Fly Like An Eagle

Colour me surprised that another former Winnipeg Jets forward was making news in July, but it seems that the mustard-eating Mark Letestu, pictured to the left, has himself a new role in the AHL! No, he's not making a comeback for his playing career, but Letestu is moving from the Cleveland Monsters where he spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach to the Colorado Eagles where he'll assume the head coaching role after Aaron Schneekloth left for a position with the Seattle Kraken.

Letestu was hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2021-22 as their development coach and as the Cleveland Monsters' assistant coach, and he's overseen the development of players such as Liam Foudy, Trey Fix-Wolansky, Jet Greaves, Owen Sillinger, and Daniil Tarasov to name a few. While the cupboards have mostly been bare for the Blue Jackets over the last few seasons, players like Jake Christiansen and David Jiříček saw big improvements to their games come in the Cleveland system. That's not all Letestu, but he had a hand in it.

Rather than working with the new additions to the Blue Jackets' depth chart, Letestu joins the Colorado Eagles who finished atop the AHL's Pacific Division with a 43-21-8 record before falling in five games in the best-of-five Pacific Division Final to the eventual Calder Cup champion Abbotsford Canucks. Needless to say, Letestu's coming into an organization that's hungry for more success.

"We're excited to welcome Mark to the Avalanche and Eagles family," Avalanche Assistant General Manager Kevin McDonald stated in the release today. "Mark has quickly established himself as up-and-coming coach in the American Hockey League and we feel he’s the perfect fit to lead the Eagles moving forward."

You might be wondering who Letestu will lean on when it comes to star players, and I don't think he'll have to worry about defender Jacob MacDonald filling that role after he scored 31 goals and 55 points this season. If he somehow isn't skating for the Avalanche next season, MacDonald will be a nightmare for goalies once again.


Letestu's development role will see him work with 77th-overall selection in defender Francesco Dell'Elce if he opts to leave UMass-Amherst this season. Adding another dynamic defender to complement the work of MacDonald would certainly be a boost for the Eagles as Dell'Elce was named a Hockey East All-Rookie Team member while finishing tied for second in the NCAA in scoring among freshmen defensemen. Colorado always seems to find good scoring threats from the blue line, and Dell'Elce continues that trend.

He may also get a shot to work with the 118th-overall selection in Swedish defender Linus Funck and the 214th-overall selection in forward Nolan Roed. Both look like capable skaters in the AHL with some solid upside to get them to the next level, but it will come down to hard work and dedication along with some quality coaching and development from Letestu if and when they get to the AHL level.

"I am very grateful to both the Avalanche and Eagles for this opportunity," Letestu said in the release. "I am excited and ready for this challenge to lead their AHL franchise. Thank you to the Kroenke family, Joe Sakic, Chris MacFarland and Kevin McDonald for their trust in me, as well as a big thank you to Martin Lind, Ryan Bach and the entire Eagles organization. Most importantly thanks to my family for all of their support throughout my playing career and now my coaching career. I can’t wait to get the season going."

He may have only played seven games in a Winnipeg Jets uniform, but it's always nice to see a former player come full circle by becoming a coach and imparting his experiences and wisdom on the next generation of players. I can't say that he'll demand to have mustard packets on the bench for the Colorado Eagles next season, but Mark Letestu has shown that he has the drive to make players better. In turn, that should make the Eagles better and, ultimately, the Avalanche better as both teams seek more championships.

This season, Mark Letestu will spread his coaching wings as he looks to push his team to new heights in making the Eagles soar!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

He'll Raleigh The Hurricanes

I'll be completely honest in saying that I'm extremely disappointed that Nikolaj Ehlers will wear the colours of the Carolina Hurricanes for potentially the next six years. He was must-see hockey for the Jets most nights as he often found creative ways to score and setup his teammates with the Jets. Having that talent move to Carolina hurts because that's a hole in the lineup that simply can't be fixed via free agency for the Jets. And for as much as hockey is a business where players have a short window to get paid well for playing the game, Nikolaj Ehlers is now another former Winnipeg Jets player who loved playing in Winnipeg, but will now play somewhere else. Why can the Jets not retain these players?

According to Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, he was told on Wednesday evening by Ehlers' camp that the Danish sniper would not be returning to Winnipeg. As noted in a TSN article, Cheveldayoff stated that "the club would put it's 'best foot forward' in trying to make Ehlers a Jet for life," but that clearly did not happen after he told Cheveldayoff on Wednesday in "an emotional conversation" that he was leaving for greener pastures elsewhere.

This was a team that knew that Ehlers was going to be a free agent, and they appeared to sit on their hands while doing nothing to prevent it all season long. It makes you wonder what they'll do to re-sign Kyle Connor with his pending free agency on the books for next summer. And you have to think that Ehlers leaving might affect the statuses of players like Gabe Vilardi, Dylan Samberg, and Morgan Barron who remain unsigned as we hit the first weekend of July.

None of that matters now, though, because Ehlers' statement to head coach Scott Arniel likely said a lot more than just how the words read. Arniel, after speaking to Ehlers, stated on Thursday, "He just felt the biggest thing for him was he needed a change of scenery. It wasn't based on the city or the hockey team. He felt like he had been here a long time and this was his one chance to make a change."

Again, "a change of scenery" and "one chance to make a change" speak louder than anything else because it sounds like Ehlers wanted more opportunities to be a difference-maker, and it seems Carolina is willing to give him that opportunity. For a guy that was eighth-overall in even-strength ice time for forwards on the Jets despite being third in points-per-sixty-minutes, you can understand why Ehlers might be looking for that change of scenery. When Mason Appleton had more average even-strength ice time than Ehlers by over half a minute, you can start to see why Ehlers may not have been excited to return.

The other part of the statement - "It wasn't based on the city or the hockey team" - seems to indicate that he liked the city and he liked his teammates. Like his good friend Patrik Laine, Ehlers seemed to take to Winnipeg like he was back home in Denmark. Fans adored him, he was allowed to live his life without a lot of fanfare, and everything pointed to Ehlers seemingly being a Winnipegger for his entire career, if not for life. However, like Laine, he's now playing in a city not named Winnipeg, and it seems that the people running the Jets are most responsible for that. In that respect, why do the Jets seemingly push out players who like living and playing in Winnipeg?

You can't tell me that the Jets didn't have the cap space to not only outbid Carolina, but they also could have offered more term to keep Ehlers in Winnipeg colours. You can't tell me that the fanbase who were refreshing social media every few minutes since free agency opened on July 1 weren't dying to see a re-signing announcement. And yet the Jets knew on Wednesday night that Ehlers had moved on when it came to their chances to re-sign him, citing that "change of scenery" that he needed despite liking the city and team.

I should note that he never came out and publicly said, "I love Winnipeg," but it also doesn't matter at this point because he's a Carolina Hurricanes winger. Perhaps I'm reading far too much into what wasn't said in his statement to both Cheveldayoff and Arniel, but I still am baffled they didn't lock the winger up long before he hit free agency with a deal that would have made sense for both Ehlers and the team. Frankly, if I were an NHL general manager, core pieces that are vital to the success of my team wouldn't ever become available on the open market. This might be why I'm not a GM.

In any case, the Jets are now in their post-Ehlers era, and that second line that the Jets once thought could work with Ehlers, Namestnikov, and Perfetti will now need to be overhauled entirely with the best player of the trio skating for another team. The Jets' power-play will likely take a step back after losing one of their most consistent playmakers on the top unit, and zone entries and exits will be a concern without a confident skater like Ehlers moving the puck.

The Carolina Hurricanes are getting a good player in Nikolaj Ehlers, and congratulations to him for signing his six-year, $51 million deal. I hope he plays alongside Seth Jarvis next season where those two can become a dynamic duo of speed, skill, tenacity, and scoring for the Hurricanes as they try to get over the Eastern Conference Final bump that keeps tripping them up. Ehlers can help in that regard, and I'm hopeful the former Jets winger finds a ton of success in Rod Brind'Amour's systems. All the best, Nikolaj! Give 'em hell in Carolina!

