It’s hard to imagine anyone could possibly have a better season than the one just enjoyed by Norway House North Stars captain Henry Muchikekwanape.
Not only was he the league’s leading scorer with 45 goals and 101 points in 33 games, he was also named the winner of the 2022-23 Keystone Junior Hockey League’s Most Valuable Player award.
It was a sensational way to finish the final season of his Junior hockey career.
“For me, hockey all started with my Papa and Nan,” Muchikekwanape said. “My Papa put me on skates when I was three years old. He made a rink in the backyard for me. I actually used to shoot off a garbage box into a garbage can. That’s how I started. I had no net. I would shoot off the garbage box in my driveway. That was in Norway House at my Nan and Papa’s place.”
He played all his minor hockey in Norway House until U18. That’s when he left Norway House to play in Thompson.
“I played for the Norman Northstars for three years and then I went to Jr. A in Humboldt with the Broncos,” he said. “But I got injured there and never played and then I got traded to Waywayseecappo Wolverines (Manitoba Junior Hockey League), but my injury wouldn’t heal so I came home and played Jr. B.”
Before the 2022-23 season started, Muchikekwanape, 22, committed to making some noise in his final year of Junior. So, he set some goals, started a small business and hit the gym.
His efforts were rewarded with an award-winning farewell campaign.
“The past two years, Henry has been the heart and soul of our club,” said his coach, Skylar Tait-Reaume. “He comes to the rink and he’s ready to go. He’s always prepared. He’s a player that every coach wants on his team. When you need a goal or you need a guy to motivate the other players, he’s the guy who will get it done.”
So, too, is the 2022 MVP Chavez Constant, another player who just finished his final season of Junior hockey. In fact, there have been very few players in the KJHL who have dominated their positions the way the OCN Storm’s captain has dominated his.
Constant, 22, was named the KJHL’s Top Defenceman for the second time this season. He has had a remarkable five-year career as a Jr. B D-man and it would have been six seasons if COVID-19 hadn’t knocked out the entire 2020-21 schedule.
“The one thing that pisses me off about Chavez is that he never got the chance to play Jr. A,” said former Storm general manager Jeremy Hohn, the guy who brought Constant into the league in 2017. “I think he was definitely good enough. By the same token, he was always happy playing with us. I do wish he’d have been given that chance to play Jr. A, though.”
Born in OCN, he played almost all of his minor hockey in Saskatoon. Hohn recruited Constant out of the Saskatoon U18 AAA Icehawks in 2017.
“I started learning how to skate when I was three years old up here in OCN,” Constant said. “I remember skating around with my brothers and cousins. They’re all older than me and so, I really started to play hockey with my family. I remember I was very young.
“I started minor hockey here in OCN with Squirts, but then I moved to Saskatoon in Novice and played most of my hockey in Saskatoon. From Novice until my first year of U18, I played in Saskatoon and then my grandpa passed away. That’s when my family decided they wanted to move back. I kind of wanted to come back to OCN, as well.
“Pretty much my whole family is in OCN now. I have all of my aunties, uncles and cousins here. Constant is a big name at OCN. We have a big family here and in hockey, too. My brother Ethan (OCN Storm and Blizzard) played Junior hockey here, my cousins TJ Constant (OCN Blizzard) and Brady Constant (OCN Blizzard) both played Junior here and my uncle Chris Constant played here and with the Brandon Wheat Kings. My dad, Chris Halcrow played with the Blizzard, as well. He played a lot of hockey around here so I definitely have hockey in my family history.”
In 30 games this past season, Constant had 32 goals and 77 points and then added four goals and 16 points in 10 playoff games. His 12 power-play goals helped the Storm win the Bruce Sinclair Trophy as the regular season KJHL champion.
After taking out the NCN Flames in five games in the semifinal (Constant had seven points), the Storm fell to the Peguis Juniors in the Ed Albert Cup League Championship series. However, he didn’t let that loss get him down. In fact, he went on to lead the Storm to a Central Canada Cup championship in the interprovincial playoff between the KJHL and the Lakehead Junior Hockey League.
Meanwhile, Muchikekwanape and Constant were just two of six major award winners this season. Let’s meet the other four:
TOP GOALTENDER
Odin Church, PBCN Selects
Odin Church arrived at Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation from the Sioux Lookout Bombers of the Superior-International Jr. A Hockey League and immediately made an impact. In fact, he was called, “One of the driving forces in the PBCN Selects efforts to secure third place in the league.” Although the expansion Selects spent the opening months of the season near the basement, Church arrived and in 14 games, he went 11-2-0 in 798 minutes between the pipes. He allowed only 47 goals and made 465 saves for a stellar .899 save percentage.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Jayden Blacksmith, Cross Lake Islanders
Jayden Blacksmith of the Cross Lake Islanders finished the 2022-23 season with 17 goals and 27 points in 24 games and was a contributor to a young Islanders team that is building for the future.
THE FARRON COCHRANE AWARD
COACH OF THE YEAR
Kevin Monkman, Peguis Juniors
Kevin Monkman of the Peguis Juniors is a highly respected coach by his players, peers, officials and league executive. This past season, he led his Juniors to a 24-9-1 record, and with the support of assistant coach Darcy Pelletier and trainer Clint Webb, the powerhouse Juniors defended their league championship for a sixth straight time. As the year went on, Monkman managed a lineup that was injury-riddled and often never the same from one night to the next, and yet he made the Juniors the best in the KJHL once again.
OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR
Jules Balfour
Jules Balfour is a Hockey Manitoba high-performance official and has shown an exceptional level of commitment to the KJHL in recent seasons. Jules works all levels of hockey in the province, as a linesman in the MJHL, and both referee and linesman in the KJHL and Manitoba U18 AAA levels. He also helps out with minor hockey whenever he can to ensure continued development of the officiating program. He worked games across all markets in the KJHL this past season while providing crucial feedback to his peers and players to make the KJHL a better league. Balfour is highly respected by the players, coaches and executive of the KJHL and also by his officiating peers.
Voting was done by all of the league's teams and members of the league executive
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