Several west central hockey players from each the male and female ranks took the ice this past weekend in Regina at their respective Sask First tournaments. The boys side featured the top 160 players selected out of a previous camp, while the girls assembled four teams of their best talent.

First off in the male bracket, Macklin's Kaden Veller played on Team 5 along with Eston's Landyn Nash, and they went the furthest of the boys in eventually dropping the A Final. The remaining West Central Wheat Kings were split up as Kerrobert's Austin Shepherd was wearing white and would come out on the losing end in the B Final with Team 7, and Unity's Colbey Frocklage and Team 6 wearing red would win the D Final. Regardless of the results, some great exposure was had for players on the ice hoping to potentially crack a AAA roster next year.

"Many players have taken this opportunity, and ran with it, to further their hockey careers. Some of the more notable players who have participated in this program are Tyler Bozak, and Derek Dorsett," states the Hockey Sask U18 web page.

Looking at the female side of things, there were nine talented players from the area that laced it up over the weekend. On Team 1 was Kindersley's Caitlyn Perlinger who didn't share the ice with any locals, but did manage to suit up with a Swift Current Wildcats teammate. Team 2 saw a pair of Wildcats in Dinsmore's Amiyah Jones, and Luseland's Addison Eurich, and they were joined by two more local girls in Kerrobert's Tristyn Endicott who plays for Prince Albert, and Wilkie native Brooklyn Salewski who is a member of the Battlefords Sharks.

Team 3 was also a very local group with defensemen Brielle Minish from Herschel representing the Saskatoon Stars, and then Unity's Bree Purcell and Rosetown's Ella Wingert coming in as forwards. The local talent ends with a pair of players on Team 4, that included Rosetown goaltender Paige Fischer who plays with Prince Albert, and Eston's Kalei Johnston who lines up as a forward out of province at the South Alberta Hockey Academy.

More content should be coming up with some of these players, and their coaches, as the Prince Albert Northern Bears are actually getting set to play in the Esso Cup in May as tournament hosts, and the Swift Current Wildcats provided some great comments on recruiting players out of the west central region.