2026-27 MANITOBA BISONS/USPORTS HOCKEY

[Hollywood]

September 1, 2026: NEWS AROUND THE CW


There was no game between the Bisons and Moose on the Bison schedule, and the Moose have confirmed that no such game(s) will be played this year. The Moose face the Iowa Wild in the Twin Cities on Sept 25-26.

Links:
➤ Global News: Manitoba Moose announce pre-season schedule



The CW announced their Hall of Fame inductees. Pertaining to hockey, former Saskatchewan coach (and Team Canada Junior coach and NHL coach) Dave King was selected. Pertaining to the Bisons, their 1990-92 women's volleyball team was selected.

Links:
➤ Canada West (Prezly): Canada West Hall of Fame Unveils Class of 2026-27



When I delved into the Family Guys' roster on August 20, 2026, I had not saved the link for their story on Zach Coutu. I covered his stats back then, but the story link is here today.

Links:
➤ MacEwan: Talented Trail forward - Junior Oilers, SSAC product Coutu - returns home to boost the Griffins
      


Although Holy Trinity hasn't issued any sort of story this off-season, and were the last ones to update their Schedule & Results page, they are one of the first to release a roster page.

Goaltenders (4)
Returning
31 Cole Savage (1-1-1, 5.66 GAA, .861 S%)
35 Raphael Audet (1-8-2, 4.62, .905 S%)

Arrivals
1 Carter Capton - Victoria (BCHL), Camrose (AJHL)
90 Steven Bacovsky - Simon Fraser (Indy/NCAA2)

Audet and the departed Leon Sommer more-or-less split the duties. Trinity's goaltenders are often bombarded with shots so it is typically required to rotate goaltenders. Audet's .905 S% behind that team is pretty impressive.

Defencemen (10)
Returning
6 Eduard Wruck (27-0-3-3)
8 Samuel May (28-0-0-0)
15 Adam Leitch (24-0-3-3)
25 Tristan Serrao (19-0-3-3)
28 Ricards Landmanis (28-2-4-6)
94 Zack Whittaker (28-1-9-10)

Arrivals
2 Riley Joslin - Wisconsin Windigo (NAHL)
4 Quinn Abbott - Camrose (AJHL)
20 Nicco Camazzola - Simon Fraser (Indy/NCAA2)
-- Jackson Foster - Portage College (ACAC)

The good news is that Trinity is losing just four skaters, two defencemen. And those two defencemen had ZERO points last year.  So their defence should be at least as good as it was a year ago. Problem is, they gave up 144 goals in 28 regular season games last year. That was last in the CW.

Forwards (20)
Returning
7 Matteo Lamoureux (25-3-2-5)
10 Lleyton Shearon (28-2-3-5
11 Matthias Bessey (27-1-4-5)
17 Artem Hrabovetskyi (26-8-8-16)
19 Mikhailo Simchuk (28-16-14-30)
21 Cyprus Davis (18-0-2-2)
22 Damiano Metastasio (17-1-0-1)
23 Yuji Akimoto (2024-25: 8-0-3-3)
24 Danylo Korzhyletskyi (10-4-11-15)
26 Nathan Ayotte (15-0-0-0)
27 Connor Farren (27-4-5-9)
44 McLaren Paulsen (15-0-2-2)
91 Christian Lowe (26-11-19-30)
93 Aiden Knutson (28-8-2-10)

Arrivals
9 Jacksenn Hungle - Calgary (CW)
16 Matthew Edwards - Melville (SJHL)
18 Brayden Sinclair - Trail (BCHL)
-- Cody Walker - Lebanon Valley (NCAA3), Birmingham (SPHL)
-- John Desabrais - Williams Lake (KIJHL)
-- Nabeel Moledina - Langley (PIJHL)

The two forwards they lost were 4th and 9th in team scoring. The roster they have posted could be just a training camp roster because it includes 34 names and several players have not been assigned numbers. This squad has three forwards who were better than a point-per-game. Lowe, Simchuk, and Korzhyletskyi are blue-chip players by any measure. It is not unreasonable to think that the other 11 returnees will collectively surpass last year's scoring totals. They also got Hungle to ditch the Dinos and move west.

