2024-25 Manitoba Bisons/USports

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July 21, 2024: Apetagon To France

Forward Tony Apetagon has signed for a team called Evry-Viry in France's 3rd tier. He played 73 games across 5 seasons (including none in the covid season), and hada stats line of 17-11-28. He had the soft hands and scored some picture goals. I was always left thinking he could have gone somewhere big if he could have just developed some play-making skills.

One of his teammates (Michael Douglas) formerly played for the York Lions of the OUA.

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: Tony Apetagon Career Record
➤ Elite Prospects: Evry-Viry Team Roster

Since the schedule was released, no team in the CW has posted a new story. Also, since my update on July 4, 2024, only MacEwan has more names added at Elite Prospects. They have gone form five names to seven.

USports' LOI registry was updated on July 18, 2024, with nothing new to the CW. The MJHL recruitments have not been updated in ages.

Here's a list of the new Family Guys:

Ethan Barwick (G) - Lindenwood (NCAA - did not play), Brooks (AJHL- 2022-23)
Brett Epp (G) - Nipissing (OUA - 2021-22 followed by various SPHL, ECHL, and Senior teams)
Carson Haynes (D) - Vancouver/Regina (WHL)
Brody Tallman (D) - Canmore (AJHL)
Caden Cabana (F) - Lloydminster (AJHL)
Blake Eastman (F) - Summerside (MJAHL), prior Prince George (WHL)
Ethan Sundar (LW) - Fort McMurray (AJHL) & Spruce Grove (BCHL)

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: USports Transfers
➤ Elite Prospects: MacEwan Griffins (7)
➤ USports: Eligibilty Page : XLS Spreadsheet
➤ MJHL: Player Advancement Page : Advancement News

 

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July 26, 2024: News on Bison Coaching Staff, and More

In an Instagram post, the Bisons have announced the return of assistant coach Kyle Prystupa. And they posted the schedule in the form of a picture.

Links:
➤ Instagram: Kyle Prystupa Returns
➤ Instagram: Schedule Picture

The T-irds posted a retrospective of the year that was. Not much of a story, but more than any other team in the CW has done.

Links:
➤ UBC: Banner Season: T-Birds add to the championship trophy case in 2023-24

There is a smattering of new names at Elite Prospects. The USports' LOI registry was updated on July 21, 2024, and three of the MRU recruits from Elite Prospects were added. The MJHL recruitments have not been updated.

Mount Royal;s recruits to date are:
Harmon Laser-Hume (G) - Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL)
Leif Olafson (D) - Melfort Mustangs (SJHL)
Juatin Lies (RW) - Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL) - prior with Saskatoon and Vancouver (WHL)
Jayden Wiens (F) - Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

Holy Trinity now has seven:
Ricards Landmaris (D) - Grand Canyon (ACHA)
Sammy May (F) - Drayton Thunder (AJHL)
Zakhar Polshakov (C) - Corpus Christie (NAHL) - prior Brandon (WHL)
Lleyton Shearon (F) - Laronge Ice Wolves (SJHL)
Mikhail Semchuk (F) - Grand Canyon (ACHA) & Ukraine (Intl)
Cole Savage (G) - Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) & Wilkes/Barre Scranton (NCDC)
Zack Whitaker (D) - Castleton U. (NCAA III)

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: USports Transfers
➤ Elite Prospects: Mount Royal Cougars (4)
➤ Elite Prospects: Trinity Western Spartans (7)
➤ USports: Eligibilty Page : XLS Spreadsheet
➤ MJHL: Player Advancement Page : Advancement News

 

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July 30, 2024: Bisons Announce Exhibition Schedule

Sat Sep 14 Manitoba at Saskatchewan 7:00 CST/8:00 CDT
Sun Sep 15 Manitoba at Regina 2:00 CST/3:00 CDT
Sat Sep 21 Regina at Manitoba 2:00 CDT
Fri Sep 27 Lakehead (OUA) at Manitoba 7:00 CDT
Sat Sep 28 Lakehead (OUA) at Manitoba 2:00 CDT
Thu Oct 3 Manitoba at Manitoba Moose (AHL) TBA
Sat Oct 5 Manitoba at St. Thomas (NCAA) 1:07 CDT
Tue Oct 8 Manitoba at Manitoba Moose (AHL) TBA
Sat Jan 4 Manitoba at North Dakota (NCAA) 6:07 CST

NOTE: Regina has an away game against the Bisons listed on Sept 20 at 7:00 p.m.
NOTE: Minnesota-Duluth has a home game against the Bisons listed on Oct 6 at 2:07 p.m.

That is quite a schedule. Opponents from four different leagues. I wonder why that 3-way round-robin with Regina could not be accomodated this year. Regina will be driving in for just one game. The Bisons should be able to be more competitive with the Moose than they were last year.

The recruiting announcements have almost ended across USports. The funny thing is the lack of announcements from Junior A teams. There has been nothing from the MJHL in ages. Often Elite Prospects adds announcements which come from Twitters, team announcements, etc.

Links:
➤ GoBisons.ca Schedule/Results

 

[Hollywood2]

August 1, 2024: Recruitment Update

Elite Prospects is showing more departures than arrivals across USports now.

Mount Royal now has four recruits and two departures listed. The recruits are:
Harmon Laser-Hume - G - Flin Flon (SJHL)
Leith Olafson - D - Melfort (SJHL)
Justin Lies - RW - Flin Flon (SJHL) - prior with Vancouver & Saskatoon (WHL)
Jayden Wiens - F - Brandon (WHL)

The departures are:
Jaden Senkoe - C - to Villard-de-Lans (France 2)
Kasey Hiemstra - F - to Red Deer Poly (ACAC)

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: USports Transfers
➤ Elite Prospects: Manitoba Bisons (7)
➤ Elite Prospects: Alberta Golden Bears (2)
➤ Elite Prospects: Calgary Dinosaurs (1)
➤ Elite Prospects: MacEwan Griffins (7)
➤ Elite Prospects: Mount Royal Cougars (4)
➤ Elite Prospects: Regina Cougars (6)
➤ Elite Prospects: Saskatchewan Huskies (4)
➤ Elite Prospects: Trinity Western Spartans (7)
➤ Elite Prospects: U.B.C. Thunderbirds (3)
➤ USports: Eligibilty Page : XLS Spreadsheet
➤ MJHL: Player Advancement Page : Advancement News

 

[Hollywood2]

August 13, 2024: Two Weeks of Very Little News

Mount Royal have one new recruit, and started listing returnees. The new one is:
Teague Patton - C - Everett (WHL)

He had 22 goals and 40 assists last year.

