Tuesday 29 June 2021

SJHL President Bill Chow has signed new 2 year contract extension






The SJHL Board of Governors are pleased to announce they have agreed to a new two-year contract extension with Commissioner Bill Chow.


“The SJHL Board of Governors agreed to extend the contract” stated Chairmen of the Board Rick Shultz of Chow.

The new deal will keep Chow in position for the 21-22 and 22-23 SJHL seasons.

“Over the past 10 seasons Bill has been able to lead the SJHL through unprecedented times” stated Shultz.

The SJHL is on the verge of coming out of Covid-19. 

 Along with Bill, the Board of Governors and the teams, the SJHL is looking forward to getting back on the ice for the 21-22 season.

(SJHL Release) 

June 29th Local SJHL/MJHL News and Notes

Mils' D Wells commits to RMC (USports)


The Melville Millionaires are pleased to announce that graduating defenceman Dylan Wells has committed to the USports’ Royal Military College Paladins starting in the fall of 2021.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity of pursuing a career in the Canadian Armed Forces as well as get the chance to continue my hockey career at a high level,” Wells said.

Wells, a St. Albert, Alberta product was acquired by the Mils on Sept. 9th, 2019 from the AJHL’s Olds Grizzlys and suited up in 56 games in a Melville uniform compiling 2 goals, 11 assists for 13 points while accumulating 128 penalty minutes.

Wells added, “Despite my time in Melville being cut short by the pandemic, it was a great experience playing for the Millionaires and being a part of the community. I believe that under the direction of Head Coach/GM Mike Rooney and his staff, that the club is headed in the right direction as they’ve established a competitive & structured environment which pushes the players to be better players and people on and off the ice.”

His Junior career consisted of having 25 points in 116 career games with the Mils, Sherwood Park Crusaders, Olds Grizzlys, Whitecourt Wolverines, and Drayton Valley Thunder of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

“RMC is an excellent opportunity.  Dylan will continue playing hockey with an excellent academic program – this is essentially a full scholarship.” indicated Millionaires General Manager / Head Coach Mike Rooney. “RMC have secured an excellent person.  Such great character and team player. Dedicated and trustworthy. He is very deserving. We are very proud of Dylan and wish him all the best”.


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Langenburg's Peppler acquired by Wayway Wolverines (MJHL)


 The Waywayseecappo Wolverines are excited to announce the acquisition of forward Josh Peppler from the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Junior Hockey League

Peppler (’02) was on the Bobcats team last season for the shortened AJHL season.

Prior to Josh playing in the AJHL he affiliated for the La Ronge Ice Wolves in the SJHL.

Peppler says fans can expect a fast forward with playmaking skills who can also put the puck in the back of net.

The Langenburg, Saskatchewan native won’t be too far from where he grew up, with the town only being a 35-minute drive to Waywayseecappo.

“I have a lot of family and friends that can come out to my games now,” says Peppler. “I’m pretty excited for that.”

Head Coach Taylor Harnett says the team has had their eye on Josh for a while.

“After doing an extensive evaluation we are extremely excited about his skill set. He possesses great foot speed and has the ability to provide optimal offence.”

The 5’10”, 154-pound forward says he is thrilled to be part of a team that he says is expecting to be a contender this upcoming season.

“I’ve talked to Taylor (Harnett), and I’m ready to compete and help out the team for this upcoming season,” says Peppler. “I’ve talked to a few of the guys on the team already and they say it’s going to be a good year, so I’m pumped.”

(Wolverines’ Press Release)


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Chat with Wolverines' Head Coach/GM Taylor Harnett below: 

Friday 11 June 2021

Waywayseecappo (MJHL) acquire Rawji and McCartney in massive 4-player trade

 



The Waywayseecappo Wolverines are excited to announce the acquisition of two players from the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders; Forward Zafir Rawji (’01) from Edmonton, Alberta and a Winnipeg, Manitoba defencemen Brandon McCartney (’02) in a massive four-team trade.

Waywayseecappo received Rawji and McCartney in exchange for Mitchell Joss (’01), who the Wolverines acquired from the Winnipeg Blues in exchange for Caden Ziplitny (’04).

Also, Kieran Thiessen was dealt (’01) to the Neepawa Titans to complete the trade for McCartney.

