Kindersley Jr. Klippers
SJHL Champions 2002
SJHL Champions 2004, RBC Finals, Anavet Cup
Conference Champions 2008, League Finals
The Kindersley Klippers have an impressive track record of gearing up young men for the next level of their hockey careers. Whether it be Pro, College or Major Junior, Klippers have gone out and been successful at the highest levels.
The Klippers have been in Kindersley for 24 years. Since that time they have helped develop the likes of Justen Close, who currently plays for the University of Minnesota; Or defender Neil Petruic, who played four years at Minnesota-Duluth before playing nearly 300 games in the AHL. Derek Dorsett, a former Klipper, found success in the WHL before suiting up as an NHL regular for the Columbus Blue Jackets. In fact over 150 Jr. Klippers have gone from Kindersley to play CIS,NCAA,WHL or Professional.
With great facilities, a dedicated coaching staff and great educational development Kindersley is an excellent place to begin your hockey career and start maturing into a young athlete.
The SJHL represents quality Jr. A hockey in Saskatchewan and is part of the ten league, national CJHL.
The SJHL plays a 54 game schedule with three divisions of four teams each. Kindersley will play in a division with Notre Dame, Battlefords and Humboldt. The SJHL has a rich history dating back to 1968. Throughout Saskatchewan the SJHL continues to be a prime avenue of entertainment for the hockey fans in the province. Each year the SJHL draws almost half a million fans to their games (Almost half the population of Saskatchewan).
The Champion of the SJHL goes to compete in the Western Cup Tournament. The Western Cup then provides 2 seeds for the RBC Cup, the National Championship. Saskatchewan has won 9 RBC Cups to date (second most of any province). In the last 10 years an SJHL team has been in the RBC Cup finals six times, including 2004 when the Klippers lost in the National Championship finals. The SJHL won 3 of the last 10 RBC Cups (’03 Humboldt, ’05 Weyburn, ’08 Humboldt). The SJHL has also had tremendous success at the inter-provincial level as-well, winning the Anavet cup (Champion of SJHL and MJHL) 26 times in its 34 year history.
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League has prepared some of the world’s elite hockey players. Jaden Schwartz, Curtis Joseph, Chris Kunitz and Derek Dorsett all got their start in the SJHL.
The highly competitive leagues across Canada boast some impressive numbers. At the start of the 2013 season over 560 CJHL Alumni were playing on professional rosters, including 129 in the NHL and 191 in the AHL.
The West Central Events Center is where the Klippers play all of their home games. It is a beautiful town owned arena. Currently it has two ice pads, a running track and various meeting rooms. Recently the Saskatchewan government awarded the town of Kindersley with a 3.1M dollar grant to continue to upgrade and add on to the facility. It also has several amenities, souvenir shop, and concessions stands as well as a private bike and weight room for the Jr. Klippers.
The building has state of the art Wi-Fi and features several flat screen televisions throughout the building. It seats about 1700 in the Klippers arena, as well as some significant areas for expansion in the form of corporate boxes and luxury suites.
All our Klippers get placed into selected Billet Homes. Like any junior hockey team we depend on the efforts of these dedicated volunteers. Our players are placed in a home based on where we feel they would fit and thrive the best. All our billet families are screened. Players are expected to become part of the family. All meals are provided as well as snacks for road trips. Players are encouraged and expected to help out with household chores.
This is a great way for players to see past the hockey and become part of this great community. Players will have the opportunity to be social and function within a family. Many of our players also attend school or work part time within the town.
The Klippers work closely with the high school and college in town.
The Kindersley Klippers offer a comprehensive local scholarship program. This program is designed to prepare students for college and university courses. The team provides information, assistance and guidance to all players taking their SAT’s. Tutoring and special assistance with regards for academics can also be provided by the team.
Advice is also available on NCAA requirements and regulations. Any player is entitled to work with the coaching staff to ensure eligibility.
Kindersley is an oil town of roughly 5,000 people. It is a hub to the oil and gas industries as well as agriculture. Kindersley is nicely located about two hours southwest of Saskatoon and four hours east of Calgary.
We feature a full service 9-hole golf course and 2 baseball diamonds. The WCEC is a beautiful community building with over $3M in upgrades on the way. There are beautiful walking trails, parks and camping amenities as well.
Kindersley has a growing and impressive retail outlet with Tim Horton’s and Wal-Mart coming on in recent years.
There is two newspapers in town, the Crossroads and the Kindersley Clarion as well as 3 radio stations, all owned and operated by Golden West Radio.
