SJHL’s Notre Dame Hounds set to relocate to Warman

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After 38 years in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the Notre Dame Hounds are set to relocate to Warman for the 2025-26 season.

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The SJHL made the announcement on Tuesday that the board of governors has conditionally approved the relocation of the Junior A hockey club, which is now contingent upon approval by Warman city council and a successful season ticket and corporate sponsorship drive.

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If formally approved at the SJHL’s annual general meeting in June, all of Notre Dame’s active players and list assets will be transferred to the Warman franchise prior to next season getting underway.

“It is bittersweet having a historical program like the Notre Dame Junior A Hounds leave the SJHL,” SJHL commissioner Kyle McIntyre said in a release. “We understand that there is a new and exciting vision for Notre Dame. We appreciate the Board’s focus on player well-being and experience and are excited about the possibility of adding a strong and progressive new leadership group to our league in Saskatchewan’s fastest growing city.”

Warman’s arena, which has played host to SJHL showcases and exhibition games in the past, has 1,178 seats with room for an additional 500 standing.

“Our goal is to partner with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League to offer players an excellent experience and opportunity to showcase their talents, within a community deeply invested in their success while instilling valuable life skills beyond hockey,” Warman co-founders Cole Kachur and Jonathan Abrametz said in a release.

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“Warman’s vibrant atmosphere, state-of-the-art arena, and enthusiasm for hockey at all levels, will make the new Warman SJHL franchise a destination for some of the top junior hockey players in Canada.”

After originally joining the SJHL for six years in 1970, the Hounds — who play in Wilcox, located 30 minutes south of Regina — have been part of the SJHL full-time since 1987, which turned out to be their most successful season as they won the program’s only league championship that year.

This season, the Hounds rank last in the 12-team SJHL with an 11-31-4 record and are set to miss the playoffs for a third straight year.

While more details on their exit will become known in the coming weeks, the release stated, “with the sincere interest of maintaining Notre Dame’s stellar reputation, keeping a premier player experience at the forefront, the Notre Dame Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to discontinue Junior A Programming at Wilcox.”

tshire@postmedia.com

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