Whitehorse Minor Hockey says it is anticipating an exciting 2023/2024 season.
In a Sept. 4 statement, the hockey association said it is excited to get the ball rolling on the new season with about 450 players registered.
“Our house league registrations are looking great,” association incoming president Geremy Newbury said. “With the house league being the backbone of our association, we have incredibly talented and dedicated coaches in place to lead these teams toward a successful season.”
The statement said with Mustangs rep teams at the U11, U13, U15 and U18 levels, there’s a lot of hockey to go around. In the U13 and U15 levels, the association said it is able to field both A- and B-level teams. However, there will only be one U18 Mustangs team due to players leaving the territory for hockey experiences down south.
“These Mustangs teams will travel up to five times per season to locations across British Columbia and into Alberta, where they will compete in tournaments and provincial championships,” the statement read.
Last season, the Mustangs netted a number of gold medals while the athletes were able to experience high-level, fast-paced hockey, the statement said.
“We are constructing a hockey product that is equal to or better than our competition nearly every time our teams leave the territory,” Whitehorse Minor Hockey executive director Stacey Carefoot said.
Carefoot said after being classified as a Tier 3 minor hockey association, “We now find our teams have exceeded that classification on many levels and are excited to enter some tournaments that might produce a little more of a challenge.”
While the Mustangs often travel to tournaments, the association said local teams and divisions are providing a great environment for those athletes wanting to stay closer to home.
“It’s looking like we will have up to six teams in the U7 through to U13 divisions, which provides for some strong local rivalries,” Newbury said.
With the expansion of the Yukon Female Hockey Club into the Yukon Wild teams, Whitehorse Minor Hockey is also seeing good numbers of female participation.
“Our Yukon Wild teams have become stronger in number and in talent,” says Dan Johnson, Whitehorse Minor Hockey’s vice president of female programs.
“We are looking at having all-female rep teams who will travel out of the territory at the U11, U13 and combined U15-U18 levels as well as continued better collaborations with Yukon and N.W.T. to field teams in the older age groups.”
Johnson noted the growth of the female side of the sport through the house league.
“We have an all-female team playing in the U15 house league and perhaps enough females in other divisions to warrant all-girls squads there as well,” Johnson said.
The new hockey season kicks off with Mustangs games slated for Sept. 22 to 24, when the Juneau Capitals are in town for eight games at the U11 and U13 levels. More information on games and events schedule can be found at whitehorseminorhockey.ca
Contact Patrick Egwu at patrick.egwu@yukon-news.com
