Prince Albert did not have a Junior B hockey team last season, but will rejoin the PJHL for 2023-24. (Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Junior B Is Back

Prince Albert to re-enter PJHL with new franchise for 2023-24 season

May 1, 2023 | 5:00 PM

During the 2022-23 season, the Prince Albert Titans didn’t exist as a team, and there was no Junior B hockey in Prince Albert for the first time in 15 years. Thanks to some hard work by a local group, however, that hiatus will be just the one season.

Prince Albert is returning to the Prairie Junior Hockey League for the 2023-24 season after getting approval from the league. The newly reinstated team does not yet have a name, but the city now knows it has been granted a franchise for Saskatchewan’s Junior B circuit.

“We are very excited for the young gentlemen that are going to be able to finish off their junior hockey careers in Prince Albert now,” said Ken Malenfant, president and governor of the to-be-named team. “Some will be returning from other associations, they had to leave the community, but we’re excited for the kids, the gentlemen, and the community itself. It’s an absolute need in this community.”

When the Prince Albert Titans announced they would not be participating in the league last season, their returning players entered a dispersal draft to help find new hockey homes. The closest teams were in Saskatoon. The next wave of Junior B players coming up, however, won’t have to go quite so far away.

“We get to keep local talent here in Prince Albert,” said Malenfant. “There are boys going to school, working, who want to continue on playing the game love, our Canadian game. Also, for some of them, their hockey careers don’t end in Junior B. It’s a stepping stone for them to continue on with Junior A aspirations.”

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While some details remain to be determined, including the team’s name, the team knows they will be playing out of the arena at the RM of Buckland. That will mean some adjustments to that rink are necessary, and those are already under way.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, the City of Prince Albert was very committed to us as well in terms of ice facilities,” Malenfant said. “But the Buckland Northern Recreational Centre fits our needs better. We’re building a dressing room as we speak, working on plans for that. They’re doing a renovation of the lobby and dressing room area for visiting teams.”

The Titans, and previously the Ice Hawks had operated in Prince Albert since the 2008-09 season. Malenfant said they hope to have an announcement on the name soon.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP