The 2023–24 SJHL season was the 56th season of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The league championship Canterra Seeds Cup was awarded to the Melfort Mustangs, who went on to take 2nd place in the 2024 Centennial Cup national championship tournament in Oakville, Ontario.
| 2023–24 SJHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | SJHL |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | Regular season September-March Post-season March-April |
| Number of games | 56 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| TV partner(s) | SaskTel maxTV |
| Streaming partner(s) | flohockey |
| 2023 Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Preston Baerwald |
| Picked by | Melville Millionaires |
| League championship | |
| Canterra Seeds Cup | Melfort Mustangs |
| Runners-up | Flin Flon Bombers |
| Season MVP | Kian Bell |
| National championship | |
| Champions | Collingwood Blues |
| Runners-up | Melfort Mustangs |
Season highlights
editThe CJHL mandated that players born after 2004 must wear full facial protection when playing.[1] Battlefords North Stars forward Kian Bell became the first player in SJHL history to receive the league MVP award in consecutive years.[2]
Regular season
editTeams played a 56-game regular season schedule.[3]
| Nutrien Division | |||||||||
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humboldt Broncos | 56 | 37 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 78 | 250 | 169 | 1376 |
| Battlefords North Stars | 56 | 36 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 77 | 254 | 189 | 1287 |
| Kindersley Klippers | 56 | 23 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 53 | 173 | 206 | 1425 |
| Notre Dame Hounds | 56 | 15 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 152 | 262 | 1029 |
| Sherwood Division | |||||||||
| Flin Flon Bombers | 56 | 44 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 91 | 244 | 129 | 1219 |
| Melfort Mustangs | 56 | 38 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 80 | 218 | 158 | 1248 |
| Nipawin Hawks | 56 | 22 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 49 | 180 | 194 | 1399 |
| La Ronge Ice Wolves | 56 | 16 | 35 | 3 | 2 | 37 | 161 | 242 | 1326 |
| Viterra Division | |||||||||
| Melville Millionaires | 56 | 32 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 65 | 183 | 179 | 1212 |
| Weyburn Red Wings | 56 | 26 | 24 | 0 | 6 | 58 | 195 | 213 | 1610 |
| Estevan Bruins | 56 | 26 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 56 | 190 | 212 | 1280 |
| Yorkton Terriers | 56 | 21 | 30 | 2 | 3 | 47 | 185 | 232 | 1350 |
Post-season
edit| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 22 March – 30 April |
| Teams | 8 |
| Defending champions | Battlefords North Stars |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Melfort Mustangs |
| Runner-up | Flin Flon Bombers |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 37 |
| Attendance | 48,112 (1,300 per game) |
| Official website | |
| 2024 SJHL playoffs | |
The 8 top-ranked teams at the end of the regular season advanced to the playoffs.[4] The Melfort Mustangs were awarded the Canterra Seeds Cup and advanced to the 2024 Centennial Cup national championship tournament in Oakville, Ontario after defeating the 1st-place Flin Flon Bombers in game 6.[5] The Melfort Mustangs were defeated by the Collingwood Blues of the OJHL in the final round of the 2024 Centennial Cup.[6]
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||
| Flin Flon Bombers | 4 | ||||||||||
| Kindersley Klippers | 0 | ||||||||||
| Flin Flon Bombers | 4 | ||||||||||
| Battlefords North Stars | 0 | ||||||||||
| Battlefords North Stars | 4 | ||||||||||
| Melville Millionaires | 0 | ||||||||||
| Flin Flon Bombers | 2 | ||||||||||
| Melfort Mustangs | 4 | ||||||||||
| Melfort Mustangs | 4 | ||||||||||
| Estevan Bruins | 1 | ||||||||||
| Melfort Mustangs | 4 | ||||||||||
| Humboldt Broncos | 3 | ||||||||||
| Humboldt Broncos | 4 | ||||||||||
| Weyburn Red Wings | 3 | ||||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Lang, Brady (27 June 2023). "Visors, expansion, a new waiver wire: what to expect for the upcoming SJHL season". CTV News Regina. Bell Media. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
Beginning next year, all players born after Dec. 31, 2004 will have to wear full facial protection when playing, grandfathering the new rule in.
- ^ Martinson, Martin (13 April 2024). "North Stars celebrate best of season with year-end awards". battlefordsnow.com. Pattison Media. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "2023-24 SJHL standings". HockeyDB.com. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ Postey, Drew (1 May 2024). "Melfort Mustangs win 2024 SJHL championship in six games". CTV News Regina. Bell Media. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "2023-24 SJHL playoff Results". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ Douglas, Cooper (23 May 2024). "SJHL commissioner recaps time at Centennial Cup". westcentralonline.com. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
Further reading
edit- Zary, Darren (1 May 2024). "Melfort Mustangs win SJHL championship, advance to Centennial Cup". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Postmedia. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- "Melfort Mustangs win SJHL title over Flin Flon Bombers". Regina Leader-Post. Postmedia. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- Flammini, Diego (25 January 2024). "Telling Sask. junior hockey ag stories". Farms.com. CME Group. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- Walchuk, Benny (20 March 2024). "SJHL announces 2023/24 League Award Winners". 620ckrm.com. Harvard Media. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- "Bueckert wins SJHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player award". larongenow.com. Pattison Media. 20 March 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- Douglas, Cooper (23 May 2024). "SJHL commissioner recaps time at Centennial Cup". westcentralonline.com. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- Healey, Pat (26 March 2024). "Fall River's Bell makes history winning SJHL MVP, forward of year awards". The Laker News. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- Solomko, Sherri (22 February 2024). "Celebrating greatness: Two Battlefords families to be inducted into SJHL Hall of Fame". sasktoday.ca. Harvard Media. Retrieved 27 July 2024.