[Hollywood2]

June 2, 2026: NEWS FROM BANJOLAND

REGINA
The Banjo-Cats have now announced that they have completed their 13-player recruiting class. I believe that this is the largest turnover I have seen in my years following the CW. There are 9 forwards and 4 defencemen in that group.

The latest additions are forwards Brett Calhoon (finished with Langley Rivermen in the BCHL, also 120 WHL games), Rhett Platt (Portage Terriers and Virden Oil Capitals of the MJHL), and Jye Zawatsky (Yorkton Terriers of the SJHL).

At a quick glance, the recruitment class has credentials similar to the players they have replaced. However, they will clearly be less experienced. I would anticipate a season of growing pains.

I also came across a link with background on the history of the team name. It seems they could have been named the Gophers, Wolves, or Bears.

SASKATCHEWAN
The Banjo-Mutts released a set of four stories on new recruits. Whereas the Banjo-Cats have a big edge in volume, the Banjo-Mutts have the edge in quality.

The players are:
– Tyler Parr (F – Saskatoon Blades, was a Union College commit);
– Logan McCutcheon (D – Quinnipiac in NCAA, following Lethbridge in WHL);
– Morgan Tastad (D – Penticton & Saskatoon in WHL);
– Jaydon Dureau (F – Norfolk Admirals in ECHL)

Dureau has finished four years split between teams in the AHL and ECHL, preceded by two seasons where he had a couple of pro games following his junior seasons with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL.

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: USports Transfers

[Hollywood2]

May 20, 2026: NEWS UPDATE

The Bisons have now posted their story on recruit Teague McAllister, thus “making it official” on the four recruits listed at Elite Prospects and the Letters of Intent page. For what it’s worth, neither Elite Prospects nor the LOI page have anything new since the last report. This story adds to the earlier post that McAllister was captain of Team Canada at the World Junior A Challenge in 2024.

Links:
➤ GoBisons.ca: Team MVP, Junior A veteran Teague McAllister joins Bisons 2026 recruiting class

[Hollywood2]

May 18, 2026: NEWS UPDATE

A story on new recruit Brandon Funk has now been uploaded to the Bisons’ website. That leaves just Teague McAllister awaiting his news release. All four new recruits have now been added to the Bison roster page at Elite Prospects. The story did not mention his purported commitment to Long Island University (NCAA).

Links:
➤ GoBisons.ca: Manitoba Junior Hockey League veteran Brandon Funk commits to Bisons

MACEWAN
The Family Guys were handing out academic awards, and Dylan Bidyk took the honours in men’s hockey.

SASKATCHEWAN
The Banjo-Mutts landed a pair of decent recruits, both forwards. Jaeden Mercier played at Lindenwood (NCAA) the last three years after finishing his junior career with the Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL). Tyson Yaremko comes from Portland and Red Deer (WHL).

These are two of the four players listed for the Mutts at Elite Prospects. The others are defenceman Jaydon Dureau, a 25 year old who played in the AHL and ECHL the last four years, and forward Logan McCutheon, from Quinnipiac (NCAA) after concluding his junior career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL).

[Hollywood2]

May 14, 2026: NEWS UPDATE

The Bisons’ website has uploaded a story on new recruit Erik Pastro. There was nothing mentioned about last year’s recruitment to the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks before he moved on to the Trail Smoke Eaters. They do add that he was an honour-roll student, which is always nice for a university team.

Links:
➤ GoBisons.ca: British Columbia Hockey League veteran Erik Pastro commits to Bisons

Other than Manitoba, MacEwan and Regina have been busy with website recruiting announcements. We also have links from Mount Royal and Simon Fraser (now a CW member).

MACEWAN
Listed at Elite Prospects, MacEwan previously recruited BCHL goaltender Colin Reay and now they have forward Garret Thom. He had three games with the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) and after most of his career was in the AJHL, he finished in the BCHL.

REGINA
Regina has now posted two stories, covering the recruitment of three new players, bringing their total at Elite Prospects up to 11. They lost a lot of graduates so this will be a whole new team. The rookies in these announcements are Otto Hanson (forward, two cups of coffee in the WHL, otherwise from the BCHL), Eric Hoiness (forward from the SJHL), and Matthew Keller (defenceman who spent a year-and-a-half in the WHL before spending a year-and-a-half in the AJHL and BCHL).

MOUNT ROYAL
The Bluegars do not have any releases on the website about recruits. But they have one post with a collection of pictures from the 2025-26 season.

