The Junior B Delisle Chiefs are no more.
It was announced on Wednesday by the Prairie Junior Hockey League that the franchise is on the move to Martensville, relocating for the 2025-26 season, retaining the Chiefs name and playing games out of the Martensville Sports Centre.
"With the support of Martensville Minor Hockey Association, the development marks a major step in the growth of hockey in the region and a commitment to offering new opportunities and experiences for both players and fans." stated the PJHL release, available in full below.
Leaving Delisle behind, the Chiefs are coming off a good season where they went 16-9-5 during the regular season, falling short in Game 7 of the Bob Dybvig Division finals to the Saskatoon Westleys in what would end up being their final game.
Seven local players were on the team this year from active players to reserves: Drake Chester (Kindersley), Emery Genest (Dinsmore), Chase Weinkauf (Macklin), Hayden Mezaros (Biggar), Carter Mason (Perdue), Kayler Gidluck (Biggar), Clay Huber (Asquith). Plenty native Chad Westman is the all-time leading scorer for the Chiefs with 259 points (110 goals, 149 assists) in 216 games.
The Chiefs are tied for the PJHL record for consecutive wins during a regular season after collecting 23 in a row during the 2011-2012 season. The Chiefs finished as runners-up that season, again falling in the final in 2017-18, as Delisle never was able to bring home a championship.
It's never easy for a town to lose their hockey team. Delisle fans won't have far to travel if they want to keep up with the Chiefs, but some might be able to stomach the thought after all of the memories made inside the Delisle Centennial Arena over the years.