A start date was announced Tuesday for the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s 2021-2022 season.
Players, coaches and staff will be back in Saskatchewan rinks for the September 24 start.
Kevin Kaminski, La Ronge Ice Wolves head coach and general manager, said he is excited to be back coaching after the COVID-19 pandemic stole the end of one season and the whole of another.
“I wish it would start earlier,” he said. “It’s time to get beyond this, move on and live a normal life. Let these kids play, let the coaches coach, get back into the community and do what we love.”
Kaminski said he’s not worried about his returning players’ abilities explaining, “I feel we have a good core coming back.”
But, he said there is a lot to do before the players take the ice for the first time since the brief play period in November.
“There’s a lot of loose ends to tie up and that’s what we’re doing right now to make sure we’re prepared for when our camp starts (in August),” Kaminski said.
Kaminski said he will be travelling to showcases across western Canada to watch prospects after only being able to watch players’ game tapes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to new players joining the team, the Wolves will also be welcoming a new assistant coach after Gaelan Patterson left to join the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League’s Port Alberni Bombers.
(PHOTO: La Ronge Ice Wolves. Photo by Brandon White.)