For the Jets, they lose a creative, unpredicatable-at-times scoring threat who made everyone he played with on the ice better. You don't find players like that everyday, so losing Ehlers will have an impact on the team next season and will likely move them out of the Stanley Cup contender discussion entirely as the Jets need to make up 30 goals and 70 points from somewhere. Good luck with that.

But at least they signed a 37 year-old centerman who has been out of hockey since April 13, 2023. That should solve their scoring problems.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 667

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight to look at all the fun that NHL teams had in the past week when it came to adding new players, losing players, drafting players, and simply playing the player movement game. A few general managers threw caution to the wind and signed players to deals that may raise eyebrows while others seemingly sat on their hands (local GMs included) while players spalshed ink on new contracts. The decentralized NHL Entry Draft was hyped to be something special, but was it? Our hosts will dive into all these topics tonight on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, like the two lads to the left, Teebz and Jason jump into the water to discuss the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, who got better, a few surprises, and our thoughts on the decentralized format of the draft. From there, the hosts will discuss free agency, trades, which teams could be better, which ones will not, the Nikolaj Ehlers saga which finally came to an end today, Mason Appleton finding a new home elsewhere, and a few smaller news stories that flew under the radar. Might we bring up Mitch Marner and the Golden Knights and how tampering charges were implied, but never formally made? That could happen on tonight's show as well, and the only way you'll know is if you're listening tonight to The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store. It's a solid app.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason chat about new faces in new places, GMs who opened the moneybags, GMs who turned their phones off, bad formats, bad contracts, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: July 3, 2025: Episode 667

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

How 'Bout Dem Apples?

There's a running joke in Winnipeg that if you were a grinder or bottom-six player in Winnipeg and decide to move to a new team, the Jets will always make sure you have a place to play. Mason Appleton was one of the guys that general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff brought back a couple of years after the winger was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the Seattle expansion draft, and it seemed he would be a complementary piece on the third- or fourth-line thanks to his willingness to go to the dirty areas on the ice. Somewhere along the way, though, Appleton stopped going to the front of the net, stopped battling for pucks in the corners, and stopped fighting through checks with the tenacity he once showed. Today, the winger signed with the Detroit Red Wings as his second stint with the Jets came to a close.

Some may be thinking, "Teebz is gonna unload here," but it's not that Mason Appleton wasn't a good fit in Winnipeg. The 2015 sixth-round pick by the Jets hit double-digits in goals three times including the past two seasons, and it seemed like he could be building on his 2023-24 campaign when he notched 14 goals and 36 points alongside Adam Lowry and Nino Niederreiter. Could Appleton break out on the right side of the third line and be another go-to-the-net forward?

Somewhere along the way, this season seemed to be a step back as Appleton always seemed to be a step behind the offensive play and content to shoot from the perimeter rather than finding ways to cut the distance between him and the net. Watching him in the playoffs be non-present in the offensive zone made it hard to justify his name on the gameday roster, but I suppose there was hope that he could shake off whatever was holding him back. Except he didn't.

As Appleton headed towards free agency, there were fans who made it clear they wanted a change in that third-line right wing spot. Today, that wish was granted as Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman got Mason Appleton's signature on a two-year deal worth $2.9 million annually. That open roster spot can possibly be filled by another free agent that Cheveldayoff is considering or by one of the Moose players such as Nikita Chibrikov who has shown he likely deserves a better-than-good shot at making the Jets' roster.

To say that some in Detroit were baffled by Yzerman's free agent signing would be an understatement. DetroitHockeyNow.com's Bob Duff seemed very puzzled by the move, calling it "a head-scratcher" and wondering why he was being signed to a deal that was "nearly three times what they were paying to have Fischer and Motte". Detroit Free Press writer Helene St. James called the deal "a hefty price for a forward who topped out at 14 goals" while Winging It In Motown's Kyle WIIM wasn't sure "if Appleton will make Detroit a tougher team to play against," but he was intrigued.