The Elite Prospects list of recruits for 2026-27 includes just six names, with Brayden Sinclair being new. The players whose numbers were not posted on July 14, 2026 are:

Brayden Sinclair - C - Trail (BCHL) [prior: Cowichan & Merritt (BCHL), Battlefords (SJHL)]
Link: Brayden Sinclair - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
BCHL: 97 GP, 25 G, 28 A, 53 Pts
SJHL: 41 GP, 16 G, 24 A, 40 Pts

Nicco Camazzola - D - Simon Fraser (Indy/NCAA2) [prior: Drayton Valley (AJHL), Tri-City & Vancouver (WHL)
Link: Nicco Camazzola - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
WHL: 107 GP, 3 G, 6 A, 9 Pts.
Indy: 24 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 Pts
AJHL: 19 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 Pts

Cody Walker - F - Lebanon Valley (NCAA3) & Birmingham (SPHL) [prior: Albertus Magnus (NCAA3), Express (EHL), Hearst (NOJHL)]
Link: Cody Walker - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
SPHL: 8 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 Pts
NCAA3: 23 GP, 5 G, 10 A, 15 Pts
NOJHL: 85 GP, 19 G, 27 A, 46 Pts
EHL: 44 GP, 26 G, 33 A, 59 Pts

Jackson Foster - F - Portage College (ACAC) [prior: Merritt (KIJHL), Waywat (MJHL), LaRonge (SJHL)]
Link: Jackson Foster - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
ACAC: 24 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 Pts
MJHL: 7 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 Pts
SJHL: 19 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 Pts
KIJHL: 41 GP, 1 G, 8 A, 9 Pts

Jacksenn Hungle - F - Calgary (CW) [prior: Victoria & Merritt (BCHL)]
Link: Jacksenn Hungle - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
CW: 10 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 Pts
BCHL: 150 GP, 32 G, 33 A, 65 Pts

John (J.P.) Desabrais - F - Williams Lake (KIJHL) [prior: Grand Forks (KIJHL)]
Link: JP Desabrais - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
KIJHL: 131 GP, 72 G, 94 A, 166 Pts

Nabeel Moledina - F - Langley (PIJHL) [prior: White Rock & Surrey (PIJHL)]
Link: Nabeel Moledina - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
PIJHL: 163 GP, 29 G, 49 A, 78 Pts

Links:
➤ Trinity Western: Roster Page
➤ Elite Prospects: Trinity Western Page

[Hollywood]

Preview: September 10-13, 2026: MINI-ROUND OPENS PRE-SEASON

The Bisons don't start their exhibition season until next weekend, along with Mount Royal, MacEwan, and Regina. The other teams (and a bunch from out east) are getting a jump on the pre-season, with many inter-conference games. Exhibition games in the CW are rarely on CWTV. Games hosted by BCIHL teams are often available on YouTube. If I hear something about streaming, I'll post it.

ELSEWHERE IN THE CW

 
CALGARY DINOSAURS (2025-26: 19-8-1, 4th in CW, 0-0-0, OHT35 #n/a)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (2025-26: 19-7-2, 3rd in CW, 3-0-0, OHT35 #n/a)

Links:
➤ UofC: Schedule & Results
➤ UofS: Schedule & Results
➤ Huskie Fan: Men's Hockey

These teams were 3rd and 4th last season, so this should be a good match-up. The Banjo-Mutts came on to win the CW playoff title, and won a tournament in Austria in August.

The Friday game is in Martensville, which is 23 minutes north of Saskatown. It's got a population just over 10,000, and they have a Junior B team called the "Chiefs". Saturday's game is back at the U of S, where they continue to experience the after-effects of a football whipping (40-22) at the hands of the Bisons!


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (2025-26: 11-13-4, 7th in CW, 0-0-0, OHT35 #n/a)
RED DEER POLY KINGS (2025-26: 19-1-0-4, 1st in ACAC, 0-0-0, OHT35 #n/a)
UA-AUGUSTANA VIKINGS (2025-26: 8-1-0-14, 7th in ACAC, 0-0-0, OHT35 #n/a)

Links:
➤ UofA: Schedule & Results
➤ Red Deer: Schedule & Results
➤ Augustana: Schedule & Results

The Evil Monkeys are coming off their worst season in a long time, prompted by a roster raiding by teams in the NCAA following the rule changes in the Excited States. They start the pre-season with a mini-trip through central Alberta against ACAC foes with games in Red Deer and Camrose.

Red Deer Poly (formerly Red Deer College) has become a powerhouse in the ACAC. They won championships in 2023, 2024, and 2025. In 2026, they finished 1st then lost in the final to SAIT. In the ACAC, they have a 3-2-1 point system, like in IIHF tournaments. Hence, the four columns for records (W, OW, OL, L).

The Monkeys' Little Brother university in Camrose (now called the "University of Alberta - Augustana Campus", and formerly called "Camrose Lutheran College" and "Augustana University College") is usually mid-table. However, last year they were 7th and last in the ACAC, and missed the playoffs, for the first time since 1995. That said, there were several seasons where they finished 6th out of six, and all six qualified for the playoffs. So not a lot of bragging about that streak. In 2014, the Vikings defeated the Monkeys 6-0 in a pre-season game, to the shock of everyone. All-time, Big Brother leads Little Brother 13-2 in wins.


U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (2025-26: 23-2-3, 1st in CW, 0-0-0, OHT35 #n/a)
TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS (2025-26: 4-21-3, 9th in CW, 0-0-0, OHT35 #n/a)
VICTORIA VIKINGS (2025-26: 13-6-1, 2nd in BCIHL, 0-0-0, OHT35 #n/a)

Links:
➤ UBC: Schedule & Results
➤ TWU: Schedule & Results
➤ Victoria: Rec Site : BCIHL Team Page

Like the Monkeys, the T-irds start the season with a double-header against two different teams. Friday, they visit Holy Trinity at their new facility, and Saturday they host U-Vic. The Vikes' website has apparently bitten the dust, so alternative so-so links are used. Victoria had two inter-squad games on the long weekend, shown on YouTube. 

The T-irds had their best-ever regular season last year, then lost to Sask in the semi-finals to miss out on the nationals. The CW is in the last year of the rotating division format, and they will share a division with Sask this year.

Holy Trinity came within a point of Regina last year in a bid to escape the CW basement for the first time. They have returned most of their roster, including their best players, so they likely have hopes of a coveted 8th place finish!

For a fun fact, Victoria played in the WCIAA/CWUAA in 1969-70 to 1972-73. In those four seasons they had three winless seasons. Their only three wins were in 1970-71. The BCIHL was the best thing that ever happened for the Vikes. They have won league titles in 2007, 2009, 2012, 2017, and 2025.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE

Fri Sep 11 Calgary v Saskatchewan at Martensville, SK 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT
Fri Sep 11 Alberta at Red Deer Poly 4:00 MDT/5:00 CDT
Fri Sep 11 U.B.C. at Trinity Western 7:00 PDT/9:00 CDT
Sat Sep 12 Calgary at Saskatchewan 3:00 MDT/4:00 CDT
Sat Sep 12 Victoria at U.B.C. 3:00 PDT/5:00 CDT
Sat Sep 12 Alberta at UA-Augustana 7:00 MDT/8:00 CDT


OUT EAST



OUA Games
Fri Sep 11 Guelph at Nipissing 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT
Sat Sep 12 Laurier at Western Ontario 3:00 EDT/2:00 CDT

Trois-Rivieres Tournament
Fri Sep 11 McGill v Queen's 3:00 EDT/2:00 CDT
Fri Sep 11 U.P.E.I. at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT
Sat Sep 12 McGill v U.P.E.I. 3:00 EDT/2:00 CDT
Sat Sep 12 Queen's at U.Q.T.R. 7:00 EDT/6:00 CDT
Sun Sep 13 U.P.E.I. at Queen's 1:00 EDT/12:00 CDT
Sun Sep 13 McGill at U.Q.T.R. 1:15 EDT/12:15 CDT

Links:
➤ OUA: Daily Schedule
➤ AUS: Schedule & Results

OUT WEST


Red Deer Poly and UA-Augustana play interlock (see above) and there are no other ACAC games.


Fri Sep 11 Vancouver Island at Simon Fraser 7:00 PDT/9:00 CDT
Sat Sep 12 Simon Fraser at Vancouver Island 7:15 PDT/9:15 CDT

Victoria plays interlock (see above).

Links:
➤ ACAC: Schedule & Results
➤ BCIHL: Schedule & Results
➤ BCIHL: YouTube Channel

[Hollywood]

September 10, 2026: BLUEGARS ROSTER POSTED


Mount Royal becomes the 4th team in CW to upload a 2026-27 roster page, following Regina, MacEwan, and Trinity Western. I thought Alberta had one, but they just changed the "2025-26" page to "2026" page. The stats for the new recruits are in the above post dated July 14, 2026.

Goaltenders:
Returning:
29 Ethan Buenaventura (8-3-1, 2.31 GAA, 5-7-1, 4.24 GAA, .890 S%)

Arrivals:
33 Zach Zahara - Brooks (BCHL)
35 Justen Maric - Regina (CW) (0-7-0, 6.76 GAA, .828 S%)

Last year, the Bluegars had the most even 3-way split of goaltending duties in the CW. In the end Buenaventura had 12 starts and the departed Shane Farkas had 9 and Riley Sims had 7. Though Zahara finished with Brooks, his prior junior career was in the WHL. Maric looks like a #3 EBUG who's happy to switch Cougar teams.

Defencemen:
Returning:
6    Leith Olafson (12-0-4-4)
9    Ty Gibson (10-0-4-4)
10    Tanner Komzak (24-1-10-11)
22    Adam Oates (1-0-0-0)
25    Ryan Nolan (0-0-0-0)
26    Alex Izyk (19-2-5-7)
27    Layton Feist (15-2-4-6)

Arrivals:
2    Dax Williams - College of the Holy Cross (NCAA)
8    Liam Nilsson - West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)

Williams was not listed in the previous Transactions Summary post, and his stats line is below. The big loss is Clay Hanus, who had 23 points in 18 games last year and 113 points in 82 CW games over his career. He's in Austria now. He had Bobby Orr-type numbers for a d-man. They also lost Kyle Walker, 9th in team scoring with 20 points in 28 games.

Forwards:
Returning:
11    Jaxon Martens (25-2-4-6)
12    Connor Bouchard (27-11-28-39)
16    Justin Lies (27-15-11-26)
18    Bowden Singleton (21-5-4-9)
19    Dawson Milliken (28-3-5-8)
20    Tristan Zandee (17-5-5-10)
23    Connor Poffenroth (16-2-3-5)
28    Vaughn Watterodt (27-11-9-20)

Arrivals:
4    Harry Ahlberg - Brooks Bandits (BCHL)
13    Joey Lies    - Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL)
14    Ruslan Jamaldimov - West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)
15    Caden Kemkaran-Humble - West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)
17    Kai Matthew - Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL)
21    Dawson Seitz - Prince George Cougars (WHL)
38    Maddux Martin - Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)

In addition to losing Hanus, the Bluegars have lost 4 of their top 6 forwards, and 5 of their top 8, from a year ago. They have had quite a run of high-scoring forwards racking up gaudy numbers. Bouchard is now in his 5th year. The recruits are okay, but none look like exceeding a point-per-game.

Here are the two new names on the roster, never previously listed at Elite Prospects or anywhere else that I noticed. The stats lines are in the format of the Transactions Summary above:

Dax Williams - D - Holy Cross (NCAA) [prior: Calgary (WHL)]
Link: Dax Williams - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
NCAA: 35 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 Pts
WHL: 173 GP, 7 G, 39 A, 46 Pts
AJHL: 2 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 Pts

Maddux Martin - F - Victoria & Salmon Arm (BCHL), Seattle (WHL)
Link: Maddux Martin - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
WHL: 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts
BCHL: 201 GP, 58 G, 63 A, 121 Pts

Links:
➤ Elite Prospects: Mount Royal Team Page
➤ Mount Royal: Team Roster Page
➤ CW Hockey Tech: Mount Royal Team Statistics
➤ LeagueStat Media Access: 2025-26 Regular Season (scroll down to Mount Royal)