Puck set to drop on race for the Turnbull Cup

As the puck drops on the 2025-26 Manitoba Junior Hockey League season on Friday, it will be hard to outdo last season’s ending when the Northern Manitoba Blizzard defeated the Dauphin Kings on the road in a three-overtime thriller.

While the defending Turnbull Cup champions don’t hit the ice until next Saturday, here’s a breakdown of all 13 teams season storylines to follow.

Dauphin Kings

The Dauphin Kings were one goal away from a league championship last season and are coming back on a mission to score that final goal of the season. The Kings lost game seven of the final in triple-overtime to the Norman Blizzard.

The team will have a new look this season, not only on the ice thanks to player movement, but behind the bench, as long-time St. Malo Warriors assistant Patrick Trudeau joined Dauphin to help give the team a boost. Trudeau, who is from Ile des Chenes, had been working as a scout for the team before joining as an assistant.

The Warriors are back-to-back champions of the junior B Capital Region Junior Hockey League, and Trudeau knows what it’s like to come into a season with championship expectations, as he was behind the Warriors bench in their game seven championship win before watching his new team drop the final to the Blizzard.

Despite star goaltender Cole Sheffield aging out of junior, Trudeau expects another strong season in the crease, with last year’s back-up Bryson Yaschyshyn impressing in camp and the 16-year-old reigning AAA goalie of the year Tate Barnaby forming a potent duo. The Kings also have five returning defencemen.

While other teams started their camps earlier with the new roster rules, Dauphin took a different approach, waiting for other camps to settle before beginning themselves.

2024-25 season stats:

37-18-3 (1st in West Division, 4th in league)

Goals for: 205 (5th)

Goals against: 150 (3rd)

Neepawa Titans

Neepawa Titans head coach and general manager Ken Pearson knows what kind of team he’ll be standing behind all season.

Neepawa’s tough, veteran squad will be ready to battle all year, as they look to make the playoffs for the third year in a row, and maybe make some noise.

The Titans are strongest up front, boasting nine returning forwards in their lineup.

It’s been a long pre-season for Neepawa, as they had to open their camp an hour away in Brandon Aug. 29 with the ice not installed until Sept. 10 at the team’s home rink. Pearson said the team’s roster had already been cut down to 29 players on Sept. 11, with the goal of getting down to 23-24 for the start of the season.

One player looking to make a strong impression is La Broquerie’s Steele Jowett. While the 2006-born forward only got into 15 games last season, Pearson said he’s come into the year with confidence and is looking to break out.

2024-25 season stats:

32-21-5 (3rd in West Division, 7th in league)

Goals for: 196 (7th)

Goals against: 189 (7th)

Niverville Nighthawks

On paper, the Niverville Nighthawks should have one of the best teams in the MJHL this season. With a deep roster of returning players, assistant coach Tyler Anderson said the team is feeling the pressure to compete.

After finishing in fourth and being eliminated every year they’ve played in the league, expectations for playoff success are building in Niverville.

The highest-scoring player to return to the MJHL this season, Gimli’s Adam Vigfusson, is back for the Nighthawks. He scored 62 points in 41 games last year.

The Nighthawks were one of a few teams to start their fall training camp early, with the first formal skates of the season taking place Aug. 15.

The team bolstered their lineup further, executing a huge pre-season trade Sept. 11, sending out forward Lane Apperley, the rights to Saskatchewan junior player Kanye Huang and a player development fee to the Norman Blizzard in exchange for a pair of 2006-born players in D-man Aaron Krestanowich and forward Tyler Bernier.

Both played roles for the Blizzard in their run to the league championship last season, with a combined 150 games of MJHL experience.

2024-25 season stats:

35-20-3 (4th in East Division, 5th in league)

Goals for: 207 (3rd)

Goals against: 159 (6th)

Northern Manitoba Blizzard

For the team from The Pas to repeat as Turnbull champions, they’ll need to do it with a new head coach and mostly new players, after Eric Labrosse left the Blizzard to join Lloydminster in the Alberta junior league. Only three players from last year’s championship squad are set to return, with many players moving to higher levels.

The team, which changed ownership before the start of the 2024-25 season, has turned to Ty Valin to head up the club this year. Valin, who is from Peace River, Alta., split his junior playing career between the BCHL and AJHL, and most recently coached in the KIJHL — a B.C. Junior A league.

