Richard Froese
South Peace News
The High Prairie Red Wings and the five other teams in the National Junior Hockey League will welcome another team next season.
Lac La Biche will join the league for the 2024-25 season, the NJHL announced on its website Jan. 25.
Red Wings’ owner Kevin Hopfner is happy to see the league growing in its first season.
“We are very excited to have Lac La Biche joining our league,” says Hopfner, who represents the Red Wings on the NJHL board of directors.
“With the team’s proximity, it gives us another natural rivalry.”
He predicts Lac La Biche will be a tough contender.
“With the talent pool in the area, we expect them to be competitive right from the get-go,” Hopfner says.
Crowsnest Pass will also start play in the league next season, based in Coleman as the second team in the south.
The Vulcan Rampage started play in the league just after the current season opened.
“More teams in both the north and south is definitely part of our plans to expand the league,” Hopfner says.
“Expansion will be highly calculated to make it cost-efficient for all teams to operate.”
The league sees the addition of Lac La Biche as a great opportunity to expand to a vibrant community with a longstanding record of support for hockey.
“We are so excited about locating a new team in Lac La Biche,” an official NJHL statement says.
“The great community and the Bold Centre will no doubt aid in the recruiting process and offer an excellent environment for our elite full-time athletes to develop and they follow their goal to play at the collegiate and professional levels.”
Lac La Biche County and the NJHL came to terms for a three-year facility agreement.
The team will soon launch a name contest and the league will soon announce an upcoming showcase game.