Right Winger Zafir Rawji will be coming to the Wolverines heading into his fourth season as a Junior A player. Rawji has played most of his junior career with the Sherwood Park Crusaders with a pit stop with the Olds Grizzlys, where he scored 15 goals and 41 points in 50 games in the 2019-20 season. Rawji played in 20 games in the past season with Sherwood Park, amassing 12 points during the campaign.

Brandon McCartney is no stranger to Manitoba, playing for the Winnipeg Wild in the Manitoba Under-18 Hockey League before joining Sherwood Park for the 2020-21 season. With the Wild, McCartney picked up 70 points (19 goals, 51 assists) in his 93-game career. He was also part of the championship winning team in the 2017-18 season, and played a total of 19 playoff games during his career.

McCartney joined the Crusaders for the latest season, only playing 12 games and finishing with one goal and three assists.

He was also drafted in the third round (26th overall), by the then-Neepawa Natives in the MJHL Draft back in 2017.

(Wayway Press Release)

Thursday 10 June 2021

Stampeders' graduating F Zloty commits to Iowa State Cyclones (ACHA)

                                                  (Photo courtesy of Danielle Gordon-Broome) 


The Swan Valley Stampeders of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League are proud to announce that twenty year old forward Jackson Zloty has committed to play for the Iowa State Cyclone’s.

 Located in Ames Iowa, they are an ACHA division 1 school that competes in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League.

Zloty one of the Stampeder’s Captains, is a native of Calgary Alberta.

 Zloty only played 8 games in an abbreviated (due to Covid) season for the Stampeders, but the Junior A veteran quickly established himself as a top forward, scoring 6 goals and 3 assists in only 8 games

 Zloty says I am very excited to join the Cyclone family!  I am excited to have the opportunity to continue my hockey career while attending a University such as Iowa State. I would like to thank all the coach’s, friends and family that have helped me get to this point. I would also like to thank Swan Valley for the short but special time I spent there. I can’t wait to get started.

Stampeder Head Coach/General Manager Barry Wolff –we are very happy for Jackson, and so proud of him! Iowa State is a great school and this is a great opportunity for Jackson to further his education and hockey career.  

The Stampeders congratulate Jackson and his family and wish Jackson and the Cyclone’s the very best in the future.


(Stamps submitted Press Release) 


Chat with Stamps' Head Coach/GM Barry Wolff below: 

Tuesday 8 June 2021

2021/22 SJHL Regular season to kick-off on September 24th




The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and the teams of the SJHL have waited an extended period to have a normal hockey season. 

 

The SJHL and the Saskatchewan Government thank the efforts of Saskatchewan people to follow the rules of the provincial health order and to get vaccinated. We are moving forward in our roadmap to get back to normal, which includes SJHL hockey starting this fall.

Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said. “Hockey has always been a key part of our culture and economy in Saskatchewan communities and we look forward to working with the league to see the players back on the ice.”

 

The Board of Governors and the GM/Coaches of the SJHL teams will be meeting soon to set the schedule for the upcoming season with a start date of September 24th.

(SJHL Press Release) 

 

Other important dates for the SJHL 21-22 season are:

Sept 24th -Start date of regular season 

Oct 4,5,6 - SJHL Showcase in Warman 

Dec 19th- start of Christmas break

Dec 27th -return from Christmas

Jan 25th and 26th -SJHL/MJHL Showcase in Winnipeg.

March 4th -Regular season ends 

March 11th -1st round of playoffs start

March 25th -2nd round starts 

April 8th -Saskatchewan Jr Hockey League finals 

April 29th -Anavet Cup starts 

May 20th -Centennial Cup starts in Estevan

MJHL optimistic looking forward to the 2021/22 season



After having this past season cut short, the Manitoba Junior Hockey League is optimistic heading towards the 2021/22 season starting this fall. 

That according to league commissioner Kevin Saurette, who says they are very much looking forward their September 17th opening date. 

"For myself, players, coaches and the entire organizations  it something exciting to look towards, with everyone full of optimism to play a full season of hockey again."

The MJHL will make a return to two-divisions for the 2021-22 season featuring a West and East division with six member teams making up each division 

Each team will play 40 games within their division and 14 games outside of their division to comprise of the 54 game schedule for each team.  

"It's something we've discussed for the last few years is to go away from the balanced schedule, and I think it'll provide less travel costs and produce more rivalries within the teams which I think will be good," Saurette adds.  


Saurette adds even with having the last couple of seasons' cut short and during these tough times, that all their 12 franchises are optimistic and resilient. 

