Don't you forget about me

Contacts alum Heidt rolling with WHL’s Cougars

Riley Heidt in action for the Contacts in 2020.

In case you hadn’t heard, Riley Heidt of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars is pretty good at hockey.

It seems like a lifetime ago that Heidt was an underage ace player along with best friend Brayden Yager on the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 AAA team. Back in the 2019-20 campaign, Heidt and Yager were 14-year-old forward with the Contacts.

Playing in the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League, Heidt appeared in all of the Contacts 44 regular season games in 2019-20 posting 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points. Yager also appeared in all of the Contacts 44 regular season games in that season recording 18 goals and 24 assists for 42 points.

When the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft came around, Heidt went second overall to the Prince George Cougars and Yager went third overall to the Moose Jaw Warriors. The only player selected ahead of the two Saskatoon area products was phenom centre Connor Bedard, who went first overall to the Regina Pats.

Fast forward to the current campaign, and Heidt is still rolling on the ice in his 17-year-old season. After picking up an assist for the Cougars on Tuesday night in their 5-2 setback to the Tigers in Medicine Hat, Heidt, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 182 pounds, has appeared in all 40 of Prince George’s regular season games collecting 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points.

Heidt currently sits fifth in the WHL’s scoring race. Everett Silvertips 18-year-old centre Austin Roest also has 57 points, but he sits ahead of Heidt on the scoring list due to netting 25 goals.

Riley Heidt played for the Contacts as a 14-year-old.

When NHL Central Scouting’s Mid-Term Rankings were announced this past Friday, Heidt was listed 26^th among North American Skaters. It could be argued that Heidt could have been rated higher on that list, but it is safe to say odds are high he will be a great player for any team that selects him in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

The upcoming NHL Entry Draft will be held June 28 to 29 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Heidt will play in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game to be held on January 25 at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C.

One of the biggest challenges to why Heidt might not be higher up on NHL Central Scouting’s Mid-Term Rankings might revolve around the opportunities scouts have to see him. On the WHL circuit, the Cougars closest road trip is a six-hour bus ride to Kamloops to face the Blazers.

In the current days when it seems flights get cancelled frequently and the lengthy drive it takes to get to Prince George, it is easier for scouts to wait for Heidt to get to a major centre or a WHL city along the Trans-Canada Highway before seeing him play.

When it comes to development, Heidt is in good hands with the Cougars, who have Mark Lamb as head coach and general manager, Josh Dixon as associate coach and Carter Rigby as an assistant coach.

Still, the upcoming NHL Entry Draft is expected to be one of the deepest in decades and the talent level among the 17-year-olds in the WHL is arguably the strongest it has been in the last 30 years. In the WHL scoring race, four of the top five leading scorers are in their 17-year-old campaigns, and that list of four includes Heidt in the fifth spot.

Contacts alum Riley Heidt is having a great season in the WHL.

Bedard has league highs in goals (36), assists (42) and points (78) appearing in 31 regular season games with the Pats. Kelowna Rockets 17-year-old left-winger Andrew Cristall sits second in the WHL scoring race with 62 points coming off 26 goals and 36 assists in 36 regular season games. Winnipeg Ice 17-year-old centre Zach Benson sits third in WHL scoring with 58 points coming off 23 goals and 35 assists in 35 regular season games.

Yager sits 16^th in WHL scoring with 52 points coming off 20 goals and 32 assists in 43 regular season games with the Warriors.

Due to how deep the 17-year-old talent pool is in the WHL, the number of times one of those players can been seen by NHL scouts becomes even more important as to where they will be taken in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

Heidt is a lock to be selected in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. He will be hoping NHL scouts won’t forget about him when it comes to where he will be picked in that draft.

Warriors slip past Blades 3-1 for third straight win

Egor Sidorov scored for the Blades on Tuesday night.

The Moose Jaw Warriors appear to be heating up.

On Tuesday night, the Warriors won their third straight game downing the visiting Saskatoon Blades 3-1 in a WHL regular season clash played before 2,488 spectators at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. With the win, the Warriors improve to 27-14-0-2 to sit one point back of the Blades for third overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Blades fell to 27-9-2-1 with the setback, but they have four games in hand on the Warriors.

The Warriors got on the board at the 7:20 mark of the first period when left-winger Eric Alarie tapped in a backdoor pass at the right side of the Saskatoon net. Warriors star overage centre Ryder Korczak made a beauty feed across the face the Blades net to set up Alarie for the game’s opening tally.

At the 9:34 mark of the second, Warriors 19-year-old left-winger Josh Hoekstra fired a seeing-eye point shot through a screen into the Saskatoon goal to increase the host’s advantage to 2-0.

Just under three minutes later, the Blades scored on the power play to trim the Warriors lead to 2-1 on a blast form the right slot by import Belarusian right-winger Egor Sidorov. Sidorov blew home a backdoor feed from linemate Trevor Wong for his 23^rd goal of the season.

The Warriors were able to hold off the Blades from that point and sealed victory with a short-handed empty-net goal by star centre Brayden Yager with 1:07 remaining in the third period. The empty-net goal was Yager’s 20^th tally of the campaign. Korczak picked up his second assist of the contest on Yager’s marker.

Connor Ungar turned away 20 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors. Austin Elliott turned away 28-of-30 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades.

