NIPAWIN HAWKS
When the Nipawin Hawks selected Jaxsen Wiebe with the 22nd pick in the 2017 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League bantam draft they more than likely thought he would become an asset in 2020 or so.
Not so.
The 16-year-old Wiebe has not only made the team this year, but through the first 21 games of his Junior “A” career he has nearly matched his entire output from last season when he was a rookie winger in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. The 6-foot-0, 186-pound Wiebe has five goals and eight assists with the Hawks while last year he had 16 points in 41 games with his hometown Generals.
Wiebe’s play in his freshman SJHL campaign has been somewhat predictable. After being held off the scoresheet in his first two games, he went on a four-game run with at least one point before cooling off for a period of time. Recently, however, he has rediscovered his touch around the net as he has collected six points in his last five games.
Wiebe’s play with the Moose Jaw Bantam AA Warriors got him noticed by the Hawks, and the Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels, as in two seasons with the Warriors he averaged more than a point per game. Wiebe, who had 35 goals and 35 assists in 57 games at the Bantam AA level, was also picked by Red Deer in the seventh round of the WHL’s bantam draft.
Nipawin is in a fierce three-team battle for top spot in the Sherwood Division standings and they are in a group of nine that are separated by just 11 points for top spot overall. The Hawks have the second best goal differential in the league and Wiebe’s contributions have played a big part in their attempt to try and successfully defend the Canalta Cup championship they captured last spring.
With four years of junior hockey eligibility remaining, Wiebe appears to be a cornerstone for the future for the Hawks.