"I just can't commend them all enough, I know it wasn't easy to deal with what was thrown at them with all the pivots and the financial hardships, but our teams are very resilient and are fully on-board and ready to start the new season this fall." 



Other Key MJHL notes:

-The 2021 MJHL Player Showcase will take place at Stride Place in Portage la Prairie from November 22 – 24ths.

-The 2021 World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) will take place in in Cornwall, Ontario from December 12th – 18th.

-The 2022 CJHL Prospects Game will be held in January, 2022.

- MJHL/SJHL joint player showcase will be hosted by the MJHL at the Seven Oaks Sportsplex in Winnipeg from January 25-26, 2022

-The 2021-22 MJHL regular season will conclude on Sunday, March 13th, 2022 with the MJHL Turnbull Cup playoffs beginning the week of March 14th.   **Playoff format to be finalized in the coming weeks**

-The MJHL Champion will face-off against the SJHL Champion for the ANAVET Cup in a best of 7 series beginning on Friday, April 29th 

-The 2022 Centennial Cup will take place from May 20 – 29 at Affinity Place in Estevan, SK. 


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Full chat with MJHL Commissioner Kevin Saurette below: 


Friday 4 June 2021

2021 MJHL Player Showcase to be held in Portage la Prairie this November; Niverville awarded MJHL expansion franchise for 2022/23 season


                                            

 The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is excited to announce that the 2021 MJHL Player Showcase will take place November 22-24 at Stride Place in Portage la Prairie.


The Showcase will feature all 12 MJHL teams in one location over three days with each team playing two highly competitive regular season games during the high-performance event.

“We are extremely excited for the 2021 edition of the MJHL Showcase after not being able to host the event last season,” shared MJHL Commissioner, Kevin Saurette. “For our elite athletes, these games are a very important step in attracting the attention of the many NCAA, Major Junior, University, NHL and NHL Central Scouting scouts & coaches that will be attending from across North America. ”

“For both fans of the MJHL and the game of hockey, this event is a great way to watch a variety of high-caliber hockey games, while enjoying the many comforts and amenities that Stride Place has to offer. The timing of the event will allow teams and players the ability to be in mid-season form so that they are best prepared to showcase themselves positively,” Saurette concluded.

Please stay tuned for further exciting 2021/22 season announcements to come.


(MJHL Press Release) 

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Niverville awarded MJHL expansion franchise for 2022/23 season 

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) Board of Governors announced today (Fri) that it has granted an expansion franchise to operate in Niverville, MB.

The new MJHL member will play its inaugural season from the brand new Niverville Community Resource and Recreation Centre starting in the 2022-2023 campaign.

“Niverville is recognized as one of the fastest growing communities in the province and the MJHL is thrilled to bring a new organization into this community, while adding another first-class, state of the art facility to our League,” said MJHL Commissioner, Kevin Saurette.



Wednesday 2 June 2021

Melville Millionaires & Yorkton Terriers 2021/22 Player Signings


                          

Melville Millionaires 2021/22 Player Signings.

2004-born D Nicholas Andrusiak (Tisdale, SK) spent the last two seasons with his hometown Trojans of the Saskatchewan U18 AAA Hockey League where he compiled 20 assists in 47 games. 

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/569237/nicholas-andrusiak

2003-born F Jake Watson (Vernon, BC) - 2 goals, 4 assists for 6 points in 7 games with Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna U18 (CSSHL) in the 2020/21 season 

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/539113/jake-watson

2003-born F Cole Larocque (Lethbridge, AB) - 2 goals, 3 assists for 5 points in 2 games with the Coaldale Copperheads of the Heritage Junior Hockey League during 2020/21 season.

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/505697/cole-larocque

2003-born D Louis-Frédéric Théberge (Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec) - 3 goals, 9 assists for 12 points in 14 games with Mount Academy Saints U18 Prep (CSSHL)

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/670299/louis-frederic-theberge


2003-born D Payton Kostyshyn (Melville, Saskatchewan) - 0 points with 3 games with Battelefords Stars of Saskatchewan U18 AAA Hockey League in 2020/21 season

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/482793/payton-kostyshyn

2003-born D Austin Lusok (Sherwood Park, Alberta) -
4 goals, 2 assists for 6 points in 5 games with OHA Edmonton U18 Prep (CSSHL) in 2020/ 21 season

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/496409/austin-lusok

2003-born D Matt Strilets (Courtenay, BC) -
3 goals, 4 assists for 7 points in 38 games with Shawnigan Lake U18 Prep during 2019/20 season

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/562621/matthew-strilets

2003-born D Colby Ball (Sherwood Park, AB) - 2 goals and 4 points in 6 games in 2020/21 season with Sherwood Park Kings U18 AAA of Albert Elite Hockey League

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/475611/colby-ball

2003-born F Charles-Thomas Larochelle (Quebec, Quebec) -  23 goals, 14 assists for 37 points in 26 games with the Sèminaire St-Joseph M18 Major during the 2019/20 hockey season.  

