By / Mike Stackhouse

BATTLEFORDS NORTH STARS
The Stars are hoping they can build on what was a very successful playoff run as they surprised the Nipawin Hawks in the 4th vs. 5th Survivor Series and then stole a couple of games from Humboldt in the conference semifinals.
Two players who were instrumental in the postseason, forward Mitch Wall (6 goals in 9 games) and goalie Kyle Birch (.911 save percentage) should be back to help the cause.
As far as player losses are concerned, the Stars made a conscious effort to go ‘young’ last season, so they really won’t lose anyone of significance. Nick Martin, who was brought in from the Swan Valley Stampeders to help nurture the blueline, is gone.  Josh Clare and Chris Jung are also too old and, therefore, will not 
be returning.
On the recruiting front, the Stars nabbed big Jordan Lane from the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. Lane is a 6-7, 235-pound behemoth from Whitehorse, Yukon. Lane played in 43 games for the Wildcats last season and was a member of the Dauphin Kings in 2007/08.
 
ESTEVAN BRUINS
The Bruins felt as though they were built for a lengthy playoff run in 2008/09. However, they were victimized in the Sherwood Survivor Series against Kindersley.  It was a series that was a thrilling five games between two clubs that were likely better than their placement in the standings indicated.
This year, the Bruins are somewhat caught in an in-between stage of rebuilding and contending. There is enough talent for them 
to surprise.
Starting goalie Tommy Legault and scoring forwards Kyle Stroh, Scott Doucet, and Richard Jodoin would appear to be the losses most heavily felt. Character and toughness also went out the door with graduations from the likes of Kyle Garagan, Josh Elder, and 
Ian Clarke.
Dylan Smith, a 17-year-old rookie, will be a player to watch as he brings a fantastic skill set, but he has a year of midget eligibility remaining. The Bruins have already made a commitment to Smith making the team.
Returnees Chad Filteau and Brody Haygarth will carry the offense, Colton MacPherson is back to anchor the blueline, and Shayne Barrie is expected to be the No. 1 goalie.
 
FLIN FLON BOMBERS
If there is a team set to dethrone the Humboldt Broncos atop the newly named Bauer Conference, it may be the Bombers.
Flin Flon has had a couple of decent postseasons halted at the hands of the three-time defending champs in recent years. Mike Reagan appears to have done a nice job of building clubs that are constantly in the mix near the top of the division year after year.
An attempt was made to usher in a new identity last year, so the club appears capable of handling the losses of Reid MacLeod, Tommy Castonguay, Josh Garneau, and 
Harley Garrioch.
Mathieu Lecours and Alex Lamontagne appear primed to take over as two of the better scoring forwards in the SJHL and Michael Young returns for his 20-year-old season on defence. He’s an early candidate to win SJHL Defenseman Of The Year if he can 
stay healthy.
Reagan scored a coup when he received a commitment from Andrew Johnston in mid-August. The rookie led the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League in playoff scoring with a whopping 15 goals and 25 points in just 10 games. Netminder Klynt Spencer ranked amongst the league leaders in the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League and he figures to get a fair chunk of playing time, although Matt Weninger returns as the starting puckstopper.
 
HUMBOLDT BRONCOS
The Broncos rolled through the 2008/09 regular season and also walked their way through the playoffs to win their third straight SJHL championship.
They showed tremendous resiliency in the ANAVET Cup against Portage, rallying from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to win in the seventh game. They finally succumbed in the final of the RBC Cup, losing to Vernon.
Any team that loses its top seven scorers from the previous season would expect to have some trials and tribulations the following year, but these are the Humboldt Broncos.
Returning players include playoff hero goalie Mathieu Larochelle and World Junior ‘A’ Challenge puckstopper Andrew Bodnarchuk, top defenseman Kyle Cowan, and an excellent base up front with Dane Lindskog, Spencer Braaten, Shawn Hunter, Nick Keller, and 
Leo Lacourciere.
Dean Brockman usually keeps his offseason recruiting cards close to his chest, but there is reason to believe the Broncos have had another nice summer when it comes to finding rookies. They may not run away with things in 2009/10, but it would be a surprise to not see Humboldt near or at the top of the standings come February.
 
KINDERSLEY KLIPPERS
After coming within a game of winning the SJHL championship in 2007/08, the Klippers took a step back in 2008/09 as they found themselves in a dogfight with Yorkton and Estevan for third.
In the end, the Klippers finished fourth and defeated Estevan in a thrilling Survivor Series before getting overmatched against Weyburn in the conference semifinals.
All of the major components that took Kindersley to the finals two years ago are gone. However, Larry Wintoneak made a conscious effort to restock the shelves with 
talented youngsters.
This season will be a pivotal one for those youngsters to make major strides in their development. The offensive load will be shouldered by Jordan Braid and much more will be expected from Braeden Adamyk.  The defence is a strength with Steven Turner and Just Perreaux both back for their final seasons.
Long-time starting goaltender Ryan Nieszner has finally graduated, so a big hole needed to be filled between the pipes. Wintoneak addressed that in mid-August with the acquisition of 20-year-old Riley Ross from the North Bay Skyhawks. Ross had a cup of coffee with Flin Flon two seasons ago, and the club wanted to keep him, but he was third on the depth chart.
 
LA RONGE ICE WOLVES
The Ice Wolves suffered through a transition year as they missed the playoffs while handing veteran type roles to younger players.
Coach Bob Beatty did a number of his veterans favours at the trade deadline and shipped them to better teams, but it resulted in mounting losses over the final six weeks.
The character on the club last season was excellent and Beatty is, reportedly, excited about coming back to work with this nucleus.
Just about all of the players slated to exit through graduation were traded in January, so Beatty was able to use the final couple of months as an evaluation for this September.
He had to like what he saw from the likes of Travis Gordon, Dan Conacher, and Nolan Souchotte.  Souchotte, in particular, is an intriguing player to watch as he made the jump from Midget AA to the SJHL. Sometimes those players take major strides in their second Junior ‘A’ season.
Beatty showed his savvy nature at the deadline, securing players for this year in many of his Jan. 10 trades. Taylor Piller was brought in from Humboldt and Matt White was acquired from Flin Flon. Jesse Dengler is another young forward Ice Wolves fans should be excited about seeing in a uniform this Fall.
On the back end, Kirk Moore was brought in from Notre Dame to complete the almost forgotten Kyle Ireland trade. Beatty also took a flier on goalie Garrett Zemlak, a 20-year-old goalie, who has been playing for the last three years in the WHL.
 
MELFORT MUSTANGS
The Mustangs were a ship that changed course in the middle of 2008/09 as they began as a youthful bunch willing to suffer some growing pains. But it ended as a club looking for a lengthy playoff run.
The acquisition of veteran goalie David Tetrault was the turning point as he carried the club on his back long enough for Darrell Mann to bring in some experience and scoring prowess to make the team better.
The core of the team remains intact as Deven Stillar, Blake Hietala, and Gary Childerhose are all coming back up front. Offensive rearguard Cris Neurauter should ensure a decent powerplay, and netminder Jordan Washburn was playing at much the same level as Tetrault by the end of the year. With Tetrault gone, Washburn will be expected to handle a spike in playing time. Power forwards Mike Reich and Kyle Fraser are also done due to graduation and dynamic defenseman Tommy Brown leaves early with a scholarship.
Mann loves to create competition in camp and he’s sure to have it as he has carded, at least, a dozen newcomers to go along with a healthy number of eligible returnees. Two names fans should expect to make the grade include Jesse Mireau and Tanner Exner.
Exner was limited to just 19 games with the Regina Pat Canadians last year, but he brings a nice set of tools to training camp. Mireau had 53 points in 39 games at the Midget AAA level.
 
MELVILLE MILLIONAIRES
The Mils appeared as though they were going to run away on the rest of the Sherwood Conference last year, but went through a rough patch after Christmas that coincided with a Weyburn hot streak and it resulted in a second-place finish. Nevertheless, the Mils got their act together in the playoffs and advanced to the league finals for the second time in three years.
Jamie Fiesel has some holes to fill with team MVP goalie Travis Bosch gone to Bemidji State and scoring forwards Daniel Hope, Levi Lind, Kale Dolinski, and Tyler Murray also having graduated from the junior ranks. Big rugged defenceman Curtis Beech will also be sorely missed, but the majority of the defence returns intact with Jordan Reeve, Austin Krahenbil, Kirk Mastad, Justin Hollinger, and Craig Karius leading the way. Aaron DeCorby, Logan Herauf, Matt Kinnunen, Cody Hanson, and Michael Jordan give the team a nice start up front.
Fiesel’s policy is to card nobody during the off-season and let training camp settle the positional battles. Brayden Metz and Cody Hanson are two players who finished the year in Melville, but are hoping to begin the year in the WHL. Fiesel’s door is always open, but he understands the concept of developing players as well. Defenceman Jayden Isaac impressed as a call-up in three games played near the end of last year and he has intriguing upside.
 
NIPAWIN HAWKS
The Hawks went through some growing pains as new coach Colin O’Hara put his stamp on the team. There were multiple trades and O’Hara put an emphasis on defence for both present and future.
The club got stung by Adrien Lemay’s Christmas departure to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and never fully recovered as they lost to the Battlefords North Stars in the Survivor Series.
Defence appears to be the strong suit, as expected, going into 2009/10. Taylor Thiessen returns and he brings a complete package to the table. Even with all the goals that left through the graduations of Torrie Dyck, Brent Ottmann, Jordon Miller, and Shawn McNulty, the club returns leading goal-scorer Mike Rey, who potted 25 a year ago.
There should be plenty of new faces as O’Hara has been busy wheeling and dealing throughout the offseason. Curtis Brolund and Brad Biggers were acquired from Dauphin and Matthew Spafford was added from Neepawa.
Biggers is a tough guy, who logged well over 200 penalty minutes a season ago. Brolund scored five goals in 43 games for a team that was top heavy with veterans. Spafford has untapped offensive potential and played midget hockey in North Battleford.
 
NOTRE DAME  HOUNDS
The Hounds struggled to keep the puck out of their own net and that was their undoing as they missed the playoff party. Their club still provided plenty of excitement for fans with brothers Rylan and Jaden Schwartz racking up plenty of offensive numbers, ending with Rylan’s eventual conquest of the SJHL scoring title.
Both Schwartz brothers are gone, but the club returns well-rounded forward Kyle Ireland, offensive pepperpot Travis Janke, and playmaker John Esposito.
Goalie Kraymer Barnstable provided some stability upon arriving via trade with Nipawin. Should his WHL aspirations peter out, he would be a welcomed addition. Head coach Mike Vandenberghe resigned at the end of the year and Darren Evjen has taken over.
In addition to Evjen, there should be plenty of newcomers in the Hounds dressing room. The Telus Cup champion Midget Hounds will supply some of the faces, including forward Trevor Cameron, who had 28 points in 42 games. Trevor Milner had 47 points in 45 games for the Grandview Steelers in B.C. a season ago and it is hoped he can make the jump from Junior ‘B’ to the SJHL.
 
WEYBURN RED WINGS
The Wings got hot after Dec. 1 and it appeared as though they would end up on a collision course with Humboldt for the SJHL championship. Instead, they ran into a regrouped squad from Melville and were unable to pull it out, losing to the Mils in six games in the Sherwood Conference final.
The Wings are well positioned to go far with Rhett Bly leading a cast of impressive returnees. Bly is an early odds-on favourite to win the SJHL scoring title. Twin brothers Shawn and Rodney Cowie will see their role expand and promising defenseman Rhys Thomas should pick up where Justin Favreau left off as far as running the powerplay is concerned.
Mobility on the back end should be a strength, as is goaltending with AJ Whiffen and Tanner Erickson both slated to return.
Weyburn’s current policy doesn’t allow for publicizing which rookies have been carded but the Wings may not have an abundance of openings as far as newcomers are concerned. Agitator Eric Calibaba has graduated, so his replacement might come from a rookie or it could come from Shelby Gray, who played 29 games for the club last season.
Tyler Penny had 16 points in 12 games after returning from the WHL late last season and if he comes back to the SJHL, he could be a difference maker.
 
YORKTON TERRIERS
Yorkton struggled to score goals for most of the season, but they saved their best for last and pushed Melville to the maximum seven games in the Sherwood Conference semifinals before letting a 3-2 series lead get away and falling in Melville in game seven.
Workhorse defencemen Greg Coburn and Kirk Byczynski are gone as is team captain Derek Serdachny. The club will hope for more offence out of the likes of Jordan Menke, Torey Stott, and Kevin Stringfellow. Defenceman Shawn Shackleton made tremendous strides in the Melville series and both goalies from a year ago — Joel Danyluk and Devin Peters — are back.
David Skagen was supposed to be a newcomer last year, but he was lost for the season due to a shoulder injury in the very first game. He’s back and healthy and will be expected to be a major contributor on offence. Brent Struble will also be a factor up front after arriving from the Regina Pat Canadians.