The locations of the teams for the inaugural season of the Provincial Female Junior Hockey League were unveiled by Hockey Saskatchewan Wednesday. There will be five teams competing in the league that was first announced in December, which will start play in the 2023-24 season.
There will be five teams for the first season of the U22 league, all primarily located in the southern and western parts of the province. There will be a team in Regina, as well as teams in Kindersley, Lumsden, Outlook and Swift Current/Gull Lake.
“We are thrilled to have these five clubs participate in the Provincial Female Junior Hockey League's inaugural season and we’re confident that these communities will provide a great environment for female players to develop and excel,” said Hockey Saskatchewan General Manager Kelly McClintock in a written release. “We believe this league will provide more opportunities for female players to develop their skills and compete at a high level.”
The teams were selected from applications across the province by Hockey Saskatchewan’s AAA/AA Task Team and will be run by the existing executive of the SFU18AAAHL.
The PFJHL will allow players who graduate from the U18 programs in the province to have more opportunities to continue playing hockey at a high level while also pursuing their dreams of playing hockey at the university level.
There is no word at this time if there will be an expansion in the future to include other areas of the province, including the southeast.