The Sask East Hockey League is a men's senior hockey league established in June of 2020. The league is based in the Parkland region of Saskatchewan. The league is starting with the 2020-21 season with a planned start date in November 2020 but subject to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The league was founded in the hopes of reviving senior hockey in Canora, Ituna, and Rocanville. Ituna had entered a team in the provincial senior playoffs for 2020 and Rocanville had to withdraw from the THL for the 2019-20 season due to a dwindling number of players after winning 4 championships in five years. The Bredenbury Cougars, Esterhazy Flyers, Hudson Bay Hunters, and Theodore Buffalos would join from the recently defunct Triangle Hockey League. The only member of the former THL not to make the jump was the Ochapowace Thunder who would join the Saskatchewan Treaty Hockey League.
Seasons[]
2020-2021[]
On October 17th, 2020, the league announced the Moosomin Rangers and the Langenburg Warriors have joined the league for the 2020/21 season[1], creating a 9 team league for the season. As scheduling bubbles were needed due to the COVID-19 situation, it was determined that the league would play in two bubbles for the beginning of the season, then re schedule after new years.
Only a handful of games occurred before the Saskatchewan Hockey Association suspended senior hockey for the remainder of the season. The Sask East Hockey League cancelled the remainder of their season on Feb 9th, 2020[2].
2021-2022[]
On October 4th, 2021, the league announced that the Moosomin Rangers had joined the Big Six Hockey League for the upcoming season, the Esterhazy Flyers were granted a year of absence, and the Whitewood Orioles were accepted into the Sask East Hockey League for the 2021-2022 season. At the 2021-2022 scheduling meeting, it was discovered and let known that the Bredenbury Cougars would not be able to play this season, citing lack of players. They were also granted a one year leave of absence.
Just before the season began, the Hudson Bay Hunters announced a year of absence, along with the Langenburg Warriors, leaving 5 teams for the 2021-2022 SEHL season.
The Theodore Buffalos finished with a undefeated 12-0-0 record, the first time in their franchise history.
The Rocanville Tigers came back from a 2-games-to-1 deficit to win the Emile Balogh Memorial Cup championship 3-games-to-2.
2022-2023[]
- After the annual league meeting on July 12, 2022 the league would announce that it was tentatively going to add four teams for the 2022-23 season. The Hudson Bay Hunters and Langenburg Warriors indicated their intent to return from hiatus. The Cote Selects and Wapella Blackhawks were conditionally accepted into the league for 2022-23.[3]
- On August 26 the Hudson Bay Hunters announced they were approved to join the Wheatland Senior Hockey League for the 2022-23 season.[4]
- On September 13, 2022 the Sask East Hockey League announced the addition of the Swan Valley Axemen and the Grandview Comets to the league from the Manitoba-based North Central Hockey League for the 2022-23 season. Grandview had sat out the previous season. In the same release they stated that the NCHL was not playing for the 2022-23 season.[5]
2022-23 Member Teams[]
North Division[]
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South Division[]
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