2026-27 MANITOBA BISONS/USPORTS

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U-SPORTS/CIS BOOKMARKS

League Sites:
USports Mens Hockey Site
... sub-links : Standings : Schedule/Results : U-Cup - 2026-27 links await
Canada West Mens Hockey Site
... sub-links : Schedule/Results/Links : Hockey Tech Schedule & Stats
... sub-links : Archives and Records - 2026-27 links await
OUA Mens Hockey Site
... sub-links: Schedule/Results/Links : OUA Hockey Tech Daily - 2026-27 links await
AUS Mens Hockey Site
... sub-links : Schedule/Results - menu leads to all stats and standings - 2026-27 links await
ACAC Mens Hockey Site
... sub-links : Schedule/Results : CCAA History - 2026-27 links await
BCIHL Site
... sub-links : Schedule/Results
RSEQ - Hockey - Google Translate
... sub-links : Link Page : Schedule : Standings

Canada West Team Sites:
Alberta Golden Bears
Calgary Dinos
MacEwan Griffins
Manitoba Bisons
Mount Royal Cougars
Regina Cougars
Saskatchewan Huskies
Trinity Western Spartans
UBC Thunderbirds

AUS Team Sites:
Acadia Axemen
Dalhousie Tigers
Moncton Aigles Bleus - Google Translate
New Brunswick Reds
U.P.E.I. Panthers
St. Francis Xavier X-men
Saint Mary's Huskies

OUA-West Team Sites:
Brock Badgers
Guelph Gryphons
Lakehead Thunderwolves
Laurier Golden Hawks
Toronto Metropolitan Bold
Toronto Varsity Blues
Waterloo Warriors
Western Ontario Mustangs
Windsor Lancers
York Lions

OUA-East Team Sites:
Carleton Ravens - NEW
Nipissing Lakers
Ontario Tech Ridgebacks
Ottawa Geegees - NEW
Queens Golden Gaels
RMC Paladins - Former Team Site

RSEQ (OUA-East) Team Sites:
Concordia Stingers
McGill Redbirds
UQTR Patriotes - Google Translate

RSEQ (Division 2) Team Sites:
Concordia Stingers Division 2 (RSEQ) : (Elite Prospects)
ETS Piranhas - Google Translate : AAU
UQAC Inuk - Google Translate
UQO Torrents - (RSEQ)
Bishop's Gaiters (AAU)

..... /2

 

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Page 2


ACAC Team Sites:
Augustana Vikings - NIS
Briercrest Clippers - NEW
Concordia-Edmonton Thunder
NAIT Ooks
Portage Voyageurs
Red Deer Kings
SAIT Trojans

BCIHL Team Sites:
Logan Lake Miners
Okanagan Lakers
Simon Fraser Red Leafs
Vancouver Island Mariners
Victoria Vikings - NIS

OHT35
2026-27 OFFICIAL HOLLYWOOD TOP 35 - to be uploaded in September

Exhibition Schedule:
2026-27 EXHIBITION/NON-CONFERENCE/PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE

Online video/audio:
CanadaWest.tv - YareTV link
OUA YareTV link
AUS YareTV link
UMFM.com - some Bison home games in prior years
USports Nationals - with archive
CBC Sports Streaming Schedule
CBC Sports YouTube Channel

Stats:
Elite Prospects - USports Page - individual player stats on everybody
Internet Hockey Data Base (IHDB) : CWUAA Page - like Elite Prospects
USports/CIS Stats - 2009-10 to present
USports/CIS Schedule/Results - 2009-10 to present (no archive menu, must alter URL)
USports/CIS Standings - 2010 to present
USports/CIS Playoff Schedule/Results - 2013 to present (no archive menu, must alter URL)
AUS Archive (from 1986-87)
OUA LeagueStat (from 2007-08) - NIS
CW LeagueStat (from 2008-09) - NIS
Bob Adams Archives - CIS hockey from 1995-96 to 2008-09
Wikia/Fandom - U Sports
... sub-links : University Cup
Wikia/Fandom - CWUAA
... sub-links : GPAC : WIAA : WCIAU
Wikia/Fandom - OUA/OUAA
... sub-links : QUAA : OSLC : OIAA : QOAA : CIAU Central
Wikia/Fandom - AUS/AUAA/AIAA/MIAA
Wikia/Fandom - ACAC
Wikia/Fandom - BCIHL
Wikia/Fandom - North American Championship
Wikia/Fandom - Universiade
Atlantic Canadian Hockey History