The two sides will go at it again on Wednesday in Saskatoon at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Vanstone tracks Bedard’s statistical pursuits, other notes

Connor Bedard is chasing many statistical feats.

So how good is Regina Pats 17-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard?

Forever Regina Leader-Posts sports columnist and scribe Rob Vanstone is tracking Bedard’s statistical exploits, and Bedard is on pace to do things that haven’t been seen in some time. After being held without a point in the Pats first regular season game, Bedard has netted at least one point in each of the 30 games he’s suited up for the Pats since piling up a league high in goals (36), assists (42) and points (78).

Vanstone, who is a lifelong resident of Regina, noted that Bedard is in pursuit of the Pats team record for longest point scoring streak. The current Pats record in that department stands at 47 contests, and it is shared by Jock Callander and Wally Schreiber both set in the 1981-82 campaign.

Bedard is on pace to become the first Pats player to score 50 goals in 50-or-fewer games since Dale Derkatch back in the 1983-84 campaign.

Vanstone is one of the few veterans that is left on the WHL beat, and WHL followers are able to enjoy knowing about these statistical gems due to Vanstone’s experience.

Vanstone has listed more statistical gems with regard to Bedard in a column that can be found by clicking right here.

• The Winnipeg Ice topped the latest installment of the CHL’s Top 10 Rankings that were released on Tuesday. Three other WHL club’s cracked the list with the Seattle Thunderbirds coming in at third, the Kamloops Blazers at seventh and the Saskatoon Blades at eighth. The Blazers will host the Memorial Cup tournament that crowns an annual CHL champion. The Portland Winterhawks were an honourable mention for this week’s rankings.
• Gregg Drinnan’s latest post in his Taking Note blog is a good one. It leads with a controversy swirling around Russian defenceman Ivan Provorov, who is a grad of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, not taking warm-ups on Tuesday night for the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. That post can be found by clicking right here.
• On January 9, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a piece on the John Sands Classic Long Track Meet hosted by the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club returning to the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval for the first time since January of 2019. That piece can found by clicking right here. I also created a photo roundup that shows the beauty sites that can be seen during the winter season on the Complex grounds, and that piece can be found by clicking right here.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Jockims nets Winterhawks winner in hometown curtain call

Former Contacts captain fitting in with WHL powerhouse

Braeden Jockims scored his first career WHL goal on Wednesday.

Braeden Jockims ensured his parents collected one more memento from his hockey career before departing to his new WHL home in the western United States.

On Wednesday night at the SaskTel Centre, the 17-year-old right-winger and Saskatoon product was playing in just his second career WHL regular season game as his Portland Winterhawks took on the host Saskatoon Blades. With the two sides locked in a 1-1 with just under six minutes remaining in the second period, Jockims broke into the Saskatoon zone down the right wing on a two-on-one rush with linemate Nick Johnson against Blades overage captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere.

Braeden Jockims (#8) battles along the boards for the puck.

When De La Gorgendiere slid down on the ice to take away the passing lane to Johnson, Jockims wired a shot past the glove of Blades netminder Austin Elliott into the Saskatoon goal from the right faceoff circle. 

The tally was Jockim’s first career WHL goal and it stood up as the winner in a 3-1 Winterhawks victory before a gathering of 2,979 spectators.

Following the contest, Jockims said the first thing he wanted to do with the goal puck was give it to his father Greg Jockims, who is a long time elite level basketball coach, and mother Shana McLean.

“I don’t trust myself to not lose it,” said Braeden with a chuckle.

Braeden Jockims was playing his second career WHL game.

Over the past seven days, Braeden learned a newfound appreciation for the opportunity to play in front of family and friends in his hometown, especially his parents. At the start of the new year, Braeden was the captain of the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 AAA team.

He was having a solid season too appearing in 27 regular season games with the Contacts posting 14 goals and eight assists.

Braeden was listed by the Winterhawks in 2021, and the team’s management believed he had improved enough that time came to offer him a roster spot. On January 4, Braeden officially signed a WHL player agreement with the Winterhawks and joined the club’s active roster immediately right before the squad started a six-game road trip through the WHL’s East Division.

Winterhawks Booster Club members do the“T.N.T.” goal chant.

He made his WHL debut on Tuesday, when the Winterhawks downed the Raiders in Prince Albert 5-3. When he got to play at home against the Blades, Braeden was pumped his could pot his first WHL goal with his parents in attendance along with a sizable gather of family and friends.

“I really enjoy playing in front of my parents,” said Braeden, who stands 6-feet and weighs 174 pounds. “I always like to get texts from my dad of what I did wrong and what I did good, so I get some feedback right away.”

While he was making a memory potting a big goal with his new team, Braeden admitted he was going to miss his old team. He said it was difficult to leave the Contacts behind at midseason, but everyone with the under-18 AAA squad was supportive of the opportunity he had with the Winterhawks.

Winterhawks goalie Dante Giannuzzi, left, dives on a loose puck.

“It was a tough decision,” said Jockims. “It definitely affected my decision on whether or not I wanted to leave them.

“Once I told them that I got offered a spot, everyone said I should go. That is the whole point of the team is to get to the next level as quick as possible, and they wanted me just to get there as fast as possible. They were all supporting my aspirations.”

