The Western Prairie Junior Klippers officially put a bow on their first ever season over the weekend. The team took advantage of having all of their players in town for spring camp, holding their end of season awards banquet amidst Saturday and Sunday's on-ice action.

Head coach Dale Jackson joined us over the phone to discuss the weekend as a whole. Starting off with the fact that attendance was a little thin due to AAA tryouts also taking place last weekend, Jackson was quick to point out some of the younger talent joining them on the ice.

"Good to see some of the younger girls in the area out skating with us. Obviously can't play with us, but it was nice to have them out." 

As for his eligible players for next year, Jackson confirmed that a majority were able to attend.

"It was good. We addressed some needs, going to card three or four players from over the weekend, and that will take us to probably about 17-18 rostered players," said Jackson, as the team is in a much better position to build for the future with a year under their belt.

The Klippers weren't able to make their first signing until August of last year, as Jackson is looking forward to being ahead of the schedule headed into year two. Not only will they have a better outlook on their team as a whole, everyone in the SJFHL now knows what it takes to compete.

"The biggest thing is that we all know what to expect now." said Jackson on the leagues level of competition. "Obviously our record wasn't very good, but we just had to get the team on the ice last year, get the organization established. Now obviously our expectation has changed from the board, the president, the coaching staff, and the players too, right? We expect things going forward here to be more successful obviously."

The main theme for this past season had to be growth. Despite their record and early exit from the SJFHL postseason tournament in Outlook, there was still lots to celebrate for the team at the banquet. Over 50 people were in attendance as Jackson and the crew reflected on the season.

"Good opportunity again to thank the parents, the girls. Those girls drove a lot of miles every week to play hockey on this team, so it was a good opportunity to sit and visit with them, and their parents. Get an opportunity to thank everyone for their commitment this year, coming to Kindersley so we could have this team on the ice."

Outside of the Kodiak Team MVP in the title photo above, Jackson helped present the team awards alongside president Mike Cullen. Find the complete list of award winners below, and you can also check out pictures from awards night on the Klippers Instagram page HERE.

  • Kodiak Team MVP: Rilyn Roadhouse
  • Coaches Award: Bridgette Vedress
  • Community Service: Julia Waldner/Sarah Folk
  • Hardest Working: Rachel Usselman
  • Top Forward: Caelie Illerbrun
  • Top Scorer: Laiken Swan
  • Top Defense: Ashytn Laclare
  • Most Humourous: Kolbie Parker