

On November 3, Northern announced that its consortium with Rain Carbon Canada had received a research and development grant of up to C$860,00 under the Canada-Germany Collaborative Industrial Research Program. The project will focus on transforming low-value natural graphite fine fractions into high-performance, battery-grade anode material.

Most recently, on January 14 of this year, the company signed a term sheet with Obeikan Investment Group to create a joint venture to develop and operate the US$200 million Yanbu battery anode facility in Saudi Arabia. Once complete, the facility will have a production capacity of 25,000 metric tons of battery anode material per year. Obeikan Investment Group will have a 51 percent ownership stake, with Northern Graphite holding the remaining 49 percent.

Shares in Northern Graphite reached a high of C$0.355 on January 14.

Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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