Huskies hockey teams launch new seasons with championship goals

Last October, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies collectively gazed up at a new Canada West men’s hockey banner draped across the end curtain at Merlis Belsher Place.

Fast-forward 12 months, and history will repeat itself Friday night, with the two-time defending conference champions set to raise another banner in their 2026-27 season opener.

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It will be the final home opener for Huskies captain Liam Keeler, who plans to soak in every second of the pregame ceremony.

“To see that banner go up and know that we’ll live on in the history of Merlis Belsher (Place) and the Huskies forever is another feeling that’s just hard to put into words,” Keeler said.

“We’re so proud of what we’ve done, but we also know that there’s more steps ahead and there’s a bigger goal that we want to accomplish.”

The Huskies begin their quest for a three-peat Friday at 7 p.m. against the University of Calgary Dinos after successfully defending their crown last year.

Saskatchewan’s Canada West victory over the Mount Royal Cougars in March marked the program’s first consecutive conference championships since 2000.

While Saskatchewan wasn’t able to turn that victory into a run at the U Sports men’s hockey championship, falling to the eighth-seeded Saint Mary’s Huskies in the quarterfinals, the team enters the 2026-27 season as the top-ranked team in Canada West.

Not only did the Huskies run the table at the 2026 WellCard tournament in Austria, posting a perfect 3-0 record against European professional teams, but they also earned eight of nine first-place votes in the pre-season coaches’ poll.

Competing at the WellCard tournament, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team posted a perfect 3-0 record against professional teams from Austria and Italy in August. (Wolfgang Jannach/EC-KAC)

“It feels like yesterday we were getting ready for the playoffs and getting ready for going to nationals,” said Huskies head coach Brandin Cote.

“The summer goes quickly and the pre-season was maybe a little lengthy, just with everything pushed back (going) over to Europe.”

While the Huskies have brought back a veteran team featuring two-time conference champions such as Keeler, Landon Kosior, Josh Pillar, Rafael Pelletier, Rhett Rhinehart and Carter Stebbings, they did suffer some key losses in the off-season.

Captain Gunner Kinniburgh and program standouts Chantz Petruic, Dawson Holt and Jordan Kooy were among the graduates. The Huskies also lost U Sports men’s hockey rookie of the year Conner Roulette to Michigan Tech of the NCAA after his breakthrough 35-point campaign.

“I don’t feel that it is possible to replace player for player,” Cote said. “I think we’ve done a really good job of finding the right fit for some of the spots that we need to fill. We’ve really been able to balance out our attack, and we’re still very deep from top to bottom.”

Former Saskatoon Blades players Tyler Parr and Morgan Tastad lead the Huskies’ recruiting class this fall. They’ll be joined by Jaydon Dureau, Tyson Yaremko, Logan McCutcheon and Jaeden Mercier as rookies on the team this year.

Despite last season’s success, Cote is looking to distance himself from the big-picture goal of becoming the first program to capture three consecutive Canada West titles since 2019.

“We’ve really focused on more of a day-to-day, process-oriented approach,” Cote said.

“What’s important now, versus last year. We maybe got a little bit ahead of ourselves thinking too far in advance. We have the end goal in mind; we’re just going to really dial it in and really break it down to the fine details of things.”

Taking over the captaincy from Kinniburgh, Keeler added that it’s not a role he takes lightly.

“It’s hard to put into words, honestly,” Keeler said.

“I had the opportunity to find out at the end of last year and took a lot of time to reflect over the summer. All the history of this program, all the great people and leaders that have come before me.”

The Huskies rolled over their opponents in the Canada West playoffs last year, posting a perfect 6-0 record across their series against the Alberta Golden Bears, UBC Thunderbirds and Mount Royal.

Once again, Keeler expects a target to be painted on the Huskies’ backs all year, with the rest of the conference determined to end their reign.

“When you’re a team that’s won and had success, every team that you play against is going to want to beat you that much more,” Keeler said. “We understand that, but we also know that it’s a fresh sheet this year.”

Huskies open women’s hockey season on the road

Set to enter his 22nd season behind the bench with the Huskies women’s hockey team, head coach Steve Kook isn’t keeping track of his lengthy tenure.

Instead, what’s top of mind for him is the space for a national championship trophy, which remains empty at Merlis Belsher Place.

“They said, ‘How long are you going to be here for?’” Kook said. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know.’ My ring finger is still empty, so I think that’s how I judge it.”

Entering the 2026-27 Canada West season, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team are ranked fifth in the conference’s coaches poll. (Electric Umbrella/Derek Elvin)

The first task for the Huskies women’s team will be ending a two-year absence from the Canada West playoffs after missing the post-season by the narrowest of margins in 2025-26.

A strong second half of the regular season pushed Saskatchewan to a 12-10-6 record, leaving the team two points shy of qualifying for the final playoff spot in the East Division.

“That’s the game we’re in and that’s the hand we played,” Kook said.

“I think we have something to prove ourselves. It’s nothing we’re going to put on t-shirts or anything like that, it’s for us only. I think we need to be able to prove to ourselves that we can pick up where we left off.”

Fifth-year forward Jayde Cadieux will help lead Saskatchewan’s offence this season after netting 17 points last year, while Finnish standout Peppi Virtanen will return for her sophomore season after an 11-point rookie campaign.

Cadieux said that while missing the playoffs brought a disappointing end to the season, the team’s 4-1-2 record down the stretch gave it something to build on.

“I think we started to play more connected as a team last year,” Cadieux said.

“Everything was kind of starting to click at the (end of) the year. We were a little late unfortunately last season, but hopefully we can carry that into the season and connect quicker.”

In net, the Huskies will bank on the emergence of third-year goaltender Clara Juca, who posted a 2.11 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in nine games last year.

Saskatchewan’s first test will come on the road Friday night, when the team opens its season in Calgary against the Dinos.

After a slow start last year, Kook said the team can’t afford to let history repeat itself in a competitive conference.

“We were a little guilty last year of maybe just thinking we could ease into things,” Kook said. “It’s only 28 games, so if you give four or five away, then you’re in big trouble.”

Puck drop for both the Huskies men’s and women’s teams is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday in Saskatoon and Calgary, respectively.