MJHL hires long-time broadcaster Munz

A familiar face and voice to Manitoba hockey fans will be patrolling rinks across the province this winter, as the Manitoba Junior Hockey League announced they had hired Brian Munz to be their manager of league development.

Munz worked as a broadcaster for the Winnipeg Jets and was previously the play-by-play announcer for the Manitoba Moose. He was the director of communications for the Winnipeg Ice Western Hockey League franchise before they moved and also runs communications for Golf Manitoba.

“My life’s been hockey for 30-plus years at all different levels,” Munz said before the start of an MJHL game in Niverville Sept. 18.

“Getting a chance to get back to my roots and support (league commissioner Kevin Saurette) and (marketing and partnerships director Erik Swar) and the teams across the league is something I’m really excited for.”

Munz got his start in broadcasting hockey at the Junior A level in Saskatchewan and B.C. before working his way all the way to the NHL.

“The grassroots of this league is so special,” Munz said, recalling the start of his own career in 1995.

“Here we are in 2026 and some of those guys are still my best friends today… Hockey is about people, and to have an opportunity now to hopefully lend some of the experience I have and also learn to see what they’re doing right now and try and mesh those things together is something I’m excited about.”

Munz’s position is a new one for the league, with some of his duties including supporting improvements to game presentation and broadcast standards and trying to elevate operational standards across the league.

“With his vast experience in hockey at all levels, he will be an asset to the league office and member teams across the province moving forward,” Saurette said in a league news release.

“Brian will be responsible for helping ensure a high-quality, consistent experience for players, coaches and fans – along with helping support game presentations, broadcast standards and special MJHL league initiatives.”

Munz said broadcasters around the league had already reached out for advice before he formally joined the league.

“It’s the way the world is now, everything is on your phone or online,” he said.

“To be able to deliver the best product we can at the MJHL level to people wherever they may be, that’s what it’s all about… I grew up listening to guys, watching guys and I reached out the same way.”

The league has some momentum built up, as province-wide attention was on the Niverville Nighthawks as they claimed the Junior A national championship in Summerside last season.

“It’s exciting for the entire league to have that banner hanging in the building, there’s another Centennial Cup team here,” Munz said.

“I’m sure every team in the league is getting ready for tonight or tomorrow to say, ‘Hey, we want to be the next one.’”