NEUGSIE’S AROUND THE SJHL
By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the N.D. Hounds
Well folks, Neugsie’s Around the SJHL is back! Thank you so much to all of you who chose to follow along last season, and to Rod for having me around!
Let’s kick it off with this first week of July.
1) Announcements Galore!: So great to see SJ organizations be forthright and announce player signings, coach hirings, etc in such a transparent, and professional manor. It has been easy and fun to follow along, and with all those masses of 1997 and 1998-born players, who ran the show the last couple years all gone to graduation now, the league will look very different in 2019-2020. Let’s dig in to a few of the interesting storylines.
2) Nardone Is Done: Among the young talent to depart the league this off-season, Flin Flon’s one-time NHL draft prospect, and University of Nebraska-Omaha commit Vincent Nardone was probably the biggest fish. As a 2000-born forward on an offensively-loaded Bombers squad, the Rosemere, QC native showed a lot of flashes, while posting 17 goals and 39 points in 56 games. Would it have been a greater output if Mike Reagan hadn’t had such a glut of talent? Probably. In a three-team, three-league deal, Flon sent Nardone to the British Columbia League’s always-loaded Penticton Vees, while they received solid twin forwards Easton and Chase Haygarth from Whitecourt in the Alberta League. The Wolverines in turn landed veteran winger Cassidy Bowes. The Haygarth twins are a nice haul for Reagan, who knew a while ago that Nardone wasn’t coming back to the Manitoba outfit.
3) Couple Hounds Head Out: More departure news for Notre Dame as Nolan Renwick, Jakob Breault, and Tim Gould will all be taking their considerable talents elsewhere. Renwick, who also recently graduated from the ND school, was picked in the first round of the USHL draft by the Omaha Lancers, and is expected by all in Wilcox to step in right away, and make an impact in a league full of NHL draft picks, and prospects. Breault, a centreman who showed up in Saskatchewan last year and was outstanding straight out of CEGEP hockey in Quebec, will try his luck in the NAHL with the defending champion Aberdeen Wings, while Timmy Gould, another ND grad and University of Maine commit, was dealt to Alberni Valley of the BCHL. Those guys will be missed (and are all great pals of mine!), but head coach and GM Phil Roy has made a whole swath of great signings, including some real top talent from the British Columbia Junior B ranks. I’m excited to see how all it comes together at the College.
4) Canadian Soccer Royalty In Estevan: I’m sure a lot of you aren’t soccer fans, much less Canadian soccer fans, but tough luck, there’s a story here! The Estevan Bruins have grabbed B.C.-born defenceman C.J. Corazzin, whose father Carlo was a stalwart for the Canadian national soccer team in the 90s and early 2000s, and spent eight years in the English leagues. Only 13 Canadians have double-digits in goals for the national team, and Carlo is one them with 11! I’ve never seen C.J. play personally, so I cannot comment on that, but he’ll be a 20-year-old with Junior A experience in Coquitlam and Winkler, and it doesn’t take a genius to know that Chris Lewgood has an excellent eye for talent and potential…so, there you go. I am a huge soccer fan, by the way, if you ever want to gab about that.
5) Sask Well Represented at 2019 NHL Draft: Great to see the incredible development of players out of our province continue to get rewarded, as seven Sask kids were taken in the 2019 draft. Saskatoon Blades star Kirby Dach, who hails from St. Albert, Alberta, was taken third overall, while the highest Saskatchewan-born prospect was the excellent Kelowna Rockets defender Kaeden Korczak out of Yorkton, a young man who spent two seasons with the Maulers, and who was taken by Las Vegas 41st overall. There are SJ games played among the seven as well, as Adam Beckman (Minnesota’s third rounder), and Quinn Schmiemann (Tampa Bay’s sixth rounder) suited up for Nipawin, and Notre Dame, respectively. Saskatchewan’s midget league is fantastic folks, go check out future NHLers when you get a chance this year coming up.
6) Rod Pedersen’s New Show: Boy has it been fun to watch! I’m sure if you’re reading this, you’re on his site, and you know about the show; but if not, check it out weekdays on Facebook Live starting at 10 a.m.! Great to see them have SJ content already, with Humboldt Broncos bench boss Scott Barney on a couple weeks ago. Hope to see more on the league on it! I know Rod and his partner in the venture Darren are fans of the league, and did great work during the playoffs last year, so I’d count on it!
7) Broncos Get Some Skill: The likes of Michael Clarke, Brayden Camrud, and Owen Guenter have all aged out of Humboldt, but Scott Barney has already brought in some nice pieces from within the league this summer. Jordan Kazymyra spent the last two years in Weyburn, slightly in the long shadows of Ben Hiltz and Cade Kowalski…well, no more. The Regina native oozes skill, and in a more structured system like Barney’s I expect him to really thrive. I also love the addition of the super underrated Tristan Shewchuk from Melville. The 18-year-old speedster was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 SJHL draft out of the Saskatoon Riverkings AA, and I think he’ll be a bigtime breakout player in the season coming up. Broncos fans are going to love both of these guys.
8) Shoes to Fill in Yorkton: With a core of 20-year-olds from last year gone, as the likes of Jared Legien, Colby Brandt, Branden Klatt, and Brandan Mark graduated, Matt Hehr has big holes to fill in the Terriers line-up. Strong forward Cody Bruchkowski had two excellent seasons in Yorkton, but will get a change of scenery as he will suit up for the Brockville Braves of the Ottawa-area based Central Canada Hockey League next year. Hehr has already done well in his return for Bruchkowski, at least, getting two-year BCHLer and power forward Jordan Guiney (Victoria Grizzlies) to build around, along with potential returnees in playoff breakout performer Ryan Oulette, all-star defenceman Tyson Janzen, all-star Aiden Bulych, and superstar Chantz Petruic. Will be very interesting to see what Yorkton’s roster looks like. One kid I loved in the Saskatchewan Midget playoffs, whose rights are owned by the Terriers, is the hulking 2001-born defender Zachary Gabruch, who only scratched the surface of his potential with the Saskatoon Blazers the last couple seasons.
9) The Cup in Town: Notre Dame Hound Jaden Schwartz won the cup with the St. Louis Blues, and will be bringing it to Regina on July 6! I’ve been asking people to tell me when he brings it home to Wilcox, so we’ll see if the folks remember little old me when they find out *polishes halo*.
10) Good to be Back!: It’s good to be back writing this column! Please comment as I’d love to hear from everyone!
(Follow Jamie on Twitter at @Neugsie)
