North Battlefords' Jake Southgate was one of 60 players chosen for three team rosters that would have gone to the SJHL/MJHL Showcase this year. (Becky Zimmer/northeastNOW Staff)

By Becky Zimmer

Best of SJHL

Showcase rosters still shines light on SJHL talent after cancellation

Feb 22, 2022 | 3:14 PM

Even though the 2021/22 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and Manitoba Junior Hockey League Showcase will not be taking place this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, SJHL coaches still wanted to shine a light on their stellar talent they currently have across the province.

Coaches from across the league developed their rosters for the three teams they would have been sending to Winnipeg to recognize the outstanding work done by players, even if they won’t actually get the chance to play together this year. Sixty players from the 11 teams were chosen for the roster.

While the cancellation of the showcase was disappointing, the SJHL and MJHL all agreed that health risks of the Omicron variant were too great for the showcase to go on this year.

Team Mitchell

Battlefords’ Michael Harroch (24 games, 1,362 minutes, 0.925 SV percentage) and Kindersley’s Matt Pesenti (38 games, 2,282 minutes, 0.915 SV percentage) topped the roster for Team Mitchell with their outstanding performances in goal so far this season.

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From the blue line, Team Mitchell features the Bruins’ paring of Dayton Deics and Kian Calder, third and six respectively on the league’s top defenceman list with a combined 128 points, along with Broncos’ twosome of Cody Hough and Nicksha Eric who sit 13th and 19th with a combined 42 points. Notre Dame’s Sam Kroon and Yorkton’s Tyson Janzen finish off the defensive zone coverage.

Forwards for Team Mitchell feature three NCAA Division I committed prospects with Humboldt forwards Matthew Perkins and the SJHL’s leading scorer Connor McGrath, along with Estevan’s Caelen Fitzpatrick. Along with McGrath’s consistent top showing among the league’s leading scorers, Perkins’ currently sits 10th with 49 points with Fitzpatrick at 17th with 44. Also included on the Mitchell roster are a starting North Stars line of Jake Southgate, Dylan Esau, and Steven Kesslering, Perkins and McGrath being paired up with Bruins forward, Mikol Sartor for the second line, a Broncos line featuring Braiden Koran, Lucas Ceccarelli and Alec Saretzky, and the fourth line consisting of Fitzpatrick with Millionaires Zach Cain and Nicolas Samson.

Team Mitchell. (sjhl.ca)

Team Kunitz

Team Kunitz features many names that will be familiar in the northeast.

Netminders La Ronge’s Xavier Cannon (26 games, 1,519 minutes, and 0.911 SV percentage) and Flin Flon’s Cal Shell (35 games, 2,025 minutes, and 0.926 SV percentage) topped the list with Bombers defencemen Xavier Lapointe, who sits number one for the SJHL’s top defenceman with 43 points, and Cole Vardy, 15th with 21, joining Shell. Also defending the blue line for Team Kunitz is Nipawin’s Evan Bortis, Melfort’s Mark Snarr and Hayden Tuba and Tynon Ewart from North Battleford, who is fifth among the league’s defencemen with 30 points this season.

For the offence, Team Kunitz features entire lines from multiple teams in the league. Cole Duperreault, Jaxon Martens, and Jaeden Mercier make up the starting lineup from the Flin Flon Bombers. Elliot Dutil, Kevin Anderson and Connor Nolan, who sit third, fourth, and eight respectively in the league’s top skater list from the Notre Dame Hounds line. Brandon Della Paolera, who currently sits 11th among the league’s top skaters, Gavin Mattey, and Aaron Greyeyes make up the La Ronge Ice Wolves line while Curtis Hammond, Nolan Doell, and captain Ben Tkachuk form the Mustangs line.

Team Kunitz. (sjhl.ca)

Team Schwartz

Chosen between the pipes for the “young guns” Team Schwartz are Yorkton’s Kael DePape (38 games, 2,285 minutes, and 0.917 SV percentage) and Melfort’s James Venne (28 games, 1,497 minutes, and 0.895 SV percentage).

The Schwartz blueline features the league’s top defenceman with Humboldt’s Noah Barlage, Notre Dames’ Jaryd Sych, Yorkton’s Parker Jasper and Melville’s Louis-Frederic Theberge, who sit second, fourth, 10th and 16th respectively. Also joining the Schwartz blueline is Cole Tanchuk of the Bombers and Jordan Grill of the North Stars.

Quite an offensive mix was chosen for Team Schwartz with 12 skaters from nine different teams, including the Klippers’ leading scorer, Tylin Hilbig, being joined by Broncos’ Ethan Zielke at centre and Bruins’ Keagon Little for the starting line up with the Flin Flon pairing of Jeremi Tremblay and Jacob Vockler, centered by Battlefords’ young phenom, Holden Doell forming the second line.

Noah Wills and Charles-Thomas LaRochelle of Melville and Yorkton’s Clay Sleeva form the third line with Kylynn Olafson of the Bombers and Zac Somers of the Mustangs, and Notre Dame’s Oliver Band forming line four.

Team Schwartz. (sjhl.ca)

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becky.zimmer@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @bex_zim