DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: ‘Twas the night before hockey

The transition from summer sports to winter sports is always a weird one for me, but there can be no doubt the start of the season begins with opening night in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Despite my reservations about the length of the MJHL season, there’s an inevitable excitement that builds all throughout this week as the season gets set to begin.

Doing some pre-season work has been exciting, as I feel this is the most even the league has been in my years of covering it. Virden could turn into that dominant team, but it’s not a sure thing in my opinion.

Any discussion of the season has to begin in Niverville. The league and national champions of 2026 certainly will look different this season, but as this pre-season went longer, the more confident I feel in them.

This isn’t like last season, where it was clear from day one they were the team to beat, it’s just looking at a line-up filled with solid players, who will be able to keep the puck out of their own net and recognizing they’ll be a challenge night-in, night-out.

If they can figure out how to reach their offensive ceiling, a repeat could be in the cards.

Down the road in Steinbach, the team continues to reward its fans for having faith in them. A line-up that looked on pace to potentially lack a bit of punch was thrown upside-down with a true blockbuster move.

The Pistons will boast Rohan Guevarra, a player who was on pace for league MVP before moving to the BCHL last season. Steinbach just finds ways to bring in top talent as players clearly trust the organization and head coach Paul Dyck to advance them through their careers.

Speaking of the Pistons, there is no player I have been more excited for a season than William Picklyk. The 2009-born forward from Mitchell was one of the league’s brightest young players last season, potting 21 goals for the Pistons. He’ll be back on the team with a bigger role this year.

My first season in Steinbach was the breakout year for Ty Paisley. I wasn’t able to truly appreciate that season, but it remains one of my favourite individual seasons from an MJHL player to cover.

It’s always special to see an Eastman player thrive for one of the local MJHL teams, but to see someone from the true local area become a star is a special moment, and this season from Picklyk could be that year.

I’m hoping Max Dowse can take the leap in Niverville as well, as the 2008-born local player potted a goal for the franchise at least year’s Centennial Cup.

Outside of Eastman, I’m interested in three teams that didn’t find much success last season, for three different reasons.

The Northern Manitoba Blizzard went from a championship to the basement of the West Division, but this off-season hired Josh Gratton, who has gone about adding talent to the roster and should bring the team back into prominence.

Swan Valley was a team that put together some strong performances late in the season despite their place in the standings last season. Can they take that forward into this season?

In Winnipeg, I’m hopeful the Monarchs can finally put together a competitive season, as they’ve added a bunch of staff this off-season.

The Carillon’s readers can expect to see team previews/reviews from around the rest of the league released over the course of the season.

Let’s drop the puck!