Meanwhile, MacEwan has listed their entire roster.

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: USports Transfers
➤ Elite Prospects: MacEwan Griffins (entire roster)
➤ Elite Prospects: Mount Royal Cougars (5)
➤ USports: Eligibilty Page : XLS Spreadsheet
➤ MJHL: Player Advancement Page : Advancement News

Bison tickets are for sale. I bought my season pass already. Soon we should be getting news on CanadaWest TV. Also, football coach Brian Dobie announed that he will retire at the end of the season.

Links:
➤ GoBisons.ca: Tickets are on sale for the 2024-25 season
➤ GoBisons: Brian Dobie announces retirement at the conclusion of the 2024 football season

Former Evil Monkey Randy Gregg will be honoured by the Edmonton Greasers this year. He will be inducted into their Hall of Bananas. Of note, he also played on the 1980 and 1988 Olympic teams. (Remember that the IIHF allowed NHLers in the 1988 Olympics, but the NHL did not. The Prairie teams temporarily released players to boost Team Canada. The Greasers released Gregg, the Winnipeg Jets donated Tim Watters, and the host Calgary Flames chipped in with Jim Peplinski.)

Links:
➤ UofA: Randy Gregg to be inducted into Edmonton Oilers HOF

 

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August 20, 2024: The Puck Has Dropped!

MCGILL REDHAWKS 1
RYTIRI KLADNO (KNIGHTS) 4

Links:
➤ McGill: McGill Redbirds take flight for first overseas hockey tour since 2007-08
➤ McGill: Schedule & Results
➤ Kladno: Kladno has beat-out of the oldest teams in the world and is writing a second win in a row!
➤ Kladno: First time at home! Kladno will see the Knights' match with extraordinary opponents
➤ Kladno: Schedule & Results
➤ Olnajay: Summary
➤ Eurohockey.com: Rytíři Kladno

The McGill No-Longer-Men are the first USports team to play this year, and have opened with a loss in Czechia. Kladno has been up-and-down between the 1st and 2nd tiers of Czech hockey the last several years, and are currently in the Extraliga (the top tier). Their owner, and part-time player, is none other than Jaromir Jagr. He did not suit up for this game. These teams also played on August 29, 1985, with Kladno winning 6-1. McGill's linked preview story has their entire tour history, with games from 1981 to 2008.

NEXT UP:
Thu Aug 22 McGill at HC Pribham 1:00 EDT/12:00 CDT
Sat Aug 24 McGill at Czech University Selects 11:00 EDT/10:00 CDT
Fri Aug 30 Carleton at Belfast Giants 11:00 EDT/10:00 CDT
Sat Aug 31 Alberta v Carleton (at Belfast) 12:00 MDT/1:00 CDT
Sun Sep 1 Alberta at Belfast Giants 9:00 AM MDT/10:00 AM CDT

 

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August 22, 2024: McGill Evens Their Record

MCGILL REDHAWKS 6
HC PRIBRAM 1

Links:
➤ McGill: Summary: Pribram v McGill
➤ McGill: Frattaroli sparkles, special teams sizzle, as McGill checkmates Czechs in overseas tussle
➤ McGill: Summary: Kladno v McGill
➤ McGill: Hockey superstar Jaromir Jagr shows up in Redbirds dressing room as McGill kicks off 149th year with trip to Czechia
➤ Pribram: Experience Canadian hockey on his own skin! The oldest hockey club in the world will be heading to Příbram.
➤ Eurohockey.com: HC Pribram

McGill has levelled their record against a team from the Czech 2nd tier. The McGill website has uploaded box scores and stories on both games. They got to meet Jaromir Jagr, which is nice.

NEXT UP:
Sat Aug 24 McGill at Czech University Selects 11:00 EDT/10:00 CDT
Fri Aug 30 Carleton at Belfast Giants 11:00 EDT/10:00 CDT
Sat Aug 31 Alberta v Carleton (at Belfast) 12:00 MDT/1:00 CDT
Sun Sep 1 Alberta at Belfast Giants 9:00 AM MDT/10:00 AM CDT

 

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August 24, 2024: McGill Ends Tour 2-1

MCGILL REDHAWKS 6
CZECH UNIVERSITY SELECTS 1

Links:
➤ McGill: Summary: Selects v McGill
➤ McGill: McGill concludes overseas hockey tour with win over Czech University Selects

The McGilligutties won, as expected, against the Czech University squad. This gives them two wins from three games on this European excursion. They now wait until September 14th when they face UQTR in a pre-season game.

NEXT UP:
Fri Aug 30 Carleton at Belfast Giants 11:00 EDT/10:00 CDT
Sat Aug 31 Alberta v Carleton (at Belfast) 12:00 MDT/1:00 CDT
Sun Sep 1 Alberta at Belfast Giants 9:00 AM MDT/10:00 AM CDT

 

[Hollywood2]

August 28, 2024: Pre-Weekend News & Notes

The Bisons will be unable to use the Wayne Fleming Arena until October. The whole Max Bell Centre is under renovations again. This means that their exhibition games will be at other venues. Their home series against Lakehead and at least the Friday night game against Regina (now confirmed) will be at the Dakota CC, the former home of the Winnipeg Saints. I presume that the games against the Manitoba Moose will be at the Moose/Jets training facility, the Hockey-For-All Centre.

