NEUGSIE’S AROUND THE SJHL: EXAMINING WORST TO FIRST

By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the Notre Dame Hounds

With the book on the 2019-2020 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League season truly closed with the virtual Melfort Mustangs championship in the virtual Canalta Cup final, (which was awesome, by the way) I felt it was finally time to reflect on the season that was.

The format is simple: in order of how the regular season ended, from worst to first, I’ll give my thoughts on each team’s campaigns over three separate columns.

12. Melville Millionaires (16-32-2-4, 38 pts): It is amazing to think that even with the heroics of SJHL Goaltender of the Year Berk Berkeliev, and his sparkling .930 save percentage, the Mils still gave up a by-far league-worst 220 goals against, scored a third-worst 140, and ended the year 26 points out of a playoff spot. It wasn’t all a lost season though, not by any stretch, as four forwards – three of them 2001-born – had great coming-out parties. The 2000-born left winger and speed demon Luke Nkwama was excellent from the start, while relatively local boy Zach McIntyre (acquired mid-season from Humboldt), first-line centre Jonathan Krahn, and scoring machine Nic Porterfield all showed lots of promise. Of course Porterfield, and to a lesser extend Krahn, struggled mightily with injury, but if those four are all back for 2021-2022, new head coach Mike Rooney has a strong start to rebuilding the organization. Not much outside of Berk went right for Kyle Adams’ Mils this past year, and if the stat were kept, they would probably be at, or very near the top, for man-games lost to injury. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Rooney as a man and a hockey guy, though he has a A LOT to do this off-season, starting with replacing the brilliant Berkeliev, who is off to New Jersey in the North American Hockey League.

11. Weyburn Red Wings (20-35-1-2, 43 pts): The two most positive things I can say about Weyburn’s year are: 1) they gave long-time local hero, captain, and sniper Ben Hiltz a shot at a playoff run by sending him to Battlefords, and received some solid young pieces back in Dace Prymak and Jordan Gagnon; and 2) the young Wings never stopped competing hard for new coach and ex-NHLer Rich Pilon. Like their fellow playoff-less clubs Melville, Notre Dame, and Kindersley, they had outstanding goaltending for much of the season, and particularly when the 2001-born Regina native Joseph Young was handed the complete reins. In fact, among starters in the league when it was all said-and-done, Berkeliev (Melville), Young, and Matt Sankner (Kindersley) were 1-2-3 in save percentage. From start to finish, the 2019-20 Red Wings had a heck of a time scoring goals, with only Prymak (who scored four of them with Battlefords), and the departed Hiltz hitting double-digits. Still, much like Melville, it was not all a lost season, as along with Young, the Wings can return pretty much all of their key guys as they did not have a single 20-year-old by the end of the campaign. Pilon has already announced a whole slew of signings for next year, including the impressive 2003-born forward and Everett Silvertips prospect Connor McGrath, who was a part of an outstanding Moose Jaw midget club last year. If local boy Braden Birnie is back next year, he’ll be another one to watch closely. I am sure there is loads of optimism at the Crescent Point Palace right now!

10. Notre Dame Hounds (18-32-5-3, 44 pts): To be completely honest, compared to how I felt about the potential of this group at the beginning of the year, to how it all shook out, the disappointment of it all was immense. It wasn’t at the end of the year when I felt it, it was much earlier as the losses piled up…but I won’t go into that too much. It was another productive year for an outstanding young man in Jarrett Penner, who with his size, his skating ability, and his willingness to go to the hard areas of the ice to contribute and score goals (he’s also an awesome kid), he could – in my opinion – play a role on any Junior A team in North America. Sho Takai was one of six 20-year-olds that all contributed solidly in their own ways, but among all the Hounds outside of the goaltenders, was the most consistent in his performances from training camp to Game 58. What a treat to watch the huge steps forward he took this past year from the one before! Certainly young rookies like Olivier Lepine, Jake Dale, and Ben Hamilton impressed me immensely, and if a good core of the many 2000 and 2001-born players come back, this Notre Dame team certainly could be cooking. Riley Kohonick and 1999-born Logan Dyck were both magnificent in net (the theme of the non-playoff teams having great goaltending is uncanny), and along with the awesome leadership of the likes of Joe Santalucia on the back end, keeping the puck out of the Hounds net was not really the problem (Notre Dame, for all its struggles, finished seventh in the league in goals against, and only one goal out of fifth). The best news for this group? I fully expect five of the six 20-year-olds to play university hockey next year, which is a great ratio. I’ll always remember this as a wonderful group of young men to be around!

9. Kindersley Klippers (24-27-6-1, 55 pts): Was this a disappointing season of promise for Kindersley, or an impressive season of rebuilding? I guess you could look at it both ways. The fast about-turn the organization had to make with the health issues that ended new coach Gary Childerhose’s very short tenure with the club, after he had recruited and worked hard to get ready for the year, must have rocked the ship big-time, but in the end care-taker coach Larry Wintoneak, and his staff along with Stef Cormat did an excellent job parlaying older assets into useful younger ones after all the dust settled. New bench boss for next season Ken Plaquin has quite a full cupboard of potential returnees, which could include 30-goal man Liam Fraser (who had scored only three times in 18-19, and was one of only eight SJHLers to hit 30). With Matt Sankner, who impressed many after his move from Flin Flon mid-season, along with Steven Bacovski in goal, the Klippers should have an excellent one-two punch next year, and should be one to watch come the new campaign. There might not be a more underrated, and underappreciated player in the SJHL than Jacob Schnapp; only 25 points, but many of them in the second half, and as a physical, agitating presence, mixed with some good skill, he’s a guy I’ll firmly have my eyes on to impress as a very good 20-year-old next year.

Note: All comments about players next year may be completely moot as one never quite knows who will move on from year to year!

(Follow Jamie on Twitter at @Neugsie)