New Team Day

Every July 1 marks the day that NHL general managers lose their minds, commit bank vaults of money to players whose value rose based upon one or two seasons of play, and everyone seems to enjoy this chaos. Personally, it's madness when you see third- and fourth-line players getting ludicrous deals, so I always make this day about the players who are receiving scholarship monies to better their future in the Canada West Conference. It is "new team day" as we hit the summer running, so let's find out what the nine women's hockey programs across western Canada are doing with their money when it comes to attracting talent through recruiting efforts.

I want to be clear that while I'm happy there are a large number of players linked to schools this year, the fact that rosters are staying as deep as they are means a lot of girls are sitting and watching rather than playing. I'm not here to kill roster spots for anyone nor would I want to see less girls getting opportunities to play, but having ten players sitting in the pressbox seems like a lot of players are just practice players. In that vein, something has to give.

However, we're not here to change the rules today as we have nine schools bringing on a number of excellent players. Some of these players may never end up at the schools to which they've committed for various reasons, and others may not skate in a regular season game depending on how they perform under their coach's watch. With the number of players coming into these nine schools, I wonder how many players have either graduated or walked away from the game. The latter is certainly more concerning for the game.

Let's get to the good stuff, though, as these lists of players have been curated from U SPORTS' Letters of Eligibility list, various websites, and those nine teams' social media accounts. We'll go in alphabetical order by school just to be fair, so here are your list of incoming recruits that I've been able to identify. Players bolded and listed in yellow are players who have already used up some of their eligibility.

Canada West Recruits

Alberta Pandas

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Chayse Melnyk	St. Albert	AB	D	2	7
Holly Magnus	T-O Lakers	BC	F	8	13
Brayden Stewart	Northern Alberta	AB	D	3	10
Mackenzie Dojahn	Lakeland Coll.	AB	G	1.68	.932
Anna-Liese King	Dartmouth	NH	D	1	4

The Pandas have an interesting strategy as it seems that interim head coach Darren Bilawchuk inked a few players from around Edmonton before Howie Draper returned as the head coach and brought in former NCAA rearguard Annie King. King will skate for two seasons in Alberta at the maximum, but she gives Draper another weapon alongside Ankor and Tews. The goalie situation gets a little stronger as Glover and Rey will be joined by ACAC veteran Mackenzie Dojahn who sported a 15-4-0 record last season with Lakeland College in the ACAC. Holly Magnus looks every bit the kind of forward that Draper likes as she's quick, finds scoring spots, and will pressure defenders on the forecheck. Both Melnyk and Stewart will round out a solid blue line which will be one of Alberta's biggest strengths this season.

Calgary Dinos

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Jaecia Joyce	Red Deer	AB	D	8	15
Hannah Reagh	Yellowhead	MB	F	13	17
Makenna Schafer	Calgary	AB	F	6	9
Eden Carius	Notre Dame	SK	F	7	10
April Klarenbach	Edge	AB	F	12	14

Head coach Josh Gosling brought in a pile of scoring to replace some of the outgoing graduates. Hannah Reagh led Yellowhead in scoring in Manitoba while both Carius and Klarenbach were near the top of the stats page for each of their teams. Jaecia Joyce is a solid offensive defender that Calgary can desperately use in pushing the puck up the ice, and I like the addition of Makenna Schafer whose two-way play will always be a valued asset.

MacEwan Griffins

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Sasha Malenfant	Notre Dame	SK	F	11	15
Aspen Checknita	Northern Alberta	AB	D	1	2
Jaida Powell	North Shore	BC	F	6	13
Karington Mollin	Delta	BC	F	17	13
Mikayla Christmann	Saskatoon	SK	G	1.78	.925
Megan Dolynchuk	Northern Alberta	AB	F	6	7
Sydney Jack	Olds Coll. (ACAC)	AB	F	7	7

Head coach Chris Leeming wanted more goal-scoring last season, and he brought it in with Sasha Malenfant and Karington Mollin. Powell and Dolynchuk will provide depth and solid work ethics, and Sydney Jack is looking to replicate her sister's successes after transferring in from Olds College in the ACAC. Aspen Checknita is a responsible, defensive defender who could be the team's stopper in the future, and Mikayla Christmann will push MacEwan's netminding to a higher level this season with her play and competitiveness.

Manitoba Fluffy Cows

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Seanna Price	Winnipeg Avros	MB	F	3	5
Kelsey Huibers	Westman	MB	F	8	12
Addison Vines	Westman	MB	D	1	11
Evangeline Hill	Swift Current	SK	F	9	9
Paige Fisher	Swift Current	SK	G	2.78	.910
Kurtia Yetman	Balmoral Hall	SK	D	0	2

With the head coach returning and Jordy Zacharias being moved back to the assistant coach position, it's hard to figure out what the recruiting strategy for this team is. Kelsey Huibers should find the net with her talents, and Addison Vines is a solid, puck-moving defender who skates well. Hill plays a physical game and can pot goals, Price is a solid two-way player who could be a defensive stopper, and Yetman is a physical defender who can fill a shutdown role. Fisher will round out the trio of goalies this season, but she'll need to elevate her game to bump one of the two netminders in front of her. If the rumoured return of a veteran player is true, the chances of playing time just went down for the forwards in this recruiting class.

Mount Royal Cougars

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Breanne Comte	Winnipeg Ice	MB	D	1	11
Brielle Minish	Saskatoon	SK	D	2	16

If this seems like a small recruiting class for the Cougars, you're right and I suspect head coach Scott Rivett has more players to announce. However, the Cougars have secured two solid defenders in puck-moving, gap-closing Breanne Comte and offensively-minded, defensively-responsible Brielle Minish. Both players will be worked into the solid Cougars defender group as the season progresses, but having that depth on the blue line could prove valuable for the Cougars in seasons to come as well.

Regina Cougars

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Amy Swayze	Weyburn	SK	G	3.89	.903
Quinn Sutherland	St. Mary's	MB	D	1	4
Kiah Shields	Weyburn	SK	F	10	5
Cassidy Peters	Swift Current	SK	F	5	5
Meg Farmer	Winnipeg Ice	MB	D	2	10
Maggie-Kate Fitzpatrick	North Shore	BC	F	9	15
Jules Stokes	Rink	MB	D	3	8

Most of Regina's recruits were signed by former head coach Sarah Hodges, so we'll have to see how they fare under new interim coach Brandy West-McMaster. The Cougars will benefit by adding two leading scorers for their teams as Weyburn's Kiah Shields and North Shore's Maggie-Kate Fitzpatrick have shown they have some offensive flair. Defensively, Jules Stokes and Meg Farmer are solid, responsible defenders who can add some offence, and Quinn Sutherland will add size and defensive awareness to the blue line. Cassidy Peters will give the forward ranks a two-way, defensively-responsible player, and goalie Amy Swayze will compete with Lexi Peace for playing time behind Arden Kliewer and Natalie Williamson.

Saskatchewan Huskies

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Avery Gottselig	Regina	SK	D	5	31
Clara Juca	Etobicoke	ON	G	1.13	.937
Jaiyana Nurani	Calgary	AB	F	7	4
Kaysah Nurani	Calgary	AB	F	8	6
Aeryn Flanagan	Edmonton	AB	D	3	5
Haley Braun	Saskatoon	SK	F	19	29
Hallie Franklin	Westman	SK	D	3	15

It's hard to argue that head coach Steve Kook didn't bring in the top recruiting class in western Canada this season. He'll get scoring and toughness out of Saskatoon leading scorer Haley Braun. He adds an incredible offensive defender in Avery Gottselig. Getting the Nurani twins adds immediate chemistry between the two, and they'll be effective two-way players for the Huskies. Flanagan's and Franklin's numbers don't appear to be big on the offensive side of the puck, but both players are excellent defenders who can move the puck. Clara Juca might be the immediate replacement for Camryn Drever as the 18 year-old was one of the top netminders in the U22 OWHL. In short, Saskatchewan has a ton of talent coming into their program.

Trinity Western Spartans

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Kelsey Ledoux	Saskatoon	SK	D	5	20
Cailin Yackel	Balmoral Hall	MB	F	3	3
Ashley Breitkreuz	Regina	SK	F	11	13
Emily Karpan	Regina	SK	D	1	16
Olivia Davidson	Edmonton	AB	G	1.36	.930
Chayse Kullman	Calgary	AB	D	3	14
Reese Sisklovic	T-O Lakers	BC	G	1.87	n/a
Charlotte Swanton	Mount Allison	NB	F	0	2
Kyra Anderson	St. Anselm Coll.	NH	F	1	1

If you're thinking that this is a large recruiting class for Trinity Western, there were some players who reportedly called it quits following last season. Ashley Breitkreuz will look to add some scoring while Karpan, Ledoux, and Kullman will push the offence from the blue line. Cailin Yackel joins her big sister on the Spartans where those two should find some chemistry. Davidson and Sisklovic will battle for time in the crease, and both are capable of winning big games for the Spartans. Charlotte Swanton returns to the west coast after a season with the AUS's Mount Allison Mounties, and Regina native Kyra Anderson comes back to Canada after skating for one season at St. Anselm College in the NCAA.

UBC Thunderbirds

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Vanessa Schaefer	ZSC Lions	CH	F	11	11
Mya Lucifora	Whitby	ON	G	1.70	.930
Kasundra Betinol	Colgate	NY	F	10	3
Devyn Millwater	St. Cloud State	MN	D	1	3

Perhaps no one in Canada West can match the international power that UBC often has on its roster, but Swiss national team player and Vancouver-born Vanessa Schaefer will join the program. She'll be joined by Chinese national team player and Okotoks-born Kassy Betinol who has two seasons of NCAA play under her belt. Speaking of the NCAA, Victoria's Devyn Millwater will return to patrol the UBC blue line after three seasons with St. Cloud State. Mya Lucifor joins the Thunderbirds to push the goaltenders a little harder after the 19 year-old spent the last two seasons in the U22 OWHL.

If I missed any players, feel free to reach out in the comments or via email and I'll add those players into the mix. As it stands, these are all the players I've seen, heard, and read about when it came to the recruiting efforts of the nine teams in Canada West, and it appears we'll have another exciting group of players joining the fun out west. Congratulations to all the recruits on finding new homes for next season, and we'll see you on the ice in October!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!