Links:
➤ GoBisons.ca: Schedule/Results

The RSEQ Division 2 has added a new team - Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO). In the linked stories, it appears that the Laval Rouge et Or and the Sherbrooke Vert et Or are looking into teams in upcoming seasons. I have not seen anything about the UQAM Citadins project. They were seeking admission to the OUA before Covid hit.

Links:
➤ UQO: UQO jumps on ice and joins the ranks of male college hockey
➤ UQO: Hockey: Eric Labelle named head coach of the Torrents
➤ RSEQ: UQO joins RSEQ University D2 University Colos
➤ LeDroit: University Hockey: UQO responds to the call of Serge Savard
➤ Bulletin Sportif: University Hockey: Torrents are coming, Stingers should be back
➤ Journel le Nord: New team at UQO: Torrents land university hockey
➤ Elite Prospects: UQO Roster Page

I deleted the CMRSJ links on the OP. As far as I could tell, they had just one game last year, an 11-0 loss against a CGEP team. So no games against the Div 2 teams. Their team page still has their 2020-21 team photos.

Links:
➤ CMRSJ: Hockey Page
➤ RSEQ: 2023-24 Team Schedule/Results Page

Canada West football starts this weekend, and soccer even started last weekend, so normally by now the CW website and each team would have stories on the purchases of CWTV passes. I went to CanadaWest.tv in order to find a place to order my pass, and did so. The All-Access pass is $109.99 (all sports, all playoffs), Regular Season One Sport ($39.99), and single games are $12.99. There was no “Early Bird”, like in past years.

Links:
➤ CWTV: Main Page

 

[Hollywood2]

August 30, 2024: Carleton Whipped, and Other News

CARLETON RAVENS 2
BELFAST GIANTS 8

Cartoon U was thoroughly crushed in their season opener in the Land of the Lucky Charms. Their first game ought to have been against Leprechauns, not Giants, I guess.

There are not a lot of statistical sources in the British Isles. However, the Belfast Telegraph’s game story quotes the shots at 69-23 in favour of Belfast. There are loads of Giants’ stories at the Telegraph’s on-line edition.

I also remember the Giants uploading highlights of their Bison games to their YouTube Channel in the past. So check for those in the links.

The Giants have two USports alumni: Josh Roach (Saskatchewan) and Pierre-Oliver Morin (UQTR). They have five other Canadians from either the CHL or NCAA, and a few Americans as well. For roster details, go to Elite Prospects. The Giants’ website avoids stats and numbers.

This round-robin continues with the Evil Monkeys facing Cartoon U on Saturday and the Giants on Sunday. For £15 per game (that’s $26.57 in Canada) you could watch each game on Giants TV. (I’ll pass on that.)

Links:
➤ GoRavens.ca: Young Ravens Battle in Belfast
➤ Belfast Telegraph: Pierre-Oliver Morin’s hat-trick fires Belfast Giants to easy pre-season win over Carleton Ravens
➤ Belfast Telegraph: Belfast Giants’ pre-season chemistry has been great to see, says hat-trick hero Pierre-Olivier Morin
➤ YouTube: Belfast Giants’ Channel
➤ Elite Prospects: Belfast Giants
➤ Elite Prospects: Josh Roach
➤ Elite Prospects: Pierre-Olivier Morin
➤ Belfast Giants: Official Website

The Evil Monkeys have added a lot of names at Elite Prospects (seven in total), but nothing on their website. The team’s roster page is still on 2023-24. It looks like a bumper crop of primate prospects. The listed recruits are:

Tyler Palmer - G - Everett Silvertips (30-9-2, 2.57 GAA, .907 S%)
Marc Lajoie - D - Edmonton Oil Kings (58 points, called up to AHL)
Vincent Lamanna - C - Fort McMurray (AJHL, after two years in Everett)
Tyson Laventure - RW - Swift Current & Victoria (67 points in 64 games combined)
Ty Nash - F - Edmonton Oil Kings (56 points in 50 games)
Sam Popowich - F - Seattle Thunderbirds (41 points in 57 games)
Sean Tschigerl - LW - Calgary & Lethbridge (62 points in 63 games)

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: Alberta Golden Bears (7)

The Banjo-Mutts announced three new recruits on their website. The linked story claims seven recruits (5 forwards, 1 defenceman, and 1 goaltender) to be announced through the week. However, Elite Prospects lists six (3 forwards, 2 defencemen, and 1 goaltender). This week's batch of three is:

Ryan Wong - C/LW - Saskatoon Blades (101 points last year)
Logan Bairos - D - Kamloops Blazers (37 points, but -39)
Ashton Ferster - F - Kamloops Blazers (41 points)

Links:
➤ UofS: Huskie Men's Hockey Add Dynamic Trio from the WHL
➤ Elite Prospects: Saskatchewan Huskies (6)

NEXT UP:
Sat Aug 31 Alberta v Carleton (at Belfast) 12:00 MDT/1:00 CDT
Sun Sep 1 Alberta at Belfast Giants 9:00 AM MDT/10:00 AM CDT

 

[Hollywood2]

August 31, 2024: Monkeys Start with a W, UQTR On Tour

CARLETON RAVENS 3
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
(in overtime)

Turns out they showed this game on free YouTube. You can watch the replay at the links. I found the link while looking for the highlights of Game 1 (which were uploaded). I was provided a link to the EIHL pre-season game sheets (in the links). I’d like to watch the full game (I just saw the ending), but it seems like the Primates lack physicality in front of their net, which is one of the main reasons they finished 5th last year.

So the Evil Monkeys will face the Giants for the Lucky Charms Cup. I’ll check to see if it, too, is free on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Cartoon U has two additional games on their European Tour. On Wednesday they face Selber Wolfe from DEL2 (Germany’s 2nd tier league) and on Thursday they wrap up against EC Peiting of the Oberliga (Germany’s 3rd tier league). None of their pre-season games are showing on their schedule.

