The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The off season for a junior hockey franchise can have plenty of idle time, but there is still a lot of work that has to be done behind the scenes to get ready for the next campaign. In just over a month the hockey rinks in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's 12 communities will be back to life as the summer break will be over so without going into a full summary of what has transpired with each team, following are some highlights of major events and what to expect in the very near future for each of the SJHL franchises (this is the second part of a two-part series). Melfort Mustangs The Mustangs begin their second quarter-century on Aug. 30 when training camp gets under way at the Northern Lights Palace. The Mustangs have been very visible in the community over the summer taking part in several events such as the annual parade and the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes campaign. The club, which recorded a profit for their 25th anniversary season, has redone the players' dressing room and is ready to welcome the next edition of the club. One player that won't be back is Brady Goebel who was dealt to Whitecourt of the Alberta zcomplete an earlier trade that brought Preston Eshenko to Melfort. The Mustangs have also rounded out their staff by hiring Kyle McDonald as the performance coach and they also added Clint Sullivan to the training staff. Melville Millionaires Training camp for the Millionaires will be held Sept. 6-8 with coach and general manager Jamie Fiesel saying the team will be competitive despite having several new faces. Not with the team this year, among others, are captain Lucas Froese and Kevin Woodyatt, both of whom will be heading to Ryerson in the fall. The Millionaires also traded league MVP Alex Wakaluk to LaRonge to complete an earlier deal that brought Nathan Boyer and Brennan Ritchie to Melville. Wakaluk has since agreed to go to Amherst in the fall to play hockey and go to school. Off the ice, the Millionaires are busy with their annual Harvest Lotto as the major fundraiser has 54 prizes available to lucky ticket holders. The draw date is Sept. 29. Nipawin Hawks After a very successful season in which the Hawks recorded a healthy profit, the club is anxious to get back on the ice and that begins Aug. 31 when training camp will get under way. Before the camp starts, however, the annual Hawks hockey school will be centre stage with that event running from Aug. 23-26. The Hawks are also winding down their Your Choice Lottery where just 500 tickets are being sold. The draw date is Aug. 17. One other bit of news out of Nipawin is the hiring of new athletic therapist Emma Galloway, who has spent the past four years with the Cambridge Winter Hawks Junior B program. Notre Dame Hounds Training camp for the Hounds begins on Sept. 6 and will run for three days. Notre Dame will be looking to fill a few spots on their roster after the Hounds graduated several key players including captain Carson Grolla, who is attending AIC this fall. Josh Bruha is also beginning his post-secondary career as he will be heading west to Trinity Western University in B.C. Notre Dame is busy planning for its annual Hounds Golf Classic tournament which is scheduled for Sept. 28 at the Long Creek Golf and Country Club in Avonlea. Weyburn Red Wings The big news out of Weyburn was the hiring of new head coach Bryce Thoma earlier this spring. Thoma joins the Red Wings after spending the past few seasons as an assistant coach with the Western Hockey League's Red Deer Rebels. The Red Wings begin their new era under Thoma on Aug. 30 when training camp will start and the annual Red and White intra-squad game is set to take place two days later. Weyburn will be looking to fill some big holes left by the departure of their two top scorers from last year as Miguel Periera has signed a pro contract to play with Les Bruleurs de Loups of the French Elite League while Ryan Ostertag has committed to play with the University of Arizona this fall. Yorkton Terriers The Terriers begin defense of their Canalta Cup championship on Aug. 31 when training camp gets underway. Coach Trent Cassan will also have some big shoes to fill as a number of players have graduated and moved on to the next phase of their careers. Among those is Patrick Martens who will be attending Red Deer College while Jeremy Johnson is heading to Minot State University. The Terriers spent some time this summer looking for a new athletic therapist/equipment manager after Tyler Paturel left the team to join the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but the club is pleased to announce that Andre Hubedeau has been recruited to fill the position for the upcoming season. Hubedeau was with the Yellowhead Chiefs of the Manitoba Midget AAA Hockey League last year. (The Reminder previously published previews of the six other teams, including Flin Flon).
