5 Saskatchewan communities fielding teams in new U22 junior women's hockey league

A new competitive option is coming for female hockey players in Saskatchewan looking to keep on playing after they end their careers at the minor level.

Hockey Saskatchewan is introducing a new under-22 female junior league for the 2023-2024 season. The inaugural season is set to begin in the fall and feature at least five teams from across the province.

Those teams will be based in Regina, Lumsden, Outlook and Kindersley, along with a Southwest team representing the Swift Current and Gull Lake region.

Sage Babey, 16, represented Team Saskatchewan at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. The forward has already committed to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at Merrimack College in Massachusetts, but said the league is a great alternative for women looking to continue playing competitive hockey.

"It's so cool how you can stay in your province with the junior league now. If you're unsure of what university you want to go to, you can just play another year at home and stay with your family," Babey said. 

"I think that's a great option if you're not quite ready to move away or play at university or college."

Robin Ulrich, head coach of the Team Saskatchewan under-18 female hockey team at the 2023 Canada Winter Games, said the new league will also open up more opportunities for women in the world of hockey.

"Hopefully we can start to graduate some female coaches into that level, and just create more and more opportunities for female coaches to coach and work at a higher level," Ulrich said.

Other provinces such as Alberta and Manitoba already have female junior leagues. Ulrich hopes Saskatchewan creating one can inspire other provinces to create more opportunities for female hockey players.

"Maybe one day that builds to a U22 championship for those teams," Ulrich said. "I think it's a chance to really set the bar, and continue to build and grow the game of female hockey."

Over the last decade, registration for women's minor hockey in the province has risen by more than 1,600 registered players, according to Hockey Saskatchewan.

Paige Fischer, 17, was one of two goalies for Team Saskatchewan at the 2023 Canada Winter games. She is planning to play hockey at the university level once she graduates from the U18 AAA Swift Current Wildcats, but said not everyone has that opportunity.

"Too many girls whose minor hockey careers have ended are sitting at home, who could have pursued playing hockey but couldn't because they had nowhere to go," Fischer said.

"I think this league just opens up so many opportunities for these girls."