The Manitoba Junior Hockey League had a number of announcements recently ranging from a new franchise to a look at how the 2021-22 MJHL season may play out schedule-wise.

MJHL Commissioner Kevin Saurette says that having a team coming to Niverville is great on many levels. "It's an exciting time for the league and for the community. It's been a long time coming to get to this point. After many years of discussion with that group and obviously from (a league) standpoint, Niverville's been a community we've been targeting as a potential MJHL market that would be very successful. Talking with their group over the past couple of years, they've been very professional, they've done everything we've asked of them, they've been very diligent in their process as have we and it's all culminated with the brand new facility opening later this summer. They have a lot of pride in their community and a lot of community support already and we look forward to working with them in advance of puck drop on their 2022/23 season."

Saurette says that he's already been in contact with the group as to what comes next and what needs to be done going forward. "They really need to take advantage of this next year and building their brand. They need to build their image and connect with the community. They need to have a plan in place for a naming announcement, a new logo, and their new hires. I know they're going through the process of hockey operations and who they're going to bring in as that first face of the franchise as head coach and general manager. They have a lot of exciting times ahead of them and they have a well-thought-out market plan. From their standpoint, they can already start attracting sponsorships and creating fundraisers, they can really take advantage of this year."

The location wasn't a deciding factor but Saurette says it will work out pretty great. "It's an area that continues to grow and to flourish. It's going to fit in well with our Eastern Division right now with close proximity to a number of teams. That will create rivalries and it's also close to the Winnipeg market which is a bonus as well. It's been a market we've been looking at and it all just fit together."

Other big announcements followed as the MJHL released the start date for the upcoming season which is Friday, September 17th. Saurette says it is a time filled with hope and excitement. "It's been a long time coming. We've had a lot of internal discussions over the last number of months and that was a date we were targeting. Talking with the government and following what's going on with the vaccination timeline within the province, it's a date we feel comfortable with and a date we're ecstatic that in three months we can have MJHL hockey back. With everything that took place last year in our league and around all of the society, it's important to have that positive energy going in. I know in our recent MJHL AGM which we hold virtually, the mood of the call was optimistic and filled with excitement. Bring on September, we're ready, we've been through the worst of it and all the teams are still standing strong. At the end of the day, we're in the business of delivering development opportunities and an elite hockey environment and we haven't been able to do that for a number of months. We're really excited to get back to that."

The MJHL will be getting back to a two six-team division format, something Saurette says will be both safe for players and enjoyable for fans. "It's been something we've talked about internally and it's not new to the MJHL. To have 12 teams, having two even divisions just makes sense. We were coming off a three-division schedule when we were looking at only playing 40 games but a return to a full schedule, I think it's a good time to bring back two divisions. We want to focus on rivalries, creating excitement, reducing travel, reducing hotel stays and travel costs. We want to bring it more towards player development and creating community excitement. Most games will be on weekends and it's turning games into an event atmosphere. There will be important divisional games and home and home series that will be very, very exciting."

Getting back to what fans and players were used to a couple of seasons ago, the MJHL also announced the return and dates for the World Junior A Challenge taking place in Cornwall, Ontario December 12th-18th, the 2022 CJHL Prospects Game in January of 2022, the MJHL/SJHL Showcase hosted by the MJHL on January 25-26, 2022, the ANAVET Cup beginning on April 29th, 2022, the Centennial Cup on May 20-29 at Affinity Place in Estevan, Sk, and also the Sirius Junior World Cup held in Sochi, Russia in August of 2022.

"These are absolutely pinnacle events," Saurette said when asked about having these back for players to showcase their talent and promote the MJHL as a league. "The MJHL exists to provide elite player development opportunities for our players and these events really provide that. It allows us to put a spotlight on our players, have scouts come in and see what they have to offer. We want to provide as much exposure opportunities as possible and these events are huge for that. It should be a very exciting season for our players and our league."