SIMON FRASER
When Simon Fraser announced an intention to ditch the NCAA and re-apply for membership in the CWUAA and USports, I was optimistic that this meant we would have a 10th hockey program in the CW in 2027-28. Instead, SFU is simply cancelling the independent team and continuing the BCIHL team. Neither team was an official varsity program and therefore do their own fund-raising.

It seems to me that the coaches and management of the travelling team were volunteers with a belief that a Division 1 NCAA team would draw crowds and become an integral part of the BC sports scene in a way that USports teams never do. SFU was a Division 2 team in other sports, and there is no Division 2 national championship in hockey. (In the NCAA, there are 65 teams in Division 1, 7 in Division 2, and 91 in Division 3.) So they were not good enough for Division 1 and ineligible for Division 3. They had a hard time getting Division 1 teams to travel to BC, so they played a predominantly road schedule every year. Whether they could have become a Division 1 team (like the Alaska teams) is now a moot point.

In any event, without university support, the volunteers and sponsors were unwilling to fork out the time and money for a USports program. SFU has made it clear that “no new programs” are being contemplated.

I would like to see SFU start official varsity hockey teams. However, after letting this golden opportunity slip through their fingers, I don’t see it happening. They used to have a women’s club in the South Coast Women’s Hockey League until 2014-15. Of note, Holy Trinity operated a team in that league through 2019-20.

On a brighter note, by staying in the BCIHL, that league stays at 5 teams and remains viable. I do support the development of “2nd tier” college and university hockey leagues in Canada. Of note, in the USA there is the ACHA (with 72 teams in Division 1, 200 in Division 2, and 140 in Division 3), and another 140 teams across three divisions in the AAU. Bishop’s has a team in the AAU. However, that leaves 551 teams in the USA and 17 in Canada (5 in the BCIHL, 7 in the ACAC, 4 in the RSEQ Division 2, and Bishop’s). In my view, campuses at this level should be viewed not as a means of developing professional players, but as a source of future sponsors, hockey dads, and sponsors.

[Hollywood2]

May 12, 2026: FOUR ARRIVALS, TWO DEPARTURES, TWO EXHIBITION GAMES

With a handful of player announcements coming in, it is time for a new thread. This year, I guess, is the start of the Late Twenties. Time sure marches on!

There are four new players, all forwards. One is announced on the team website, one is at Elite Prospects and the LOI page, and two more are LOI-only. My guess is that more announcements will come soon at GoBisons.ca. Here are the rookies thus far:

LONDON HOILETT – F – Virden (MJHL)

London Hoilett is a Winnipeg boy coming home. Although he played his overage season with the Virden Oil Kings in the MJHL, he previously played for the Vancouver Giants and Calgary Hitmen in the WHL. His dad, Trevor Hoilett, played basketball and football for the Bisons. He is also a musician, with a stage name of Ty Kiddo. His numbers in the WHL were 175 GP, 25 G, 19 A, 44 Pts. In the MJHL they were 57 GP, 32 G, 26 A, 58 Pts.

Links:
➤ GoBisons.ca: The Hoilett legacy continues: WHL veteran London signs with men’s hockey

TEAGUE MCALLISTER – F – Alberni Valley (BCHL)

Here’s a player with no prior connection to Manitoba, having been born in Kitscoty, Alberta (a town I’ve never heard of) and played his junior hockey with the Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL) and the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL). He was their “Unsung Hero” and “MVP” last year, and wore an A. He previously played for Canada West in the World Junior A tournament. His AJHL numbers were 83 GP, 16 G, 26 A, 42 Pts and his BCHL numbers were 60 GP, 22 G, 19 A, 41 Pts. He is currently the only Bison for 2026-27 listed at Elite Prospects, and is also on the LOI page.

ERIK PASTRO – F – Trail (BCHL)

Recruiting from outside Friendly Manitoba continues to be a “thing” for the new era Bison management team. We have here a native of Vernon, B.C. He played for the Vernon Vipers (BCHL) before accepting an offer from the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks for 2025-26. Instead, he wound up returning to the BCHL and played for the Trail Smoke Eaters. Looks like the influx of Evil Monkeys did him in, although no links state this to be the case. His Junior A stats line is 161 GP, 47 G, 65 A, 112 Pts. In a unique twist, he will have played for two teams with a history of winning a world championship. The Trail Smoke Eaters (as a senior club) won in 1961 and the Bisons won it in 1931.