Valin has certainly made the most of his time in The Pas so far, as Norman has been the busiest team in the trade market, making nine trades this off-season.

With so many new faces, Valin said the team’s priority early in the season is to create a strong atmosphere and culture within the club.

While success in the standings is obviously a priority, Valin said he hopes to have another strong class of players who can move on from the Blizzard to the next level.

2024-25 season stats:

35-22-1 (2nd in West Division, 4th in league)

Goals for: 188 (8th)

Goals against: 150 (4th)

Portage Terriers

Portage Terriers head coach Blake Spiller isn’t quite sure how good his team will be this year, but if history is anything to go by, they’ll be right in the thick of things.

Spiller, the league’s all-time leader in wins by a coach, led the Terriers to a spot in the semifinals last year, upsetting number two seed Steinbach before falling to the Dauphin Kings.

Just nine players from that team returned to Portage for the start of the season.

One of those players who hasn’t made an appearance in the pre-season is last year’s rookie of the year, goaltender Mitchell Kathler. Kathler was even named a finallist for the national rookie of the year award, posting a 25-11-0 record in the regular season.

The 2025 off-season is the first under the new NCAA rules, where players no longer lose their college eligibility for playing major junior hockey. The exact impact of the rule change is still unknown, but Spiller is confident in the player’s he’s brought into Portage camp.

2024-25 season stats:

40-17-1 (3rd in East Division, 3rd in league)

Goals for: 197 (6th)

Goals against: 152 (5th)

Selkirk Steelers

The Selkirk Steelers have made a habit of being on the outside looking in, as they have fallen short in a late-season battle for the final playoff spot in the MJHL’s East Division for three straight years.

Despite getting off to one of the hottest starts last season with a 10-game winning streak to open their 2024-25 campaign, the team faded over the stretch with injuries and once again finished fifth, watching other teams battle in the post-season.

The team’s director of player personnel Tim Schick said if they had been able to keep players from last year, they’d be a contender, but many of them moved on to the B.C. Hockey League or North American Hockey League.

After the club scored 206 goals last season, Schick anticipates a different flavour of team for Selkirk, with the young team growing through the season.

Schick said he thinks the league could become less Manitoban over the next few years, as more players try to break into the WHL or B.C. Hockey League.

2024-25 season stats:

29-23-6 (5th in East Division, 8th in league)

Goals for: 206 (4th)

Goals against: 192 (9th)

Steinbach Pistons

The Steinbach Pistons have become one of the most consistent regular-season teams over the last decade and a half.

Since head coach Paul Dyck took over in 2013, the team has only finished lower than third in the league standings once — his first year in charge. Even then, the Pistons went on to win the MJHL championship.

Dyck is starting from scratch this season, with most of the team’s star players moving onto different leagues. That left the team’s coaching staff looking to fill a lot of blank spaces on the roster.

The team wasted no time naming a captain, announcing Sam Noad before their main camp even started.

The team’s back line was bolstered via trade mid-way through the pre-season, as the team picked up former Brooks Bandits goaltender Christopher Quizi.

2024-25 season stats:

42-11-5 (2nd in East Division, 2nd in league)

Goals for: 261 (1st)

Goals against: 138 (2nd)

Swan Valley Stampeders

This is new head coach Josh Tripp’s first camp in charge of the Swan Valley Stampeders after taking over as head coach mid-way through last season. He played 150 games for his hometown franchise, picking up league most valuable player honours in 2019, as he led the franchise to their only finals appearance.

Tripp said he was delighted with the work the returning players put in during the off-season, specifically shouting out Ekam Dhaliwal for coming back to camp determined and ready to move up in the lineup.

Tripp added there wasn’t a better way to start the season than games against Dauphin.

2024-25 season stats:

17-34-7 (6th in West Division, 11th in league)

Goals for: 170 (10th)

Goals against: 252 (12th)

Virden Oil Capitals

The Virden Oil Capitals’ 2024-25 season ended in heartbreaking fashion. The team was alive for the playoffs until the final day of the regular season, but ended up two points out of fourth.

Oil Capitals head coach and general manager Tyson Ramsey said he liked the mix of returning and newer players in camp this year, and is hoping for improvement.

Virden played a six-game pre-season schedule, including match-ups against Saskatchewan league standouts Estevan.

The Oil Capitals have bolstered their lineup from the Western League, signing London Hoilett to their roster. Hoilett boasts 175 games of WHL experience.

