2024-25 SJHL Alumni Roundup: Saskatchewan Universities
Over 80 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League alumni made an impact on Canadian University hockey this past year.
Here is a breakdown of a few of the biggest seasons SJHLers had on USports in 2025-25 by conference.
Up next is CanadaWest, which we have split into two parts for this series: the Saskatchewan Universities (Regina & Saskatchewan), and everyone else.
NOTE: We will do an ACAC breakdown, which includes Briercrest College in Caronport, SK, at a later date.
The University of Saskatchewan continue to keep a close eye on the SJHL, and some of the best players in our league over the last decade played significant roles on the Huskies’ run to the national bronze medal last year. Yorkton Terriers’ great Chantz Petruic led Canada West in regular-season goals (20), postseason points (8), and finished third in overall points (37 in 27 games).
Melville Millionaires alumnus Landon Kosior was third in defenceman scoring in the regular season, and second in the post-season, while another Highway 10 alumnus, Parker Gavlas, formerly of the Yorkton Terriers, finished third in defenceman playoff scoring (Gavlas ended the year in the ECHL with Norfolk). Melfort Mustangs great Ben Tkachuk found his regular footing in his second year as a Huskie last year, after his 183-game SJHL career. Another ex-Mustang and SJHL scoring champion, Justin Ball, also had an excellent campaign for the UofS and was joined on a big, physical line by excellent Notre Dame and Humboldt alumni Jarrett Penner, who finished his USports career off in his hometown after spending three years at Trinity Western University in BC.
Full-time SJHL regulars are all over this squad.
Ex-Kindersley defenceman Mac Gross saw action in 24-25, as did former Yorkton Terrier Cohner Saleski.
Other Saskatchewan players from last year who had time (if briefly) in the SJHL included Carter Stebbings (Nipawin), Keaton Sorensen (Notre Dame), Rhett Rhinehart and Ashton Ferster (Flin Flon), Ethan Regnier (Melfort), Ty Prefontaine (La Ronge), Quinton Ong (Humboldt), and Chase Bertholet (Melville).
Coach Brandin Cote and his staff were clearly impressed by the SJHL player and have committed to four more alums for next season, including recent Canterra Seeds Cup champions James Venne, Zac Somers, and Nicholas Andrusiak (also of Melville) of the Melfort Mustangs.
Down Highway 11 at the University of Regina, it was a challenging year in the standings, but an excellent year for opportunity for the 12 SJHL alums on the Cougars’ roster.
Eric Pearce, who has the singular honour of winning both the SJHL (Estevan, 2022) and Western Hockey League (Prince Albert, 2019) championships, was second in Regina scoring with 14 points on the campaign. He led a whole crew of Estevan Bruins alums on this team and was joined by Blake Heward, Turner McMillen, Eric Houk, and Kade Runke in the 2024-2025 season.
Melfort Mustangs’ recent elite defencemen Leyton Holoien and Chase Freidt-Mohr, the 2024 SJHL UPL Playoff MVP, featured as well for the Cougars, as did 2023 SJHL Playoff MVP Steven Kesslering, who was a force for the Battlefords North Stars between 2019 and 2022.
Fellow Battlefords alum Jaxon Steele got into games for the UofR after transferring from Red Deer Polytechnic in the off-season. At the same time, physical Flin Flon Bombers defender Adam McNutt was a regular piece on the Cougars’ back end.
Finally, dynamic Melville Millionaires forward Noah Wills and ex-Nipawin, Melfort, and Weyburn goaltender Jackson Fellner, who had transferred from NCAA Division III the previous off-season.
The new regime in Regina, led by new head coach Trevor Keeper, has prioritized bringing in some of the top SJHL players from the past few years.
These include the reigning SJHL Borgault Forward of the Year, Jaron Desnoyers, most recently the captain of the Yorkton Terriers, as well as the Melville Millionaires captain, the hard-hitting Matt Kjemhus. La Ronge Ice Wolves elite two-way defenceman Rylan Silzer will also be heading to Saskatchewan’s capital, alongside elite Notre Dame Hounds goaltender Spencer Borsos. Borsos will have another familiar face there, as Cole Wirun, the Hounds’ leading scorer from 2023-24, who is coming off a great year in the North American Hockey League, has also committed.
Furthermore, Borsos will be joined in net by the outstanding former Nipawin Hawks goaltender Damon Cunningham, who, like Wirun, was in the NAHL a year ago.
FIND THE FULL LIST OF CJHLERS IN USports IN 2024-25 HERE.
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