Commissioner McIntyre inks three-year deal to continue with SJHL

McIntyre started with the league about 35 years ago as a player.

During those days, he said he admired the way the then Commissioner ran the league, with his “stalely manner”.

“I thought that was something that was kind of missing for the SJHL and I really wanted to make the SJHL, Canada’s premier junior hockey league, where I think it should be,” McIntyre told northeastNOW.

“I look forward to continuing to work with Chairman Adamson, our Management Committee, our Board of Governors, our twelve-member franchises, our players and our coaches. I am proud of the work that we have all collectively done this year to make the SJHL Canada’s Premier Junior A Hockey League known for its excellent player development. There is more to do and more to come,” he added.

McIntyre initially accepted the position, prior to this season, although he only signed on for a one-year term.

He explained that he wanted to make sure the job was a good fit for him and his family and that he served the role in a proper way.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the first year, I met lots of excellent people in the media, on the Board of Governors, our coaches, trainers, officials, and most importantly, our fans and players. It was a really good fit for me personally, because I come from a hockey family, hockey is in my DNA, I love it and I love the SJHL.”

Since McIntyre began, he has brought in both Director of Marketing Jacob Faith, and the Media Manager for IKS Media and the SJHL, Jeromy Corrigan.

Alongside them, the league has helped create an entirely new social channel for fans to get more in-depth coverage. This includes SJHL Insider and SJHL Weekly.

McIntyre hopes this not only continues to create intrigue for fans but for players as well, especially those who may be interested in competing in their home province.

“One of the things I want to continue to do is make sure that we have a strong Saskatchewan presence in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League,” he said. “Right now, we have about 30 per cent of our players who are from Saskatchewan, and I would like to see that number be a little bit higher.”

“There’s no secret that if you have local people or kids from the area in your lineups, you’re gonna put a lot more fans in your building and have a lot more interest in your community.”

Attendance levels over the season averaged 674 fans per game with over 222,498 fans for the season.

Meanwhile, in the playoffs, the average attendance was 1,137 per game and the league saw over 38,641 fans attend playoff games.

The league also saw a record number of NCAA and USport player commitments.

McIntyre is determined to not be complacent these next three years and knows the bar has been set high.

He mentioned that he already has additional plans in the works, which fans will see soon enough, and is hopeful to see an SJHL Centennial Cup Champion by the time his tenure is complete.

SJHL training camps will open on August 25th and the SJHL will open its 2023-2024 season on September 22nd.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8

by Ben Tompkins

Commissioner McIntyre inks three-year deal to continue with SJHL

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