The Richardson Pioneer Weyburn Red Wings will start their quest for the Canterra Seeds Cup tonight in Yorkton against the Terriers, as the 2024-25 SJHL regular season begins.
Coming into the season, head coach and general manager Cody Mapes is cautiously optimistic for the season.
“Our group has come together here pretty quickly,” Mapes told Discover Weyburn. “I think we’ve got a competitive team. I think we’ve started the right way here in practice. I’m looking forward to seeing this weekend where we’ve come over the last three weeks.”
The Red Wings opened up their training camp on August 30th and then went on to play five preseason games – winning four. The Red Wings also scored 23 goals in those five games and allowed just seven goals against.
“I think in our preseason stuff, we saw a lot of good things, some things that we've been trying to implement in practice, and stuff like that,” Mapes noted about the success in the preseason. “So now, it’s just the real bullets are going to start to fly. Everything’s a little more competitive, a little quicker, and so this is kind of where the rubber meets the road.”
In junior hockey, there can often be a lot of turnover on the roster, with players aging out, moving on to other tiers of hockey, and more. However, the Red Wings have a strong core of returning players.
“There’s obviously a handful of guys like Braigh LeGrandeur, (Blake) Betson, Dazza Mitchell, (Dallen) Oxelgren – those guys are all going into their third and fourth year, so I mean, those are kind of household names now,” Mapes said of some of the returnees.
However, some of the new faces on the team are Junior A veterans and have made a name for themselves before joining the team. One of those players is Keenan Ingram, who played with the Kindersley Klippers for most of last season, where he put up 38 points, including 19 goals, in 32 games.
Then, there are the second-year players who are back for their second season wearing the Winged Wheel. Players like Liam Fitzgerald, Lucas Schmid, Drew Molde, Wyatt LaCoste and Rhett Vedress.
“We do expect those guys to take a big step,” Mapes said of the expectations of those players. “That second year is always a big improvement from the first.”
Goaltending will probably be one of the strongest parts of the game for the Red Wings, with Mitchell back for his fourth season, and Angelo Zol in his second.
Mapes heaped some preseason praise on the duo, who combined for a preseason goals-against average of 0.99, allowing just four goals in the final four games of the preseason.
“I truly believe that we have two of the best goalies in the league, and if they were on separate teams, I think that they’re both SJHL Goalie of the Year nominees.”
The new faces that are in the lineup are also expected to really make an impact, aside from just Ingram. The Wings have brought in Cyprus Smith-Davis, who played with the Notre Dame Hounds last year. As well, there is Jace McNichol, an 07-born forward who spent last season with the Estevan Bears U18 AAA program. The Wings have also added Ty McKay from the La Ronge Ice Wolves.
Then, there are the additions on the blue line.
“We got Connor Frost out of the BCHL, and we added Josh Karman on the backend from the Battlefords trade as futures,” Mapes commented. “Our back end is looking very good right now.”
Others added to the lineup include Simon Martin and Chad LeBeau, and a possible defenseman who could replace the points lost by the departure of Nick Kovacs, Max Chakrabarti, who put up 55 points in 40 games in the KIJHL last season.
While the team has had success in the preseason, Mapes is putting that behind them, and focusing on what is coming this year. Now, it is about setting the tempo for the regular season and establishing the culture in the locker room.
“That’s always a challenge at the start of the year when you do have new players and a turnover like junior hockey does,” Mapes said. “You hope that your veteran guys from the season before carry the expectations on that, and we expect our new guys to kind of follow suit. I think the way things are going right now, those expectations are going to be met sooner than later.”
You can catch all of the action in the Red Wings season-opener on Red Wing Radio Country 106.7. Dylan Fiessel will have the call starting with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m. The game starts at 7 p.m.
The Red Wings will then be back at home Sunday as they host the Terriers for a matinee matchup. While the game starts at 2 p.m., the fun will begin with a tailgate party at 11:30. After the game, kids will get the opportunity to skate with the Wings.