It's hard to imagine that Appleton will be the kind of player who hits double-digits in goals in Detroit under Todd McLellan who has never once been shy about sitting underperforming players no matter what they were being paid. Unless Appleton comes in and shows the drive and resolve to get to the net where he can be effective, he may find himself watching from the bench or the pressbox in Detroit more than he likes. This isn't about playing with the right linemates or finding his role with Detroit, but it's simply a matter of where Appleton does his best work. That's not on the perimeter of the ice.

I'm not saying that Appleton cannot or will not be an effective defensive player or penalty-killer for the Detroit Red Wings. He could prove his worth by being a shutdown guy who goes all-out on the penalty kill for his two seasons in Detroit, but it's hard to justify nearly $3 million per season for a guy who may not hit ten goals or 30 points in either season. And if that's the market value for an average-skating forward who averaged ten goals per season over the last five seasons playing on one of the best third-lines ever assembled in hockey, I seem to have missed out on my higher calling.

How 'bout dem apples?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Stellar Recruits - 2025 Edition

The image to the left is something called a "stellar vampire" where the larger star is absorbing energy from the smaller star, shrinking it in size as it is consumed. No one in our galaxy has to worry about something like this, but you can see how radiant that growing star is compared to everything around it. That's a good metaphor for me to us as we take a look at some stellar players who will be joining Canada West next season who will light up the ice and scoreboards! Let's dig into who is going where as I post the known recruiting classes for each school!

Based on who graduated and who is incoming, Canada West women's hockey will, once again, be highly competitive among all nine schools this season. Teams and players have made decisions on whether or not full eligibility options can be exercised, and we've seen some players move on as they pursue careers, explore life outside the rink, and continue to further their education opportunities. There's always turnover every summer for Canada West teams, and we need to be aware of who may win a Canada West banner this season as part of their university hockey careers. Everyone loves a winner, right?

As you read through these tables, "Current" is the previous team with which these players were associated while "Prv." is the province or state where that team is found. You'll also notice a few names in yellow. Those names in yellow are players who transferred in from other institutions who have used part of their five years of eligibility. The paragraph below the table will explain how many years those players have left in terms of being an eligible player.

With that information explained, here are all the known or announced players joining the nine Canada West teams in 2025-26.

Canada West Recruits

Alberta Pandas

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Emma Power	Balmoral Hall	MB	F	7	7
Kate Williams	Notre Dame	SK	D	6	13
Kelly Stanford	NAIT	AB	F	11	19

Alberta never seems to release their entire recruiting class details until much later in the summer, but it looks like Howie Draper has the building blocks to keep the Pandas at or near the top of the standings. Power, originally from Newfoundland, got off to a quick start this past season with points in her first four games, and Coach Draper will look to make her a more consistent scoring threat. Williams has seen her point totals increase in each season, and she could be an effective power-play shooter as she had seven PPGs two seasons ago. Stanford comes in having playing one ACAC season where she was third in league scoring. She might stand at 5'4", but Stanford plays a big game while taking very few penalties. There may still be announcements from the Pandas when it comes to new troops.

Calgary Dinos

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Maisie Cope	Delta	BC	G	2.14	.922
Mackenzie Galick	Delta	BC	D	4	10
Alyssa Barrette	NWCAA (AEHL)	AB	G	2.45	.923

I've never been a fan of teams recruiting multiple goaltenders in the same year, but it seems Dinos head coach Josh Gosling has a need for goalies. Cope was posted a solid 12-win season for Delta while Barrette put up a nine-win season in the Alberta Elite Hockey League, but both netminders stand at 5'6". They're not quite that prototypical six-foot netminder, but both are very capable of winning the backup role this season. Galick will be more of a stopper for the Dinos, but the fiesty defender can push the puck when given the opportunity. I'd expect more recruit announcements by the Dinos near September.

MacEwan Griffins

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Jordana Jones	North Shore	BC	F	6	7
Jordan Brown	St. Albert	AB	D	3	7
Taya Currie	Providence	RI	G	3.24	.556
Marley Howes	SAHA	AB	D	5	18
Jayda Becker	Delta	BC	F	3	11
Ana Djordjevic	St. Albert	AB	D	0	3

Head coach Chris Leeming appears to be getting more comfortable as his recruiting class this season is quite solid. Forwards Jordana Jones and Jayda Becker will give him speed and forechecking while both have the capability to finish. They'll need to get stronger to compete against some of Canada West's defenders, but both players give the forward unit more sting. Defenders Jordan Brown and Ana Djordjevic will fortify an improving defence for the Griffins while Marley Howe gives Leeming a solid outlet pass and a good skating, two-way defender. Perhaps the biggest get was goaltender Taya Currie from the NCAA's Providence College who can take some of the work load off of both Lindsey Johnson and Mikayla Christmann. Currie, as you may recall, was the first woman selected by an OHL team in their draft, so she's quite good at stopping pucks. Don't judge her by her stats - get out to see her play next season as she'll look to help MacEwan grab their first Canada West playoff spot!

Manitoba Bisons

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Cypress Classen	Battleford	SK	G	1.49	.946
Izabella Mann	Winnipeg Ice	MB	F	21	31
Shayna Bannister	Balmoral Hall	MB	F	8	11
Sara Harbus	Notre Dame	SK	F	4	8
Sophia Heidinger	Eastman	MB	F	17	22
Julianna De Groot	Balmoral Hall	MB	D	4	19
Claire Moorman	Saskatoon	SK	D	3	12
Jenna Goertzen	Carleton	ON	G	4.17	.860

Head coach Jordan Colliton will enter the 2025-26 season with someone else's recruits, but it's her job to get the most out of these players who offer a ton of upside. Forwards Izabella Mann and Sophia Heidinger were all over the scoresheets in Manitoba, and they bring both solid two-way games and a ton of leadership to the Bisons. Sara Harbus was an excellent hustle player who showed some finishing ability, and Shayna Bannister is that tall, hard-to-move forward who has hands. Defender Julianna De Groot found her game as an excellent two-way defender while Claire Moorman is another defender who is good at both ends of the rink. With a goaltender choosing to leave Manitoba this summer, the Bisons needed more crease options, and they found those in veteran Jenna Goertzen and Cypress Classen. Goertzen was a standout netminder with the Winnipeg Avros before jumping to the OHL's Carleton Ravens while Classen was outstanding in the Battleford nets. The Bisons are stronger with this 2025 class for Colliton's first season at the helm.

Mount Royal Cougars

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Kirby Gray	Yellowhead	MB	F	15	14
Jaselyn Hojnocki	Edge	AB	D	1	6
Keyana Bert	SAHA	AB	F	16	16
Isa MacPhee	Stanstead	PQ	D	11	33
Elyse Denbow	Central Plains	MB	G	3.04	.938

Head coach Scott Rivett added some interesting players this season. Forward Kirby Gray was an offensive dynamo for a rebuilding Yellowhead team while goaltender Elysa Denbow was a large reason why Central Plains hung in games on most nights. Forward Keyana Bert showed she had a knack for scoring while being defensively responsible. Defender Isa MacPhee comes to MRU from Quebec where she was a big offensive force from the back end while defender Jaselyn Hojnicki is a good defensive defender who has shown a little offence. Coach Rivett will have another class of players incoming who can contribute to his team's success immediately.