Jockims said the decision to join the Winterhawks was made easier by the fact he knew he was going to a good place. Since the start of the 2009-10 season, the Winterhawks have regularly been one of the WHL’s top teams.

Robbie Fromm-Delorme (#11) looks to set up a screen.

With Wednesday’s win, they improved to 28-6-2-1 to sit one point behind the Seattle Thunderbirds (29-6-1-1) for first in the Western Conference. Jockims said the Winterhawks have a good vibe going on the team.

“The guys have been really welcoming to me,” said Jockims. “It feels like I have been here since the start of the year.

“Everyone is super kind to me and welcoming.”

As for another bonus when it comes to playing for the Winterhawks, Jockims couldn’t help but keep smiling when he heard members of the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club in the crowd doing the team’s goal chant to AC/DC’s “T.N.T.” after he scored. The Booster Club is following the Winterhawks around to every stop on the East Division road trip.

Vaughn Watterodt scored for the Blades on Wednesday.

“I think it is really cool,” said Jockims. “I think it is probably the best goal chant in the WHL in my opinion.”

Overall, Jockims said that first WHL goal will always be a career highlight.

“It was pretty exciting, especially scoring in front of family and friends,” said Jockims. “It was a great experience, and I’m hoping to score more for the rest of the year.

“It felt good to get the monkey off the back right away, and I am hoping to score more.”

The Winterhawks got on the board just 3:46 into the opening frame of Wednesdsay’s game when star right-winger Robbie Fromm-Delorme sniped home a shot from the left slot past Blades netminder Austin Elliott. Fromm-Delorme converted a nice drop pass from captain Gabe Klassen to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

Jake Chiasson made his Blades debut on Wednesday.

The Blades evened things up at 1-1 seven minutes later. While working on the power play, right-winger Vaughn Watterodt potted his 17^th goal of the season close in from the left side of the Portland net to put the Blades on even terms. Defenceman Charlie Wright and right-winger Jake Chiasson picked up assists on Watterodt’s goal.

Chiasson, who is 19-years-old, was making his debut for the Blades having been acquired in deal with the Brandon Wheat Kings before the WHL’s trade deadline on Tuesday.

The hosts came out flying in the second period and were outshooting the Winterhawks 10-3 in the frame, when Jockims scored to seemingly halt Saskatoon’s momentum.

Nick Johnson (#92) rushes into the offensive zone for Portland.

In the third, the Blades pushed hard for the equalizer, but Winterhawks 19-year-old right-winger James Stefan finally sealed victory rounding out the 3-1 win with an empty-net goal with 11.1 seconds remaining in the frame.

Austin Elliott turned away 17-of-19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades, who fell to 26-7-2-1. Dante Giannuzzi stopped 28 shots to pick up the win in net for the Winterhawks.

The Winterhawks get back at it on Friday, when they travel to Moose Jaw to face the 24-14-0-2 Warriors (7 p.m., Moose Jaw Events Centre).

The Blades return to action on Friday, when they travel to Regina to take on the Connor Bedard and the 19-19-1-1Pats (7 p.m., Brandt Centre).

The Winterhawks enjoy an empty-net goal from James Stefan (#13).

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Jockims believes he is going to have a lot of great experiences and more memorable moments with the Winterhawks.

“It is exciting,” said Jockims. “We got a really good group of guys.

“Everyone is really excited to keep going and keep working and keep pursuing and hopefully we take it all the way.”

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Yager’s Warriors future is now

Contacts’ grad begins WHL journey with bonus time

Brayden Yager in action with the Contacts in 2019-20.

Brayden Yager is embarking on some bonus time in the WHL.

The skilled forward, who turned 16-years-old in early January, will suit up with the Moose Jaw Warriors, when they begin their 24-game regular season playing East Division foes in a bubble environment at the Brandt Centre in Regina.

The Warriors start off action in the Regina bubble taking on the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday at 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

Yager, who stands 6-feet and weighs 160 pounds, came up through the minor hockey system in Saskatchewan as highly touted player. He was so highly touted that he became a candidate for exceptional status to play in the WHL on a full-time basis as 15-year-old.

While he has a maturity that is beyond his youthful years, Yager wasn’t able to obtain exceptional player status.

The only player in the history of the WHL to earn exceptional player status is phenom forward Connor Bedard. The North Vancouver, B.C., was taken first overall in the last WHL Bantam Draft that was held in late April of 2020.

Centre Riley Heidt, who is a longtime friend and teammate of Yager’s, went second overall to the Prince George Cougars. Heidt was also a candidate for exceptional player status, but he wasn’t able to land that tag.

Yager went third overall to the Warriors.

Bedard, Heidt and Yager provided an unbelievably strong top three to lead off the last WHL Bantam Draft.

Yager and Heidt played the 2019-20 campaign as 14-year-old underage players with the Saskatoon Contacts of the Saskatchewan Male Under-18 AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL).

Yager appeared in all 44 of the Contacts regular season games piling up 18 goals and 24 assists for 42 points. Heidt, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 161 pounds, also appeared in all 44 of the Contacts regular season games recording 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points.

Brayden Yager went third overall in the last WHL Bantam Draft.

In normal times, Yager and Heidt would be trying to help the Contacts enjoy a long playoff run in the respective sophomore seasons with that club. Due to the government restrictions that have been brought in place to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, the Contacts haven’t played since Nov. 20,2020, when they fell 4-3 to the Saskatoon Blazers at the SaskTel Centre.

No team in the SMAAAHL has hit the ice for game action since Nov. 22, 2020.

Yager and Heidt helped the Contacts get out to a 5-1 start. Yager had four goals and seven assists for 11 points in those contests, while Heidt posted three goals and seven assists for 10 points over that same period.

With the Telus Cup male under-18 AAA national hockey championship tournament having been cancelled for a second straight year and the SMAAAHL campaign getting called off on Feb. 26, Yager and Heidt were able to join their respective WHL teams.

The Cougars open their season on March 27 taking on the Kamloops Blazers at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops playing out of the two-city bubble used by the B.C. Division. Prospera Place in Kelowna will also hold B.C. Division games.

While Yager and Heidt are highly touted prospects, this shortened WHL campaign is house money time for both players.  They weren’t expected to be in major junior hockey on a full-time basis at this point in time.

The shortened 24-game regular seasons they will play allow them to get a first taste about what playing in the WHL will be like. It does give them a key opportunity for development playing against older players they wouldn’t normally have.

They will be that much more ready to play in the league in what should be a longer campaign in 2021-22 in their regular 16-year-old seasons.

Yager will have more eyes on him due to being a Saskatchewan product playing on a Saskatchewan team.

His Warriors have a longstanding rivalry with the Pats, which is often viewed as major junior hockey’s greatest rivalry.

Brayden Yager is expected to be a star in Moose Jaw.

When the Warriors and Pats go at it, those battles will have the added dynamic of being Yager versus Bedard clashes. The first of which will take place this coming Tuesday at 8 p.m. Saskatchewan time at the Brandt Centre.

In regular times, these meetings should have likely first taken place in the 2021-22 season.

While spectators won’t be allowed into WHL rinks for the shortened 2020-21 campaign, you can bet there will be a little more interest in seeing online streams of games between the Warriors and Pats due to the Yager versus Bedard aspect.

If Yager is able to outperform Bedard, you will likely get Warriors fans smack talking Pats supporters on the lines of, “Our young star is better than your young star.”

To be honest, the smack talk is all good.

Yager’s future is now with the Warriors, even with it coming a little earlier than expected.

Blades play for Kirkness in Regina, other notes

The Saskatoon Blades will carry Bobby Kirkness in their hearts, even though the team’s long time volunteer dressing room attendant can’t be with them in person.

The Blades are slated to begin their WHL regular season on Saturday taking on the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL’s East Division bubble located at the Brandt Centre in Regina at 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time. The East Division teams are playing in a bubble environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world.

Kirkness wasn’t able to join the Blades in Regina, because he was recently diagnosed with stage 4 liver and pancreatic cancer.

Back in 2016, Kirkness won his first fight against cancer, when he had leukemia. This time around, things are a little more serious.

Kirkness’s liver and pancreatic cancer can’t be operated on.

Doctors presented Kirkness with two options. He could take chemotherapy treatments, which would give him an estimated nine to 12 months to live, or he could opt out of chemotherapy and have an estimated six to nine months to share with family and friends.

After discussing things with family and friends, Kirkness elected to try an alternative treatment. The treatment is not covered, and it will cost Kirkness and his family about $1,000 per month.

Being his positive self, Kirkness vows he will win this battle with cancer too.

He is so beloved by the Blades the team created “The Kirkness Cup” after he returned to the club after beating leukemia in 2016. The winning squad in the Blades training camp tournament consisting of teams of players looking to make the main roster is presented with “The Kirkness Cup.”

If you are hanging around the Blades dressing room area, the first person you usually see is Kirkness offering a big smile and a warm “hello.”

This season, the Blades are wearing special “BK” decals on their helmets. The decal includes a purple ribbon and the Blades classic blue and gold Pac-Man logo.

Tyler Wawryk, who is the Blades director of business operations, and Brennan Kirkness, who is Bobby’s son, set up a GoFundMe page to help the Kirkness family with expenses.

The page has already passed its $10,000 goal by raising $18,000. If you would like to contribute to the GoFundMe campaign, you can do so by clicking right here.

• Tickets are on sale for the March jackpot for the Saskatchewan Amateur Football Mega 50/50 lottery. The funds from this 50/50 lottery will go to support the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder and the WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries and Regina Riot. One prize will be drawn per month, and the remaining draw dates are Wednesday, March 31, April 30 and May 31. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
• The WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries are morning the passing of former player Nichole LaVallee. On Sunday, LaVallee, who was 26-years-old, died in a two-vehicle collision driving a small car on Highway 3 between Weldon and Birch Hills. She played on the Valkyries from 2016 to 2018 as a receiver and on the defensive line. LaVallee helped the Valkyries win a WWCFL title in 2016. She could brighten any room she entered. Her obituary notice can be found by clicking right here.
• I helped produce new content for the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex that went live on Tuesday. I put together a story that focuses on the off-season work Saskatoon Minor Softball League’s A-programs are doing right now at the Indoor Training Centre and a photo post that contains a number of my pictures around the complex. The softball story can be found by clicking right here, and the photo post can be found by clicking right here.
• On Tuesday, it was announced the RBC Canadian Open has been nixed from the PGA Tour schedule for a second straight year due to issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Canadian Open was scheduled for June 7-13 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto, Ont., with the nearby Islington Golf Club acting as the practice facility. 
• On Wednesday night, Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported Shaun and Gavin Semple have reached a tentative deal to buy out their partners and become the sole owners of the WHL’s Regina Pats, and the WHL is set to review that deal. The Pats are the world’s oldest major junior hockey franchise. Harder’s story can be found by clicking right here.
• I was checking out the memories part of my Facebook page from a year ago today. I had a few posts that didn’t age well with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those posts show I originally didn’t think the pandemic would be as problematic as it turned out to be. One of the posts showed dismay over the fact people were hording toilet paper. Those old posts look so naïve, when you look back on them now.
• James Shewaga, who was the former standout Brandon Sun sportswriter who wrote about the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, wrote about how Merlis Belsher Place will play a role as a mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic for University of Saskatchewan communications. Shewaga’s piece can be found right here.
• The Canadian football world and definitely the football world in Saskatchewan was shaken up on Wednesday when both the CFL and XFL revealed they’re poised to begin serious discussions about a potential partnership. Of course, many have speculated this could be the beginning of the end for the three-down game. Had I been working at a mainstream media outlet, I could have seen myself having to run around and localize the story for Saskatoon. That would have meant tracking down University of Saskatchewan Huskies football head coach Scott Flory, Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant, officials from Football Saskatchewan and officials from Saskatoon Minor Football on what they thought of that CFL and XFL development. You would be also asking all those parties how they would be affected, if football in Canada at the professional level was played with United States rules. I admit I am happy I didn’t have to do any of that. At this point, it is likely too early to play the speculation game.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Covering first hockey game in over eight months felt good

The Stars and Bears tangle at the SaskTel Centre on Sunday.

I admit I set my expectations very low for the 2020-21 hockey campaign due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

For the longest time, I didn’t think I would cover a single game live during the current season. That changed on Sunday when I was able to make it to the SaskTel Centre to cover the Saskatoon Stars 7-2 SFU18AAAHL regular season home opening victory over their traditional rivals the Prince Albert Northern Bears.

I expected COVID-19 restrictions to be at the point that games during the 2020-21 hockey season would be played without fans and media would have to cover and even do play-by-play broadcasts of contests over a computer monitor as the game ran over a streaming service.

Jocelyn Fiala controls the puck for the Stars.

Of course with the COVID-19 restrictions in place in Saskatchewan at the moment, crowds for sporting events have to be capped at 150 persons. Still, games are being played, and some people are able to go to them.

Sunday marked the first hockey game I’ve covered live since March 12, when the Saskatoon Contacts fell 5-3 to the Moose Jaw Warriors in Game 3 of a best-of-five SMAAAHL semifinal series at Merlis Belsher Place. The Warriors swept that series 3-0.

Just about a couple of hours before that game was played, it was announced the rest of the minor hockey season for 2019-20 governed under the Hockey Canada umbrella would be cancelled the next day due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brooklin Fry controls the puck at the point for the Bears.

Back on March 15, I took one last walk through Merlis Belsher Place as it was hosting a University of Saskatchewan Campus Recreation hockey tournament. Merlis Belsher Place was slated to close the next day, and that tour felt like a naval captain making a final walk around his ship before entering a battle where you expected the ship to get sunk.

Of course, Merlis Belsher Place in now a COVID-19 field hospital in waiting, and no one knows when it will be used as a sports facility again.

When I went to cover the clash between the Stars and Bears on Sunday, I planned on making the exercise as straightforward as possible and allow me to get my feet wet with working a game again. I went to the rink with a camera to shoot pictures of the game and a notepad to track developments in the contest.

Makena Kushniruk (#20) and Sydney Mercier (#20) jet up ice.

Since it was the first game I would cover in a little over eight months, I planned on writing a column on the contest and decided to not do any interviews at this point in time.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I would usually be bringing a laptop too, and I would have a work station set up in the press box.

On this trip to the SaskTel Centre, I sat in an assigned seat in the stands, which was set up fairly well for shooting pictures of the game. I was in the top row of the lower bowl.

Normally on trips to the SaskTel Centre, I would work games from the press box in the catwalk and cycle down to ice level to take pictures from the two shooting ports. Actually, I have usually shot pictures from all sorts of different points from the SaskTel Centre.

Paris Oleksyn works in the offensive zone for the Bears.

In these COVID-19 times, that would mean staff would have to sanitize everywhere I went. As a result, I was fine with picture taking being limited to one spot.

Over the years, I’ve gotten to know a few staffers at the SaskTel Centre, and I know they have to deal with a tonne of things they don’t normally deal with due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of course, the obvious reminder that it was a different time on Sunday was the fact that everyone in the building wore facemasks as one of the COVID-19 public health protocols.

When the contest itself started and got going, my mind got back into the regular routine of covering a hockey game. I felt locked in to the ebbs and flows of the clash.

Kalli Hiebert starts a rush up ice for the Stars.

I covered a number of encounters between the Stars and Bears since moving to Saskatoon in the summer of 2014, so good memories of the past also went through my head as the game went on.

I thought Stars captain Makena Kushniruk and 17-year-old veteran forward Sydney Mercier had great games.

