The 2024-25 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League campaign begins Friday, Sept. 20, and just like their Nutrien Division rival in Battlefords, the Humboldt Broncos have a brand new coach.
Newly arrived head coach and general manager Brayden Klimosko is not expected to take too long to settle in, given that he is a local, a club legend, and has thrived in Battlefords for the last six seasons.
Once again, the Broncos could not get over the Round 2 hump last year. However, departing boss Scott Barney once again demonstrated his wonderful ability to move kids on to great spots, icing four Division I commits and seven total scholarship players before the campaign was over.
Humboldt survived a brutal Round 1, seven-game battle with the Weyburn Red Wings before another even more intense, action-packed Round 2 defeat to the eventual Canterra Seeds Cup champion Melfort Mustangs.
Let’s look at some key numbers from the last regular season for Humboldt.
Record: 37-15-3-1 (78 pts, 3rd place)
Special Teams: PP: 22.8% (4th); PK: 79.1% (8th)
Goal Differential: GF: 250 (2nd); GA: 169 (3rd); Diff: +60
Special Teams Frequency: Power-Play Opportunities: 241 (10th); Times Shorthanded: 282 (2nd)
Goaltender Stats from 23-24:
Benjamin Motew, 27-10-3, 2.74 GAA, .915 SV%, 1 SO
Aidan Fischer, 9-5-1, 3.38 GAA, .909 SV%, 2 SO
Top Scorers from 23-24:
Spencer Bell: 55GP, 47G, 41A, 88PTS
Matthew Van Blaricom: 47GP, 27G, 41A, 68PTS
Cage Newans: 56GP, 23G, 45A, 68PTS
Travis Bryson: 50GP, 23G, 32A, 55PTS
Ben Costantino: 50GP, 11G, 39A, 50PTS
Like most successful junior teams, the Broncos moved a significant corps on, including their Top five scorers and No. 1 goaltender. That being said, Klimosko’s cupboard is still full, with NCAA Division I committed forward Connor Miller, Swiss-army knife Maddox Amaral, and numerous other quality pieces back among the skaters. Job No. 1 will likely be to replace Ben Motew in net, but the club is hoping for that solution in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League-experienced goaltender Edouard Gauthier.
SJHL Co-Director of Media Clark Munroe sat down with Coach Klimosko ahead of the 24/25 season and asked his thoughts on the upcoming year.
