By Dave Leaderhouse
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s regular season is only one weekend old, but already the 12 teams will be taking their show on the road when the annual Showcase event is held next week in Warman.
Following a slate of games this week the 12 teams will then move to the neutral-site location where each club will play a pair of games, all of which are to be included in the regular season totals.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for the scouts to see our players so that they can advance to the next level,” says SJHL president Bill Chow. “We want to build on what we have and to do that we want to have as much exposure as possible for the scouts we have in attendance.”
The Showcase gets underway on Sunday at 11 a.m. with the first of two Midget AAA games. These additional contests are scheduled to allow those players to show off their skills as well so that they too can get recognized, not only from the scouts who will be watching, but also by the SJHL teams as they are constantly looking for future talent. The Midget AAA players will also get to watch some SJHL hockey and see that the league is a very viable option for them in the future as well.
The first SJHL game will follow the Midget AAA tilt with the Humboldt Broncos squaring off against the Melville Millionaires at 1:30 p.m. with the second Midget AAA match set to begin at 4 p.m. The final game of the opening day, which is set for a 6:30 p.m. start, will pit the Battlefords North Stars against the Melfort Mustangs, two clubs who won division titles last year and are off to great starts again this season.
Numerous scouts from Canadian and American colleges, along with some from the Western Hockey League and NHL, will be in attendance watching the players. A lot of these scouts make a circuit through the western junior leagues with the SJHL Showcase growing in size as the talent level continues to blossom.
Following is a schedule of the week’s games with fans encouraged to take in as many as possible as it is the only time all year when all 12 teams, along with the two games of future stars, will be in the same place at the same time.
Sunday
11:00 a.m. – Midget AAA Game 1
1:30 p.m. – Humboldt Broncos vs. Melville Millionaires
4:00 p.m. – Midget AAA 2
6:30 p.m. – Battlefords North Stars vs. Melfort Mustangs
Monday
11:00 a.m. – Estevan Bruins vs. Humboldt Broncos
1:30 p.m. – Melville Millionaires vs. Battlefords North Stars
4:00 p.m. – Nipawin Hawks vs. Yorkton Terriers
6:30 p.m. – Flin Flon Bombers vs. Weyburn Red Wings
Tuesday
10:00 a.m. – Melfort Mustangs vs. Estevan Bruins
12:30 p.m. – Yorkton Terriers vs. Flin Flon Bombers
3:00 p.m. – La Ronge Ice Wolves vs. Notre Dame Hounds
5:30 p.m. – Weyburn Red Wings vs. Kindersley Klippers
Wednesday
11:00 a.m. – Notre Dame Hounds vs. Nipawin Hawks
1:30 p.m. – Kindersley Klippers vs. La Ronge Ice Wolves
All games will be played in Warman, SK. at Legends Arena. Warman is located 15 minutes north of Saskatoon, SK.
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