All eyes in the SJHL will be on Warman, SK late next month.
This year’s SJHL Showcase tournament is set to take place Sept. 25 to 28 at Legends Arena in Warman. Each of the SJHL’s 12 teams will play two games in front of fans as well as scouts from across Canada and the US.
For the players, the tournament is a chance to prove their worth to scouts from the college and major junior ranks. A good showing at the tournament can mean the difference between a full scholarship and being left behind.
“The players know that scouts are in the stands. They know that it’s an opportunity to impress,” said Flin Flon Bombers head coach and general manager Mike Reagan. “So I think that the intensity picks up a bit. There’s a lot on the line for a lot of kids. Their futures are riding on making an impression during that time. You only get two games to make an impression.”
As a team, the Bombers will look to bounce back from last year’s performance, which saw them lose both of their Showcase games by one goal.
“We got off to a slow start, but we played two good games at [last year’s] Showcase,” said Reagan. “I thought we played pretty well for the most part.”
Flin Flon’s first Showcase game is scheduled for 5:30 pm on Monday, Sept. 26, when the Bombers will face the Weyburn Red Wings. The next day, Tuesday, Sept. 27, the Bombers play at 12:30 pm against the Yorkton Terriers.
Reagan expects the competition to be stiff.
“Weyburn’s going to be one of the better teams in the league. I think things have changed a little bit, since they lost their head coach to the Western Hockey League,” he said on Wednesday.
Asked about the Terriers, Reagan said, “Yorkton was a young team last year. They’ve shown signs of a lot of potential for this year, so it’s going to be interesting.”
Despite the pressure and level of competition, Reagan is confident his team will succeed in Warman.
“We feel we have a lot of Division I potential players when we look at our roster. We have good young players who should have an opportunity to pique some interest from some of those schools.”
