The first 11 players to sign with the Prince Albert Timberjaks. Three more players have since joined their ranks. (Facebook/PA JR B Timberjaks)

By Rob Mahon

Let's Go Timberjaks

Name, roster, identity all taking shape for new Prince Albert Junior B squad

Jun 8, 2023 | 12:00 PM

Junior B hockey is getting another life in Prince Albert, and the pieces are starting to fall into place.

They’ve announced the arena they’ll play out of already, and now they have a name and their first list of incoming players.

The newest team in the Prairie Junior Hockey League (PJHL) will be the Prince Albert Timberjaks.

“There’s a little history behind it, built into that name,” said Ken Malenfant, President and Governor of the Timberjaks. “We thought it was quite fitting for Prince Albert. There used to be a Junior B team here in the late 70s, early 80s possibly, our director of player Mark Odnokon and other ex-Raiders from Prince Albert actually played on that team.”

According to Malenfant, the old Jaks Junior B team had the “C” dropped from its name (Jacks) just as the current iteration will. A provincial championship-winning fastball team in Prince Albert was also called the Jaks.

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“We thought, what would be more fitting than to pay tribute to the past sports teams in Prince Albert?” said Malenfant. “And timber, of course, we’re on the forest fringe here, the start of our northern forest.”

The team has released more than their name, however. The first 13 players in the team’s new history have committed to the club, including some that already have experience at the Junior B level.

“We’ve got a good mix of kids who are predominantly local,” Malenfant said. “Aaron Campbell is sort of going to be one of our leaders. He’s a 21-year-old that’s played in the league for three years and has a lot to bring in terms of experience.”

Malenfant stressed they were looking for good people as much as good hockey players, and also looking to bring in local talent. In that regard, they’ve done well so far, as almost all of their early signees are former Mintos, Vulcans, or AA Raiders.

“That was part of our program that we wanted to offer to local guys, that you don’t need to leave PA,” said Malenfant. “You can still play at a competitive junior level.”

He added those players can be divided into three categories: those who are going to school but still want to play competitive hockey, those who are working full-time but want to keep playing high-end hockey, and those who want to use Junior B as a springboard to higher levels of the sport.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP