This season, Bisons hockey fans can expect a men's hockey team that head coach Mike Sirant describes as "highly motivated" and with something to prove. The puck drops on Manitoba's Canada West campaign on October 7 at 7:00 p.m. against the UBC Thunderbirds at The Rink Training Centre in Oak Bluff, Manitoba. Click here to get tickets. 

After an abbreviated 20-game schedule in the 2021-22 season due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bisons will return to a full 28-game schedule this season for the first time since 2019-20. 

The 2021-22 season proved to be a difficult one for the men's hockey program, who missed the playoffs for only the second time since the 2007-08 season. It's important to note, however that in the early portion of the season, four of the team's losses were in one-goal games. Despite the disappointing start, Sirant's squad was still in the fight for a playoff spot until the final few weeks of conference play, as injuries and pro hockey opportunities for Bisons players left the roster depleted. 

Following the Christmas break of last season, the Bisons were hit with several roster adjustments. Starting goaltender Liam Hughes and top-four defenceman Reese Harsch both earned professional opportunities. The 2021-22 Bisons' leading goal scorer, Brett Davis, was also lost for the rest of the season with a knee injury with seven games left on the schedule. In addition to Davis, the team was also without their point leader, Devon Skoleski, for a period of time as he recovered from an injury as well. 

"Last year, our record didn't reflect the team's talent or performance on the ice. We competed hard and played well but couldn't seem to find ways to win those one- goal games early in the season. Due to Covid, most of our players had never played Canada West conference games and they needed some time to learn how tough and competitive this conference is," said Sirant.

"Every game in Canada West is crucial as every point is so valuable in determining the final playoff positions. That is why there is an urgency to get off to a good start this season. Our players have been anxious since the end of last year to prove themselves this season. They are ready to play and we believe that we are going to surprise some teams this year."

Leaders of the Herd for 2022-23
As Manitoba turns the page to the 2022-23 season, Sirant looks to new team captain Geordie Keane and assistant captains Dylan Thiessen, Liam Schioler and Colton Veloso to lead the team this year. Fourth-year defenseman Mitchell Dyck and Davis will also play key roles in the team's leadership group. 
 

"For all these players, they are good character people and reflect the values of the Bison's men's hockey through their hard work, integrity, respect, humility and pursuit of excellence," expressed Sirant.

"They are highly committed to the program and will lead by example on the ice and in the gym, classroom and community.They will provide excellent input to the coaching staff that will certainly help the team be successful." 

When it comes to the team identity the Bisons will be no different from their previous seasons, citing a combination of skill, grit and discipline through hard work,
pushing the pace and playing honest two-way hockey.

"Our identity is based on thepersonnelof the team. Every player on this team was recruited because they fit the Bisons men's hockey identity and culture."

Manitoba Welcomes Offensive Punch to Forward Group
The herd welcomed several new recruits for the upcoming season, bolstering their top-six talent, becoming stronger at the centre ice position, adding size and mobility on the blueline and depth between the goal posts. 

Former Prince George Cougar captain Jonny Hooker comes to the Bisons with five years of WHL experience where he totaled over 200 games. In 2021-22, the 6'1", 185-pound Winnipeg native scored 18 goals and had 30 points overall as a dependable forward capable of playing in multiple spots. 

Forward Jackson Arpin, who stands at 6'2", 205, joins Manitoba after playing his junior hockey days in MJHL with the Winkler Flyers. Arpin totaled 52 points in 118 games and was well known as one of the best face-off men and penalty killers in the league. 

"Both of these players are smart and have a good understanding of the game," commented Sirant. "We expect Jonny to make an immediate impact through his ability to score, play a two-way game and on the powerplay."

Speaking about Arpin, Sirant said, "Jackson provides good roster depth at centre and penalty killing. He has a gritty and tough style of play, and a very good offensive upside."

Four Recruits Give New Look to Bison Blueline
On the blueline, Manitoba welcomes new recruits Ryan Gottfried, Evan Toth, Zac Patrick and Parker Malchuk who all have WHL experience. 

"This is a good group of recruits for our defence. The four of them bring a combination of size, physicality, mobility and playmaking ability to our backend. This will provide us depth at the defenseman position with the different types of players we have to play alongside returnees Mitchell Dyck, Chase Hartje and Samuel Stewart.
Our defence core will be one of our strengths this year." 

Gottfried was a lights-out defenceman for Seattle and Red Deer in the WHL with over 150 games of experience. The 6'4", 209-pounder had 15 points a season ago for a Thunderbirds squad that made it to the WHL championship, and has been impressive in the pre-season. 

Toth is a reliable blue-liner capable of holding things down in the d-zone. The 6'2", 205-pounder is a veteran of over 150 WHL games between Vancouver and Calgary and had a career year offensively with the Giants last season, recording 17 points. 

Patrick, 6'0", 176, most recently played for the Steinbach Pistons in the MJHL and has WHL experience. He had a career-high 35 points with Steinbach a year ago and was the backbone of the defensive core while also serving as captain. 

Malchuk, 5'10", 174, was captain of the 2021-22 MJHL champion Dauphin Kings, where he had 45 points in 50 regular season games, along with 16 points in 17 playoff contests. He also has over 80 games of WHL experience. 

Young Goaltenders to Guard the Net for Manitoba
Between the pipes, Manitoba enters the season with three goaltenders with minimal to no experience at the Canada West level, but that Sirant believes will give the team an opportunity to be successful. 

"We have to be patient and allow these guys time to adjust to the speed of the Canada West game and the accuracy of the shooters in the conference.We have an excellent goaltending coach in Byron Spriggs who loves the work ethic, passion and willingness to learn of our three goalies this season."

With previous experience at the NCAA Division 1 level with Western Michigan, Ross Hawryluk will pose a challenge to Canada West scorers with his 6'4", 208-pound stature. His NCAA talents are complimented by his time spent playing in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with the Nipawin Hawks were posted a 15-7-4 record and a save percentage of .920 in 2019-20. 

Second-year Brett Murphy sits as the veteran of the Bison's goaltending trio. Murphy made his U SPORTS debut last season against the Saskatchewan Huskies on February 11, 2022, stopping 29 of the 31 shots he faced and earning the victory. 

Simon Harkness most recently played for the Steinbach Pistons of the MJHL, who advanced to the MJHL final a year ago. Harkness had 12 wins in 2021-22, along with a .905 save percentage and 2.63 goals against average.