NEUGSIE’S AROUND THE SJHL

By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the ND Hounds

AND WE’RE OFF!: What a great start to the season! Most teams only played one game this past weekend (more on why in a second), but boy what we got was action-packed! The only teams to have two contests on opening weekend were Melville and Estevan, and we were rewarded with seven and nine-goal thrillers in those ones. There is no doubt that these WHLers bring up the quality of action instantly, but that was never something I wondered about. But…
Bloody Weather…: Of course we’ve waited all this time, and then the weather conspired to take a bite out of the schedule. Winter storms wracked the province this weekend, postponing all but two games on Saturday, and the Hounds-Red Wings tilt in Wilcox Monday. Better safe than sorry, right? It still sucked, I’ll be honest.
I’m No Expert, But…: I don’t know all the details about what exactly happened on Monday of course, but Weyburn and Wilcox really are not that far away … yes, yes I know, better safe than sorry. All the shut downs in Manitoba have me wanting to get as many games in as possible, concerning which I know I’m not alone, but yeah…better safe than sorry. Knock on wood and all that.
And Then There Was One: With the Weyburn Red Wings adding Brendan Kwiatkowski (Moose Jaw, and Kootenay), Notre Dame is now the last team in the league that will play without any Major Junior experience in their roster.Now, I don’t believe that the 20-year-old from Grande Prairie, who played all year last year in the Alberta Junior League with his hometown Storm, is a loan, especially since his little brother Shelden is also coming to Weyburn; I am just pointing out how unprecedented this all is once again. I get it, the situations with each of these major junior kids, and the teams themselves, are all different.
Moving Parts: Are you concerned with how your favourite team’s roster has looked pre-season or Week 1 this season? Don’t be. Teams are going to look so different very quickly, with a lot of moving parts all over the SJ. With WHLers taking roles from guys (at least for the time being) and the state of the world, and all sorts of factors, the trades are going to come thick and fast. A couple of recent examples include the dealing of Kersey Reich, a useful, big-shot defenceman from Estevan to Nipawin, Humboldt sending Josh Paulhus and Spencer McHardy to La Ronge and Weyburn, respectively, and many more even bigger deals are coming! I am predicting it right now. Stay tuned!
What Humboldt Proved: Well, it was only one game on Friday night in Yorkton, but the Humboldt Broncos without a single WHL loaner looked every bit as dangerous as the WHL-talent-laden Terriers. A 7-4 win by the Broncos could actually have gone either way, but at the very least Humboldt boss Scott Barney has to be encouraged by the way his guys did not back down from the likes of Brett Kemp (77 points with Medicine Hat last year), and Jackson Berezowski (potential breakout star in Everett). All coaches can do when facing that type of team is tell their guys to relish the opportunity.
Stars Still Lookin’ For Answers: Friday night’s 5-2 loss to the Kindersley Klippers was not the start head coach Brayden Klimosko, and the Battlefords North Stars have been used to the last couple of seasons. Despite the addition of Blake Allan and Connor Gabruch from the Calgary Hitmen, this does appear to be the first rebuild in a while for the defending champs. I have so much belief in Klimosko’s ability to get every ounce of effort and skill out of his rosters, and he’ll keep making moves, but the great fans up there might need to give him a bit of patience with this. Still, very early days, and big credit to the job Ken Plaquin and his team have done so far Kindersley.
Conspicuous By Their Absence: Where are Nipawin captain and potential MVP candidate Jake Tremblay, and assistant captain and defensive ace Jack Lenchyshyn? Neither played in the club’s opening-night victory in La Ronge, and the few sources I asked where they were didn’t have an answer for me. Lenchyshyn only played in one pre-season game, while Tremblay featured in three of them, but I can only hope those two marquee talents in this league are alright. The Hawks aren’t slated to play again until Friday night when they host the Melfort Mustangs, as their postponed Saturday nighter vs. the Ice Wolves won’t be made up till Nov. 17.
The Arms Race: Certainly one point pushing the addition of WHL loaners has been simply the pressure to match other clubs in the league doing the same thing. One coach told me “we can’t be 0-18 by Christmas!”. Hey, the pressure of a head coach and GM, especially in a community that really cares about a team, is really intense. I don’t know from experience of course, but you can certainly gather it to be very true. I might not agree or see the logic of bringing in a kid for the first month of a season, but it doesn’t mean I have lost any respect for someone that has. Everyone is trying to do their best for their specific situation.
I Got Another Job: I’ll be the new voice of the Regina Pats Canadians AAA U18s, starting this Friday night on Facebook Live from the Co-operators Arena in Regina! Really excited. I am looking at bringing a very high-profile colour guy along with me, so stay tuned for that!