Media Sites/Blogs:
Huskie Fan (Saskatchewan fan site - with audio streams)
SportsNet USports Page
TSN USports Page
Hockey Blog in Canada (includes Manitoba)
The Manitoban (student paper)
Friends of McGill Hockey (McGill)
Ryerson Rams Hockey Alumni
AcadiaAxemenHockey.com
Independent Sports News
The Varsity (Toronto student paper)
Stadium Journey
Flashscore
Livesport

Recruiting/Transactions:
Elite Prospects - USports Transactions
USports Eligibility - Letters of Intent Page

Past threads:
2022-23 Manitoba Bisons/CW
2023-24 Manitoba Bisons/CW
2024-25 Manitoba Bisons/CW
2025-26 Manitoba Bisons/CW

NOTE: The conference links are still in 2025-26, and once the 2026-27 links are available, I'll add those. Carleton, Ottawa, and Briercrest have new links to their websites. Carleton's site looks a LOT more "normal", which is a blessing. Meanwhile, both Viking teams' websites (Augustana and Victoria) are down and no new link comes from a new search. The LeagueStat links have been dead for a while, so I will delete those unless I find an option.

 

[Hollywood2]

May 12, 2026: FOUR ARRIVALS, TWO DEPARTURES, TWO EXHIBITION GAMES

With a handful of player announcements coming in, it is time for a new thread. This year, I guess, is the start of the Late Twenties. Time sure marches on!

There are four new players, all forwards. One is announced on the team website, one is at Elite Prospects and the LOI page, and two more are LOI-only. My guess is that more announcements will come soon at GoBisons.ca. Here are the rookies thus far:


LONDON HOILETT - F - Virden (MJHL)

London Hoilett is a Winnipeg boy coming home. Although he played his overage season with the Virden Oil Kings in the MJHL, he previously played for the Vancouver Giants and Calgary Hitmen in the WHL. His dad, Trevor Hoilett, played basketball and football for the Bisons. He is also a musician, with a stage name of Ty Kiddo. His numbers in the WHL were 175 GP, 25 G, 19 A, 44 Pts. In the MJHL they were 57 GP, 32 G, 26 A, 58 Pts.

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: London Hoilett Career Stats
➤ GoBisons.ca: The Hoilett legacy continues: WHL veteran London signs with men's hockey
➤ Vancouver Province: London Hoilett helping team get in tune heading into stretch drive
➤ Calgary Sun: London Hoilett scores Hitmen Teddy Bear Toss goal for second straight year
➤ Global News: Calgary Hitmen forward talks life, risk and loss as he prepares to release debut album (with video)


TEAGUE MCALLISTER - F - Alberni Valley (BCHL)

Here’s a player with no prior connection to Manitoba, having been born in Kitscoty, Alberta (a town I’ve never heard of) and played his junior hockey with the Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL) and the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL). He was their “Unsung Hero” and “MVP” last year, and wore an A. He previously played for Canada West in the World Junior A tournament. His AJHL numbers were 83 GP, 16 G, 26 A, 42 Pts and his BCHL numbers were 60 GP, 22 G, 19 A, 41 Pts. He is currently the only Bison for 2026-27 listed at Elite Prospects, and is also on the LOI page.

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: Teague McAllister Career Stats
➤ Alberni Valley: Teague McAllister Committed to University of Manitoba Bisons
➤ Facebook: Alberni Valley Bulldogs Page
➤ Lloydminster: McAllister & Birch Invited to Team Canada West Selection Camp


ERIK PASTRO - F - Trail (BCHL)

Recruiting from outside Friendly Manitoba continues to be a “thing” for the new era Bison management team. We have here a native of Vernon, B.C. He played for the Vernon Vipers (BCHL) before accepting an offer from the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks for 2025-26. Instead, he wound up returning to the BCHL and played for the Trail Smoke Eaters. Looks like the influx of Evil Monkeys did him in, although no links state this to be the case. His Junior A stats line is 161 GP, 47 G, 65 A, 112 Pts. In a unique twist, he will have played for two teams with a history of winning a world championship. The Trail Smoke Eaters (as a senior club) won in 1961 and the Bisons won it in 1931.

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: Erik Pastro Career Stats
➤ Vernon: Pastro Commits To Vipers
➤ Vernon: Pastro Commits to Nebraska-Omaha
➤ Trail Times: Trail Smoke Eaters top Vernon Vipers 6-5 after wild 3rd period
➤ Trail Times: Trail Smoke Eaters skate to critical division wins over Bucks, Vipers
➤ My Kootenay: Erik Pastro to pursue scholarship at BCHL Top Prospects game
➤ Facebook Videos: HOLY HANNAH!!! Erik Pastro with the equalizer from Christian Kim and Colton Whitfield! #WeAreSmokeEaters ✦ Blink and you miss it... Redirection perfection from Erik Pastro during the BCHL College Prospects Game in Spruce Grove! #WeAreSmokeEaters ✦ GOAL!!! Erik Pastro from Dylan Lariviere & Brayden Sinclair! #WeAreSmokeEaters
➤ YouTube: Player Profile - # 15 Erik Pastro


BRANDON FUNK - C - Spruce Grove (BCHL)

Although he finished his junior career with the Spruce Grove Saints (an Alberta team in the BCHL) Brandon Funk is a Winnipeg boy. He started with the Portage Terriers, Winnipeg Blues, and Steinbach Pistons (all of the MJHL). Then it was off to the Minot Minotauros (NAHL) for a half-season before going to Spruce Grove for a season-and-a-half. Last year he wore an A. At Elite Prospects he is listed as a recruit for the Long Island University team in NCAA Division 1. However, he signed a Bison LOI. His MJHL numbers were 159 GP, 51 G, 54 A, 105 Pts, in the NAHL it was 33 GP, 4 G, 10 A, 14 Pts, and in the BCHL it was 74 GP, 18 G, 20 A, 38 Pts.

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: Brandon Funk Career Stats
➤ MJHL: Brandon Funk commits to Long Island University
➤ Portage Online: Former Terrier commits to Long Island University
➤ Steinbach Online: Pistons add impact forward Funk in trade with Blues
➤ Portage Online: Former Terrier traded to Steinbach
➤ Spruce Grove: NEWS: Saints Sign Veteran Forward Brandon Funk For Remainder of 2024/25 Season
➤ Facebook videos: Brandon Funk's Two Goals ✦ Brandon Funk and Tre Peck ✦ Funk OT Winner (Dec. 20)


DEPARTURES

The Bisons have lost two players who would have been entering their second seasons. Both came from the ECHL and had try-outs with the Manitoba Moose.

Lucas Brenton was the team’s best defenceman, and finished 6th in overall team scoring (28 GP, 3 G, 15 A, 18 Pts). He’s off to Michigan Tech of the NCAA. He’ll be difficult to replace.

Also, forward Blake Swetlikoff is back to the ECHL. He signed with the Greensboro Gargoyles on March 7, 2026. He was 7th in scoring amongst forwards. He started on the 1st line and finished on the 3rd. His numbers were 28 GP, 6 G, 8 A, 14 Pts. He had 6 assists in 18 ECHL games. I don't know if that was an ATO or a regular contract.


EXHIBITION GAMES

The CW has not yet released a schedule, and the Bison website has nothing. However, two games against NCAA teams have been announced by the opponent. I linked those in the 2025-26 thread:

October 4th Bisons at North Dakota
January 2nd Bisons at Minnesota-Duluth

 

[Hollywood2]

May 14, 2026: NEWS UPDATE

The Bisons’ website has uploaded a story on new recruit Erik Pastro. There was nothing mentioned about last year’s recruitment to the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks before he moved on to the Trail Smoke Eaters. They do add that he was an honour-roll student, which is always nice for a university team.

Links:
➤ GoBisons.ca: British Columbia Hockey League veteran Erik Pastro commits to Bisons

Other than Manitoba, MacEwan and Regina have been busy with website recruiting announcements. We also have links from Mount Royal and Simon Fraser (now a CW member).

Listed at Elite Prospects, MacEwan previously recruited BCHL goaltender Colin Reay and now they have forward Garret Thom. He had three games with the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) and after most of his career was in the AJHL, he finished in the BCHL.

Links:
➤ MacEwan: Thom returning home to join Griffins after wrapping up stellar junior career with BCHL's West Kelowna
➤ MacEwan: Griffins summer camp registration in full swing

Regina has now posted two stories, covering the recruitment of three new players, bringing their total at Elite Prospects up to 11. They lost a lot of graduates so this will be a whole new team. The rookies in these announcements are Otto Hanson (forward, two cups of coffee in the WHL, otherwise from the BCHL), Eric Hoiness (forward from the SJHL), and Matthew Keller (defenceman who spent a year-and-a-half in the WHL before spending a year-and-a-half in the AJHL and BCHL).

Links:
➤ Regina: Smoke Eaters' Otto Hanson commits to Cougars
➤ Regina: Forward Eric Hoiness, defenceman Matthew Keller commit to Cougars

The Bluegars do not have any releases on the website about recruits. But they have one post with a collection of pictures from the 2025-26 season.

Links:
➤ MRU: Games in Frames: MHKY

When Simon Fraser announced an intention to ditch the NCAA and re-apply for membership in the CWUAA and USports, I was optimistic that this meant we would have a 10th hockey program in the CW in 2027-28. Instead, SFU is simply cancelling the independent team and continuing the BCIHL team. Neither team was an official varsity program and therefore do their own fund-raising.

It seems to me that the coaches and management of the travelling team were volunteers with a belief that a Division 1 NCAA team would draw crowds and become an integral part of the BC sports scene in a way that USports teams never do. SFU was a Division 2 team in other sports, and there is no Division 2 national championship in hockey. (In the NCAA, there are 65 teams in Division 1, 7 in Division 2, and 91 in Division 3.) So they were not good enough for Division 1 and ineligible for Division 3. They had a hard time getting Division 1 teams to travel to BC, so they played a predominantly road schedule every year. Whether they could have become a Division 1 team (like the Alaska teams) is now a moot point.

In any event, without university support, the volunteers and sponsors were unwilling to fork out the time and money for a USports program. SFU has made it clear that “no new programs” are being contemplated.

I would like to see SFU start official varsity hockey teams. However, after letting this golden opportunity slip through their fingers, I don’t see it happening. They used to have a women’s club in the South Coast Women's Hockey League until 2014-15. Of note, Holy Trinity operated a team in that league through 2019-20.

On a brighter note, by staying in the BCIHL, that league stays at 5 teams and remains viable. I do support the development of “2nd tier” college and university hockey leagues in Canada. Of note, in the USA there is the ACHA (with 72 teams in Division 1, 200 in Division 2, and 140 in Division 3), and another 140 teams across three divisions in the AAU. Bishop’s has a team in the AAU. However, that leaves 551 teams in the USA and 17 in Canada (5 in the BCIHL, 7 in the ACAC, 4 in the RSEQ Division 2, and Bishop’s). In my view, campuses at this level should be viewed not as a means of developing professional players, but as a source of future sponsors, hockey dads, and sponsors.

Links:
➤ SFU: SFU Hockey Discontinues Non-Conference Team, Continues BCIHL Team
➤ SFU: SFU Hockey Announces 2026/27 BCIHL Leadership Group

 

[Hollywood2]

May 18, 2026: NEWS UPDATE

A story on new recruit Brandon Funk has now been uploaded to the Bisons’ website. That leaves just Teague McAllister awaiting his news release. All four new recruits have now been added to the Bison roster page at Elite Prospects. The story did not mention his purported commitment to Long Island University (NCAA).

I didn’t know that the Spruce Grove Saints used the logo of the Minnesota Fighting Saints.

Links:
➤ GoBisons.ca: Manitoba Junior Hockey League veteran Brandon Funk commits to Bisons
➤ Elite Prospects: Manitoba Bisons Page

The Family Guys were handing out academic awards, and Dylan Bidyk took the honours in men’s hockey.

Links:
➤ MacEwan: 2025-26 Top Academic Awards: Seven achieve top Griffins GPA in each MacEwan Faculty

The Banjo-Mutts landed a pair of decent recruits, both forwards. Jaeden Mercier played at Lindenwood (NCAA) the last three years after finishing his junior career with the Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL). Tyson Yaremko comes from Portland and Red Deer (WHL).

These are two of the four players listed for the Mutts at Elite Prospects. The others are defenceman Jaydon Dureau, a 25 year old who played in the AHL and ECHL the last four years, and forward Logan McCutheon, from Quinnipiac (NCAA) after concluding his junior career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL).

Links:
➤ Sask: Huskie Men’s Hockey Adds Former NCAA and SJHL Forward Jaeden Mercier
➤ Sask: Huskie Men’s Hockey Adds Former WHL Forward Tyson Yaremko
➤ Elite Prospects: Saskatchewan Bisons Page