Currently hosting the expansion Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation Flames, Cross Lake Islanders, the Norway House North Stars, the Opaskwayak Cree Nation Storm and the Peguis Juniors, the KJHL and its Board of Governors will be very welcoming to its newest team.

“Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation is recognized as one of the fastest growing communities in the province,” said KJHL President, Andrew Arksey. “The KJHL is thrilled to bring a new organization into this community.”

The PBCN Selects will be hosted out of Creighton, Saskatchewan – a border town shared with Flin Flon in Manitoba – and play its inaugural season games out of the Creighton Sportsplex.

“We have been in ongoing discussions with this group for close to a year and are very confident that the community owned non-profit organization and Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation will provide an ideal new home market for the KJHL going forward,” Arksey added. “I would also like to recognize the significant commitment and efforts of Gatlin Church who was instrumental in helping bring a new KJHL franchise to Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.”

The PBCN Selects released the following statement in a press release upon announcement of the 2022-23 season plan:

The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN) has occupied lands in Northeast Saskatchewan since time immemorial. The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation are called Assin’skowitiniwak which means “people of the rocky area”. The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation consists of 8 communities, including Denare Beach, Deschaumbault Lake, Kinoosao, Pelican Narrows, Prince Albert, Sandy Bay, Southend, and Sturgeon Landing and is spread over 51,000 square kilometers.

Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation are both excited and proud to be accepted as the newest franchise entry into the Keystone Junior Hockey League. We are excited to be in the community we are in. We are aware of the many young families that have made PBCN their home and the investment that they have made to our community. We look forward to engaging with many volunteers in the surrounding area as we put the various leadership teams into place in the weeks and months ahead.

For more additional information please contact Gatlin Church at 204-791-2587 or email at gatlinchurch@icloud.com.

The KJHL looks forward to working with the new management and ownership group along with the communities within Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in the days ahead as they begin their journey towards their inaugural 2022-23 season in the KJHL. Be sure to follow our journey on Twitter at @KJHLSelects as we move forward towards icing a competitive roster for the upcoming season.

Please stay tuned for further exciting announcements to come.

Now sitting at six teams, the KJHL does have the slim potential to ice a seventh team should the Fisher River Hawks return to league play after taking a four-year hiatus following the 2017-18 season and through COVID. The Hawks must inform the league’s Board of Governors regarding their plans for the 2022-23 season within the week.

The Peguis Juniors finished the 2021-22 season in first place with a 26-5-1 record before going on to win nine playoff games, taking another KJHL championship from its fellow teams.

Carter Brooks

Carter Brooks - Associate Editor of Game On Magazine - is a news writer and sports columnist situated in Winnipeg, MB. On top of reading and writing, his favourite pastimes include camping, car-modification projects and coaching hockey. Carter can be reached at carterbrooks1994@gmail.com or on Twitter at @GameOnHockey.