Over 80 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League alumni made an impact on Canadian University hockey this past year.
Here is a breakdown of a few of the biggest seasons SJHLers had on USports in 2025-25 by conference.
Up next is the Ontario University Athletics’ East Division, which includes clubs in Quebec as well. We split up the OUA as there were 43 SJHL alums in Canada’s middle university conference.
The National Championship host, the University of Ottawa, was one of the best stories in all of sports this year. They were the No. 8 seed out of eight heading into the tournament and ended up winning it all. GeeGees rookie Elliot Dutil played in 15 games during the campaign and was a phenom for the Notre Dame Hounds in 2021-22, posting 37 goals and 67 points for the final ND team ever to make the SJHL playoffs.
Those GeeGees upended Concordia University in the final on March 23 of this year, and by doing so broke the heart of ex-Flin Flon Bomber Vincent Nardone, who had a terrific 14-point in 24 games campaign, as well as elite former Estevan Bruins defenceman Felix Allard.
Stéphane Huard spent the entire Covid-19 shortened 2020-21 campaign with the Humboldt Broncos and was one of the elite forwards in the OUA, notching over a point per game this past year in his second season with McGill University. He has since transferred to Sacred Heart University, a member of the NCAA Division I. Still, ex-Melville Millionaire C.T. Larochelle, who played in the SJHL during the 2021-22 season, has moved from Queen’s University (where he was a first-year student last season) to the Montreal-based school this summer.
Ontario Tech University is a team on the rise, and long-time Humboldt Bronco Braiden Koran is a big part of it. The man who had 97 points in 129 games for Humboldt between 2019 and 2022 broke out last season, his third in Oshawa, ON, with 13 points in 28 games.
Ex-La Ronge, Kindersley, and Melfort goaltender Steven Bacovsky transferred from NCAA DI Merrimack last off-season to Carleton University in Ottawa, where he was the starter, while former Humboldt Broncos forward Jace Benvie got games with him on the Ravens. Blake Allan, the cousin of outgoing Battlefords North Stars captain Jackson Allan, played one game for the Stars during the Covid-shortened campaign, and just finished his third season as a regular for Carleton.
All of that being said, if there is one OUA East team for SJHL fans to cheer for, it might be York University in Toronto. Five SJHL alumni played for the Lions last year, led offensively by former Kindersley forward Mason Svarich and ex-Estevan defender Lucas Eagle. Ethan Strik, who was an outstanding La Ronge Ice Wolves forward over 107 games between 2020 and 2023, fellow La Ronge alum Logan Holm, and former Nipawin Hawks big defender Cole Beamin were there as well.
Finally, at Royal Military College, ex-Melville Millionaire Nathan Fox, who had a terrific 22-23 campaign for the moneymen, led the Paladins in scoring last season. At the same time, Battlefords North Stars alums Ulrick Roussel and Bradley Blake also featured for the Kingston, ON-based military academy.
FIND THE FULL LIST OF CJHLERS IN USports IN 2024-25 HERE.
