The Battlefords North Stars skate off the ice in Warman after their 6-1 over the Weyburn Red Wings concludes the 2023 SJHL Showcase (Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW)

By Ben Tompkins

12 Up 12 Down

2023 SJHL Showcase officially in the books

Nov 17, 2023 | 1:11 PM

All Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League clubs have now returned home, as the 2023 SJHL Showcase is officially in the books.

The four-day, 12-game event wrapped up late Thursday afternoon, as the last four teams played their second and final contests in Warman.

“It has been excellent hockey,” League Commissioner, Kyle McIntyre told northeastNOW. “We set out to demonstrate what a quality bunch of talent we have here in the SJHL and certainly the players have risen to the occasion… I’ve been really impressed with the level of play.”

This year’s Showcase was slightly different than years past, as it was pushed back to mid-November.

Previously, it usually ran in late September or early October, but according to McIntyre, some key improvements were made this season with the schedule shift.

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“I think our first intention was to have that roster stability and the other intention was to have our NCAA scouts come here during a break in their schedule… I wanted to maximize the number of scouts that came to the event and watched our players,” he explained.

“If this is a formula that is working for our kids and the teams, certainly we’ll look at it for the same time of the year.”

Each SJHL club played two contests at the Legends Centre, as scouts from the NHL, NCAA Div I and III, USports, ACHA, and more examined every player.

McIntyre added that he believed there were plenty of players who increased their stock and had multiple conversations about their futures.

“Lots of kids got on the radar, and certainly we have a number of players that had multiple teams interested in them. Probably, in a couple of weeks, we’ll have some commitment announcements coming out of the league.”

For McIntyre, in his mind, he said William Dyke (Millionaires), Ethan Farrow (Terriers), Rylan Williams (North Stars), as well as Finley Radloff and Eric Hoiness (both Hawks) had a great tournament.

All the 12 matchups counted towards the 2023/24 regular season schedule as Flin Flon, Kindersley, Yorkton and the Battlefords walked away with a Showcase sweep.

Another four teams failed to come away with any points, as Weyburn, Notre Dame, Estevan, and La Ronge lost both.

Meanwhile, Melville, Humboldt, Nipawin, and Melfort walked away with an even split.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

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