Saurette sees opportunity in change

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This article was published 03/12/2024 (515 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While the junior hockey world continues to process the recent decision to allow major junior players to skate in the NCAA, all Kevin Saurette sees is opportunity.

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League commissioner, who took over from Kim Davis in 2016, doesn’t see it as an issue, despite the fact college-bound players once flocked to Junior A leagues like the MJHL to maintain their college eligibility.

“It’s going to be interesting,” the Brandon product Saurette said. “Obviously it’s just come in and we’ve seen immediate impacts to all our leagues, not just the Junior A leagues, the Western Hockey League, NCAA, USHL. For us, our focus is just making sure we’re providing opportunities for players and making sure our programs are programs of choice for families and players want to go to.

“We’ve always been a development league and we’ve always promoted both paths. The Western Hockey League, major junior, NCAA. Our major focus is making sure we want young players coming in knowing that if you play in the MJHL, it’s going to help get you ready to move on to potentially earn an NCAA commitment, it’s going to have the opportunity to play in the Western Hockey League.”

The new reality was reflected in the decision by 18-year-old Niverville Nighthawks goalie Raiden LeGall to join the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. LeGall, who is committed to Bemidji State University, has won his first two starts while posting a .940 save percentage since signing on Nov. 21.

“For us, it’s embracing the change and understanding and forecasting what that’s going to look like for us going forward,” Saurette said. “Our hashtag #PlayHereGoAnywhere still holds true. Our biggest focus is on ourselves and making sure we’re doing everything we can to attract the highest quality players and they understand they have the opportunities to go to whatever level they choose or becomes available to them.

“At the end of the day, it’s a really positive thing for players and their families.”

The 13-team league is the oldest junior loop in the country, playing from 1918–19 for 13 years as the Winnipeg and District League until it became the MJHL for good in 1931.

While it’s nice to have the history, the game is in a profound state of change and the MJHL is doing what it can to keep pace.

The most encouraging sign might be the sheer number of newer buildings the league skates in. While the loop once played in older character buildings like Selkirk Arena and Centennial Arena in Portage la Prairie, there are now more modern buildings in Virden, Portage, Niverville, Dauphin, Selkirk and Winnipeg’s Hockey For All Centre that the Blues and Freeze utilize.

The next building to come on line is a brand-new facility in Steinbach likely set to open later this season, while Winkler is doing a massive renovation on its facility that should be ready next season.

“At our league meetings we were just talking about that,” Saurette said. “If you compare our buildings across Canada, especially in the CJHL, we have a lot of high-quality arenas and facilities that our players get to spend every day in. If you look at Steinbach, their new facility is going to be absolutely state of the art, probably one of the best facilities in North America for this level.”

It’s a good time for the new buildings to be in place, because the expectations of players and their families are growing.

Saurette, who skated alongside Brandon Wheat Kings owner Jared Jacobson with the under-18 AAA Brandon Wheat Kings in the 1996-97 season, noted expectations have changed a lot since then and the league and its teams have to be prepared to offer a good experience to its players.

“It’s a completely different world for young athletes, especially for young junior hockey players at this level,” Saurette said. “It’s something the last few years we’ve really focused on internally, is making sure we’re providing athletes with elite development opportunities, both on and off the ice.”

Among those objectives are proper practices, skill development, workout packages and partnerships with gyms and access to video analysis. With the latter, the league has an agreement with Hudl that gives players an email the night of a game or the next morning with a link to all of their data and video of every shift.

“Even five or six years ago, there was barely video,” Saurette said. “You didn’t get to see yourself play. Now, there are expectations that come with that. Parents are used to this, used to resources being provided, are used to elite hockey development opportunities. That’s something we’re very cognizant of and I think we’ve taken a strong step in the last few years that we’re providing those opportunities.”

They also do some important development work off the ice. During the 2021-22 season, Wade Houle of Dauphin began giving presentations to teams covering a range of Indigenous topics and issues, plus sensitivity and cultural awareness training.

Saurette said it’s been a tremendous partnership, with Houle tweaking his presentations each season. All 13 teams host Houle, generally by early January at the latest.

“He covers racism and cultural sensitivity training, something you can’t do enough of at our level, in my opinion,” Saurette said. “The more player education initiatives you have, the better, and with Wade it’s just been an amazing partnership, and the fact he is an MJHL alumni goes a long way as well. It’s something we’re very proud of, and I can’t thank Wade enough for his efforts.”

Saurette noted the league’s players were already good citizens, with equally valuable contributions coming off the ice.

“Something that gets overlooked is the community aspect of these players and how many hours they put in volunteering their time, being with minor hockey or old-folks homes or shovelling driveways or helping at schools and reading to kids,” Saurette said. “Sometimes we concentrate on the on-ice product and forget how much value these players bring to this communities and the amount of volunteer time and the fact that they’re role models and ambassadors.”

During Saurette’s tenure, the Neepawa Natives changed their name to the Titans in 2021, and a pair of expansion clubs joined the league, the Winnipeg Freeze in 2020 and the Niverville Nighthawks in 2022.

A more recent change is symbolic. The OCN Blizzard, who entered the league in 1996, changed their name to the Northern Manitoba Blizzard after they were purchased by Rob and Bonnie White of The Pas during the summer.

The concept was presented as a motion at the league’s annual general meeting and approved by the governors.

“It came in with the ownership change in the Pas,” Saurette said. “They really wanted to encapsulate that they represent all of the north, not just The Pas or OCN but all surrounding communities and the whole northern population.

“We totally understood the reasoning behind it and were all for it.”

Each team plays a 58-game regular season schedule, with the campaign stretching from Sept. 20 to mid-March. The top four teams in each division advance to the post-season, which will consist of three best-of-seven playoff rounds.

The league champion then competes against the other eight Canadian Junior Hockey League champions for the Centennial Cup, which will be in Calgary next spring.

While that’s not a change, the MJHL has been buffeted by it from every other direction. Regardless, Saurette said the the league keeps getting stronger.

“In the last, five, six, seven years you’ve seen the league evolve from being maybe a second or third choice to a first or second choice for players,” Saurette said. “All of our organizations are strong both financially on and off the ice with what’s been provided. We have a very strong board of governors. Everyone works well together, everyone understands, everyone is able to put on their MJHL hat when they come to our league meetings and not be solely focused on their individual organizations, which is tough.

“We’re never going to rest on our laurels but I am happy with where things are at. I do think we’re one of the strongest leagues in Canada at the Junior A level and we’re going to continue to push to be the number-one choice for players across Canada.”

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