WARMAN, Sask. — The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) are joining in partnership to present the Western All-Star Challenge, November 4-6, in Warman, Sask.
This pivotal event will serve as a pre-selection camp for the prestigious Junior A World Challenge and Team Canada West, in offering a platform for young talents to showcase their skills and potentially launch their careers.
The Junior A World Challenge is an annual event held by Hockey Canada, in conjunction with the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), which features some of the top national teams and players from around the world.
Forty of the top prospects from the MJHL and SJHL will compete for training camp roster spots for Team Canada West at the JAWC that goes December 9-15 in Camrose, Alta., as Canada West looks to repeat as champions.
Last season, the SJHL and MJHL saw some of their highest numbers of players successfully transition to post-secondary hockey opportunities.
The SJHL and MJHL continue to provide opportunities to assist players from both league’s in making successful transitions to post-secondary hockey opportunities, including at the USPORTS, NCAA, & ACAC levels as well as for those to make more successful transitions from hockey to the world of work and life.
The three-day, highly-competitive camp will determine at least 20 Team Canada West training camp spots.
The Team Canada West coaching staff will put players through their paces in the training camp format, including four practices and two full-length games where players will showcase their talents.
The staff of both leagues will cover the event thoroughly to promote everyone who is selected to attend.
Additionally, there is expected to be high interest from scouts of all levels, including, the National Hockey League down.
The selected prospects from the Western All-Star Challenge will head to the main camp for Team Canada West, in late November, in Calgary.
“As we gear up for another season of SJHL Hockey, I am excited to continue our work with the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and Hockey Canada on the ‘on the Stay Here Play Here’ campaign,” said SJHL commissioner Kyle McIntyre.
McIntyre went on to add: “Our goal is to attract more Saskatchewan kids to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, promising fast-paced, skilled, and entertaining hockey.”
For his part, MJHL commissioner Kevin Saurette stated: “The MJHL is excited to continue to grow our partnership with the SJHL for the benefit of all involved. This event will give elite athletes from each league an incredible opportunity to showcase their skills and abilities in a high-performance environment in front of scouts from Team Canada West, along with other elite levels of hockey including the NHL.”