Links:
➤ GoRavens.ca: Golden Bears Top Ravens in Overtime
➤ UofA: Schedule & Results
➤ Elite League: EIHL Pre-Season Schedule & Results
➤ Elite League: Game Sheet (pdf)
➤ YouTube: Belfast v Carleton Highlights
➤ YouTube: Alberta v Carleton

UQTR PATRIOTES 0
FIFE FLYERS 2

UQTR has the worst website in USports. They never mentioned a thing about having a tour to Scotland and England to play EIHL opponents. Turns out, this is the 4th game on a five game tour. They often go to France, so I was checking in on the French league. Maybe they’ll change the university to English this year! In any event, this was their first loss after three wins.

The previous results on tour were:
Sat Aug 24 UQTR 2 Nottingham Panthers 1 (Gamesheet)
Sun Aug 25 UQTR 6 Manchester Storm 5 (Gamesheet)
Thu Aug 29 UQTR 4 Dundee Stars 1 (Gamesheet)

Links:
➤ Fife: Schedule & Results
➤ Elite League: Game Sheet (pdf)

NEXT UP:
Sun Sep 1 Alberta at Belfast Giants 9:00 AM MDT/10:00 AM CDT
Sun Sep 1 UQTR at Dundee Stars 5:00 GMT/11:00 am CDT
Wed Sep 4 Carleton at Selber Wolfe 7:30 CEDT/12:30 CDT
Thu Sep 5 Carleton at EC Peiting 7:30 CEDT/12:30 CDT
Fri Sep 6 Alberta at Mount Royal 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Fri Sep 6 Saskatchewan at Calgary (at Rocky Mountain House, Alta.) 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT

FOOTBALL NOTE:
The CW football season kicked off Friday & Saturday. The lowest seeded team won all three games. Regina beat Calgary, Alberta beat UBC, and Manitoba beat Saskatchewan.

BASEBALL NOTE:
Fish win! Fish win! Fish win! The Goldeyes won their 7th straight and clinched the pennant.

 

[Hollywood2]

September 1, 2024: Giants Squash Monkeys, and Tours Continue

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 3
BELFAST GIANTS 6

Links:
➤ Belfast Giants: Game Story - Page Not Found As I Post
➤ UofA: Schedule & Results
➤ Elite League: Game Sheet (pdf)
➤ YouTube: Belfast Giants Channel
➤ Belfast Telegraph: Belfast Giants to the four as Alberta Golden Bears slain to complete perfect pre-season
➤ Belfast Telegraph: Grant Mismash: Belfast Giants’ offensive depth has us ready to roll for the regular season

The Giants completed their sweep of USports teams with this win, and the Evil Monkeys go home with a 1-1-0 record. The Giants’ game story had a ink, but it says “Page Not Found” as I post. The highlights on their YouTube channel are also not yet uploaded.

The one linked story states that the Giants are thrilled with their goal-scoring with 23 goals from 4 games (all wins) this pre-season. They were also playing with 9 forwards and 5 defencemen due to injuries and absences to Team GB’s Olympic qualification bid. (They lost out to Nic Ehlers’ Team Denmark.)

UQTR PATRIOTES 1
DUNDEE STARS 0
(in shootout)

Links:
➤ Dundee: Trade-Mart Dundee Stars V UQTR – 1/9/24
➤ Elite League: Game Sheet (pdf)

It is a rare event when a game is scoreless until a shootout, but that’s what happened here. This means that UQTR went 4-1-0 on their tour of England and Scotland. The only win by more than one goal was their earlier 4-1 win over the Stars.

I bet UQTR can’t wait to get home for some poutine after a diet of haggis. Do they have pancakes with maple syrup in Scotland?

OTTAWA GEE-GEES 3
HEILBRONNER FALKEN 2
(in overtime)

Links:
➤ Heilbronner: Team Website
➤ X: Ottawa’s Twitter/X
➤ uOttawa: Schedule & Results
➤ Stimme: Friendly match against Ottawa Gee-Gees: Heilbronner Falken fail on their own power play (pay wall)
➤ DEL2: Schedule/Results/Links

I discovered that Ottawa is on a tour of The Fatherland this year. I found two games against DEL2 teams (Germany’s 2nd tier) and this one against an Oberliga team. There is absolutely nothing on their website, but they did post minimal information on X/Twitter. The Falken (Falcons) have been up and down between DEL2 and the Oberliga.

Ottawa’s results thus far are:

Tue Aug 27 Ottawa 4 Blue Devils Weiden 3 (shootout) Game Sheet (pdf)
Thu Aug 29 Ottawa 2 Starbulls Rosenheim 3 Game Sheet (pdf)

I cannot determine whether there are any additional games on the tour. Maybe they’ll update their Schedule/Results page some day!

The Bisons played the Starbulls on past tours, winning 5-4 in 2011 and losing 7-1 in 2013.

NEXT UP:
Wed Sep 4 Carleton at Selber Wolfe 7:30 CEDT/12:30 CDT
Thu Sep 5 Carleton at EC Peiting 7:30 CEDT/12:30 CDT
Fri Sep 6 Alberta at Mount Royal 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Fri Sep 6 Saskatchewan at Calgary (at Rocky Mountain House, Alta.) 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT

 

[Hollywood2]

September 4, 2024: Carleton Loses, RSEQ Div 2 Schedule

CARLETON RAVENS 2
SELBER WOLFE 3
(in a shootout)

Links:
➤ Selber: Wolves must go into penalty shooting
➤ Carleton: Team Website

Carleton uploaded game stories for the Irish games, but not yet for this one. Selber has one former USports player, Colin Campbell who played one season for Laurier. The Ravens are now 0-1-2 on the tour, with one game left.

The RSEQ Div 2 schedule was released, with just regular season games. It looks like each team gets 8 home games and 8 away games. The season starts October 11th and runs through February 28th. The teams in this league don’t have much for websites. Concordia has nothing at all on their university’s site. No word on any non-conference play. ETS played a lot of games against CEGEP teams last year.

Links:
➤ RSEQ: Schedule

 

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September 5, 2024: Weekend Preview & Euro Segment Ends

The European games wrapped today, and tomorrow we start the domestic pre-season games. The heavy emphasis is on CW teams, with one game in Ontario. So, here we go with the first weekend preview of 2024-25, and the Euro wrap-up will follow. Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Regina, and MacEwan have byes.

