The Yorkton Terriers officially hit the ice Tuesday as they open their 2026 fall training camp, with four teams of players competing for spots on the roster ahead of the upcoming SJHL season.
Head Coach and GM Emery Olauson expects the competition to be fierce, with more than 20 junior-aged players looking to earn a spot.
“The competition at camp is going to be fierce,” Olauson said. “We know that there’s going to be hard decisions to be made here Thursday before our top-40 game even, and then taking a roster into exhibition season.”
The Terriers will hold practices and fitness testing Tuesday before beginning game action Wednesday. The Top 40 game is scheduled for Thursday night, followed by an exhibition matchup in Virden Friday, before Yorkton hosts the Virden Oil Capitals Saturday at 7 p.m.
Olauson says four full teams will eventually have to be narrowed down to one roster.
“We’ve got four full teams of players that are going to have to be filtered down into one,” he said. “More than 23 to 25 of them are junior age and here to earn a spot on this year’s team.”
The Terriers enter camp following a very successful season where they finished second overall in the SJHL during the 2025-26 regular season and captured the Bunge Division title before advancing to the Canterra Seeds Cup Final for the first time since 2014.
Along the way, Yorkton eliminated rival Melville in six games before defeating the Battlefords North Stars in a dramatic Game 7 to reach the league final.
The Terriers ultimately fell to the Flin Flon Bombers in four games, but Olauson believes the experience gained from the last two playoff runs can help the group moving forward.
“We’ve played five rounds of the playoffs in two years, and I think we’re getting better at that time of year,” Olauson said. “Growing from it, learning from it and being able to draw on that experience, I think it’s going to be huge.”
Yorkton is eligible to return several key pieces from last season including the likes of SJHL defenceman of the year Thomas Ries, netminder Callum Creig and SJHL rookie of the year Cash Lanigan
The Terriers will also welcome newcomers to camp, creating another opportunity for returning players to help establish the team's culture.
“They’re also going to have some great teammates that have been here before and know exactly the way that we want to play,” Olauson said, “and what is expected of a Yorkton Terrier.”
Audio with Terrier Head Coach and GM Emery Olauson below:
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