BRANDON FUNK – C – Spruce Grove (BCHL)

Although he finished his junior career with the Spruce Grove Saints (an Alberta team in the BCHL) Brandon Funk is a Winnipeg boy. He started with the Portage Terriers, Winnipeg Blues, and Steinbach Pistons (all of the MJHL). Then it was off to the Minot Minotauros (NAHL) for a half-season before going to Spruce Grove for a season-and-a-half. Last year he wore an A. At Elite Prospects he is listed as a recruit for the Long Island University team in NCAA Division 1. However, he signed a Bison LOI. His MJHL numbers were 159 GP, 51 G, 54 A, 105 Pts, in the NAHL it was 33 GP, 4 G, 10 A, 14 Pts, and in the BCHL it was 74 GP, 18 G, 20 A, 38 Pts.

DEPARTURES

The Bisons have lost two players who would have been entering their second seasons. Both came from the ECHL and had try-outs with the Manitoba Moose.

Lucas Brenton was the team’s best defenceman, and finished 6th in overall team scoring (28 GP, 3 G, 15 A, 18 Pts). He’s off to Michigan Tech of the NCAA. He’ll be difficult to replace.

Also, forward Blake Swetlikoff is back to the ECHL. He signed with the Greensboro Gargoyles on March 7, 2026. He was 7th in scoring amongst forwards. He started on the 1st line and finished on the 3rd. His numbers were 28 GP, 6 G, 8 A, 14 Pts. He had 6 assists in 18 ECHL games. I don’t know if that was an ATO or a regular contract.

EXHIBITION GAMES

The CW has not yet released a schedule, and the Bison website has nothing. However, two games against NCAA teams have been announced by the opponent. I linked those in the 2025-26 thread:

October 4th Bisons at North Dakota
January 2nd Bisons at Minnesota-Duluth

[Hollywood2]

March 22, 2026: U-CUP FINAL REQUIRED EXTRA TIME

BRONZE GAME

WINDSOR LANCERS 1
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 5

I saw just a bit of this one because it was on at 7:00 a.m. CDT. The Squirrels were running away with it by the time I tuned in, so I finished it off on my bedside tablet. The score after one period was 3-0, and the shots were 10-3, both in favour of UNB. Thereafter, they seemed to be happy to make it a low-event affair and coast to a bronze medal. Over the last two periods, the shots were just 12-11 in favour of UNB.

GOLD GAME

SAINT MARY’S HUSKIES 2
U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 3
(in overtime)

Finally, a close game! This hadn’t happened since the SMUskies beat the Banjo-Mutts on Thursday night. There was no jersey controversy in this one. UQTR showed up in orange, not black, and the SMUskies were in their mostly white with maroon stripes, and impossible to read numbers. I must say, the combination did look good.

UQTR never led the game until they won it in overtime. Twice, the SMUskies scored to take the lead. Twice, UQTR tied it up. The SMUskies had the edge in play, in fact coming dangerously close to winning at the end of regulation time. The shots were 47-33 in favour of SMU, which was in stark contrast to the low-action bronze game.

I admit that I have a problem with a host team winning this when they would not have otherwise qualified. Last year Ottawa won as host, and this year SMU was knocked out in the AUS quarter-finals by UPEI.

NEWS AROUND THE CW

Post-elimination, most teams had a new link or two from their websites. I previously updated the Bisons, and the Bluegars and Banjo-Mutts had U-Cup news. Alberta and Holy Trinity have nothing new. Here’s the rest:

Calgary
In the Town of Bedrock, post-season stories have continued to roll out. Captain Kydd, like Captain Hooker, signed a pro deal and scored in the ECHL. They also summarized all the award-winners:

Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy (Player of the Year): Mika Cyr, Moncton
Clare Drake Award (Rookie of the Year): Conner Roulette, Saskatchewan
Defenceman of the Year: Simon Lavigne, Concordia
Goaltender of the Year: Thomas Couture, Acadia
Dr. Randy Gregg Award (Student-athlete Community Service): Blake Gustafson, Alberta
R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award (Most Sportsmanlike Player): Conor Frenette, UQTR
FOX 40 Coach of the Year: Derek Cormier, Moncton

First Team All-Canadians
F Sasha Mutala UBC
F Nolan Dann Guelph
F Mika Cyr Moncton
D Jake Lee UBC
D Simon Lavigne Concordia
G Thomas Couture Acadia

Second Team All-Canadians
F Reid Valade Saint Mary’s
F Conor Frenette UQTR
F Adam Kydd Calgary
D Charlie Callaghan StFX
D Landon Kosior Saskatchewan
G Max Donoso Windsor

All-Rookie Team
F Jeremy D’Astous Moncton
F Colton Smith Windsor
F Conner Roulette Saskatchewan
D Luca D’Amato UNB
D Jace Weir UBC
G Andrew Ness Laurier

Macewan
I think that The Family Guys had a men’s hockey player awarded a Three Stars honour every week this year.

