Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League

Koch SUPERU Player Profile: Noah Wills

Noah Wills

Koch SUPERU – Change the Way You Grow
Dave Leaderhouse

It was a round-about way to become a second-generation player with the Millionaires, but Noah Wills is ready to make Melville his home for the foreseeable future.

The nephew of former Millionaires Tim and Brian Hack was drafted by the Weyburn Red Wings in the fourth round of the 2018 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League bantam draft before being sent to the Battlefords North Stars in 2019 and ultimately ending up in Melville last summer.

The 17-year-old Swift Current native had a slow start to his junior career being held off the scoresheet in his first four games with the Millionaires last fall, but he did register his first point, an assist, in his final outing before play was suspended due to the Covid-19 crisis.

The 5-foot-9, 145-pound forward cracked the Millionaires’ line-up this year despite having one more season of midget eligibility remaining. In his one season at that level Wills put up impressive numbers scoring 12 times and setting up 24 more in 43 games with the Tisdale Trojans of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League.

His 15-year-old campaign was even more noticeable as he led all scorers in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League U-17 Division when he registered 59 points in 24 games for the Prairie Hockey Academy varsity team. Wills added another 10 points in four playoff games that season showing he can perform at a high level when the stakes are even higher.

The smooth-skating Wills is hoping to someday play NCAA Division 1 hockey and his 98 per cent average in Grade 11, along with his continued improvement on the ice, is certain to gain some attention in the future. With three more years of junior eligibility remaining he has plenty of time to pursue that goal, but he also has a great opportunity to help the Millionaires make a return to the post-season, something that hasn’t happened since 2018.