After 2 years, Sask. Junior Female Hockey League looking to expand

Nikki Stewart joined a university hockey team straight out of high school. In retrospect, she believes she could have benefited from a year of junior hockey first — something more female hockey players in Saskatchewan could soon have a chance to do.

When Stewart was in high school, the Saskatchewan Junior Female Hockey League did not exist. It was started two years ago.

Now an assistant coach in the under-22 SJFHL, Stewart sees the league as an opportunity for younger players to develop their skills, or to give them an option during a gap year before playing college hockey.

"I think there is a huge number of female hockey players between the ages of 18 and 22 that want to pursue hockey outside of their high school years," Stewart said.

And now, the league is looking at a growth spurt.

The boards of directors of both Hockey Saskatchewan and the SJFHL are calling for applications from communities interested in joining the league for the upcoming season. 

Just in the past year, Stewart said she's noticed the league and her team — the Outlook Mainline Ice Hawks — have garnered more interest.

In addition to the Ice Hawks, the league currently has five other teams: the Regina Junior Rebels, Saskatoon Prairie Blaze, Lumsden Lynx, Southwest Impact and Western Prairie Klippers.

Stewart said she could see a benefit to adding two more teams, especially for players in the northern part of the province.

Kelly McClintock, general manager of Hockey Saskatchewan, said there isn't a specific number of new teams he intends to award franchises in the league, but he wants to generate interest in the game. 

Like Stewart, McClintock said the league gives women a chance to continue playing at a competitive level, and offers a stepping stone to university hockey.

"Previous to this, they didn't have that opportunity," he said. 

"If we can expand, include another couple of teams and maybe over the next 10 years, maybe get to a north and south division and maybe have six teams in each, that would be awesome."

The league has done well in its first two years, he said, and there have been expressions of interest from other communities in Saskatchewan, which is why he thinks it's time to look at expansion.

New teams will need to have access to ice, a home rink, a recruitment plan for an active roster of 25 players, and a coaching and sponsorship plan.

"We want the teams to focus on really making it attractive for young ladies to want to come and play," he said.

Unlike its sibling league, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, there is not a listing process or a draft to recruit players, McClintock said. The two have differing structures.

"There's a significant difference between the male side and junior A, where a team budget is maybe $800,000 to [about $1 million], to a female junior program where the girls are contributing to play," he said.

McClintock said the SJHL has taken about 50 years to build its structure, while the SJFHL is still developing.

The new Saskatchewan league launched around the same time as the Professional Women's Hockey League — a North American league with three Canadian teams that has brought renewed attention to women's hockey.

McClintock said the professional league has helped grow the game.

Stewart is hopeful that some SJFHL players could be noticed by teams at the university level and move their way up to the professional league. The Ice Hawks' star player, Haley Braun, led the league during the regular season with 65 points in 20 games.

Stewart calls her "a very special and talented player," who she thinks could be on "the first step of a long career for her in hockey."

"I would love to see, one day, her being in the PWHL, as well as other girls on our team and our league, too," said Stewart.