Ramsey also brought in a 20-year-old goaltender to solidify the crease, noting the Oil Capitals should be a quick-skating team this season.

Despite more players attending WHL camps this year, the Oil Capitals started camp at their usual time, but Ramsey acknowledged more changes could be on the horizon.

2024-25 season stats:

24-31-3 (5th in West Division, 10th in league)

Goals for: 170 (9th)

Goals against: 189 (8th)

Waywayseecappo Wolverines

With 18 players set to return, the Waywayseecappo Wolverines are optimistic this could be their year.

Head coach and general manager Landyn Cochrane was delighted after his young core and coaching staff battled to a playoff spot last year — clinching their playoff spot on the final day of the regular season, despite a less than stellar goal difference. He said the Wolverines roster is “set up for success” in an interview Sept. 12.

The consensus seems to be the league, and especially the West, could be wide open this year, with Cochrane emphasizing a quick start could turn into a division win as teams feed off their early success.

With so many returnees, there have been plenty of battles in Waywayseecappo for places in the lineup. The emphasis from coaches is to practice the way the team expects you to play.

One of those key returners is 2008-born defenceman Cole Hunter, who has committed to Northern Michigan University and spent time at a WHL camp. Joining him on the returning list is St. Jean’s Sebastien Hicks, who Cochrane expects to play a big role for the team this year in the top six of the team.

2024-25 season stats:

25-30-3 (4th in West Division, 9th in league)

Goals for: 167 (11th)

Goals against: 192 (10th)

Winkler Flyers

One only needs to look at the group of graduating players to see the Winkler Flyers might take a step back this season.

The Flyers had a spectacular back line which helped them to a league-best goals against mark. But gone are the stars that made it happen. Will Brophy, Connor Jensen, Isaac Deveau and Isaiah Peters all graduated from the program.

Add in 2005-born Blake Matheson, who played 56 games for the Flyers last season and will be starting the season in the B.C. Hockey League, Winkler has lost nearly their entire starting lineup on defence.

The team is also dealing with some key departures up front, as Ile des Chenes’ Brody Beauchemin, Nicholas McKee, Jayce Legaarden and Andrew Morton all aged out of junior as well.

Last year was the first season for Matt Melo behind the Winkler bench after Justin Falk left to scout for the Buffalo Sabres. There is also further coaching change this season as Billy Crawford joined as an assistant coach.

2024-25 season stats:

46-8-4 (1st in East Division, 1st in league)

Goals for: 254 (3rd)

Goals against: 107 (1st)

Winnipeg Blues

It wasn’t that long ago the Winnipeg Blues were the crown jewel franchise in the MJHL. Just a decade ago, the team played in the semifinals for five straight years and made the playoffs 10 years in a row.

Since the 2020 season, marred by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve been a franchise struggling near the bottom of the league standings.

Head coach and general manager Josh Gratton, who took the reins in summer of 2024, hopes that this year is the first of a new chapter for the club. The Blues have new ownership this season and moved their home rink from the Hockey for All Centre to the RINK Training Centre in South Winnipeg.

The team’s new rink features quality amenities, which were lacking at times as they shared space with other teams in the Hockey for All Centre.

2024-25 season stats:

9-43-6 (6th in East Division, 12th in league)

Goals for: 108 (13th)

Goals against: 250 (11th)

Winnipeg Monarchs

By all accounts, the Winnipeg Freeze were a disaster since joining the MJHL.

In four full seasons, they never finished higher than second-last and only had double-digit wins a single time (2021-22). With those results, and the departure of the Winnipeg Ice, it’s no surprise the team decided to re-brand this year, choosing Monarchs as their new name under new ownership.

The new name comes with a new coaching staff, as Zach Franko takes the helm and tries to give the team their best ever finish.

While the franchise hasn’t relocated from the Hockey for All Centre like their Winnipeg counterparts in the league, the Monarchs now own their own space inside the facility instead of sharing a locker room and office with the Blues.

Franko said the team’s motto is to get one per cent better every day, as they attempt to ice a competitive team for the first time in franchise history, and hopes to build up the Monarchs to be in the same sentence as league powerhouses.

2024-25 season stats:

6-49-3 (7th in East Division, 13th in league)

Goals for: 118 (11th)

Goals against: 327 (13th)

cassidy.dankochik@thecarillon.com