The Manitoba Junior Hockey League is in full swing, and Commissioner Kevin Saurette says the league overall is in a solid place and trending to even greater heights. Early impressions "It's obviously been an exciting time of year," Saurette says with a smile. "With opening weekend and building to those opening day rosters, watching teams go through their exhibition season, and seeing which players are returning, which new young players are entering the league, and new players from other leagues. So, obviously, culminating with opening weekend and big attendances and home openers and lots of excitement. So, now I think we're starting to settle into the league a little bit and having a little clearer picture of where things are after the number of games that we've played so far. But I think there's been some very good hockey, very competitive. There are a lot of high-end players in the league this year, both young and old, and a lot of players that came back to the MJHL. In some cases, there's always that aura that the grass is greener. I think players, families, and advisors are starting to understand that the grass is perfectly as green as you need in the MJHL. It's a league that provides opportunities, development, and exposure for players to advance to all levels, not only major junior, NCAA, U-Sport, and pros. I think obviously lots of work to do. There are a few lopsided games that you know we're keeping an eye on. You don't want to see that so much, but there are obviously some very, very good organizations and teams that are off to great starts. I think it's just going to ramp up with, you know, wins are just that much more important early on because you know the teams are going for wins, and they're going to be uber competitive, so that just shows that if you're not ready to play in this league, you're not going to win very many games." Young stars taking center stage With many younger players getting opportunities to play a large role on teams, Saurette says the league is in a good place to allow young talent to flourish. "I think it's great, and I think it's something that we'll see more of as we move along. Everything under the NCAA ruling and how that's shaking out, from the NCAA league, the major junior leagues, USHL, I think, naturally, we're going to get younger and have so many high-end young players. Obviously, they see the league as a league of choice, and I've said it many times in years past, the MJHL was maybe a second, third, or fourth option for players and families. We're now much more of a first or second choice option, still knowing that we're a development league and we're advancing players to higher levels, as mentioned earlier. But, now the onus is on the teams and the organizations. You know, if you have to run a program of choice, you have to make sure that you're a place where you can recruit high-end players. You have to provide these players the opportunity and the resources, and the development to give them the opportunity to advance to the higher levels. Obviously, at the end of the day, it's up to the players and how much they want it, what they're putting into it, and the drive that they have. But as a league, we have to make sure that from top to bottom, we are all providing programs of choice, which is just going to make the league be much, much more of a league of choice for these young players and families. So, it's really exciting, full circle to have these young players, the talent in the league, and I think it's just going to grow from there." Attendance For the most part, the MJHL has had solid attendance numbers to start the year, and Saurette believes it's for a couple of reasons. "Obviously, the on-ice product is very crucial," he says with a grin. "I think people know that these young players, especially in the majority of our leagues, are all in more rural centres or cities within the province, that these players are role models and ambassadors for their community. They are out and about, into volunteering their time as much as they can, obviously taking into account a very busy schedule on the ice. A lot of kids are taking school and being student-athletes off the ice. So, you know, when you have that and then these communities, I think a lot of people don't realize how much of a community event MJHL games are. Having families and I love going to games and seeing young kids running around the rinks. You have families, and everyone knows each other. It's kind of a social event, and it's fun hockey. It gives them a chance to root for their hometown team and for these young players who live in the community. Again, the hockey is very, very high-end. I think people lose sight of that. The MJHL is very elite, and the quality of players in the league now, across the league, has risen almost exponentially in the last 10, 15 years. So, it's a great on-ice product. It's a great game day experience. It's a community event, and it's a chance for the community to support these young heroes who are representing their community across the MJHL. Concerns Everything is not perfect, some teams have not had a great start, but Saurette says you have to look deeper than the scores at the end of the night. "Yeah, it's something you're obviously always going to be cognizant of, and you're watching, and you're trying to understand, you know, what the issues are. It's still early in the season, but at the end of the day, you want every team and every game to be very competitive. So, I'm watching very closely in the sense, along with the Board of Governors, and it's nothing threatening, but it's you want every game to be competitive in the MJHL, and yes, it's early in the season, but we expect that gap to start closing. But, like I said, at the end of the day, it's up to the organizations individually to make sure that they're at the level, at the standard to compete in this league, on and off the ice, day in and day out. It's definitely something that we're watching. You know, I know Swan Valley I think had a big overtime win over the weekend, and the Blues and the Monarchs played each other Sunday. So, it's just once you get into the season and teams are picking up wins, but my concern and my biggest thought is that as long as you see improvement day in and day out with these organizations and the players are given a good opportunity in a good environment, then you know you can't, it can't always be focused on the scores. You just want to see constant improvement day in and day out." Western All-Star Challenge The MJHL and SJHL will combine for the Western All-Star Challenge, and Saurette says he can't wait to see all the talent from both leagues. "It's a great event. I mean, obviously, it's the top 19 and under players from the MJHL and the SJHL, a 20-man roster from the MJHL and a 20-man roster from the SJHL, and it'll be run by Team Canada West staff, which, you know, I expect to be announced in the next few days. Really, it's a precursor event. It's obviously a showcase and exposure event, but it's a precursor selection camp event for Team Canada West. To represent Hockey Canada at the World Junior Challenge in Quebec in December. So, very elite, very intense. Last year was great. With the MJHL, we had a very, very young team there and did very, very well at that. It's something I know the players are looking forward to, and obviously, for myself, it's great to work with our partners in the SJHL, and it's just great to see high-end elite athletes competing for what they hope is a roster spot on Team Canada West. Obviously, for scouts alike, the Western Hockey League used for the NCAA, that's a huge event for them because they get to see the best of the best 19 and under players from two leagues under one roof." Moving forward as a league As for where Saurette would like the league to go over the next few weeks and months, he says it's all about being competitive nightly. "I mean you just want high-level hockey. You know you want high-level development situations and environments for these players across. Every organization, the standard has to rise for everyone, and you want teams pushing the I think parity's always been a top feature in the MJHL, and I expect that to continue. I expect teams to find their game and become more competitive. Push for those final playoff spots, and I expect teams at the top right now to continue to push and fight and be very competitive for their scores and standings within each division for the playoffs. If you look at the league, the last five years we've had five different champions, and we've had unique stories. We've had huge matchups in semifinals. We had a game seven last year that went to triple overtime with two teams from the West. It was our sixth place team that won the league overall. So, there has been amazing parity and very competitive hockey, and I expect attendance to stay steady and to grow as it always does towards the playoffs in the second half of, but all in all, we want to be the best development league for Junior A, and it's up to all of us to push that standard from the league level down, from the team down, from the coaches down to the players down, and that's my expectation as we continue on here."