Women in Saskatchewan will have a new place to play hockey starting in the fall of 2023, as the Saskatchewan Hockey board of directors has approved the creation of a U-22 female junior hockey league.
Hockey Saskatchewan general manager Kelly McClintock says the goal is to keep Saskatchewan hockey players in the province.
“A lot of the girls that graduate out of our AAA League, probably 75 per cent, get some type of schooling or some type of offer to play collegiate hockey, whether that's U-Sports, whether that's ACAC in Alberta or NCAA in the States,” he said.
“But there's still girls that are graduating below AAA, especially AA players. What can we offer them?”
McClintock says many players don’t devote all of their time towards hockey, with commitments to other sports, work and schooling.
This new league would allow those players a competitive place to play up to 21 years of age, with as many as six teams ready for the start of the inaugural season.
“We might be able to see a couple of teams around Regina and Saskatoon. I know there's a group in Lumsden so they're interested,” he said.
He also said there was a group in Swift Current.
“It really just depends on where there's pockets of girls who have played and maybe are still available.”
McClintock says financially it could be similar to minor hockey associations, with fees up front to pay for ice times and officiating.
“Ice time is always going to be a premium, and most minor hockey associations have that ice time availability, so we think that in some cases it’ll be good if they're affiliated with an MHA,” he said.
Hockey Saskatchewan is also looking to get more women into coaching and officiating positions. McClintock says this new league could help.
“On female teams, you have to have at least a female head coach or assistant coach, and that's a rule of ours,” he said.
“We want to see more of these young ladies get into coaching. So if we can keep them active in the game, hopefully, they'll stay active.”
More details about the new league are expected in January.