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (2023-24: 18-8-2, OHT 35 #8, 2024: 1-1-0)
MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (2023-24: 21-6-1, OHT35 #2, 2024: 0-0-0)

Links:
➤ UofA: Team Website : X : IG
➤ MRU: Team Website : X : IG

The Evil Monkeys have the nation-wide pedigree, but the Bluegars are IMO very under-rated. They could solve that by qualifying for the nationals. Neither game is on CWTV. No LegaueStat uploads for live updates are available, either. At least not yet. It seems that X and Instagram get more updates than team websites, so I added those links.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (2023-24: 20-6-2, OHT35 #7, 2024: 0-0-0)
CALGARY DINOSAURS (2023-24: 21-5-2, OHT35 #6, 2024: 0-0-0)

Links:
➤ UofS: Team Website : X : IG
➤ UofC: Team Website : X : IG

Bedrock U has the fewest recruits announced at Elite Prospects, with one. So it is hard to gauge what kind of team the will have. This series is unique in that one game is in Rocky Mountain House, and the other in Calgary.

TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS (2023-24: 4-23-1, OHT35 #33, 2024: 0-0-0)
VANCOUVER ISLAND MARINERS (2023-24: 17-3-0, OHT35 N/A, 2024: 0-0-0)
VICTORIA VIKINGS (2023-24: 14-5-1, OHT35 N/A, 2024: 0-0-0)

Links:
➤ TWU: Team Website : X : IG
➤ VIU: Team Website : X : IG
➤ UVic: Team Website : X : IG
➤ BCIHL: Schedule & Results
➤ YouTube: BCIHL Channel
➤ YouTube: Friday Game
➤ YouTube: Saturday Game

Holy Trinity kicks this off with a Saturday/Sunday trip to the island. These are two of their former BCIHL foes. The Mariners beat the Vikes for the BCIHL title last year. Trinity leads the league in new recruits, with almost half their roster as rookies. The BCIHL has their games streamed free on YouTube again, which is a handy feature. Being on the coast, these games come on TV just as the rest of the games are winding down.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE

Fri Sep 6 Alberta at Mount Royal 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Fri Sep 6 Saskatchewan at Calgary (at Rocky Mountain House, Alta.) 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Sat Sep 7 Mount Royal at Alberta 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Sat Sep 7 Saskatchewan at Calgary 3:00 MDT/4:00 CDT
Sat Sep 7 Trinity Western at Vancouver Island 7:00 PDT/9:00 CDT
Sun Sep 8 Trinity Western at Victoria 7:00 PDT/9:00 CDT

OUT EAST

Sat Sep 7 Queen’s v R.M.C. (at Gananoque, Ont.) 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT

Links:
➤ USports: Men’s Hockey Page
➤ OUA: LeagueStat Daily
➤ OUA: Hockey Tech Schedule & Results

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

CARLETON RAVENS 6
E.C. PEITING 3

Links:
➤ Peiting: Summary
➤ Carleton: Team Website

This game wraps up not only Cartoon U’s Euro excursion, it wraps up all USports’ tours abroad.

In summary, here’s how the USports teams fared:
UQTR: 4-1-0 (all games against EIHL teams)
McGill: 2-1-0 (defeated Czech 2nd tier and university teams, lost to Czech 1st tier team)
Ottawa: 2-1-0 (split against German 2nd tier teams, beat German 3rd tier team)
Alberta 1-1-0 (beat Carleton, lost to EIHL)
Carleton: 1-1-2 (beat German 3rd tier, lost to EIHL, two OTLs against German 2nd tier and Alberta)

And the relative Euro records are:
Czech 1st: 1-0-0
German 2nd: 2-1-0
EIHL (UK 1st): 3-3-1
German 3rd: 0-1-1
Czech 2nd: 0-1-0
Czech U: 0-1-0

 

[Hollywood2]

September 6, 2024: Sask Gets a W

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 6
CALGARY DINOSAURS 1

Links:
➤ UofC: Schedule & Results
➤ UofS: Schedule & Results

Bedrock U got whipped by the Banjo-Mutts on neutral ice in Rocky Mountain House. No stats are uploaded. In fact, just Sask posted the score. This was an opener for both sides.

Note: The Alberta at Mount Royal game was cancelled. I don’t know why.

NEXT UP

Sat Sep 7 Mount Royal at Alberta 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Sat Sep 7 Saskatchewan at Calgary 3:00 MDT/4:00 CDT
Sat Sep 7 Trinity Western at Vancouver Island 7:00 PDT/9:00 CDT
Sun Sep 8 Trinity Western at Victoria 7:00 PDT/9:00 CDT

OUT EAST

Sat Sep 7 Queen’s v R.M.C. (at Gananoque, Ont.) 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT

Links:
➤ OUA: Schedule & Results

FOOTBALL NOTE
The pre-season coach’s poll favourites are now 0-6 after two weeks. The Bisons destroyed UBC on the road, Regina beat Sask, and Calgary beat Alberta.

BASEBALL NOTE
Fish win! Fish win! Fish win! They beat Sioux Falls to even their best-of-three at 1-1. Game three goes Saturday night.

 

[Hollywood2]

September 7, 2024: Nightly Wrap-Up

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1
CALGARY DINOSAURS 3

Links:
➤ UofC: Schedule & Results
➤ UofS: Schedule & Results

All we have is the score from Bedrock U’s site. I’d like to know how that 6-1 happened on Friday. It’s no surpise that they split, but Friday’s margin stands out like a sore thumb. Both sides are now 1-1-0.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 5
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 2

Links:
➤ MRU: Schedule & Results
➤ UofA: Schedule & Results : X : IG

The Evil Monkeys usually upload their stats to LeagueStat, but not tonight. I included their X and IG links, just in case something arises late night or overnight. The Schedule & Results page says that Ty Nash and Bruce MacGregor scored for the Apes. MacGregor must be going back to school in his 70s! He played in the WHA with the Greasers. Alberta is now 1-2-0 and this was the first game for the Bluegars. Despite the addition of some inspiring names on the roster, the Monkeys did not look tough enough in fornt of their own goal. I wish I could see highlights of this one.

TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS 5
VANCOUVER ISLAND MARINERS 1

Links:
➤ YouTube: Complete Game
➤ VIU: Team Website : X : IG
➤ BCIHL: Schedule & Results : Boxscore
➤ TWU: Schedule & Results

Holy Trinity dominated the game, but the Mariners were still not a bad exhibition opponent. The shots favoured Trinity by 41-23, which fairly reflects the play. The boxscore contains just the VIU goals, penalties, and roster.

NEXT UP

Sun Sep 8 Trinity Western at Victoria 7:00 PDT/9:00 CDT : YouTube Live Link

OUT EAST

Sat Sep 7 Queen’s 5 R.M.C. 2 (at Gananoque, Ont.) : X

BASEBALL NOTE
Fish win! Fish win! Fish win! The Goldeyes beat Sioux Falls 10-3 to win their best-of-three 2-1. They now play the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks in the West final. Game one is Monday in F-M, then Wednesday and Thursday (if required) in Winnipeg.

 

[Hollywood2]

September 8, 2024: Holy Trinity Is Unbeaten!

OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD

TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS 3
VICTORIA VIKINGS 2

Links:
➤ YouTube: Complete Game
➤ UVic: Schedule & Results : X : IG
➤ BCIHL: Schedule & Results : Boxscore
➤ TWU: Schedule & Results

The Vikes almost stole one from Holy Trinity in this one. After two periods, Holy Trinity led 3-1 and were outshooting UVic 29-18. However, UVic had the only goal in the 3rd period, where they outshot Trinity 18-7. So the shot clock ended up even at 36-36. Former Bison goaltender Brett Murphy has transferred to UVic and he stopped all 7 shots he faced. The boxscore only contains the names of BCIHL players.

Holy Trinity is now 2-0-0 and this was Victoria’s first game.

NEXT UP

Fri Sep 13 MacEwan at Alberta 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT EX
Fri Sep 13 Saskatchewan v Regina (at Big River) 7:00 CST/8:00 CDT EX
Fri Sep 13 Simon Fraser (BCIHL) at U.B.C. 7:00 PDT/9:00 CDT EX
Sat Sep 14 Alberta at MacEwan 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT EX
Sat Sep 14 Manitoba at Saskatchewan 7:00 CST/8:00 CDT EX
Sat Sep 14 Mount Royal at Calgary 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT EX
Sun Sep 15 Manitoba at Regina 2:00 CST/3:00 CDT EX

NOTE: Saskatchewan is streaming their home games on CWTV.

OUT EAST

Thu Sep 12 Toronto at Guelph 7:30 EDT/6:30 CDT EX
Fri Sep 13 Lakehead at York 4:00 EDT/3:00 CDT EX
Fri Sep 13 Waterloo at Western Ontario 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT EX
Fri Sep 13 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 EDT/6:30 CDT EX
Fri Sep 13 Toronto Metropolitan at Toronto 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT EX
Sat Sep 14 Lakehead at Toronto Metropolitan 1:00 EDT/12:00 CDT EX
Sat Sep 14 Queen's at Windsor 2:00 EDT/1:00 CDT EX
Sat Sep 14 Laurier at Waterloo 6:00 EDT/5:00 CDT EX
Sat Sep 14 York v Brock (at Beamsville, Ont.) 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT EX
Sat Sep 14 McGill at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT EX

Fri Sep 13 St. F.X. at Saint Mary's 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT EX
Fri Sep 13 Moncton at U.P.E.I. 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT EX
Sat Sep 14 Dalhousie at U.P.E.I. 2:00 ADT/12:00 CDT EX

OUA-AUS Interlock
Fri Sep 13 Ontario Tech at New Brunswick 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT EX
Sat Sep 14 Ontario Tech at Saint Mary’s 4:00 ADT/2:00 CDT EX

NOTE: These are the first of 10 OUA-AUS interlocking games.

OUT WEST

Sat Sep 14 Simon Fraser at Okanagan 6:15 PDT/8:15 CDT EX

 

[Hollywood2]

Preview: September 13-15: MANITOBA at SASKATCHEWAN & REGINA

MANITOBA BISONS (2023-24: 5-22-1, OHT 35 #31, 2024: 0-0-0)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (2023-24: 20-6-2, OHT 35 #7, 2024: 1-1-0)
REGINA COUGARS (2023-24: 6-20-2, OHT 35 #27, 2024: 0-0-0)

Friday, Sept 13: Sask v Regina (at Big River) 7:00 CST/8:00 CDT
Saturday, Sept 14: Manitoba at Sask 7:00 CST/8:00 CDT
Sunday, Sept 15: Manitoba at Regina 2:00 CST/3:00 CDT

Links:
➤ Video (Saturday): CanadaWest TV
➤ UofM: Team Website
➤ UofS: Team Website
➤ UofR: Team Website
➤ USports: Schedule/Links
➤ CW: Season Schedule
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Daily Schedule
➤ Elite Prospects: Manitoba Bisons (7)
➤ Elite Prospects: Regina Cougars (6)
➤ Elite Prospects: Saskatchewan Huskies (7)

This is the first almost full weekend on the CW calendar, with 8 of 9 teams in action. Just Holy Trinity has a bye.

The Bisons start on the road with this 3-way dance throughout Banjoland. So far no team has updated the Live Stats at either LeagueStat or the Hockey Tech page at the CW website. I have linked each team’s Elite Prospects page, which lists just the new recruits (number in parenthesis).

However, the Banjo-Mutts are slated to stream all of their home exhibition games at CWTV, including the Saturday night game against the Bisons. So far, no other CW exhibition games are slated for streaming.

ELSEWHERE IN THE CW

MACEWAN GRIFFINS (2023-24: 9-17-2, OHT 35 #23, 2024: 0-0-0)
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (2023-24: 18-8-2, OHT 35 #8, 2024: 1-2-0)

Links:
➤ MacU: Team Website
➤ UofA: Team Website
➤ Elite Prospects: MacEwan Griffins (whole roster)
➤ Canada West: MacEwan 2023-24 Stats
➤ Elite Prospects: Alberta Golden Bears (7)

This is a home-and-home Battle of Edmontown. The Evil Monkeys host on Friday, and the Family Guys host on Saturday.

I saw the Evil Monkeys look kinda mediocre against Cartoon U, in Belfast. They looked weak in front of their own crease when I was watching on YouTube. Also, that scoreline against the Bluegars does not strike fear into anybody. Nevertheless, their recruiting class is top-notch. One has to think they’ll get it together before the season starts.

The Family Guys made the playoffs for the first time last year. They were the first CW team to upload a 2024-25 roster. Here’s what it looks like (with career stats from Elite Prospects for each new recruit):

Veterans (18)
5 Hunter Donohoe D
7 Sean Comrie D
11 Samuel Simard F
12 Spencer McLean F
13 Loeden Schaufler D
14 Logan Dowhaniuk D
16 Jack Parker D
18 Kadyn Chabot F
19 Liam Hughes F
21 Tyson Kowaluk D
22 Vincent Scott F
23 Ryley Appelt F
24 Liam Ryan F
27 Marc Pasemko F
31 Eric Ward G
38 Brendan Boyle F
91 Ethan Mercer F
96 Carter Chorney F

Rookies (8)
4 Carson Haynes D - Regina Pats (WHL), previously with Vancouver and Tri-Cities
10 Ethan Sundar LW - Fort McMurray (AJHL) and Spruce Grove (BCHL)
15 Tanner Fincaryk C - 4 games over two seasons with UofA, no points, previously Lloydminster (AJHL)
17 Blake Eastman F - Summerside (MJAHL), previously Prince George (WHL)
29 Brett Epp G - played 6 games for Nipissing (OUA) then played in 5 different ECHL and SPHL teams, before playing 3 senior games last year
35 Carson Ironside G - started at Albertus Magnus College (NCAA III) last year before returning to Camrose (AJHL)
44 Brody Tallman D - Canmore Eagles (AJHL)
93 Caden Cabana F - Lloydminster (AJHL)

Departures (10)
93 Ethan Strang F
14 Jordan Taupert F
34 Kole Gable F
6 Eduard Wruck D
44 Ben Bygrove D
25 Conrad Mitchell F
17 Rylan Lefebvre F
33 Thomas Davis G
29 Ashton Abel G
15 Tye Pedersen D

The Mythical Mutants have lost their top 3 forwards from a year ago (Strang, Taupert, and Gable). They scored 30 of the team’s 86 regular season goals. I don’t see an obvious replacement from the recruits. Also, their top two goaltenders (Abel and Davis) are gone. They had 88% of the playing time. On a positive note, their 2nd leading scorer (Schaufler) is a returning defenceman. In 27 games we went 9-14-23.

SIMON FRASER RED LEAFS (2023-24: NCAA 5-11-2, 2024: 0-0-0)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (2023-24: 22-4-2, OHT 35 #3, 2024: 0-0-0)

Links:
➤ Video: SFU Hockey YouTube
➤ SFU: Team Website
➤ UBC: Team Website
➤ Elite Prospects: S.F.U. Red Leafs (Non-Conference Team)
➤ Elite Prospects: U.B.C. Thunderbirds (3)

These teams play just the once this weekend, on Friday. It’s being streamed on YouTube. This game involves SFU’s non-conference team, not their BCIHL team. SFU’s five wins last year were two against Briercrest of the ACAC (one in a shootout), one against Trinity (out of two games), one against Minot State of the ACHA (out of two games), and one against Pittsburgh of the ACHA. The T-irds, of course, won the CW title.

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (2023-24: 21-6-1, OHT35 #2, 2024: 1-0-0)
CALGARY DINOSAURS (2023-24: 21-5-2, OHT35 #6, 2024: 1-1-0)

Links:
➤ MRU: Team Website
➤ UofC: Team Website
➤ Elite Prospects: Mount Royal Cougars (7)
➤ Elite Prospects: Calgary Dinosaurs (1)

This is a one-off battle of The Town of Bedrock. The Bluegars had a convincing scoreline in their win last weekend. The Dinos bounced back for a split after being trounced in their opener against Sask.

..... /2

 

[Hollywood2]

Page 2


COMPLETE SCHEDULE

Fri Sep 13 MacEwan at Alberta 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Fri Sep 13 Saskatchewan v Regina (at Big River) 7:00 CST/8:00 CDT
Fri Sep 13 Simon Fraser (NCAA II) at U.B.C. 7:00 PDT/9:00 CDT
Sat Sep 14 Alberta at MacEwan 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Sat Sep 14 Manitoba at Saskatchewan 7:00 CST/8:00 CDT
Sat Sep 14 Mount Royal at Calgary 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Sun Sep 15 Manitoba at Regina 2:00 CST/3:00 CDT

OUT EAST

Thu Sep 12 Toronto at Guelph 7:30 EDT/6:30 CDT
Fri Sep 13 Lakehead at York 4:00 EDT/3:00 CDT
Fri Sep 13 Waterloo at Western Ontario 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT
Fri Sep 13 Windsor at Guelph 7:30 EDT/6:30 CDT
Fri Sep 13 Toronto Metropolitan at Toronto 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT
Sat Sep 14 Lakehead at Toronto Metropolitan 1:00 EDT/12:00 CDT
Sat Sep 14 Queen's at Windsor 2:00 EDT/1:00 CDT
Sat Sep 14 Laurier at Waterloo 6:00 EDT/5:00 CDT
Sat Sep 14 York v Brock (at Beamsville, Ont.) 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT
Sat Sep 14 McGill at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT

Fri Sep 13 St. F.X. at Saint Mary's 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Fri Sep 13 Moncton at U.P.E.I. 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Sat Sep 14 Dalhousie at U.P.E.I. 2:00 ADT/12:00 CDT