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/366607/charles-thomas-larochelle

2003-born F Rylan Bruns (Pincher Creek, Alberta) -  
5 goals 6 assists for 11 points in 33 games while also compiling 34 penalty minutes with the Lethbridge U18 AAA Hurricanes (AEHL) 

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/505699/rylan-bruns

2003-born F Zach Nicholls (Chestermere, Alberta) - 1 goal, 1 assist for 2 points in 5 games with the OHA Edmonton U18 Prep during 2020/21 season 

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/505675/zach-nicholls


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Yorkton Terriers' 2021/22 Player signees. 





2003 born-F Ethan Zurawell (Edmonton) had 2 goals in 3 games with the SSAC Athletics U18 AAA during the 2020/21 season. 


https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/507231/ethan-zurawell


2003 born-F Kylen Taphorn (Yorkton) , had 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points in 46 career games with the Yorkton SeCon Maulers (U18 AAA).

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/565813/kylen-taphorn




2003 born-D Kody Norberg (Warman) had 1 assist in 3 games with the Tisdale Trojans during the very brief 2020/21 season. 

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/569259/kody-norberg


2003 born- F Colton Koran (Carstairs, Alberta) - Had 1 assist in 5 games with the Airdrie CFR Bisons U18 AAA during the 2020/21 season. 

2003 born- F Rhys Maksimow (Yorkton, Saskatchewan) - Had 2 goals, 1 assists for 3 points in 7 games with the Yorkton SeCon Maulers U18 AAA. 

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/482015/rhys-maksimow


2003-born G Kael DePape (Yorkton, Saskatchewan)  - 3-1-0 record with 1SO, 2.00GAA and 0.916SV% in 4 starts with Moose Jaw U18 AAA Warriors during 2020/21 season. 

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/482010/kael-depape

2003-born F Clay Sleeva (Canora, Saskatchewan) - 1 goal, 2 assists for 3 points in 3 games with the Tisdale Trojans (Sask U18 AAA) during the 2020/21 season. 



Tuesday 1 June 2021

Yorkton Sports Hall of Fame held 2021 Annual General Meeting last week!


With the display at the Gallagher Centre revitalized and expanded, and museum artefacts being catalogued this summer, the Yorkton Sports Hall of Fame and Museum reported on a very active year at its annual general meeting held May 26.

The showcases on the second floor of the Gallagher Centre now display more artefacts, and the walls feature all the inductees in the Sports Hall of Fame. The display is located in the alcove area across from the entrance to the curling club lounge. The display can be viewed during all hours the Gallagher Centre is open.

The organization launched a Yorkton Sports Hall of Fame website last fall which displays all 79 inductees, including their photos or drawn portraits, and complete details of their Hall of Fame careers. The website is at www.yorktonsportshalloffame.ca.   

 The organization has received a grant and has hired a student for the summer who will photograph and catalogue close to 400 museum items, using a database provided by the Museums Association of Saskatchewan, of which the Sports Hall of Fame is a member. The database will ensure that the information about the artefacts is detailed and safely stored, and readily available for future use. 

Once complete, the database will allow the Yorkton Sports Hall of Fame and Museum to create a fully searchable website where all artefacts can be displayed. That is expected to be completed late this year or early next year.


 Elected to the board of directors for the coming year were Don Pfeifer, Dave Spelay, Randy Goulden, Ryan Kitchen, Jennifer Ingham, Becky Dutchak, Dick DeRyk and Ron Balacko.

 At a board meeting following the AGM, Don Pfeifer was re‐elected as president, Dave Spelay as Vice‐ President, and Ryan Kitchen as Secretary‐Treasurer

The board is making plans to further reactivate the organization, including the first Hall of Fame induction dinner in eight years expected in 2022 once large gatherings can again be held safely. 

(Submitted) 

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Chat with Yorkton Sports Hall of Fame & Museum President Don Pfeifer below: