NEUGSIE’S AROUND THE SJHL

By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the ND Hounds

1. Humboldt Hums Along – All the chatter out of Humboldt this off-season was that they expected to be “the youngest team in SJHL history”, and as such were trying to minimize expectations as much as possible. Well, whether head coach Scott Barney meant it or not, his team has come out looking fantastic. Sure, they have two 2003 birth years in Kartner McNarland and Noah Barlage, while no other team in the league has any; but those two are tremendous, and I would expect especially McNarland to end up in the Western Hockey League as a very real Top 6 forward before very long. They also have three very key, very good 1999 birth-years up front in Logan Foster, Bryson Cecconi, and Graysen Cameron; and are just an excellently balanced squad top-to-bottom. Will they win the championship? No idea. Are they going to be a tough out for anyone, all year long? Absolutely.

2. League’s Top Pairing, Revisited – Last week I talked about the Ludwar-Harrison pairing in Estevan as potentially being the league’s best, but after watching Melfort three times in a week, I have to tip a major cap to Jake Hobson and Alex Rondeau. Both are 20-year-olds that play hard, and fast, and can erase anybody this league has to offer, all the while chipping in plenty offensively. Hobson’s composure on the puck and big shot have meant a great start for the Mustangs’ power play on the business end, but on the other side, Rondeau has done an outstanding job using his large frame as a net-front presence. I like it when coaches think outside the box like that, and the ‘Stangs are flying as a result.

3. Nipawin Finally Falls – Saturday night in Flin Flon’s Whitney Forum looked like a classic trap game for Doug Johnson’s Nipawin Hawks, what with the Bombers’ frustrating performance in their second Showcase game, and the always difficult nature of the trip east of the provincial border. Flin Flon chased Ethan Slobodzian from the Hawks’ net after three goals on eight shots, and ultimately pumped out 45. So, it’s only one game, and Nipawin will still be a force all year long, but a 6-2 win for Flin Flon puts it right back on track nicely.

4. Kudos to the Bombers – And kudos to the Bombers for proving, after their first Showcase win over Weyburn, and in this victory over Nipawin, that they are more than just the Alec Malo-Cole Rafuse-Donovan Houle line. Head coach Mike Reagan saw six different men find the back of the net vs. the Hawks, and of that group only Houle was from that top unit. I especially have my eye on 2001-born speedster Tristan Lemyre every time I watch Flin Flon – he was once a well-thought-of prospect of the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL, and he could be a huge, huge part of the Bombers’ secondary scoring this year. Interesting to see that Jacob Delorme was not even dressed in net on Saturday, making way for 19-year-old Jaden Little out of the fantastic B.C. Junior B Campbell River Storm club, so that bears watching moving forward.

5. ND’s Luck – I couldn’t believe Notre Dame’s luck at the Showcase, and in its two games against Melfort since. The Hounds outshot the opposition every game of their present four-game skid, averaging over 38 shots-per-contest; they simply could not get the bounces. Meanwhile Riley Kohonick, who has been great all year, had pucks bounce off the end wall right to opposition tapes, funny bounces off of teammates legs, you name it, as he gave up 13 goals over the streak after allowing only three total in the team’s first three contests. That type of puck-luck is uncanny, and cannot last; there is no need to panic in Wilcox.

6. Stars Still Shining – Brayden Klimosko’s men did not have an easy time against the scrappy Ice Wolves in a two-game set in La Ronge this past week, but the Battlefords North Stars still found a way to remain the only perfect team in the SJHL with wins in both of those games. Adam Dmyterko and Parker Rey have both been more than capable replacements for the departed Joel Grzybowski, and with a roster filled with returnees, aggression, and tenacity, it wouldn’t surprise this writer if the Stars go 10 or 11 games to start the year unblemished. They have also landed in the No. 4 spot in the National Junior A rankings, and deservedly so, only behind perennial super powers Penticton, Sherwood Park, and Brooks. I love watching this group of Stars play.

7. What About Bob – A little self-promotion here, but please check out my chat with WHL, SJHL, and Sask minor hockey referee Bob Millette on my podcast at https://anchor.fm/neugsiesportscast! It is a really good, honest talk about reffing, the life and the job. Also, Bobby is an absolute beauty and an excellent ref!

8. Mustangs Are Fine After All – There was some consternation in Mustangs land after two shutouts lost to start the campaign to the hated Nipawin Hawks, but all is well now after Trevor Blevins’ mob have cruised to six-straight wins. With the aforementioned Hobson and Rondeau in tow, some great goaltending and a hard-working forward group, the ‘Stangs have the league’s best penalty kill, giving up only three power-play goals against on 56 times shorthanded. The up-coming home-and-home set between Melfort and Humboldt this weekend should be fascinating and electric, cannot wait to tune into those ones!

9. How Good Are The Wolves? – Honestly, I am still not sold on the La Ronge Ice Wolves as a playoff team, especially given the fact that they have to play within their absolutely insanely stacked Sherwood Division a billion times. That being said, I really enjoyed watching the chemistry building between Kyle Ford, Daylon Mannon, and Aaron Greyeyes at the Showcase, and when Zach Bannister really gets going, then look out. I also love their two 2002-born defencemen Alex Ozar and Logan Holm; I don’t know this for a fact, but I would be willing to wager that Wolves bench boss Kevin Kaminski thinks his two kids back there are his best blue-liners. Ozar especially has soon-to-be-WHLer written all over him, and his parent club the Saskatoon Blades are probably keeping a close and keen eye. Long way to go.

10. I Guess I Have To Mention It… – Finally, I guess I have to mention the Greg Mulhall expulsion, after the ex-Yorkton Terrier was caught on video brazenly taking some level of pride in running Melville net minder Berk Berkeliev. I hope people leave Mulhall alone. I am sure he feels plenty of shame and regret for all of his actions, and that Greg can move on with his life. I don’t know or see how a junior hockey team in Canada would take him now, after the league and his team both gave him the boot, but we all say and do stupid, stupid things. He also needs better friends than the ones that filmed him, and posted it on social media that night. I don’t want to talk about this incident ever again.

(Follow Jamie on Twitter at @Neugsie)