Regina Cougars

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Sierra Meroniuk	Adelaide (AWIHL)	AU	F	6	14
Quinn McLaren	Lindenwood	MO	D	1	4
Ivy Perkin	Westman	MB	F	29	30
Brooke Fofonoff	Calgary	AB	F	4	8
Callie Hilhorst	Westman	MB	D	12	16
Felicia An	Notre Dame	SK	F	5	5
Amy Swayze	Weyburn	SK	G	2.87	.927
Kiah Shields	Weyburn	SK	F	6	9
Rayna Hennie	Swift Current	SK	D	1	6
Payton Schlamp	Lumsden (SJFHL)	SK	G	3.15	.921

Head coach Brandy West-McMaster surprisingly brought in the biggest recruiting class, but it seems she's aiming for more in 2025-26 rather than just a playoff appearance. Former NCAA player Quinn McLaren will make her blue line better, Callie Hilhorst is good on both sides of the puck, and adding another good defensive player in Rayna Hennie gives the Cougars lots of options on defence. The Cougars add speed and scoring with Ivy Perkin, former Canadian-turned-Australian professional player Sierra Meroniuk is a good scorer, and West-McMaster will get hustle, hard work, and some scoring out of all of Brooke Fofonoff, Felicia An, and Kiah Shields. Payton Schlamp adds a veteran presence to the crease while Amy Swyaze will settle in and work for starts. Regina adds all sorts of talent in their ten players!

Saskatchewan Huskies

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Kara Mitenko	Edge	AB	F	2	16
Peppi Virtanen	HPK	FI	F	9	17
Evangeline West	Winnipeg Avros	MB	D	5	22
Jessica Anderson	Pembina Valley	MB	F	24	7

With the vast majority of the team returning this season, head coach Steve Kook had a few spots to fill, but he chose to fill those spots with exceptional talent. Peppi Virtanen joins the Huskies from the Finnish Auroraliiga where they were finalists for the league championship. She's an offensive player who doesn't shy away from the defensive side of the game. Joining her up front is sniper Jessica Anderson whose 24 goals were fourth-best in the MFHL, and Kara Mitenko was was a playmaker for Edge School. The Huskies also recruited defender Evy West from the Winnipeg Avros who was outstanding at both ends of the ice. The Huskies should be stronger again this season and beyond with this class.

Trinity Western Spartans

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Keelyn Pisani	St. Albert	AB	F	4	13
Kadence Dansereau	Weyburn	SK	F	6	9
Grace Deveau	Lloydminster	AB	G	1.13	.953
Sadie Isfeld	Delta	BC	D	8	25
Maisie Kozak	Notre Dame	SK	F	13	12

Trinity Western looked solid last year, and head coach Peter Hay added more talent to his options for next year. Goaltender Grace Deveau was third in GAA and second in save percentage in the AFHL for goalies who played more than eleven games. Defender Sadie Isfeld was dynamic at both ends of the ice for Delta. Forwards Maisie Kozak had a solid season filling the nets with Notre Dame while both Keelyn Pisani and Kadence Dansereau showed solid compete levels at both ends of the ice. Coach Hay keeps finding good talent as the Spartans continue to grow as they seek their first playoff series win!

UBC Thunderbirds

Name	Current	Prv.	Pos	G/GAA	A/SV%
Audrey Church	Delta	BC	D	4	25
Elle Lorenz	Edge	AB	D	1	16
Presley Zinger	Red Deer	AB	F	6	10
Tayah Wallace	Edmonton	AB	F	9	16

The UBC Thunderbirds are looking to return to the top of Canada West, and head coach Graham Thomas added some good recruits. Both Audrey Church and Elle Lorenz can move the puck well and will get opportunities to show their defensive games. Forwards Presley Zinger and Tayah Wallace can skate and score with their games, and both will fit into Thomas' uptempo offence. UBC didn't need a lot of fixes for their roster, but these four players will make the T-Birds better next year and in years to come as they seek more banners!

Of course, it's still the offseason and priorities can change, so nothing here is written in stone. These lists are compiled from the U SPORTS Letter of Intent list, various websites with recruitment information, and the teams' social media accounts, so things can still change when it comes to where players may go. If I missed someone, please get in touch with me ASAP so I can make those additions, but I think this is a fairly complete listing of the new stars joining Canada West at this point. If I did miss someone, I apologize profusely in advance!

With the schedule out and teams preparing for September's preseason games, there's going to be a massive infusion of talent into the Canada West women's hockey conference once more this year. I'm excited to see how 2025-26 plays out, and I wish all these players and all nine teams best of luck as they get set for next season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!