A lot of the players on the Stars had really good games, and I believed that 15-year-old rookie defender Jocelyn Fiala was really solid on the back end.

As strange as this sound, the Bears played a lot better than the 7-2 final score in the Stars favour would indicate. I thought their veterans like captain Paris Oleksyn and 16-year-old defender Paige Dawson were solid.

Paige Dawson controls the puck at the point for the Bears.

Brooklin Fry, who is a rookie 15-year-old defender, showed real well. Outside of hockey, Fry is the defending Saskatchewan junior women’s and amateur women’s golf champion.

Bears 15-year-old rookie goalie Brooke Archer was making her first career regular season start, and I think jitters and nerves might have affected her game. As she goes forward in her career, I think she will be a lot better and Sunday’s game will be something Archer can laugh about at some point in time.

While it was good to be at a live hockey game again, it was also fun to mingle with some of the people in the stands. Everyone was spaced out with the assigned seating and there was no hanging around on the concourse.

Stars F Kieanna Higgs, left, tries to get by Bears F Jasmine Kohl.

Mingling was restricted to who you could talk to from your seat. 

For me, that included talking to Steve Kook, who is the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, and Dave Westbury, who is the equipment manager of the Huskies women’s hockey team.

I got to visit with Julie Fiala and Evan Fiala as well. Julie, is Jocelyn’s mom and Evan is Jocelyn’s older brother. 

The Stars enjoyed the bulk of the goal celebrations on Sunday.

Evan used to be the captain of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades and now plays defence for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

My social bubble was pretty much limited to that foursome, but it was great to see them. I hadn’t seen any of them since March 12.

Since my last tour of Merlis Belsher Place, I had only been inside a hockey rink twice before going to the SaskTel Centre for Sunday’s game.

I had actually only seen a handful of people live in person from the hockey community before making Sunday’s game between the Stars and Bears.

In these COVID-19 times, there are no guarantees that upcoming games on any hockey schedule will be played. That thought crossed my mind on Sunday.

All set from my SaskTel Centre perch for Sunday’s game. 

Still, it was great to enjoy being at the rink and figures are crossed that won’t be the only venture to the rink this hockey season.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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COVID-19 pandemic times lead to rediscoveries

Visiting my Dad’s resting place in Regina.

    It has been great to have weekends again for an extended stretch.

    That has been one of the many rediscoveries I’ve come across during these coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic times.

    For the last 20 years, I really haven’t had regular weekends over a lengthy span of time due to making a career covering sports events. When massive shutdowns started to occur on March 11 and 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my weekends opened up.

    With all that noted, I miss covering sports events a great deal. The clock in my head keeps telling me the Saskatoon Hilltops should be well into their CJFL regular season.

I’ve enjoyed getting out to cut the grass during the pandemic.

    The 2020 CJFL season is one of many things that have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Even with local baseball and softball starting up in early July and the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association springing to action at the Wyant Group Raceway on Aug. 8, the last sports event I covered with a focus and intensity was the Saskatoon Contacts getting eliminated from the Saskatchewan Under-18 AAA Hockey League playoffs on March 12 at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Contacts fell 5-3 to the Moose Jaw Warriors, who swept a best-of-five league semifinal series 3-0.

    Well over five months have passed since that game was played, and weekends have become actual weekends. There is anticipation when Friday arrives and a dread when Monday rolls around.

Yes, I own the DVDs to the “Disney” Star Wars trilogy.

    I haven’t had this many weekends in a row that have been actually weekends where you can have down time since the summer of 2000.

    During weekends, I will do things that need to be attended to at home like clearing snow or cutting the grass depending on what season it is. When the pandemic got real in Saskatoon, winter was still on in full force.

    It seemed like it didn’t start to get warm outside until the beginning of May, and it has been warm ever since.

    On weekends, I will do my workouts in my weight room in the basement. I’ve gotten used to watching movies on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

I used the Denver Broncos to win the Super Bowl in Madden.

    I’ve actually found a new joy in just hanging on the homestead on Saturday nights.

    On Saturdays and Sundays, I can often be found playing a game or two of Madden 2008 on my PlayStation 2, or I can be seen venturing on a long bike trip through the city.

    For the first time in like five years, I’ve started and completed a regular season of Madden inside of a calendar year. I can’t remember when was the last time I finished a Madden season inside of six months.

    I used the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers just to be different and have fun. The Broncos ended up winning the Super Bowl over the Panthers 56-28.

    Besides creating storylines on Madden, I got to have a little fun in the statistics department.

The Denver Broncos raise the Super Bowl trophy in Madden.

    With the Panthers, I signed a younger computer generated quarterback with a 99 overall rating and receiver Calvin Johnston, who was nicknamed in real life “Megatron.”

    Johnston had a 98 overall rating when he was signed and was boosted up to a 99 overall rating by the end of the season. I had Johnson catch 83 passes for 2,398 yards and 23 touchdowns appearing in all 16 regular season games.

    I’ve re-watched a lot of Star Wars movies including all three that are part of the “Disney” trilogy.

    I rediscovered the 1980s animated television shows for Transformer, G.I. Joe and Robotech. I viewed the Transformers shows off old VCR tapes I own.

    I started out watching G.I. Joe and Robotech episodes on YouTube.

A pandemic DVD purchase. Can’t go wrong with 1980s G.I. Joe.

    I later bought a couple of DVD sets of G.I. Joe television shows from the 1980s at Hi-Tech Gametraders in Confederation Mall in Saskatoon.

    I totally endorse shopping at Hi-Tech Gametraders, which is a good local Saskatoon business.

    I found the complete Robotech series on DVD for sale online in the United States and purchased it and had it shipped to my place in Saskatoon.

    The DVD sets were pandemic buys, because I likely wouldn’t have bought them had the world gone on like it normally would.

    I finally made a road trip for the first time in the pandemic traveling to Regina on Aug. 19 and 20. I brought my mountain bike to Regina, and biked there for the first time in 10 years.

    In a cool twist, the mountain bike I road in Regina was the same one I won following the University of Regina Cougars women’s basketball team to U Sports nationals in Thunder Bay, Ont., in 1999.

Another pandemic DVD purchase. Robotech is still cool.

    I won the bike hitting a half-court shot during a halftime competition at the tournament’s championship game.

    I’ve only hit a half-court shot one other time in my life since.

    During my Regina stop, I visited the resting place of my late father, Dan Steinke.

    While it was great to finally hit the highway again, I’ve discovered during the pandemic that I have grown comfortable with being a home body.
    I haven’t been a home body since I was in Grade 9.

    Still, it does suck that the world hasn’t progressed in a normal fashion specifically in North America since early March. When the pandemic does end, I hope I can become active again covering the sports teams in the hockey and football world that I’ve covered over 24 years before the pandemic started.

    There are no guarantees that will happen as that depends on how events in the world play out the longer the pandemic goes.

In the pandemic, I plan to keep making the best with the cards dealt my way.

    With that noted, I am going to continue to rediscovering doing a few things I used to do in taking advantage of the cards that have been dealt to me in the present.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Contacts’ Korchinski making waves in hockey

Kevin Korchinski in action for the Contacts last season.

    You can add Hockey Canada prospect to the list of accomplishments of young Saskatoon product Kevin Korchinski.

    The 16-year-old from the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 hockey team has come up thought the game as an offensive-defenceman. As a result of having the skill set to play that role, Korchinski will be a sought after addition at the highest levels of hockey.

    After collecting 10 goals and 37 assists in 31 regular season games with the Saskatoon Generals under-15 club in the 2018-19 campaign, Korchinski found a WHL home being selected by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the first round and 10^th overall in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.

    He proceeded to play his 15-year-old season with the Contacts as a rookie in Saskatchewan’s under-18 AAA hockey league. Korchinski posted seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points in 41 regular season games.

    He helped the Contacts finish third overall in the Saskatchewan under-18 AAA league with a 30-12-2 record. The Contacts swept the Prince Albert Mintos in a best-of-five league quarter-final series 3-0.

    Saskatoon proceeded to be swept by the Moose Jaw Warriors 3-0 in a best-of-five league semifinal series. The rest of the under-18 AAA playoffs were cancelled nationally on March 13 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
    Korchinski appeared in one WHL regular season game with the Thunderbirds in Seattle on Nov. 16, 2019. 

Kevin Korchinski put up 26 points with the Contacts last season.

    He posted a minus-two rating in the plus-minus department as the Thunderbirds downed the Portland Winterhawks 5-4 after a tiebreaking shootout.

    On Wednesday, Korchinski, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 154 pounds, found out he was one of 113 players named to Hockey Canada’s virtual under-17 development camp, which runs July 19-25.

    The players who are selected for this camp are on Hockey Canada’s radar to be placed on one of the three teams the sport body sends to World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. At the moment, the upcoming World Under-17 Hockey Challenge is slated for Oct. 31 to Nov. 7 for Charlottetown and Summerside, P.E.I., depending how the world situation unfolds related to COVID-19.

    While Korchinski won’t get to compete in a live camp, the fact he picked up this camp selection is a result of all the hard work he has put in through this point in his career. He has gotten to this point with little fanfare outside of folks in personnel departments from WHL teams.

    With all that noted, Korchinski has the making to be one of those players you hear about in the game for some time to come.
    Overall, Korchinski was one of six Saskatchewan product invited to Hockey Canada’s virtual under-17 camp. Weyburn product Dylan Ernst, who is a Warriors under-18 goalie, will also take part in that virtual event.

Kevin Korchinski will participate in a virtual Hockey Canada camp.

    Defencemen Hunter Mayo and Kalem Parker, who both played for the Saskatoon Blazers under-18 AAA team, are both tabbed for the virtual camp. Mayo is from Martensville, and Parker is from Clavet.

    Parker’s older sister, Mackenna, was a former member of Canada’s under-18 women’s national team.

    Regina product Kyren Gronick, who played for his hometown Pat Canadians under-18 AAA team, and Delisle product Jhett Larson, who played for the Notre Dame Hounds under-18 AAA team, cracked the virtual camp invite list at forward.

    Niall Crocker, who is prospect forward for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, and Brandon Lisowsky, who is a prospect forward for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, earned virtual camp invites too.

    For Korchinski and the rest of those young players, the under-17 virtual camp invite by Hockey Canada is likely just the next step towards making their biggest strides in the game.

Meaningful games mark real return for a sport, other notes

Who knows when Cody Fajardo (#7) and the Roughriders will play again.

    When sport jumps into action for real, its return should considered real at that point in time.

    That means the sport has to be engaged in regular season or post-season action, where a championship is on the line.

    At the moment in North America, that would mean the NASCAR Cup Series, UFC and PGA can be officially returned to action during these COVID-19 pandemic times.

    The COVID-19 pandemic created massive shutdowns in the sports world in North America starting on March 11, when the NBA paused its season.

    Besides the NASCAR Cup Series, UFC and PGA actually getting into action, there have been a lot planning for other circuits to get back into action. The NHL, NBA and MLB have cemented return to play plans that are slated to be executed in late July or early August.

    Until any of these leagues actually have teams participate in a meaningful game, you can’t say those circuits are officially back in action.

    The same goes for any sports league in Canada. That goes for the CFL, CHL, U Sports, CJFL or any minor sports.

    As far as the CFL is concerned, you wonder if it will return. On Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are the flagship franchise of the circuit, announced they have $7.6-million in reserves and a stabilization fund, but all of that money is projected to be depleted by late fall.

    The Roughriders are projecting a loss of $10-million for 2020-21 fiscal year if the 2020 CFL regular season and playoffs for that year are indeed wiped out. The club posted a loss of $210,064 for the 2019-20 fiscal year, which included the club contributing just over $670,000 to the CFL for the management of the Montreal Alouettes.
    In Saskatchewan, minor baseball and softball games are planned for July. Until they play meaningful regular season games, those sports can’t be considered returned.

The return of Nolan Maier and the Saskatoon Blades is uncertain.

    Golf in Saskatchewan could be declared as returned as a Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event was held Friday and Saturday at the Elmwood Golf Club in Swift Current.

    Still, there are no certainties on how sports will progress in Canada and North America. Over the past two weeks, it seems there have been a constant barraged of reports coming out of the United States of athletes testing positive for COVID-19.

    On Friday, the United States confirmed a record daily high for new COVID-19 cases at about 45,300. On Saturday, the state of Florida recorded a record of 9,585 new COVID-19 cases, which is a record for the state in a 24-hour period.

    Florida’s old record of 8,942 new COVID-19 cases was actually set one day earlier on Friday.

    Even the most powerful professional league in North America in the NFL showed cracks in its defiance of COVID-19 this week. NFL officials had given the impression the circuit would play a regular season that is close to normal.

    On Thursday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame cancelled the Hall of Fame Game set for Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio, that was to feature the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony set for Aug. 8 has been postponed until August of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    That might foreshadow a sign of things to come for the NFL.

    The COVID-19 case spikes in the United States offers further confirmation how contagious the virus can be.

    In Canada where there has been a total of just over 103,000 COVID-19 cases so far this year, there seems to be a more general feeling that Canadian government and medical health officials are doing a better job of handling the pandemic than officials in the United States are.

    In Saskatchewan, Premier Scott Moe and Dr. Saqib Shahab, who is Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer, should be praised for their work. As of Saturday, there were just 103 active cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan.

Will Rylan Kleiter, left, and the Saskatoon Hilltops play in 2020?

    While some have worried Saskatchewan’s re-opening plan hasn’t gone fast enough, Saskatchewan was the first province to come out with a plan, and those in charge have stuck to their plan in following through on it.

    In comparison to the United States, Saskatchewan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been at an all-star level as events have unfolded. If there were doubts about this in early June, they have likely been erased now.

    Still looking at what is happening in the United States, you can expect that will cause more caution to be used regarding when various sports teams, leagues and minor sports bodies will return to play in Canada.

    At the moment, it appears caution is definitely the best course of action.

• On Tuesday, the Government of Saskatchewan announced contact sports were allowed in the province and spectators are allowed at sports games as long as they following physical distancing measures. Only outdoor sports facilities are permitted to be in action at the current time.
• On Wednesday, the Hockey Hall of Fame announced its 2020 class of inductees. They include players Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa, Kevin Lowe, Kim St-Pierre and Doug Wilson. Ken Holland, who is a long time NHL executive and current Edmonton Oilers general manager, is going in as a builder.
• Theoren Fleury wasn’t elected to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Here is hoping the retired star right-winger from the NHL’s Calgary Flames will crack into the Hall, because he has a lengthy list of accomplishments in the game and his journey of perseverance on the mental health front has been incredible.
• Gregg Drinnan has been tracking the fallout from the lawsuit filed by Daniel Carcillo and Garrett Taylor against the CHL alleging various forms of abuse during their major junior careers. They are hoping to have the lawsuit certified as class-action. Drinnan rounded up various developments on that front in his Taking Note blog that can be found right here.
• The 2020 Canadian Final Rodeo slated for Nov. 3 to 8 in Red Deer, Alta., has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On Friday, the Medicine Hat Cubs junior B hockey team announced it will not play in the 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic and diminishing sponsorship revenues. The Cubs play out of the Heritage Junior Hockey League in Alberta.
• On Friday, the Saskatoon Blades hired Jeff Harvey as their new goaltending coach. The 37-year-old played goal in the WHL with the Kootenay Ice, Swift Current Broncos and Everett Silvertips from 2000 to 2004. Harvey suited up for five seasons in the U Sports ranks with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team from 2005 to 2010. Harvey replaces retired NHL goalie in 52-year-old Tim Cheveldae as the Blades goaltending coach.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.