Niverville standout heading to Bisons

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This article was published 01/07/2023 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Josh Paulhus will be staying in the Keystone province. The Niverville Nighthawks forward has committed to the University of Manitoba to continue his hockey career.

Paulhus was outstanding for the Nighthawks during their inaugural season. The 2002-born forward scored at well over a point-per-game pace in the regular season, leading the team offensively with 61 total points.

In the playoffs, he was even better, providing some of the only offense for his team during their first-round series as the Nighthawks battled the regular season champion Portage Terriers. He scored four goals and added three assists as Niverville challenged the regular season juggernaut.

Paulhus was born in Saskatoon, and had played in Saskatchewan his entire career before joining the Nighthawks in 2022. He played 77 games with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, including 57 in the 2021/2022 season.

The University of Manitoba Bisons hockey team is transitioning, after long-time head coach Mike Sirant retired at the end of the 2022 playoffs. Regina product Gord Burnett will be behind the bench for the Bisons next season. Burnett has been an assistant coach for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western league for the past three seasons.

Burnett has a Manitoba Junior Hockey League connection, helming the Winnipeg Blues for the 2019/2020 season. His roster includes several players with connections to the region, including former Steinbach Piston Zach Patrick, and Oakbank forward Brett Davis, who was named as a Canada West second team all-star this season.

Paulhus will have a chance to relive playoff battles in practice, as earlier this month, Portage defenseman Kian Calder announced he would be suiting up for the black and gold as well.