After 2 years, Sask. Junior Female Hockey League looking to expand

Dayne Patterson · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 30, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Nikki Stewart joined a assemblage hockey squad consecutive retired of precocious school. In retrospect, she believes she could person benefited from a twelvemonth of inferior hockey first — thing much pistillate hockey players successful Saskatchewan could soon person a accidental to do.

When Stewart was successful precocious school, the Saskatchewan Junior Female Hockey League did not exist. It was started 2 years ago.

Now an adjunct manager successful the under-22 SJFHL, Stewart sees the league arsenic an accidental for younger players to make their skills, oregon to springiness them an enactment during a spread twelvemonth earlier playing college hockey.

"I deliberation determination is simply a immense fig of pistillate hockey players betwixt the ages of 18 and 22 that privation to prosecute hockey extracurricular of their precocious schoolhouse years," Stewart said.

And now, the league is looking at a maturation spurt.

The boards of directors of both Hockey Saskatchewan and the SJFHL are calling for applications from communities funny successful joining the league for the upcoming season. 

Just successful the past year, Stewart said she's noticed the league and her squad — the Outlook Mainline Ice Hawks — person garnered much interest.

In summation to the Ice Hawks, the league presently has 5 other teams: the Regina Junior Rebels, Saskatoon Prairie Blaze, Lumsden Lynx, Southwest Impact and Western Prairie Klippers.

Stewart said she could spot a payment to adding two much teams, particularly for players successful the bluish portion of the province.

Kelly McClintock, wide manager of Hockey Saskatchewan, said determination isn't a circumstantial fig of caller teams helium intends to grant franchises successful the league, but helium wants to make involvement successful the game. 

Like Stewart, McClintock said the league gives women a accidental to proceed playing astatine a competitory level, and offers a stepping chromatic to assemblage hockey.

"Previous to this, they didn't person that opportunity," helium said. 

"If we tin expand, see different mates of teams and possibly implicit the adjacent 10 years, possibly get to a northbound and southbound part and maybe person six teams successful each, that would beryllium awesome."

The league has done good successful its archetypal 2 years, helium said, and determination person been expressions of involvement from different communities successful Saskatchewan, which is wherefore helium thinks it's time to look astatine expansion.

New teams volition request to person entree to ice, a location rink, a recruitment program for an progressive roster of 25 players, and a coaching and sponsorship plan.

"We privation the teams to absorption connected truly making it charismatic for young ladies to privation to travel and play," helium said.

Unlike its sibling league, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, determination is not a listing process oregon a draught to enlistee players, McClintock said. The 2 person differing structures.

"There's a important quality betwixt the antheral broadside and inferior A, wherever a squad fund is possibly $800,000 to [about $1 million], to a pistillate inferior programme wherever the girls are contributing to play," helium said.

McClintock said the SJHL has taken astir 50 years to physique its structure, portion the SJFHL is inactive developing.

The caller Saskatchewan league launched around the aforesaid clip arsenic the Professional Women's Hockey League — a North American league with 3 Canadian teams that has brought renewed attraction to women's hockey.

McClintock said the nonrecreational league has helped turn the game.

Stewart is hopeful that immoderate SJFHL players could beryllium noticed by teams astatine the assemblage level and determination their mode up to the professional league. The Ice Hawks' prima player, Haley Braun, led the league during the regular play with 65 points successful 20 games.

Stewart calls her "a precise peculiar and talented player," who she thinks could beryllium on "the archetypal measurement of a agelong vocation for her successful hockey."

"I would emotion to see, 1 day, her being successful the PWHL, arsenic good arsenic different girls connected our squad and our league, too," said Stewart.