SJHL set for puckdrop on new season, pushing emphasis on local
It’s a new year, and a new hope for optimism for the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s (SJHL) 12 clubs.
The puck is set to drop Friday night on the SJHL season, with 10 teams in action across the province.
For this season though, the second full year for commissioner Kyle McIntyre, it’s all about local, and all about keeping local talents within the province.
“The success to a franchise above fan engagement and community engagement is you have to have some local products on your team. And I think some of our teams have really taken some strong efforts to do that and certainly connection with minor hockey, a connection with sponsors, but more importantly, a connection with the community always puts bums in the seats,” he told CTV News Friday morning.
McIntyre said at the league’s last AGM, a big emphasis was given to coaches and clubs to look for homegrown — with a new Saskatchewan waiver wire now implemented to prevent players from making an out-of-province jump, when teams within our borders could use the extra help.
A new franchise template was also given to clubs to ensure that all clubs and management are on the same playing field, with that added emphasis on growing franchises locally.
The league’s initial set of games on Friday are as follows:
- Melville vs. Estevan, 7 p.m.
- Flin Flon vs. Nipawin, 7 p.m.
- Yorkton vs. Weyburn, 7 p.m.
- Kindersley vs. North Battleford, 7:30 p.m.
- La Ronge vs. Melfort, 7:30 p.m.
For Saturday, a group of home and homes, but also the beginning of the year for Nipawin and Humboldt:
- Melfort vs. Flin Flon, 7:30 p.m.
- Notre Dame vs. Humboldt, 7 p.m.
- Estevan vs. Melville, 7 p.m.
- Weyburn vs. Yorkton, 7 p.m.
- North Battleford vs. Kindersley, 7:30 p.m.
- Nipawin vs. La Ronge, 7:30 p.m.
The SJHL’s 12 teams will play 56 games each, including the SJHL Showcase in Warman from Nov. 13 to 16.
The season ends on March 16, with the Canterra Seeds Cup Playoffs beginning shortly thereafter.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

NEW 'I'm in no way ashamed of my infertility': The challenge for families trying to conceive without coverage
Families that need help conceiving a child are met with financial burdens that should be covered through government health care and insurance, advocates say.
Fatal stabbing of German tourist by suspected radical puts sharp focus on Paris Olympics
A bloodstain by a bridge over the Seine river was the only remaining sign on Sunday of a fatal knife attack 12 hours earlier on a German tourist, allegedly carried out by a young man under watch for suspected Islamic radicalization.
Teen girls are being victimized by deepfake nudes. One family is pushing for more protections
A mother and her 14-year-old daughter are advocating for better protections for victims after AI-generated nude images of the teen and other female classmates were circulated at a high school in New Jersey.
1 person is dead and 11 missing after a landslide and flash floods hit Indonesia's Sumatra island
Rescuers recovered the body of a man buried under tons of mud and rocks from flash floods and a landslide that crashed onto a hilly village on Indonesia's Sumatra island. Officials said Sunday that 11 people are still missing.
Strong earthquake that sparked a tsunami warning leaves 1 dead amid widespread panic in Philippines
A powerful earthquake that shook the southern Philippines killed at least one villager and injured several others as thousands scrambled out of their homes in panic and jammed roads to higher grounds after a tsunami warning was issued, officials said Sunday.
Israel orders more people in crowded southern Gaza to evacuate as heavy bombardment shifts there
Israel's military ordered more areas in and around Gaza's second-largest city of Khan Younis to evacuate on Sunday, followed by heavy bombardment, as it shifted its offensive to the southern half of the territory where it asserts that leaders of the Hamas militant group are hiding.
Naloxone: What to know about the opioid overdose-reversing drug, free across Canada
Health Canada has called the opioid crisis one of the most serious public health threats in recent history, and an addictions specialist says everyone can play a part in helping reduce the death toll. All it takes is access to naloxone, a life-saving medication that temporarily reverses an opioid overdose.
'My door is always open': heritage minister insists feds working hard 'to bring Meta back to the table' on C-18
Canada's heritage minister insists the federal government is still working to get Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta back to the bargaining table to negotiate a deal to compensate Canadian news organizations as part of the regulatory process for the controversial Online News Act.
Bonnie Crombie wins Ontario Liberal leadership after 3 rounds of voting
Ontario Liberals have selected Bonnie Crombie, a three-term big city mayor and former MP who boasts that she gets under the skin of Premier Doug Ford, as their next leader to go head to head with the premier in the next provincial election.