The Western Hockey League has announced Winnipeg ICE forward Zach Benson as its Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, February 26.

Over a span of seven days, the projected Top-10 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft put up five goals and 13 total points in his four games played during that timeframe. All four games occurred on the road, while Benson recorded points in each contest.

Highlighted by a hat trick and a career-high six points in a lopsided 8-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Sunday, Benson capped off his impressive week in style, picking up his second-straight First Star of the Game honour in the process. It was the Chilliwack, BC product's third hat trick of the season.

But before that game, Benson also had points in the three games prior. He began the week with a shorthanded marker and an assist in a 4-2 win over Swift Current. He then potted three assists to go alongside one goal on Wednesday in Winnipeg's 5-2 win over Calgary. Friday's performance only saw one assist from Benson, but it was on the game-winning goal - a 2-1 victory on Matthew Savoie's winner.

Formerly selected 14th overall in 2020 by the ICE at the WHL Prospects Draft, Benson now has 68 goals and 175 points in just 136 career games. He is ranked second among all players (behind Connor Bedard) in points and assists, while also placing second in shorthanded goals across the league.

Benson is ranked No. 7 among North American skaters by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau in advance of the final stretch run of the 2022-23 CHL season. He and his ICE teammates next take to the ice on Tuesday evening in an afternoon rematch in Edmonton with the Oil Kings. The game can be viewed live on CHL TV.

ICE Star Benson Named WHL Player of the Week

<h2>Jets fall under .500 for the first time this season</h2>The Winnipeg Jets are not a very good hockey team right now. As a matter of fact, they could be the NHL's worst club.They are currently in the midst of a stretch that has seen them lose seven of their last eight games played, including their last six in a row.Having started out the season so well, it has been all downhill since.Connor Hellebuyck is gone, but on the night that he picked up his first win for the New Jersey Devils, his former Winnipeg Jets lost 5-1 to the visiting Florida Panthers at home.Brady Tkachuk got four points. Matthew collected three. Paul Maurice got another win at Canada Life Centre. The Jets walked out of their last game at home for a while with another loss.Captain Adam Lowry scored the lone goal for Winnipeg, which now heads out on the road for four-straight games against teams from the Eastern Conference in Tampa Bay, Florida again, Montreal again and Carolina.HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2115238832195170454">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2115238832195170454</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2115240011058823522">https://x.com/CBrooksie84/status/2115240011058823522</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Tuesday's game vs. Florida is courtesy of Danny Truong:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a7169.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a7120.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a7935.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a7463.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a7272.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a8270.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a8554.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a8982.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9063.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9267.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a9313.jpg">QUOTEABLE:Adam Lowry on his team's performance:“Unfortunately, we didn’t use it as a good reset. The first period, just mental errors. Reads, assignments, penalty kill. We give up three goals in three minutes and obviously, you have to give them credit. They did some right things, but we kind of fed all of that offence for them and kind of continue that in the second and the third. A lot of shooting ourselves in the foot right now."Dylan DeMelo on his club's (lack of) special teams:“I don't think we did ourselves any favours, some tough penalties. Some tough penalties, some in the O-zone there, and obviously we're not trying to take penalties there, we're trying to get stick and trying to turn the puck over.&nbsp;It’s unfortunate, we obviously have to be a little better with that, and they made us pay, there's no doubt about it."WHAT’S NEXT:Winnipeg now hits the road for a critical four-game road trip to which the Jets take on Tampa Bay, Florida and Montreal again, as well as Carolina. It is safe to say the team will make its way back to Winnipeg with a new outlook on life for next week's battle with Vancouver.

GAME ON GAME RECAP: WINNIPEG JETS 1 Florida Panthers 5

Jayden Ward has been sensational, Chloe Nicholas is red-hot, Keestin Danielson and Jackson Kostiuk are the Jr. B stars and the RINK’s Andrew Wilkinson is stopping almost every shot he sees. We are well into the 2026-27 Manitoba hockey season.Game On Hockey Brief — October 19–25St. James extended its MMJHL winning streak to eight, Polar Ice retained the MWJHL lead, and RINK Winnipeg’s U17 groups delivered the strongest CSSHL results. Public reporting remains unreliable in the CRJHL, KJHL and MFHL U18 AAA.MMJHL<ul><li>Standings:&nbsp;St. James is 10-1 with 20 points—six ahead of St. Boniface—after edging the Raiders 5-4 Sunday for its eighth consecutive victory. River East and the Twins share third with 11 points.</li><li>Other Sunday results:&nbsp;St. Boniface beat River East 6-5 in overtime; Charleswood defeated Transcona 5-2; Pembina Valley routed St. Vital 7-1.</li><li>Player watch:&nbsp;St. James’ Jayden Ward leads with 27 points. Teammates Rhylan Baxter and Cole Robertson are among the top five; Robertson scored twice Sunday and now has a league-best 11 goals.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1.-co-winner-of-the-myron-prymak-memorial-trophy-as-mmjhl-mvp-jayden-ward-st.-james-canucks-.jpg">Jayden Ward (18) of the St. James Canucks (Photo by Dave Willson)</li><li>Standouts:&nbsp;St. Boniface’s Spencer Gair, Charleswood’s Brayden Kaludjak and Pembina Valley’s Nathan Fehr and Josh McIntyre each scored twice Sunday.</li><li>Team storyline:&nbsp;The Canucks are no longer merely winning—they are finding different heroes. Thorsteinson and Robertson scored twice against the Raiders while Baxter supplied the winner.</li><li>Feature angle:&nbsp;“Four Canucks, one scoring race” — Ward, Baxter, Robertson and Nicholas Cullen have turned the league’s leading team into an unusually balanced offensive machine.</li></ul>Source:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mmjhl.ca/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">MMJHL results, standings and leaders</a>.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mmjhl.ca/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League</a>CRJHL<ul><li>Comets Flying High:&nbsp;The Beausejour Comets are starting to pull away from the rest of the CRJHL. With a 5-2 home win over the Altona Maroons on Sunday night, the Comets improved to 7-1-0 and lead second place Arborg (5-2-0) by five points. Jackson Kostiuk scored his eighth of the season for Beausejour. Kostiuk leads all scorers with 22 points.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/a9304879.jpg">Jackson Kostiuk, Beausejour Comets (Photo by Rayme Thompson)</li><li>In the last week, Arborg went into Lundar and won 4-3, Beausejour walloped North Winnipeg at Billy Mosienko Arena 11-1 and then went home and beat Arborg 4-1 and then beat Altona 5-2 on Sunday night. St. Malo knocked off Altona 5-4 at Sunflower Gardens in Altona, then this past Saturday, Lundar won at home, beating North Winnipeg 7-5, Arborg won at home beating Sat. Malo 6-4 and LaBroquerie won at home beating Selkirk 4-3.</li><li>Feature angle:&nbsp;A first-month report card on expansion Altona—attendance, roster stability, travel demands and the organization’s earliest lessons.</li></ul>Source:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.crjhl.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">CRJHL official site</a>.KJHL<ul><li>Battle at the Top:&nbsp;It’s a real battle at the top of the KJHL. The Peguis Juniors are in top with a 5-3-0 mark in eight games while the OCN Storm are 4-1-1 after six games and Cross Lake is 4-3-1 after eight outings.</li><li>Big Scorers: Keestin Danielson of OCN has the scoring lead with 13 goals and 25 points in just six games. Darian Sinclair of Peguis is next with 11 goals and 24 points in eight games while Shaden Duliak of OCN is next with nine goals and 24 points in six games.</li><li>Feature angle:&nbsp;“Keeping the numbers” — the volunteers responsible for scorekeeping, statistics and communications in northern Junior B hockey.</li><li>Editorial action:&nbsp;Confirm the week’s results and standings directly with the KJHL before publication.</li></ul>Source:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.keystonejr.ca/">KJHL official site</a>.MWJHL<ul><li>Standings:&nbsp;Polar Ice leads at 7-1-1 with 15 points. Manitoba Blizzard remains unbeaten in regulation at 6-0-1 and sits two points back with two games in hand. Silvertips and Northern Stars share third at 10 points.</li><li>Verified results:&nbsp;Polar Ice defeated the Grey Owls 5-3 on October 23. The standings also show Silvertips on a three-game winning streak and Blizzard on a three-game run; some weekend box scores had not populated in the public schedule.</li><li>Player watch:&nbsp;Silvertips star Chloe Nicholas leads all scorers with six goals and 21 points while veteran Maisie Duffin of Polar Ice is next with eight goals and 19 points. Raya Hrankowski of Silvertips has five goals and 19 points while Taylor Audette of Silvertips has 10 goals and 13 points.</li><li>Goaltending:&nbsp;Blizzard’s Sofia Lund owns a .967 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average. Polar’s Victoria Johnson is at .962 and 1.00.</li><li>Feature angle:&nbsp;“Pressure without a loss” — how Manitoba Blizzard is managing its unbeaten-regulation start while chasing Polar Ice with games in hand.</li></ul>Source:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.themwjhl.ca/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">MWJHL results, standings and leaders</a>.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://themwjhl.ca">themwjhl.ca</a>MFHL U18 AAA<ul><li>Reliable league-wide update unavailable:&nbsp;The official scores and standings pages were present but did not display usable results, records or player statistics.</li><li>This prevents a defensible account of standings movement or weekly scoring leaders.</li><li>Feature angle:&nbsp;“The hidden season” — how coaches, families and scouts follow the MFHL when public scores and statistics are difficult to access.</li></ul>Sources:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mfhlu18aaa.com/teams/default.asp?p=scores&amp;s=hockey&amp;u=MFHL-U18AAA&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com">MFHL official scores</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mfhlu18aaa.com/teams/default.asp?p=standings&amp;s=hockey&amp;u=MFHL-U18AAA&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com">MFHL standings</a>.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://mfhlu18aaa.com">mfhlu18aaa.com</a>CSSHL — Manitoba programsRINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg<ul><li>U17 Prep:&nbsp;Beat Notre Dame 4-1 Friday and 4-3 in a shootout Saturday. Max Sanders scored twice in 31 seconds Friday; Grayson Speirs scored the late equalizer Saturday.</li><li>U17:&nbsp;Swept its weekend, beating Indigenous Sports Academy 5-1 and 4-2 before defeating Notre Dame 6-2. Julien Crook finished the weekend with four goals and five points; Andrew Wilkinson stopped 40 of 41 shots Friday.</li><li>U18 Prep:&nbsp;Rallied from 3-0 down to tie Calgary International before losing, then fell 6-1 to South Alberta on Sunday. Noah Hawkins made 36 saves in the finale.</li><li>Feature angle:&nbsp;RINK’s two U17 teams found momentum simultaneously—what changed after difficult early-October results?</li></ul>Pilot Mound Hockey Academy<ul><li>U17 Prep:&nbsp;Beat North Shore 6-2, supplying the program’s best result of the week.</li><li>Women’s U18 Prep:&nbsp;Lost 10-1 to South Alberta, 5-3 to Calgary International and 5-0 to Edge. Gracie Bray scored her fourth of the season while helping Pilot Mound build a 3-1 lead over Calgary before the comeback.</li><li>U18 Prep:&nbsp;Lost 7-3 to Calgary International and 5-2 to South Alberta. Maddox Ramage scored both goals Saturday despite Pilot Mound being outshot 67-23.</li><li>Team storyline:&nbsp;Pilot Mound endured a difficult weekend, but the U17 Prep victory and competitive stretches from its other teams offer useful evidence of where development is occurring.</li><li>Feature angle:&nbsp;“Learning under fire” — how Pilot Mound’s coaches develop confidence and structure while facing heavily tilted shot totals.</li></ul>Balmoral Hall<ul><li>Inactive/unavailable:&nbsp;The Blazers are still undefeated in the CSSHL with a record of 3-0-0. Brannagh Rae is sill the team’s leading scorer with three goals and five points.</li><li>Feature angle:&nbsp;The World Sports School Challenge is right around the corner.</li></ul>Sources:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.csshl.ca/game-day-recap-october-23-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">CSSHL October 23 recap</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.csshl.ca/game-day-recap-october-24-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">October 24 recap</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.csshl.ca/game-day-recap-october-25-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">October 25 recap</a>.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.csshl.ca/game-day-recap-october-23-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Canadian Sport School Hockey League</a>Best immediate Game On Stories:&nbsp;St. James’ four-headed scoring machine, the simultaneous surge by RINK Winnipeg’s U17 teams and Manitoba Blizzard’s unbeaten-regulation pursuit of Polar Ice.&nbsp;

St. James, Beausejour, the Blizzard and Balmoral Hall Off to Near-Flawless Starts 

<blockquote>The Winnipeg Jets, the team that can’t score, didn’t score again.&nbsp;And that inability to put the puck in the net was the only thing that took the bloom off the rose that was the 2026 Heritage Classic,&nbsp;In front of a sellout crowd of 32,323 at Princess Auto Stadium, the NHL’s vision of a Canadian log cabin motif came to life as the Montreal Canadiens came to Winnipeg and escaped with a 2-1 victory.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a4405.jpg">&nbsp;Three young Jets -- Elias Salomonsson, Brad Lambert and Viggo Bjorck -- march from their dressing room to start the 2026 Heritage Classic warm-ups (Photo by Danny Truong)Other than the first eight or nine minutes of the game, the Jets were clearly the dominant team. They dominated puck possession and controlled the Montreal zone and didn’t give the Canadiens too many chances, but Winnipeg’s inability to score goals came back to bite them again.&nbsp;The Jets have now lost four straight games by scores of 3-2, 2-1, 3-2 in overtime and 2-1. They are their own Vezina Trophy. Winnipeg netminder Stu Skinner has done his best, but apparently this team needs a shutout every night just to have a chance.&nbsp;With the loss, Winnipeg fell to 4-5-3 on the season while the Canadiens improved to 6-3-2.&nbsp;It was a wonderful evening on the campus of the University of Manitoba as the NHL and the Jets put on a terrific show. The stadium could not have looked more rustically Canadian.&nbsp;However, the local faithful still went home unhappy as the home side just can’t figure out how to put the puck in the net.&nbsp;The Canadiens jumped out and dominated the early going and outshot Winnipeg 4-1 through the first six minutes. But the Jets got their bearings and started to take the play to Montreal.&nbsp;Late in the period, Winnipeg had a power play and really peppered Habs goaltender Jacob Fowler, but while they had four shots during the man-advantage, they couldn’t find a way to get the puck past the Montreal goaler.&nbsp;The teams went to the break scoreless, although Winnipeg outshot the Canadiens 10-8.&nbsp;The Canadiens opened the scoring at 7:19 of the second period when Lane Hutson converted a perfect pass from Noah Dobson to score his third of the season. Cole Caufield also drew an assist as the significant number of Habs fans in the stadium were delirious.&nbsp;Later in the period, the Jets newest player, Dawson Mercer (who was obtained in the Connor Hellebuyck trade) created an outstanding scoring chance for himself but fired wide.&nbsp;The Canadiens made it 2-0 at 11:04 when Kaiden Guhle took a pass from Caufield at the Jets blueline and blistered a shot that a startled Skinner never saw. Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky drew the assists.&nbsp;<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_l9a6021.jpg">Montreal makes it 2-0 (Photo by Danny Truong)The Habs now had two goal lead and against the Jets, a team that simply can’t score, that was an insurmountable lead. Winnipeg outshot Montreal 11-7 in the second (21-15 after 40 minutes), but it didn’t matter.&nbsp;In the third period, Mark Scheifele had a tremendous opportunity on the power play but was beaten by Fowler while Mercer had another solid chance in close but couldn’t convert.&nbsp;Finally, at 15:24, Isak Rosen blasted a one-time snap-shot off a pass from Gabriel Vilardi that eluded Fowler and cut the Canadiens lead to one. Haydn Fleury also drew an assist as the Jets gave themselves a chance.&nbsp;But even though they were handed their fourth power play of the game with 1:32 remaining, they couldn’t notch the tying goal.&nbsp;Winnipeg outshot Montreal 14-6 in the third period – 35-21 overall. This game should have had a different outcome, but the Jets are simply gripping their sticks too tightly. They’ll get another shot at it on Tuesday night back at Canada Life Centre when Paul Maurice and the Florida Panthers come to town.&nbsp;At the end of the game, the teams shook hands as if it were the seventh game of the playoffs. They then saluted the sellout crowd. In all, it was a tremendous evening. From the pre-game flyover to SoulBear’s stirring national anthem to the bands during the first-intermission to the introduction of the Jets alumni, it was an almost perfect night of hockey.&nbsp;Too bad the Jets couldn’t find the net.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote>

Habs and the Heritage Classic are big Winners on a Wonderful Night in Winnipeg

The Winnipeg Jets got better on Friday afternoon. Not significantly better, but better, nonetheless.&nbsp;Now, to be fair, in five years, the Jets might be significantly better thanks Friday’s trade with the New Jersey Devils, but right now, the jury is still out.&nbsp;On Friday, the Jets announced that they had acquired forwards Dawson Mercer, Alexander Command, Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws, New Jersey’s second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft, and New Jersey’s seventh-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft in exchange for goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.&nbsp;<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hcY0JjOl2YQ?si=2taIEs5ZqZihV7D-" start="0"></iframe></div>It can’t be the trade GM Kevin Cheveldayoff dreamed of, but it’s a trade that will give Winnipeg a 20-goal scorer, a better second line and maybe a good Swedish player in future years in exchange for a goaltender who wasn’t coming back and whose return from suspension would have cost the club $7.5 million on the cap.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hcY0JjOl2YQ?si=2taIEs5ZqZihV7D-" start="0"></iframe></div>Mercer, just 24, is the best player of the bunch and a player who had 20 goals and 42 points in all 82 games last season. During the 2022-23 campaign, he scored 27 and despite being just 24, he has five complete NHL seasons under his belt. He is consistent, durable (he’s played in all 82 games in every season he’s played) and has averaged 20 goals per season in his NHL career. He will make a line of Mercer-Viggo Bjorck- Gabriel Vilardi a very good one.&nbsp;He’s also played for Team Canada is two World Juniors (a gold and a silver) and three World Championships (one silver medal) and is a player that Winnipeg fans could truly love. He’s a Newfoundlander and a pretty dedicated national team contributor.&nbsp;This year, however, he’s off to a Bjorck-like start he has zero goals and four assists in 10 games. Maybe playing alongside Bjorck and Vilardi will help him offensively. If nothing else, it can’t hurt.&nbsp;After the Jets lost three times this week by scores of 3-2, 2-1 and 3-2 in overtime, it’s become clear once again that after the first line, this team can’t score. In 10 games, the Jets have scored more than three goals in a game only once. It’s a damn good thing Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson have been so good in goal.&nbsp;The Jets can’t score. It’s as simple as that. The power play is awful and right now, Skinner and Stevenson have to shut out the opposition in order for the Jets to have any late-game breathing room at all.&nbsp;So, without question, Mercer is the most important person (right now) for the Jets in this trade. He was New Jersey’s first-round pick (18th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, has 103 goals and 213 points in 420 NHL games and also has five goals and nine points in 17 playoff games.&nbsp;The rest of the players (and draft picks) with the exception of Bjugstad are all wait-and-see prospects. Maybe they’ll be good, maybe they won’t.&nbsp;Command, 18, was New Jersey’s first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft and he has played six games for Orebro HK in the Swedish League this season. He won a gold medal with Sweden at the 2026 World U-18 Championships where he tallied three goals and seven points in seven games.&nbsp;Daws, 25, has played four games for the Devils this season and posted a 2-2-0 record with a 2.78 goals-against average and an .874 save percentage. The Munich, Germany product was New Jersey’s third-round pick (84th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft and has compiled a 26-26-1 record in 59 career NHL games and posted a shutout, a 2.94 GAA and a .897 save percentage. He’ll be a great No. 1 goalie for the Moose.&nbsp;Daws has also represented Canada internationally and was a teammate of Mercer’s on the Canadian squad that won the gold medal at the 2020 World Juniors.&nbsp;Bjugstad, 34, is currently recovering from surgery, but he played 61 games for New Jersey and the St. Louis Blues in 2025- 26 with six goals and nine points. He’s played 821 career NHL games and was Florida’s first-round pick (19th overall) in the 2010 NHL Draft.&nbsp;For many Jets fans, this trade is a bit of a “Meh!” At least today. However, an upside is there, especially if Mercer becomes the player he was always meant to be on a line that needs to provide some offence.

Jets send Hellebuyck to Devils, Get Four Players including Mercer and two Draft Picks

The next great Winnipeg hockey player might not be sleeping in anymore.Instead, that youngster could be pulling on skates, grabbing a stick and heading to Eric Coy Arena for an early-morning workout before the first school bell rings.And thanks to the Charleswood Hawks and Jets Hockey Development, that youngster might also be discovering something far more important than a better wrist shot.The pure joy of playing hockey.In one of the more interesting grassroots hockey initiatives in Winnipeg, the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League's Charleswood Hawks have partnered with Jets Hockey Development (JHD) and École Charleswood School to launch the Junior Hawks program, an affordable, once-a-week, before-school hockey development opportunity for youngsters of all skill levels.It's a program that's been five years in the making, and for Hawks president Tim Scharer, it's about much more than developing better hockey players.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/max-2.jpeg">Max Gardiner at hockey for all centre (Photo by Carlos Lopez)It's about bringing hockey home."We've been a community-run organization for 56 years now," said Scharer. "And we need to get back into those roots of giving back to the community."For Scharer, the opportunity was almost too obvious to ignore.École Charleswood School sits practically next door to Eric Coy Arena, the home of the Hawks. There were young hockey players attending school just a short walk from the rink, and an established junior hockey organization looking for ways to strengthen its community connections.All that was missing was a program to bring them together.Scharer had been working on the idea for roughly five years, but school schedules, coaching commitments and logistics repeatedly got in the way.Then along came Max Gardiner.A Charleswood kid himself, Gardiner attended Westdale and Oak Park, played four seasons with the Hawks and eventually moved into coaching at Oak Park. He later returned to the Hawks as an assistant coach.And, perhaps most importantly, he works full-time with Jets Hockey Development.Suddenly, Scharer had the missing piece."Max is kind of the connecting factor," Scharer explained.Gardiner, who began helping coach the Hawks last season, understood both the organization and the community. He also had the professional hockey development background to help turn Scharer's long-standing idea into reality."The goal of this is to give kids a different option for skill development that is pretty reasonably priced,” Gardiner explained. “As well, there's not a huge demand time-wise since it's just once a week."At the same time we’re helping them be a little bit more aware of the quality of hockey that's right next door to them and trying to keep that hockey in the community as best we can."That combination of affordability, accessibility and community involvement is what makes the Junior Hawks program special.Unlike development programs that can demand considerable financial and family commitments, Junior Hawks is designed to fit into a child's existing school and hockey schedule.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/max-3.jpeg">Max Gardiner at work (Photo by Carlos Lopez)The youngsters arrive at Eric Coy Arena before school, receive professional instruction on the ice and are then escorted directly to École Charleswood for the start of classes.Simple. Convenient. And, judging by the opening session, already popular.Sixteen young skaters participated on the program's first morning, representing a wide range of hockey abilities. There were A1 players, A3 players and female participants, all sharing the same ice and receiving instruction appropriate to their development.For Scharer, that's precisely the point."We're going to develop this program so that if a kid's just at 10 years old, beginning to learn how to play hockey, we want to give him a few more skates with some good coaching and let him develop at his own pace," he said."But the biggest thing is we want this to have fun. It has to be fun for the kids."It's a philosophy shaped by Scharer's own experiences as a hockey parent.At 62, he's watched his children navigate the minor hockey system and understands that the pressures of competition can sometimes overwhelm the enjoyment of the game.Junior Hawks is intended to provide something different.There are no expectations that every youngster will become an elite player. No suggestion that hockey development must be an expensive, year-round undertaking.Instead, the emphasis is on learning, improving, making friends and enjoying the experience.And Scharer has even bigger plans.Eventually, he'd like to expand the program beyond its current once-a-week format to offer specialized sessions Monday through Thursday.That could include introductory hockey on Mondays, dedicated female development sessions on Tuesdays, AA and AAA development on Wednesdays and A1 through A3 sessions on Thursdays.The idea is to create opportunities for virtually every youngster in the community, including those who might otherwise be intimidated by organized hockey.There could also be benefits beyond the rink.Scharer hopes to speak with teachers following the fall program to determine whether students participating in morning hockey sessions demonstrate improved classroom attention and readiness to learn.It's an interesting possibility, although the program's educational impact has yet to be evaluated.Getting the initiative started required cooperation from several organizations.The school administration embraced the proposal when Scharer renewed discussions last spring, while Jets Hockey Development provided the coaching connection.The City of Winnipeg also helped overcome an important obstacle: Eric Coy Arena wasn't normally open for early-morning programming, requiring additional arrangements for rink staffing.Scharer credits everyone involved for helping make the program possible."Between the school, JHD, the city and us, this is what we need," he said. "And it's fantastic."For Gardiner, the initiative represents another chapter in a hockey journey that has remained remarkably close to home.From Westdale to Oak Park, from playing with the Hawks to coaching them, his career has been rooted in the same community where he grew up.Now he's helping introduce another generation of Charleswood youngsters to the game.And for the Hawks, there's an additional opportunity.By welcoming local children onto their home ice, the MMJHL club can build relationships with young fans and families who might otherwise know little about the quality of junior hockey being played in their own neighbourhood.Today's Junior Hawk could become tomorrow's Hawks supporter.Or perhaps, one day, even wear the Hawks jersey.But that's a story for another morning.For now, it's about 16 youngsters, an early-morning skate, a few new skills and the chance to start the school day with a smile.And in Charleswood, that's already a pretty big win.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hawks and Jets Hockey Development Partner to Grow and Improve the Game in Charleswood

The St. Boniface Riels’ new captain is a powerhouse on the blue line, a leader in the dressing room and a future dentist who knows exactly where he's going.Because while we all know that there are plenty of hockey players who can knock your teeth out, Dylan Bauknecht would rather learn how to put them back in.Of course, if you happen to be an opposing forward in the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League, you might want to keep your head up anyway.The new captain of the Riels is a six-foot, hard-skating, offensively gifted defenseman who can dominate a game at both ends of the ice. He's also a university science student with plans to become a dentist.And according to Riels’ head coach Jeff Mitchell, he's just about everything a hockey coach could want in a captain.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/mmjhl_riels_bauknecht_005.jpg">"I always say he's a man playing against boys," Mitchell said. "He's a big body, big frame. A top defenseman with offensive skills.”But that's only part of the story.Now entering his fourth season with the Riels, Bauknecht has become one of the club's most important players, earning the captaincy through a combination of talent, maturity, dedication and the kind of leadership that doesn't require a lot of shouting.For the lifelong Southwood resident, wearing the captain's letter for his neighborhood junior team is something special."Yeah, it feels good, that's for sure," Bauknecht said.His hockey journey began in the Southdale area (Royalwood), where he played for the St. Boniface Seals before graduating to the Railcats for U11 AA. From there, he moved to the Warriors and eventually the Winnipeg Bruins, where he spent two seasons at U17 and another at U18.Then came the Riels.And that's where his hockey career took an interesting turn.Although he'd always been a capable defenseman, Bauknecht credits the Riels' coaching staff with helping him discover an offensive dimension he hadn't fully developed during his minor hockey years."Ever since I joined the Riels, my game has actually taken a little bit of a turn," he explained. "Jeff, as well as Tyler Moore, and then our old coaches Zach Franco and Sean Christensen, they've definitely unlocked an offensive side to me that I didn't have back when I played Bruins and Warriors."It didn't hurt that he also experienced a rather significant growth spurt.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/mmjhl_riels_bauknecht_001.jpg">"It also helped that I grew from about 5-foot-4 to 6-feet tall," he said.The additional size gave him the confidence to become more physically involved, handle the puck with greater authority and attack offensively.Today, he's a defenseman who can do just about everything."Great shot, has hands, has skill and an excellent skater," Mitchell said. "He can go end to end and push guys off no problem and somehow get to the net with the puck still. Or make a nice play out of it."Mitchell uses him in every situation — power play, penalty killing and heavy five-on-five minutes."He's a Swiss Army knife," the coach said.However, Bauknecht's greatest contribution might be something that doesn't appear on a scoresheet: Leadership.While some captains command attention with fiery speeches, Bauknecht prefers to set the example through his performance."I think a big reason I’m the captain is my on-ice play," he said. "I lead on-ice, mostly. There will be times in the room where I feel it's needed that I'll speak up, but I feel the majority of it is due to just the things that happen on the ice, and being that unselfish player, and being vocal when it needs to be."Mitchell believes that approach has earned his captain enormous respect."He communicates with his guys,” said the coach. “He's a leader on our team. He's kind of one of those guys that speaks up and guys listen."He's got respect not just from our team but other guys in the league as well. He's just a very mature and well put together all-around good guy."That maturity extends well beyond the rink.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dylan-1.jpg">Dylan Bauknecht by Dave WillsonBauknecht is currently working toward an undergraduate science degree, with plans to apply to dentistry. It's an ambitious academic path, particularly for someone also playing competitive junior hockey.And it's one of the reasons the MMJHL has been such a perfect fit.Rather than pursue a more demanding junior hockey schedule in the MJHL or even the WHL, Bauknecht chose a league that allowed him to maintain his academic priorities without sacrificing his love of the game."I prioritize school pretty heavily," he said. "I'm super involved in a heavy course load, so this league just lets me prioritize school while also playing high-level hockey as well."He also appreciates the flexibility offered by the MMJHL and the Riels organization, particularly during university midterms and final examinations.For Bauknecht, it's the best of both worlds. He gets to play the game he loves, represent the community where he grew up and pursue a professional career away from the ice.And now, he gets to do it as captain.As for that future career in dentistry? Well, one thing is certain.Dylan Bauknecht has plenty of reasons to smile.&nbsp;

Meet Dylan Bauknecht: The Riels' New Captain Has Plenty to Smile About

People have often suggested that there must be something in the water in Manitoba. Wrong, it’s something in the ice.Whatever the reason, the province continues to produce some of the finest female hockey players in the country, and three more Manitobans will be wearing the Maple Leaf when Canada goes hunting for gold at the 2026 IIHF Women's World Championship in Denmark.Winnipeg's Kati Tabin, La Salle's Sara Manness and East St. Paul's Hayley McDonald have all been named to Canada's 25-player national women's team for the international tournament, scheduled for Nov. 6-16 in Herning and Esbjerg.And while Tabin brings Olympic experience and professional credentials to the Canadian lineup, Manness and McDonald represent an exciting new generation of Manitoba hockey talent.For the two young forwards, Denmark will mark their first appearance at the senior Women's World Championship.For Tabin, it will be another opportunity to add to a growing international résumé that already includes an Olympic silver medal.It's a pretty impressive Manitoba contingent.And all three have taken remarkably different paths to reach the same destination.Tabin, 29, is the veteran of the group. The Winnipeg-born defender, who plays professionally for the Montreal Victoire of the Professional Women's Hockey League, helped Canada capture silver at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina.A former Quinnipiac University standout who captained the Bobcats during her senior season, Tabin has steadily established herself as a reliable professional defender.She previously played in the Premier Hockey Federation with the Connecticut Whale and Toronto Six before joining the PWHL.Her journey to the national team wasn't an overnight success story. After earlier appearances in Canada's development program, Tabin made her senior national team debut during the 2025 Rivalry Series against the United States.Her selection for the 2026 Olympics followed, and now she has another opportunity to represent her country on the international stage.A left-handed defender with a steady presence on the blue line, Tabin provides the kind of professional experience that will be important as Canada prepares for another showdown with the world's best.&nbsp;Meanwhile, the story of 19-year-old Sara Manness is one of the most exciting developments in Manitoba women's hockey.The talented forward from La Salle has been making headlines for years, but her first season at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, was nothing short of sensational.Manness scored 21 goals and added 31 assists for 52 points in just 35 games during the 2025-26 NCAA season.Those are extraordinary numbers for any college hockey player.For a freshman, they were remarkable.Manness became the first freshman in ECAC Hockey history to win the conference's Player of the Year award. She also produced a 15-game point-scoring streak and became the first Clarkson player to score a goal in 10 consecutive games during a single season.And her success didn't begin in college.Before moving on to the Burlington Jr. Barracudas in Ontario, Manness developed her game with the Balmoral Hall Blazers in Winnipeg, where she earned Junior Women's Hockey League Forward of the Year honours in 2023.She subsequently recorded 127 points, including 51 goals, in 46 games with Burlington during the 2023-24 season.Internationally, Manness has already represented Canada at two Under-18 Women's World Championships, winning bronze in 2024 and gold in 2025. She was also named MVP of the 2023 National Women's Under-18 Championship and helped Manitoba at the Canada Winter Games.Her twin sister, Kate, is also part of Clarkson's women's hockey program.For Manness, the move to Canada's senior national team represents another major step in what has become a remarkable young career.Then there's Hayley McDonald.At just 18, the East St. Paul forward is one of the youngest players selected to represent Canada at this year's world championship. And like Manness, McDonald has already built an impressive international résumé.The Ohio State University freshman previously played for the Balmoral Hall Blazers before moving west to RINK Hockey Academy in Kelowna, British Columbia.Her Manitoba minor hockey roots run deep.McDonald played with East St. Paul, the River East Royals, River East Marauders and Winnipeg Thrashers before joining Balmoral Hall.She was named to the JWHL Second All-Star Team in 2023-24, establishing herself as one of the province's outstanding young forwards.McDonald subsequently became a fixture in Canada's Under-18 program, helping the country win gold at the 2025 IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship.In 2026, she captained Canada's Under-18 team and produced nine points in six games as the Canadians claimed silver.Now a freshman with the powerhouse Ohio State Buckeyes, McDonald is taking another enormous step in her development.A talented, physical forward with international experience, she has already demonstrated that she can compete against elite players in her age group.Denmark will provide her with the opportunity to show she belongs at the senior level.&nbsp;For Manitob hockey fans, the selections are particularly noteworthy because both Manness and McDonald have come through the province's development system and represented Canada together at the Under-18 level.In fact, both were members of Canada's gold-medal-winning Under-18 team in 2025.Now, less than two years later, they'll be wearing the same Canadian sweater on one of the biggest stages in women's hockey.&nbsp;Canada's roster, announced by general manager Danièle Sauvageau and head coach Kori Cheverie, includes three goaltenders, eight defenders and 14 forwards.Thirteen players return from the Canadian team that captured silver at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, while 12 members of the roster helped Canada win its most recent Women's World Championship gold medal in 2024.Seven players, including Manness and McDonald, will make their Women's Worlds debuts."We are excited about the players who have been named to Team Canada as we compete for a gold medal in Denmark, while looking at the long-term success of our program," Sauvageau said.The roster also reflects a changing of the guard within the Canadian program.Veteran Manitoba defender Jocelyne Larocque, one of the country's most accomplished international players, was not selected.Larocque has been a familiar presence on Canada's blue line for more than a decade, making her absence particularly notable as the national program begins a new Olympic cycle.Canada's coaching staff, however, is enthusiastic about the combination of experience and emerging talent."Following a strong training camp in Quebec City, our coaching staff is excited to continue building toward the world championship with the athletes selected to represent Canada," Cheverie said."There is a great sense of energy, hunger and determination within this group. We're looking forward to building on that momentum as we prepare to compete in Denmark."Cheverie will be joined behind the bench by assistant coaches Caroline Ouellette, Kris Sparre and Alison Domenico, along with goaltending coach Bruno-Pierre Guillemette.Domenico brings considerable international experience, having previously won gold as an assistant coach at both the 2022 Olympic Winter Games and the 2022 Women's World Championship.Canada will prepare for the tournament with a pair of exhibition games against the United States, Oct. 28 in Windsor, Ontario, and Oct. 30 in Plymouth, Michigan.At the world championship, Canada will compete in Group B alongside host Denmark, Finland, Japan and Sweden.Group A features Austria, Czechia, Germany, Switzerland and the United States.All of Canada's games will be televised by TSN and RDS.Canada enters the tournament with a remarkable history of international success, having captured 13 gold medals, 10 silver medals and one bronze in 24 previous appearances at the Women's World Championship.Its most recent gold came in 2024, and after finishing second in 2025 and at the 2026 Olympics, the Canadians will be determined to return to the top of the podium.For Tabin, Manness and McDonald, the opportunity represents something special. Three Manitoba players, three different hockey journeys, one Canadian sweater and one common goal.Bring home the gold.&nbsp;

Three Manitobans Get the Call as Canada Goes for Gold in Denmark

From the brilliant return of Payton Chornley to the on-ice brilliance of Carson White, Maisie Duffin and Nolan Fielding, the top teams and league in Manitoba are providing fans with both excitement and entertainmentGame On Hockey Brief — October 12–18The week’s best story came from RINK Winnipeg, where Payton Chornley scored in her return to CSSHL competition after missing last season while battling cancer. The MMJHL’s St. James Canucks and MWJHL’s Polar Ice remain the early pace-setters.MMJHL<ul><li>Standings:&nbsp;St. James improved to 8-1 and extended its winning streak to six with Sunday’s 5-2 victory over St. Boniface. The Riels remain second at 6-3, followed by River East at 5-3.</li><li>Sunday results:&nbsp;Transcona 4, Pembina Valley 1; River East 5, St. Vital 3; Charleswood 4, Twins 1; Raiders 3, Stonewall 2 in overtime.</li><li>Player watch:&nbsp;League-leading Jayden Ward scored twice for St. James and now has 24 points. Charleswood’s Carson White also scored twice and sits second with 22. River East’s Nolan Fielding has reached 10 goals.</li><li>Team storyline:&nbsp;Terry Sawchuk Arena has been closed for the season because of structural concerns involving its roof beams, leaving River East with a significant scheduling and operational challenge.</li></ul>Source:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mmjhl.ca/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">MMJHL official site</a>.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mmjhl.ca/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League</a>CRJHL<ul><li>Two teams at the top: Arborg and Beausejour continue to lead the league with 4-1-0 records. Jackson Kostiuk of the Comets had a goal and four assists while teammate Job Peters had two goals and two assists as Beausejour whipped St. Malo 7-2 on Oct. 16. Meanwhile, Arborg beat arch-rival Lundar 4-2 on Oct. 18 as Ronin Mouck scored the winning goal on the power play with four seconds remaining on the clock.</li><li>Top Players:&nbsp;Kostiuk, who spent last season with the Steinbach Pistons, is the top scorer in the CRJHL. The Beausejour star has four goals and 14 points while teammate Peters is third in scoring with seven goals and 11 points. Sandwiched between the two Beausejour snipers is LaBroquerie rookie Steele Jowett who has five goals and 12 points and in fourth spot is last year’s MVP Brandon Burak of the Ice Dawgs who has five goals and 11 points and LaBroquerie captain Colton Pakoo with four goals and 11 points.</li><li>Feature angle:&nbsp;Altona’s early competitive education—how the Maroons are measuring progress beyond wins and losses during their inaugural season.</li></ul>Source:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.crjhl.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">CRJHL official site</a>.KJHL<ul><li>Standings:&nbsp;Cross Lake leads the way with a 4-1-0-1 record while Peguis is next with a record of 4-2-0-0.</li><li>Top Players:&nbsp;Keestin Danielson of the OCN Storm leads the league in scoring with 11 goals and 19 points in just four games. Darian Sinclair of the Peguis Juniors is tied in points but has just nine goals and 19 points in six games. Jayden Blacksmith of Cross Lake and Shaden Duliak of OCN are next with 18 points. Blacksmith has 12 goals and Duliak has eight goals.<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1.-darian-sinclair-peguis-juniors-11.23.57-am.jpeg">Darian Sinclair, Peguis Juniors (Photo by Ava Cameron)</li><li>Team storyline:&nbsp;It looks like it will be a battle at the top all season between Cross Lake and Peguis with Norway House and defending champion OCN challenging.</li></ul>Sources:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.keystonejr.ca/leagues/standings.cfm?clientid=4338&amp;leagueid=18880&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com">KJHL standings</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.keystonejr.ca/leagues/schedules.cfm?clientID=4338&amp;leagueID=18880">KJHL schedule</a>.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://keystonejr.ca">keystonejr.ca</a>MWJHL<ul><li>Key results:&nbsp;Silvertips beat the Grey Owls 4-3 on October 15 and Western 6-3 on October 17. Polar Ice defeated Prairie Blaze 7-3, then handled visiting Thunder Bay 4-1.</li><li>Standings:&nbsp;Polar Ice sits first at 6-1 with 12 points and a five-game winning streak. Unbeaten-in-regulation Manitoba Blizzard is one point back at 5-0-1; Prairie Blaze follows with nine points.</li><li>Player watch:&nbsp;Polar’s Maisie Duffin leads the league with 16 points. Silvertips’ Chloe Nicolas has 14, while teammate Taylor Audette leads everyone with 10 goals.</li><li>Goaltending:&nbsp;Northern Stars’ Jordyn Nepinak-Sargent owns a .971 save percentage and 0.98 goals-against average; Blizzard’s Sofia Lund is at .967 and 1.00.</li><li>Feature angle:&nbsp;“The last line of defence” — Manitoba’s remarkable early goaltending numbers and the development paths behind Nepinak-Sargent, Lund and Polar Ice’s Victoria Johnson.</li></ul>Source:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.themwjhl.ca/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">MWJHL official site</a>.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://themwjhl.ca">themwjhl.ca</a>MFHL U18 AAA<ul><li>Players of the Week:&nbsp;Evan Boulanger of the Central Plains Capitals was named the MFHL U18 AAA Forward of the Week while Kasia Baranyk of the Westman Wildcats was named Defender of the Week and goalie Sannon Hees of Central Plains was Goalie of the Week.</li><li>Pembina Valley on the road:&nbsp;At the Tradition NIT in Minnesota, the Hawks lost 2-0 to Team Colorado and 2-0 to Atlantic Coast Academy on October 17. Those were tournament games and did not affect MFHL standings.</li><li>Feature angle:&nbsp;“The value of going south” — what Manitoba teams gain from American showcase tournaments in competition, exposure and recruitment.</li></ul>Sources:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mfhlu18aaa.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">MFHL U18 AAA</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.pvhawksfemale.com/teams/default.asp?p=schedule&amp;s=hockey&amp;u=PVHAWKSFEMALE&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com">Pembina Valley schedule</a>.CSSHL — Manitoba programsRINK Winnipeg<ul><li>The Female U18 Prep team routed Pilot Mound 13-0 on October 17. Rowyn Street produced four goals and two assists, while Morgan Gage scored four times and added an assist.</li><li>The week’s leading story:&nbsp;Payton Chornley recorded a goal and two assists in her first CSSHL game since February 21, 2025, following a season away while battling cancer.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.csshl.ca/game-day-recap-october-17-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Canadian Sport School Hockey League</a></li><li>Pilot Mound answered one day later with a 5-3 victory. Street scored twice for RINK.</li><li>RINK’s U15 Prep team recorded three convincing victories, including 8-2 over Northern Alberta Xtreme and 7-2 over OHA Edmonton. Nash Smook scored a hat trick against NAX; Lyrik Selch had two goals Sunday.</li><li>The U17 team lost twice to NAX, including a 6-5 overtime defeat after leading 5-2 through two periods.</li></ul>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Feature priorities:&nbsp;Chornley’s courageous return is the clear first call. Pilot Mound’s overnight response to a 13-goal defeat offers another strong piece on resilience, coaching and dressing-room leadership.Pilot Mound<ul><li>The Female U18 Prep team’s rebound from a 13-0 loss to a 5-3 victory over the same opponent within 24 hours was the program’s defining result. Gracie Bray scored twice and Bella Ferguson supplied the third-period winner.</li><li>U17 earned one point in a 2-1 overtime loss to OHA Edmonton. Nixon Gabruck scored for Pilot Mound.</li><li>U15 Prep’s Dane Magwood produced three points in a 6-4 loss to OHA Edmonton and added a goal and assist against NAX.</li><li>Goaltender Tyne Derkach stopped 46 of 51 shots in Sunday’s U17 Prep loss.</li></ul>Balmoral Hall<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/5.-brannagh-rae.jpg">Brannagh Rae of the Blazers (Photo by James Carey Lauder)<ul><li>Outstanding Start:&nbsp;The Blazers are off to a tremendous start, going 3-0-0 to open the 2026-27 season. The Blazers beat Delta Black, the RINK Kelowna and Shawnigan 4-3 in overtime. The Blazers play again on Oct. 31, against Northern Alberta Xtreme.</li><li>Top players: Brannagh Rae leads the Blazers in scoring after the first three games with three goals and five points. Lydia Hill and Rachel Lyver each have two goals and three points.</li></ul>Sources:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.csshl.ca/game-day-recap-october-17-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">CSSHL October 17 recap</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.csshl.ca/game-day-recap-october-18-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">CSSHL October 18 recap</a>.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.csshl.ca/game-day-recap-october-17-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Canadian Sport School Hockey League</a>

The Brief: Chornley has an Amazing Return while Kostiuk and Duffin have been Terrific

<h1>Free event at Dakota Fieldhouse will feature more than 30 sport and community organizations</h1>Manitobans of all abilities will have an opportunity to discover new sports, try adaptive equipment and connect with local organizations this weekend as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://ascmanitoba.ca/about/">Accessible Sport Connection Manitoba</a> (ASC Manitoba) hosts its 2026 Adaptive Sport Expo.The free event takes place this Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Dakota Fieldhouse, located at the Jonathan Toews Sportsplex at 1188 Dakota Street in Winnipeg. More than 30 sport, recreation and community organizations are expected to participate, offering visitors a chance to experience a variety of adaptive sports and learn about accessible recreational opportunities throughout the province.Among the participating organizations are Manitoba Wheelchair Sports Association, Manitoba Blind Sports Association, Winnipeg Blind Hockey, Wheelchair Basketball, Athletics Manitoba, Golf Manitoba and Para Storm Swim Club. Representatives from Winnipeg Trails Association, Manitoba Possible, Variety Manitoba and several other community groups will also be on hand."We will have over 30 organizations in one place, all at the same time, and it will be an opportunity for everyone to learn about the different sports and recreation options that are available for people of varying abilities," said ASC Manitoba Executive Director Cam MacDonald.For MacDonald, the opportunity to introduce Manitobans to adaptive sport is particularly meaningful. Born with cerebral palsy, he knows firsthand the impact that access to sport can have on someone's life.Growing up, MacDonald recalls learning about an accessible swimming program largely through word of mouth. That introduction to the sport eventually helped pave the way for an international swimming career, which included representing Canada twice and earning a bronze medal at the 2014 ParaPan-Pacific Swim Championships."I think back to when I was a kid, and it was by word of mouth that I heard about the opportunity to join a swim program for people with cerebral palsy," he said. "Now there are so many more options, and with Sport Manitoba truly invested in ASC, things are really looking bright for adaptive sports in the province."Founded in 2018, ASC Manitoba serves as a central hub for accessible sport and recreation across the province, connecting Manitobans with disabilities to opportunities ranging from introductory recreational activities to competitive athletics.Funded primarily by Sport Manitoba, the registered Canadian charity works alongside community partners to promote inclusive programming, organize adaptive sport events and recognize achievements through its annual H.E.A.R.T. Awards.For MacDonald, the organization's work extends well beyond introducing people to new activities. It is about creating connections, building relationships and ensuring more Manitobans have opportunities to participate."We are all about connecting people to different sports and building community," he said. "We want to empower people to reach their full potential and create a society with full participation that seeks to remove as many barriers as possible. It's all about enabling people to reach their potential!"Admission to Saturday's expo is free, something MacDonald says is essential to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to attend."It is crucial that attendees do not face financial pressures when it comes to attending these events, so we make it possible for everyone to attend the event for free," he said.Additional information is available through <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://ascmanitoba.ca/event/accessible-sport-expo-2026/">ASC Manitoba's official event page</a>.

ICE Star Benson Named WHL Player of the Week

Read Next

GAME ON GAME RECAP: WINNIPEG JETS 1 Florida Panthers 5 | 2 days ago

St. James, Beausejour, the Blizzard and Balmoral Hall Off to Near-Flawless Starts | 2 days ago

Habs and the Heritage Classic are big Winners on a Wonderful Night in Winnipeg | 4 days ago

Jets send Hellebuyck to Devils, Get Four Players including Mercer and two Draft Picks | 6 days ago

Hawks and Jets Hockey Development Partner to Grow and Improve the Game in Charleswood | 6 days ago

Meet Dylan Bauknecht: The Riels' New Captain Has Plenty to Smile About | 8 days ago

Three Manitobans Get the Call as Canada Goes for Gold in Denmark | 9 days ago

The Brief: Chornley has an Amazing Return while Kostiuk and Duffin have been Terrific | 9 days ago

Adaptive Sport Expo Returns to Winnipeg This Saturday | 9 days ago

The NHL Is Building Something Special in Winnipeg And The League Wants the World to See It | 10 days ago

Carter Brooks

Comments

Top Contributors

Trending Now