(A message from Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Commissioner Kyle McIntyre)
Welcome to the 2025-2026 SJHL season! I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer. Our new season opens September 19th. Our teams will battle until the middle of March for league supremacy, and we will continue to work on our ‘Stay Here, Play Here’ and ‘Success Starts Here’ initiatives in the SJHL.
Who will be this year’s Canterra Seeds Cup Champion? Over the last three seasons, the SJHL has advanced to the Centennial Cup Finals. For the previous three years, SJHL Coaches have been crowned the CJHL Coach of the Year. Congratulations to our latest award recipient, Trevor Blevins of the Melfort Mustangs.
At the end of last May, the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs found their way back to the CJHL Centennial Cup final again, but this time against the host Calgary Canucks of the AJHL. The Mustangs battled through injury and adversity all through the Centennial Cup and were right there until the final buzzer at the national championship. The Mustangs were outstanding ambassadors for our league and the Melfort community.
This season, we are embarking on a couple of new endeavours.
Following a successful first season of the Western Canadian Development Model (WDCM), we are now entering the second phase of the pilot. This phase will focus on roster construction, allowing each team to include 13 players (5 US-born and eight from Eastern Canada) from outside Western Canada.
Secondly, the SJHL is also making some changes to its Showcases. Gone is the SJHL Showcase, where all our teams play one another, and gone is the MJSJ Showcase. Back for a second year is the Western All-Star Prospect Camp, which will feature the top Junior A players in Western Canada who are vying for positions on the Canadian Junior A World Challenge roster. This camp will take place from November 3rd to 5th in Martensville, Saskatchewan. New this year, a U20 all-star team from the SJHL will compete against teams from other parts of the world at the Viking Cup in Camrose, from December 28th to January 4th.
Thirdly, we are welcoming the Warman Wolverines as the SJHL’s newest franchise to the community of Warman and to the Nutrien Division, where the Wolverines will face off against geographic rivals of Humboldt, the Battlefords and Kindersley. Warman is Saskatchewan’s fastest-growing community, boasting one of the largest minor hockey systems in the province.
Last season, the league and our teams had great success both on and off the ice. Over 260,000 fans attended either a regular-season or SJHL playoff game last season.
The SJHL is Western Canada’s premier junior “A” hockey league, recognized for its exceptional player development and commitment to its players, staff, and the communities it serves.
