REGINA, SK – The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) is proud to announce the coaching staff for Team SJHL at the 2026 Viking Cup, presented by Vaderstad.
Drew Kocur, the head coach and general manager of the Estevan Bruins, will be Team SJHL’s bench boss, while league alumni Turner Ripplinger will be his assistant coach.
Rick Oakes, the Melfort Mustangs’ Director of Player Personnel, will serve as the team’s General Manager.
FIND MORE DETAILS ON THE VIKING CUP HERE.
Kocur, 30, hails from Regina, SK, and is in his first full year as the head coach in Estevan, after he was named the Bruins’ interim boss during last season on Jan. 21, 2025.
He was hired as the team’s assistant coach in the off-season of 2023 after he led the Pilot Butte Storm to the Prairie Junior ‘B’ Hockey League title that year.
“Very excited and honoured to be the coach of the Viking Cup team,” Kocur said.
“It’s always exciting when you get a chance to coach some of the top players in the league. I had done some homework and reached out to some connections/colleagues, including Mike Johnston, who had coached in the Viking cup from 82’-87, and he had talked about his experience and how it’s a great opportunity.
Oakes has been a member of the Melfort Mustangs organization since 2015. Before joining the Mustangs, he served twelve years as Head Scout for the Estevan Bruins and an additional two years in the same capacity with the Kindersley Klippers. Oakes also brings experience from the Western Hockey League, having scouted regionally for both the Lethbridge Hurricanes and the Red Deer Rebels.
In his role as Director of Player Personnel, Oakes works closely with the coaching staff and management team to identify, evaluate, and recruit talent to the Mustangs organization.
“The revitalization of the Viking Cup is going to be a great opportunity for players to showcase the abilities they have, and hopefully they can open some doors for some new opportunities moving forward,” Oakes said.
“I’ve worked with Drew over the years when he was part of the Prairie Storm for the Pilot Butte Storm program, as part of the Prairie Junior Hockey League, and always had a lot of respect for his abilities.”
“There’s some special talent around the league, especially in that 20-year-old age group,” he continued.
“It’s exciting to see the nominations come in from teams, and maybe players you’ve never had the opportunity to watch as much as you should have in the past, but seeing their names come forward and having the chance to pick them and be on a select team or an all-star team is pretty exciting. It’ll be good to allow them to showcase themselves and the recognition they deserve for some guys who have made considerable contributions to our league over the last three years.”
Ripplinger, 27, assisted Kocur with the Bruins in the second half of the 2024-25 campaign and played for the Bruins in the 2018-19 SJHL season.
After a three-year career as a player in USports with the University of Regina, he spent three seasons in the English Ice Hockey League with the Guildford Flames. He split last season between the Boston Bruins’ ECHL affiliate in Maine and in senior hockey in Saskatchewan with the Southey Mariners.
“I hope the players get a chance to showcase what they have to offer in front of schools,” Kocur said, “as they try to pursue an education alongside playing more hockey.
“It’s also a great experience for them to play against older players and different programs that they can talk about for years to come.”
The Viking Cup will run from Dec. 27, 2025, to Jan. 3, 2026, in Camrose, AB.
Team SJHL will feature players born in 2005 and 2006 and will be finalized by the coaching staff in the coming weeks.
FIND THE FULL SCHEDULE OF THE EVENT HERE.
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