OUA-AUS Interlocking Games
Fri Sep 13 Ontario Tech at New Brunswick 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Sat Sep 14 Ontario Tech at Saint Mary’s 4:00 ADT/2:00 CDT

Links:
➤ USports: Men’s Hockey Page
➤ OUA: Hockey Tech Schedule & Results
➤ AUS: Schedule & Results

OUT WEST

no games

Sat Sep 14 Simon Fraser at Okanagan 6:15 PDT/8:15 CDT

Links:
➤ ACAC: Schedule & Results
➤ BCIHL: Schedule & Results
➤ BCIHL: YouTube Channel

 

[Hollywood2]

September 12: ROSTER NEWS

I found some roster links away from the usual sources and, lo and behold, I found the Bison roster at the Media Access site and the Hockey Tech stats page at the CW website. If true, the Bison bumper crop of seven high quality recruits is now a bumper crop of nine high quality recruits. I await confirmation, with fingers crossed.

BEN BONNI - D/F - Spokane (WHL)

Bonni is a Winnipegger who at started out with one season divided between Spokane and Selkirk, before going back to Spokane for two full seasons. Some sources list him as a forward as well as a defenceman. He wore the “A” for Spokane last year. He was eligible to be an overager this year, however he was released due to the 3-overager rule.

Of note, Bonni is a very good student. I quote:

Nineteen-year-old Ben Bonni was selected by his peers as the first ever winner of the Terry Bartman Players' Player award. The three-year veteran has scored a career high six goals, 16 assists and 22 points while playing both forward and defense. Bonni was also named the team's College Scholastic Player of the Year. By the end of this season, he will have earned 10 credits from Spokane Community College in English 101 and Business 101 with an almost perfect grade point average.

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: Ben Bonni Career Stats
➤ CHL.ca: Profile Page
➤ CHL.ca: TIGERS SIGN BEN BONNI
➤ CHL.ca: Chiefs acquire defenseman Ben Bonni from Medicine Hat
➤ Our Sports Central: Chiefs Announce 2023-24 Player Awards in Pre-Game Ceremony Sunday
➤ SWX: Spokane Chiefs release 20-year-old forward Ben Bonni ahead of 2024-25 season

RILEY STOTTS - C/LW - Calgary (CWUAA)

This is hard to believe. Stotts is a Winnipegger who started in the WHL with Swift Current, then went to the Calgary Hitmen. Upon graduation, he stayed in the Town of Bedrock and went to the University of Calgary, where he spent three seasons with the Dinos. So, the Bisons gain would be the Dinos’ loss. Big Time!

Stotts’ peak junior season was GP 64 - G 25 - A 43 - Pts 68. Then came the Covid season, then a CW career where he accumulated a stats line of GP 68 - G 20 A 60 - Pts 80. That is a solid point-per-game pedigree, enough to strengthen any team in USports. In 2023 he was all-conference!

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: Riley Stotts Career Stats
➤ UofC: Profile Page
➤ CHL.ca: WHL Class of 2021 – Riley Stotts (video)
➤ Calgary Sun: Hitmen overagers stay positive through shutdown about life after WHL
➤ Global News: Calgary Dinos focused on playoffs after capping season with 23-game winning streak

Using the two rosters, here is how the roster breaks down:

Veterans (19)
4 Parker Malchuk D
5 Brandon Casey D
6 Lucas Fry D
8 Evan Toth D
10 Josh Paulhus F
11 Hayden Ostir F
12 Cameron Trimble F
13 Andre Sutter F
14 Riley Zimmerman F
18 Jonny Hooker F
19 Jackson Arpin F
20 Codey Behun F (#28 last year)
24 Owen Wareham D
25 Kian Calder D
26 Andrew Boucher F
27 Ryan Gottfried D (at Hockey Tech, not a Media Access)
29 Michael King F
30 Kolby Thornton G
34 Ross Hawryluk G

Rookies (9)
1 Dawson Pasternak F - Victoria Royals (WHL)
1 Eric Alarie F - Moose Jaw & Seattle (WHL) and Adirondack (ECHL)
21 Ben Bonni D - see above
27 Skyler Bruce F Vancouver & Edmonton (WHL)
35 Braden Holt G - Victoria Royals (WHL)
36 Grady Lane F - Victoria Royals (WHL) and Virden Oil Capitals (MJHL)
37 Riley Stotts F - see above
38 Dexter Whittle D - Everett Silvertips (WHL)
39 Caden Zaplitny F - Everett Silvertips (WHL)

Departures (7)
1 Simon Harkness G
9 Dylan Thiessen F
16 Chase Hartje D
17 Colton Veloso F
20 Tony Apetagon F
23 Eric Fawkes F

If Gottfried and Hartje are both gone, then the defence will be about the same as last year, with any improvement coming from an added year of experience.

Links:
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Manitoba 2024 Exhibition Roster
➤ LeagueStat: Media Access Manitoba Roster

The Evil Monkeys are the only team, other than the Bisons, to upload rosters at the Hockey Tech and Media Access sites. They have also posted a story commemorating the passing of a former player, John Devaney. It will take me a while to review the whole roster.

Links:
➤ UofA: Remembering John Devaney
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Alberta 2024 Exhibition Roster
➤ LeagueStat: Media Access Alberta Roster

The Banjo-Mutts posted their first half of their recruiting class on August 29th. Now they have the rest, plus one name not posted at Elite Prospects:

Ethan Chadwick - G Everett Silvertips (WHL)
Braxton Buckberger - F - Nipawin (SJHL) & Alberni Valley (BCHL)
Ethan Regnier - D/F - Rosthern Wheat Kings (senior)
Jarrett Penner - RW - Trinity Western Spartans (CWUAA)

Penner is the only one not previously linked, so he’s linked below. I don’t know if he has to red-shirt.

Links:
➤ UofS: Huskie Men's Hockey Add Dynamic Trio from the WHL
➤ Elite Prospects: Saskatchewan Huskies (6)
➤ Elite Prospects: Jarrett Penner