For the first time in the 21st century, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) will be adding a new team to the league with the Warman Wolverines.
Standing in their way of a historic win will be the Humboldt Broncos as the Broncos will open the 2025-26 SJHL regular season with a home-and-home set against the Wolverines.
The last time the SJHL expanded into a new community was in 1998 with the La Ronge Ice Wolves, which will make tonight a truly historic event.
One of the players who will be leading the Broncos this season is Jacob Strizzi, and he’s excited to be involved in the inaugural game in Warman.
“They deserve a team, beautiful barn and I know the fans are pretty pumped there, so it's going to be a fun game and hopefully we can spoil that with a win, though.”
Forward Connor Miller doesn’t want to be on the opposite side of the Wolverines first win in franchise history.
“It's going to be a packed rink there, so spoiling that would be pretty fun, and coming back home on Saturday night in the EPA, there's nothing better than that. So hopefully go to Warman, get the job done, come home, do it all over again.”
It shouldn’t take long before the Broncos and Wolverines become heated rivals in the SJHL as they will meet eight times during the season, including a home-and-home set to end the regular season.
Forward Brayden Skogstad thinks the Wolverines will emerge as one of the top nemeses for Humboldt.
“We've had a lot of good rivalries with other teams like Melfort and Kindersley and Notre Dame, but Warman, that's definitely going to be one of the top one.”
Before the new era of the SJHL gets going tonight in Warman, there will likely be a bit of a delay, as the Wolverines will likely celebrate this monumental with a lengthy ceremony.
Broncos Head Coach and General Manager Brayden Klimosko feels the players will have to be a bit more focused than they would normally be.
“Get prepared for a little bit longer pregame and everything so you have to be concentrating a little bit more than what you normally would for a regular season game.”
It will be a once in a lifetime moment for the players in tonight’s game and the Broncos are hoping they’re the ones who will be making history.
Tonight’s game begins at 7:00 in Warman.
The two teams will meet in the Broncos home opener on Saturday, with an opening faceoff at 7:30.
With the Broncos holding a special pregame ceremony of their own before the first game, fans should be in their seats by 7:15.