New MJHL draft format to debut Saturday

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/06/2022 (1371 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For the first time since 2020, players from around the province will be selected by Manitoba Junior Hockey League clubs in the Junior A circuit’s draft.

However, those who are chosen will now have a chance to join clubs right away instead of having to wait an extra year.

As a result of a change that went into effect in February 2021, the MJHL has bumped up the draft age from the under-16 age group to under-17.

“The biggest thing in moving up the draft date is that it really allows more time for the teams to watch players’ development and it gives the players themselves an extra season to improve their skill before potentially playing our league,” MJHL commissioner Kevin Saurette said.

“The fact that players can now join the teams that drafted them right away is going to add an interesting element to our league. It’s going to be interesting to see how that will play out over the next few seasons.”

You don’t have to look very far to find players who have made an impact in the MJHL upon joining the league in their first season of junior eligibility.

Roblin’s Brayden Dube posted 46 points in 49 games for the Dauphin Kings and was third in team scoring for the 2022 Turnbull Cup champions.

Forwards Evan Groening (Virden Oil Capitals) and Brandon Funk (Portage Terriers) also suited up on a regular basis during the 2021-22 campaign, as did defenceman Aiden Ziprick (Waywayseeccapo Wolverines) and goaltenders Dawson Cowan (Winnipeg Blues) and Gavin Renwick (Neepawa Titans).

Oil Capitals head coach and general manager Tyson Ramsey thinks the chance to bring in a high-end young talent right away could add a different element to this year’s draft, it’s not the determining factor when it comes to who the team will pick on Saturday.

“If it comes to our turn to pick and the best player available on our list is someone that can step into our team this fall, then we will certainly consider it,” Ramsey said.

“To be honest though, our goal with our team is to develop through the draft and find young talent that comes to Virden in the years to come. It’s a really important process for our organization and our scouting staff (which is led by Wawanesa’s Brian Elder) has done a great job of drafting players that have made an impact on our team.”

Prior to the draft, each team had the chance to auto-protect two players from their designated minor hockey association. 

On the Westman front, the Titans selected local blue-liners Rylan Bray and Lincoln Murray from the Yellowhead Chiefs, while the Wolverines chose Parkland Rangers forward Dru Mushumanski of Rossburn and Chiefs forward Bo Tibbatts of Foxwarren.

The Oil Capitals protected hometown forward Bryce Bryant from the Rink Hockey Academy and the Kings elected to pass on their picks.

“I think that portion of the draft is very important,” Wolverines head coach and general manager Taylor Harnett said. “When you are an organization that relies on the support of the community and you have a chance to bring in some local talent, you have to do it.

“We’re excited and fortunate to bring Dru and Bo to our team. They both stood out at our spring camp and they checked off all of the boxes for us.”

The Winkler Flyers have the top overall selection in this year’s draft, which they acquired on Wednesday as part of a trade where they dealt 2002-born forward Ryan Monias to the OCN Blizzard.

Saturday will also mark the first time the Niverville Nighthawks will be selecting players as they gear up for their first season in the league this fall.

“It’s like Christmas in July in a way,” Nighthawks head coach and general manager Kelvin Cech said. “We’re the new kids on the block but this starts to make things very real as we welcome some of the top young kids in Manitoba to our team.

“There’s a buzz in town already about us joining the league and I think it’s only going to get bigger as we get closer to puck drop.”

This weekend really marks the start of a new season for the MJHL, as they held their annual general meeting Friday.

In addition to welcoming a new team to the fold in 2022-23, the league will also serve as the hosts for the Centennial Cup as the tournament will be held in Portage la Prairie next spring.

For Saurette, those two events and the semifinal result at the national Junior A championship by the Kings in Dauphin last week are huge positives for the MJHL going forward, especially as they work their way back to normalcy from the pandemic.

While the league had to make some changes in regards to dealing with the omicron variant, Saurette says the MJHL was mildly impacted by COVID-19 this season.

“To be honest, we had more challenges with winter storms during the last part of the regular season and the playoffs,” Saurette said. “Our attendances were back to pre-pandemic numbers and went up during the post-season, where we saw a lot of parity from top-to-bottom.

“Then to finally have a team like the Kings showcase our league on a national stage was great. Dauphin did an amazing job in Estevan and they really showed that our league is in a strong spot moving forward.”

ICINGS: The Titans added to their forward core Friday by signing 19-year-old forward Hayden Stocks from the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s Beaver Valley Nighthawks. The Edmonton product led the team in scoring last season with 45 points in 42 regular season games and recorded 19 points in 13 playoff contests … The Wolverines dealt netminder Brett Mirwald to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Humboldt Broncos on Thursday. The 19-year-old from Saskatoon had a 7-7 record with a 2.95 goals against average and a .904 save percentage after being acquired from the British Columbia Hockey League’s Nanaimo Clippers in January. Mirwald also suited up in three games for the Wolverines in their quarterfinal loss to the Oil Capitals.

» lpunkari@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @lpunkari