Lots of SJHL players packing their bags

Here's my column from this week's Mercury, recapping off-season movement in the SJHL. You guys are getting the long version... we had to cut out a few things to squeeze it into the paper. Bonus!

Lots of SJHL players packing their bags

It's been a busier SJHL off-season than usual, in no small part due to all the in-province futures deals that were made leading up to the January trade deadline.

Almost every top player on the block found a new home within the league, and most of those swaps included players to be named later.

As a result, we are seeing teams get dramatic makeovers, with last year's middle-of-the-pack clubs like Humboldt and Melville getting facelifts at the expense of Yorkton and Melfort, respectively.

Who could forget last year's mega-blockbuster that sent top scorers Jeremy Boyer and Justin Buzzeo to Yorkton? The pair made their mark, but the Terriers fell one win short of the Credit Union Cup and now they're paying for it.

The return, 1991-born forwards Clarke Breitkreuz and Robbie Ciolfi, was the worst-kept secret in the SJHL. It played out as expected and now the Broncos have arguably the two top forwards in the league to lead the charge for the Royal Bank Cup.

Breitkreuz is the odds-on favourite to win the SJHL scoring title. Ciolfi needs to keep his focus on the rink, and if he can do that, there's no telling how good he can be.

Humboldt also picked up Ryan Marshall from Swan Valley as the futures for Nick Keller, and I think we'll be looking back on this as the best trade of the off-season. Marshall is a complete player who can play first-line minutes and lead the penalty kill. He'll be invaluable to the Broncos during the RBC.

The Broncos also acquired stud defenceman Mat Backhouse from the Dauphin Kings.

They've built an impressive attack; now they need a top-end goalie. They have been linked to Blake Voth, who the Battlefords North Stars picked up from Vernon this spring, but it won't be cheap to land his services from an inter-divisional rival.

Yorkton won't be terrorizing the Sherwood Conference, but it's not all gloomy for them. Warren Shymko is a capable starter and their attack will be led by the likes of Zak Majkowski, Brent Struble, Brenden Poncelet, Nathan Murray and Kyle McLeod.

The other major futures deal completed this summer saw Melfort send three star players to Melville to complete two separate deals for Cody Hanson and Brayden Metz before the deadline.

Read the rest of the column here