Regina
The Banjo-Cats graduated almost half of their roster, and that includes most of their best players. So from that angle, it is good to see a host of announcements from them.

Noah Asmundson (F) – Estevan Bruins (SJHL)
Riley Fequet (F) – Winkler Flyers/Swan Valley Stampeders (MJHL)
Rylan Pearce (D) – Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL)/Regina Pats (WHL)
Merik Boles (F) – Niverville Nighthawks (MJHL)
Kurt Rookes (F/D) – Waywayseecappo Wolverines (MJHL)

Rookes also had some prior time with Wenatchee and Swift Current of the WHL, and Asmundson had prior time with Niverville in the MJHL. So 4-out-of-5 have some MJHL history.

UBC
After having the best season of anybody, the T-irds fell apart against Sask in the CW semi-finals, thus not even getting an appearance an the U-Cup. The linked story gives a lot of background on each of their CW and USports acknowledgements.

[Hollywood2]

March 21, 2026: MORE BLOW-OUTS IN SEMI-FINAL ROUND

SAINT MARY’S HUSKIES 4
WINDSOR LANCERS 1

This followed a familiar, and unfortunate, pattern in this year’s U-Cup. The SMUskies built up a commanding 3-0 first period lead, blanked the second, and then hung on in the third for a fairly comfortable win. Even though down 3-0, the Lancers were outshot 12-5 in a scoreless second period. There was really no feeling on my part that Windsor had a reasonable shot at a comeback. They neve gave up, outshooting SMU 11-4 in the third.

U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 7
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 4

UQTR built a 4-0 first period lead on NINE (9) shots on goal. It was then 7-2 until mid-third period. A pair of Squirrel goals improved the look of the scoreline. At the end, UNB led on the shot clock 27-23. Not one for goaltenders’ scrap books.

In an oddity, UNB came out in red jerseys as they were designated as “home” team for this game. UQTR wore black, but were forced to change into orange as it is their designated “away” jersey. They do not have white jerseys. So UQTR had to change after warm-ups.

NEXT UP
Sun Mar 22 Bronze Game: Windsor v New Brunswick 9:00 am ADT/7:00 am CDT
Sun Mar 22 Gold Game: Saint Mary’s v U.Q.T.R. 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT

I doubt that I will be up at 7:00 a.m. to watch that bronze medal game. Oddly, the Jets v Rangers NHL game also starts at 11:00 a.m.

[Hollywood2]

March 20, 2026: FINAL FOUR IS SET

Tournament Links:
➤ USports: Tournament Main Page: https://en.usports.ca/championships/2025-26/2025-26_MICE/index

MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 0
U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES 4

This has to rate as a big disappointment for the Eggs. They challenged for first in the AUS all year only to lay an egg in the nationals. UQTR was toying with them after building an early lead. It was 3-0 after one period.

QUEEN’S GOLDEN GAELS 2
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS 5

This one-sided affair brought to an end a disappointing Friday slate of games. The Squirrels outshot the Gracious Queens 20-7 in the first period, and led 2-0. It could have been worse. You have to give the Stormy Ones credit for not giving up. They did come within 3-2 after 8 minutes of the third period. However, when you get just 7 shots per period, a rally is not particularly likely.

NEXT UP
Sat Mar 21 Windsor v Saint Mary’s 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 UQTR v New Brunswick 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Sun Mar 22 Bronze Game 9:00 am ADT/7:00 am CDT
Sun Mar 22 Gold Game 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT

OUT WEST

ACAC

S.A.I.T. TROJANS 3
RED DEER KINGS 0
(SAIT wins series 3-0)

The 2nd place Condoms win the game, and series, 3-0 to claim their first ACAC title since 2014. Since then, ACAC titles have gone in streaks. Red Deer won the last three, MacEwan had a 3-peat before moving to the CW, and NAIT took all the rest.

So this year’s conference champions are:
CWUAA: Saskatchewan Huskies
OUA: U.Q.T.R. Patriotes
AUS: New Brunswick Reds
BCIHL: Vancouver Island Mariners
ACAC: S.A.I.T. Trojans

[Hollywood2]

March 19, 2026: QUARTER-FINALS BEGIN

Image
➤ USports: Tournament Main Page: https://en.usports.ca/championships/2025-26/2025-26_MICE/index

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS 3
WINDSOR LANCERS 4

Through two periods this game was tied 1-1, and the Bluegars held a 23-11 lead in shots on goal. It seemed that it was just a matter of time before they would break through. However, the Lancers scored two goals 11 seconds apart early in the 3rd. Try as they might, the Bluegars could not overcome the deficit. In the end, they outshot the Lancers 41-20. This game was reminiscent of the semi-final series the Bluegars had with Calgary where they dominated play but were always tight on the scoreboard.

