GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Oct. 22 & Saturday, Oct. 23
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Saskatoon, SK & Regina, SK
Venue: Merlis Belsher Place & Co-Operators Arena
Watch: Canadawest.tv
Listen: HuskieFAN

TICKETS || WATCH LIVE 

Welcome home, Huskies.

It's been 597 days since the last time the Huskies played a Canada West conference game at Merlis Belsher Place.

And for the first time since the 1992-93 Canada West season, someone other than Dave Adolph will be behind the Huskies bench when the team opens up their regular-season.

That of course will be Mike Babcock. 

After Adolph's 27-year tenure at the helm of the program, Babcock, the long-time NHL bench boss, is set to lead the Huskies in 2021-22 after being announced as the program's new head coach back in February.

This Friday will serve as the first real opportunity to see the new-look Huskies team in legitimate action.

Gone from the team are many long-time holdover including the five fifth-years who were a part of the team's 2019-20 Canada West championship team. Also gone to the pro ranks are Collin Shirley, Carson Stadnyk, Sam Ruopp and Taran Kozun, presenting opportunities aplenty for this year's batch of Huskies.

Among those opportunities is Travis Child, the team's expected starter between the pipes, with the third-year primed to replace Kozun, the 2018-19 U SPORTS Goalie of the Year. Also set to star alongside Child are Declan Hobbs and Roddy Ross who round out the Saskatchewan netminders. 

Gordie Ballhorn, Shane Collins and Evan Fiala are among the returnees on the blueline, with newcomers Ty Prefontaine and Connor Hobbs in line for big roles alongside the three returnees.

Up front, Donovan Neuls and Jared Dmytriw are the familiar faces set to lead the Huskies offensively, joining fellow returnees Justin Ball and Carter Folk. If the Huskies eight-game preseason was telling, first-year forwards Vince Loschiavo, Owen Hardy and Zane Franklin are all set to play prominent roles for the green and white.

Despite both the turnover behind the bench and on the ice itself, expectations remain high for a Huskies program which figures to be among the nation's best once again this season.

The team enters the season after finishing second in the Canada West preseason coaches poll, trailing only the Alberta Golden Bears, and being ranked second in the first national rankings of the 2021-22 season, behind the UNB Reds.

They'll look to live up to that billing when they take to the ice for the first time this season on Friday night, before travelling south to Regina for the second-half of the home-and-home on Saturday.

And their first chance to prove themselves will be against the provincial rival Regina Cougars, an opponent they've had a lot of success against in recent memory - particularly on home ice. Saskatchewan has not lost a conference clash against their provincial rivals since Feb. 13, 2016, with their last on home ice to Regina coming back on Nov. 21, 2013; a trend they will look to continue on Friday night.

5 Things:

1. Friday night will come as Babcock's first official Canada West game behind the bench for the Huskies.
2. Babcock is the only head coach in the history of hockey to be a member of the Triple Gold Club (Stanley Cup title, IIHF World Championship title, and Olympic gold medal) will lead a hungry Huskies team with hopes of repeating as Canada West champions
3. Friday night will also see the Huskies 2019-20 Canada West Championship banner be unveiled, with their title-clinching Game 2 victory serving as the last time Saskatchewan took the ice at home in a Canada West contest.
4. Gordie Ballhorn was named the Huskies captain prior to the team's opening weekend. Ballhorn was a Second-Team Canada West All-Star in 2019-20 after registering four goals and seven assists. Wyatt Johnson, Jared Dmytriw, Donovan Neuls and Carter Folk compose the rest of the Huskies leadership group, with the four returning forwards all being named alternate capitals.
5. Canada West play opened up this past weekend for all nine teams except the Huskies, with Regina entering the series with an 0-2-0 record after dropping both of their contests last weekend to the MacEwan Griffins. Only two teams still hold perfect undefeated records (UBC & MacEwan).

Scouting the Cougars:

Regina is no stranger to roster turnover either, with ten players gone from their 2019-20 roster and 11 first-years cracking the squad.

A pair of those newcomers are quite familiar to Saskatoon. Randen Schmidt joins the Cougars after spending parts of three seasons with the Saskatoon Blades, recording 20 points in 129 career games with the club. Also joining Schmidt is Tyler Heidt. Heidt, who's brother Miranda skates with the Huskies women's team, transfers to the U SPORTS ranks after spending the last three seasons with Merrimack College (NCAA).

Head coach Todd Johnson, who enters his ninth season at the helm of the program, is looking to guide Regina back to the Canada West postseason for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

U SPORTS TOP 10: