Your 2020-21 Manitoba Bisons

After a run of success that brought the Manitoba Bisons a U SPORTS National Championship banner, a Canada West Championship banner, and two visits to the U SPORTS National Championship, the rebuild began last year after a number of players graduated out of the program. There were certainly some bumps along the road last season that saw the Bisons not register a goal for over 300 minutes of hockey, but there were also some breakthroughs and high points to celebrate. For a team that has a pile of young players, the learning curve to play at the ultra-competitive Canada West level will always be there, but head coach Jon Rempel seems to have the Bisons on the right path when it comes to returning to the heights they recently experienced.

In order to save my behind from many complaints, this roster you see above isn't anything to take as gospel. Jon Rempel's experience and knowledge about who to deploy and with whom would fill a room while my knowledge and information would fill a thimble. Stick with Jon's lineup when he produces it, but this video-game version of the Bisons gives you a good idea of who is skating for them had there been a season.

There is a massive goal-scoring hole on this lineup with Jordyn Zacharias graduating, but the emergence of Kate Gregoire would appear to fill that hole on the roster nicely while Émilie Massé's contributions could fill that need if she can be consistent. In addition, the Bisons recruited some legitimate goal scorers and point producers in Aimee Patrick, Kylie Lesuk, Brenna Nicol, and Jena Barscello, so there will be competition for jobs in camp which should push players to be better. The blue line has a good mix of veteran players, but the Bisons will need to get offensive contributions from this group regularly. The goaltending situation seems to be in Erin Fargey's hands when it comes to carrying the load, and she proved that she can be a quality starter in Canada West when given the chance. If she does falter or need a break, the Kimmy Davidson-Meagan Relf tandem appears to very capable as replacements depending on which goalie Jon chooses to have in the blue paint.

Here are the 27 players who would have worn the Bisons logo on their uniforms this season in hockey card form. The only player who seemingly avoided any good hockey card "in-game" photo was Brenna Nicol, but I'm sure that will be corrected whenever the Bisons hit the ice. You may notice that Katie Chatyrbok has a "RW" on her card regarding her position, and that's due to me making her card some time ago. She likely will play the wing, but she's not limited to one position up front from what we've seen in her career.

2020-21 Manitoba Bisons Women's Hockey Team

Rebuilding a university-level program usually takes a few years, but the Bisons laid the groundwork for that rebuild last season before adding some very nice pieces to the roster this season despite not having games to play. Will the Bisons be in contention for a banner in 2021-22? That seems unlikely, but the Bisons do look poised to return to those heights in the coming years. With a young group gaining experience with every game, Bisons fans should expect a good playoff push in 2021-22 as this team looks to reclaim its spot in the upper echelon of Canada West teams in the years to come!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!