SAINT MARY’S HUSKIES 4
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 3
(in overtime)

The Banjo-Mutts have patented the overtime game at the U-Cup. It seems to happen every year they qualify. Although the Mutts came out strong, the SMUskies gradually took over the play as the 1st period wore on. 15 minutes into the 2nd period, and the SMUskies were up 3-0 and the game looked over. However, the Sask trainers must have found a secret supply of Granny’s moonshine. The Banjo-Mutts rallied and tied the game, and could have even taken the lead. The shot clock tells the tale. The SMUskies were up 22-16 after two periods (after Sask’s late period rally), but in the 3rd the shots were 14-4 for the Banjo-Mutts. The overtime was very much back and forth, and was decided before the 3-on-3 segment would have taken place. The SMUskies have at times been much better than an 8th seed this season. They could slide their way into the championship game, which would certainly boost attendance.

NEXT UP
Fri Mar 20 Moncton v UQTR 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT
Fri Mar 20 Queen’s v New Brunswick 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 Windsor v Saint Mary’s 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 Friday Winners 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Sun Mar 22 Bronze Game 9:00 am ADT/7:00 am CDT
Sun Mar 22 Gold Game 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT

[Hollywood2]

Preview: March 19-21, 2026: UNIVERSITY CUP & ACAC

The final weekend preview of the year is upon us. All we have left is the 8 teams at the U-Cup, and the two in the ACAC final. Here are the links:

MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS (20-6-2, 2-3-0, 26-11-2, OHT35 #4)
WINDSOR LANCERS (18-7-3, 4-1-0, 22-12-3, OHT35 #17)

After a late season surge got the Bluegars firts place in the CW East, they were less than world-beaters in the playoffs. They narrowly beat their crosstown rivals from Bedrock U, then were handled by the Banjo-Mutts in the final. Windsor had a fairly consistent season. The quality of the OUA West is questionable. There were no East-West interlocking games in the OUA this year, until the Queen’s Cup. Windsor had a close loss to UQTR, and TMU had a close loss to Queen’s. So maybe this whole division is under-rated.

SAINT MARY’S HUSKIES (16-10-4, 0-2-0, 18-13-4, OHT35 #11)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (19-7-2, 6-0-0, 31-9-4, OHT35 #7)

The Huskies v Huskies match-up should prompt the Halifax City Council to shelter all fire hydrants. The SMUskies are in as host, and lost out in the AUS quarter-finals. They are the lowly #8 seed. However, in the OHT35 I had them very close to Sask all season.

MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS (19-9-2, 4-2-0, 26-13-2, OHT35 #9)
U.Q.T.R. PATRIOTES (20-5-3, 5-1-0, 28-7-3, OHT35 #3)

This is a battle of the French. The Eggs appear better than the typical #2 seed from the AUS this year. UQTR is a perennial qualifier.

QUEEN’S GOLDEN GAELS (14-13-1, 6-2-0, 31-18-2, OHT35 #13)
NEW BRUNSWICK REDS (20-9-1, 5-1-0, 30-11-2, OHT35 #6)

The other three quarter-finals have a clever moniker, blue v blue, husky v husky, French v French. This one has nothing going for it. Queen’s were a fringe playoff team, only qualifyin on the last day of the regular season by eating Nipissing. Then they caught fire, winning the OUA bronze game. The Squirrels are a traditional power, humbled in the early going. But they rallied to finish 1st in the AUS and won 5-of-6 playoff games.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE

Thu Mar 19 Mount Royal v Windsor 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT
Thu Mar 19 Saint Mary’s v Saskatchewan 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Fri Mar 20 Moncton v UQTR 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT
Fri Mar 20 Queen’s v New Brunswick 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 Thursday Winners 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 Friday Winners 7:00 ADT/5:00 CDT
Sun Mar 22 Bronze Game 9:00 am ADT/7:00 am CDT
Sun Mar 22 Queen’s v New Brunswick 1:00 ADT/11:00 CDT

OUT WEST

ACAC

This is a best-of-five series, which SAIT leads 2-0.

Next Up:
Fri Mar 20 S.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Sat Mar 21 Red Deer Poly at S.A.I.T. 7:15 MDT/8:15 CDT *if necessary
Sun Mar 22 S.A.I.T. at Red Deer Poly 5:00 MDT/6:00 CDT *if necessary

[Author]

Posts