A new era has begun for the SJHL.

Saskatchewan’s Junior A Hockey League kicked off their 2022-23 season this past weekend with action taking place in the rinks across the province.

On Tuesday’s edition of the SportsCage, SJHL Commissioner Kyle McIntyre joined Michael Ball  to discuss the early stages of the new year for the league.

McIntyre took over as SJHL Commissioner from Bill Chow earlier this year, after Chow spent more 10 years at the helm of the league.

This past weekend, McIntyre began his first season as Commissioner by visiting a pair of teams the Kindersley Klippers and the Humboldt Broncos.

One exciting thing that has already emerged from the opening weekend according to McIntyre, is the league’s parity, with Battlefords and Yorkton being the only two teams owning 2-0 records to kickoff the season.

In his first season as the SJHL Commissioner, McIntyre believes it’s an important that he becomes a visible figure in the league and that he continuously promotes the league and its players.

The SJHL Showcase will begin on Sunday in Warman with each SJHL team playing a pair of games at Legends Centre. The league wide event will wrap up on Wednesday September 28. McIntyre says there will be about 100-150 college scouts that will be attendance in Warman.

Elite players in the SJHL will get a chance to showcase their stuff next week says McIntyre.

“Really the showcase is about showcasing those blue chippers for NHL Central Scouting or for the colleges both in Canada in the US.”

One safety measure that has been adapted across the league this season is that every SJHL volunteer must have a criminal records check in order to work at league games.

You can find more information about the SJHL at http://sjhl.ca 

You can also follow the SJHL on Twitter at https://twitter.com/theSJHL

The SportsCage with Michael Ball can be heard weekdays at 4:00 on 620 CKRM.