UNITY— Even though a sense of summer is still in the air, another sports season is on the horizon for U18AA hockey. Players interested in earning a spot on the West Central Wheat Kings team are encouraged to attend the fall camp Sept 1-3 at the Kindersley arena.
The team assures potential players they do their best to work around school sports, especially football and volleyball, as they want to honour those multi-sport athletes and the opportunity as teens to be part of these activities.
Practises are held Tuesdays in Unity and Thursdays in Kerrobert, with home games held also in these locations. With the league broken down into north and south divisions, it allows for travel more conducive to home communities.
Manager Melissa Cey says there are minimal overnight stays as last season, there were only three overnight trips. And families are assured they have Christmas break off to rest and recover and enjoy holiday time with family. The team also said many of last year’s squad were still able to hold part-time jobs while playing hockey.
The team said they still have registrations coming in and they hope to ice 30 interested players. The team had five graduating players last year, which included one defenceman, three forwards and one goaltender.
The WCWK will once again be led by third-year head coach Pat Sperle from Unity, with the rest of the coaches and team staff to be set once the team is finalized. Sperle has been lauded for being a fair coach allowing everyone an opportunity at making the cut, and it’s one of the many aspects people appreciate about him. Sperle will have a team of evaluators at the camp helping to make the decision for this year’s roster.
Exhibition games are set for Sept. 8-10 before the roster is finalized. The 2023-24 season roster will be selected and announced Sept. 10. Cey says they plan to play a few more exhibition games in September but nothing is finalized yet.
The Sask. U18 AA league begins Sept 30 and runs to March 3, with playoffs to follow. A meeting is scheduled for Sept. 18, which Cey says will set up the team’s season.
“We would like to incorporate Kindersley more this season and hope to play a few games there as well as Kerrobert and Unity arenas,” adds Cey.
In addition to fees paid by parents, Cey says the team relies heavily on gate admissions and 50/50 to help offset some of the costs of the season. There are fundraisers to help with the expenses of team operation. Last season, the team undertook a bottle drive and sold cash lottery tickets.
“We are excited about this year. Good talent [is] coming up from the U15 group and U18 players improving their skills to take another crack at the roster. It’s always a positive thing when you have lots of talent to pick from,” says Cey.
Fans looking for exciting U18 hockey to watch this season can tune into the club’s Facebook page or follow the website Saskatchewan AA Hockey League (SAAHL). WCWK are part of a 12-team north division, while the south division includes 10 teams.
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