(Photo courtesy/Broad Leaf Media, Facebook)

By Ben Tompkins

Hometown Loyalty

Somers, Venne choose Mustangs, SJHL for one more season

Aug 23, 2023 | 4:34 PM

The Melfort Mustangs are retaining two of their most important pieces for the 2023/24 SJHL season.

Forward Zac Somers and Goaltender James Venne are staying with the blue and green for an additional year, which is coming as a surprise to many.

Both had other opportunities elsewhere this offseason but ultimately decided to return to the organization and stay in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

“You don’t get to play in your hometown for very long, if not ever, so I thought I should take that opportunity and play one more year here before I move up,” Somers told northeastNOW. “It’s also a great opportunity for me to step into a bigger leadership role.”

Somers finished the 22-23 season with 26 goals and 26 assists in 49 games, which was good for 16th in SJHL scoring.

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The Melfort local was also chosen to Team Canada West in the 2022-23 World Junior A Challenge and had received an NCAA Division 1 commitment with the University of Maine.

“I think the SJHL gets looked over quite often compared to some other leagues, but you can just look at the number of commitments last year and it’s on the uprising,” Somers added. “It’s a good league and more and more people are coming from nationwide to play in this league, so it’s definitely getting better and better every year.”

As for Venne, he is currently in the WHL system, representing a roster spot on the Prince Albert Raiders.

He has yet to record a WHL regular-season appearance, however, and despite being a backup to Joel Favreau for the Stangs these past couple of years, has gotten his fair share of ice time.

“I loved having Favreau as a partner, he and I worked really well together, we pushed each other and practiced on and off the ice. With his injuries, I felt like a lot of the time I was the number one guy because I had the responsibility of playing 30-plus games both years,” said Venne.

“When he was healthy, of course, I was backing him up, but I felt like I had a lot of weight on my shoulders already, so I don’t think there’s much of a change.”

The Saskatoon product has played a combined 65 games with Melfort, registering a collective 34-16-9 record, to go along with seasons of a 2.76 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage, and a 2.68 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

(Photo courtesy/Broad Leaf Media, Facebook)

Venne will likely be garnering a ton of attention from university and college scouts this season, in hopes of securing a chance for post-secondary hockey, which his coach and general manager is sure to be helping him with.

“(Blevins) is such an easy coach to talk to, you can be very open with him with conversations about games, practice, or anything. He also just always finds a way to get his team to be a top four or top two team, and I have the confidence that he’ll bring more guys in and build up what we have for this year,” Venne explained.

Mustangs’ pre-season starts September 11th and the regular season opens at home on September 22nd against the La Ronge Ice Wolves, with Somers and Venne nearly 100 per cent guaranteed to be a big part of it all.

That is something Trevor Blevins (head coach and gm) is quite excited to watch and be a part of.

“Both players have shown loyalty and commitment to this team and league and trust what the Mustangs can offer for their development. We are excited for the leadership, knowledge, and experience they will bring on and off the ice. These two young men are huge assets to this year’s returning group and they will definitely be marquee players in the league at their respective positions,” he said in a statement.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8