SASKATOON, Sask. - This Friday marks the official return of the Saskatchewan Huskie women's hockey team to the ice for the 2024-25 season. The Dog's are set to take on the Regina Cougars in a home-and-home series this weekend to kick off the latest Canada West campaign, with the Huskies home opener scheduled the following night, on Saturday, October 5. 
 

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2023-24 Season Recap
Regular Season: 19-7-2 / 4th in Canada West
Canada West Playoffs: 1-2 / Lost to CGY in CW Quarterfinal
U SPORTS Championships: 1-2 / Finished 6th
CW Team Ranks: Offence - 5th (63 GF) / Defence - 3rd (46 GA)
Regular Season Leaders (RETURNING):
    Points - Kendra Zuchotzki (11)
    Goals - Kendra Zuchotzki (3)
    Assists - Kendra Zuchotzki (8)
    Wins - Colby Wilson (4)
 

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2024-25 Canada West Coaches Poll

 

1.	UBC Thunderbirds
2.	Alberta Pandas
3.	Mount Royal Cougars
4.	Calgary Dinos
5.	Manitoba Bisons
6.	Saskatchewan Huskies
7.	Regina Cougars
8.	Trinity Western Spartans
9.	MacEwan Griffins

 

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Friday's game at the Co-operators Centre in Regina will mark the first of a 28-game regular season schedule for the Huskies. The Dogs will be one of nine programs from across Western Canada vying for one of the six playoff position in the Canada West postseason. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top two teams in the conference will earn byes to the semifinal round while the remaining four team fours programs do battle in a best-of-three quarter final series. The two teams left standing in the conference finals will also earn entrance into the 2025 U SPORTS Women's Hockey Championship. This year's national tournament is set to take place in Woolwich, Ontario from March 30-23 with the University of Waterloo serving as hosts. 

The 2024-25 edition of Huskie women's hockey will see several new faces fill key roles left by graduated players such as Camryn Drever, Sophie Lalor, and Kara Kondrat among others. The good news is the Dogs return a strong group of experienced players in addition to 12 first or second year players eager to find their place in the lineup.

"After hosting a National Championship, we have a healthy mixture of young, inexperienced players and veteran student-athletes throughout our lineup," said Steve Kook, who is entering his 20th season as head coach of the Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team. "There's been lots of teaching during training camp and we expect that will continue into the regular season. Some nights we will look like a veteran, experienced team and other nights we will be doing lots of learning. It'll be exciting to see players take advantage of the opportunities in our lineup with the departure of some key players at all positions."
 

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2024-25 Huskie Women's Hockey Recruiting Class
(No. / Position / Eligibility / Year / Major / Hometown / Last Team)

Aeryn Flanagan / #16 / Forward / 1 / Kinesiology / Edmonton, AB / Edmonton Jr Oilers (AFHL U18 AAA)
Hallie Franklin / #2 / Defence / 1 / Psychology / Deloraine, MB / Westman Wildcats (MFMHL)
Avery Gottselig / #28 / Defence / 1 / Business / Regina, SK / Regina Avana Rebels (SFMAAAHL)
Julianna Herman / #8 / Defence / 2 / Agriculture & Bioresources / The Pas, MB / Saint Anselm Hawks (NCAA)
Kaylee Hill / #11 / Forward / 3 / Kinesiology / Lloydminster, SK / Lakeland College Rustlers (ACAC)
Clara Juca / #1 / Goalie / 1 / Engineering / New Westminster, BC / Etobicoke Jr Dolphins (OWHL)
Jaiyana Nurani / #14 / Forward / 1 / Engineering / Calgary, AB / Calgary Fire (AFHL U18 AAA)
Kaysah Nurani / #21 / Forward / 1 / Kinesiology / Calgary, AB / Calgary Fire (AFHL U18 AAA)
Ashlee Wolfe / #25 / Forward / 4 / Arts & Science / Hobein, SK / TWU Spartans (U SPORTS)

This year's recruiting class features a talented and exciting group of incoming players. Of the nine new faces, six join the Huskies as rookies while blueliner Julianna Herman, and forwards Kaylee Hill and Ashlee Wolfe join the Dogs via transfer. 

"We are very excited about this year's recruiting class," said Kook. "There will be a lot of learning early on as they adjust to Canada West, but we're looking forward to watching them figure out how they fit into things. We don't want to put any limitations of them because of talent or skill, we want them to be able to find their own role and place within the team."
 

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FORWARDS
The Huskie forward group is led by Sara Kendall and Taylor Wilkinson, a pair of veteran student-athletes who have proven to be productive at the offensive end of the ice. With 93 career regular season games combined, the pair will be expexted to continue to put the puck in the back of the net. Kendall, a fourth-year product of Ponteix, Saskatchewan, is coming off a strong season in which she scored twice while totaling eight points, bringing her career total to 19. For Wilkinson, she will look to continue her consistent play in her third season. The former Lakeland Rustler has recorded 17 points through seasons in green and white. 

With several new faces in the Huskie forward group, one pair is expected to use their speed and skill to make an impact immediately. Jaiyana and Kaysah Nurani, affectionately known as 'the twins,' join the Huskies from the Calgary Fire of the U18 AAA Alberta Female Hockey League. In their lone AAA season with the Fire, the pair helped the team to a runner-up finish in the provincial championships after appearing in a combined 73 games. Now the two forwards will need to learn how to utilize their speed and skill in Canada West hockey. 

Paris Oleksyn (Saskatoon, SK), Jayde Cadieux (Cold Lake, AB), and Kahlen Wisener (Winnipeg, MB) also return for another season in green & white. The trio of talented forwards made tremendous strides both on and off the ice in the offseason and now have the opportunity to show those results on the ice and help fill the roles left by graduated players. 

DEFENCE
On the blueline, the Huskies welcome back Kendra Zuchotzki to lead defence corps. Zuchotzki, a fourth year defender from Dorintosh, Saskatchewan, is one of the most experienced players on the roster having appeared in 74 regular season and 17 postseason games in her career. She is also the teams leading scorer from last year to return for 2024-25. During the 2023-24 season, she recorded three goals and eight assists, bringing her point total to 28 through three seasons. Zuchotzki is joined by another veteran blueliner in Brooklyn Stevely, a fourth-year education/kinesiology major from Regina. Stevely returns to the Huskies after missing the entire 2023-24 Canada West season, but returning to appear in the U SPORTS National Championships hosted at Merlis Belsher Place. Now, Stevely steps into a senior role and will look to return to her 2022-23 form which saw the defender record 10 points in 28 games. 

Avery Gottselig headlines the group of incoming blueliners for the Huskies, trading in the red, yello, and black of the Regina Avana Rebels (U18 AAA) for the green & white of USask. Last season with the Rebels, the business major from Regina, finished eighth in scoring and second among defenders in the Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League with 36 points (5 G, 31 A). A mobile, physical player Gottselig has impressed through the preseason and has coaching staff excited for her Canada West debut. 

GOALIES
Following the departure of one of the best goalies in program history in Camryn Drever, an exciting opportunity has opened in net for returning goaltender Colby Wilson. Wilson, an arts & science major from Fort St. James, B.C., started seven games between the pipes during the 2023-24 season, recording 4 wins and 3 losses in addition to a 2.65 goals against average and .899 save percentage. Having spent three years with the Huskies, Wilson has earned her shot at the Saskatchewan crease.

Goaltenders Emma Backman and Clara Juca also join the group of Huskie netminders in 2024-25. Backman, a second-year kinesiology major and product of Centennial Collegiate, returns for her second season with the team and will look to make her debut in green & white this year. Clara Juca meanwhile, joins the Dogs as a rookie after an impressive career with the Etobicoke Dolphins of the Ontario Women's Hockey League U22 Elite. With the Dolphins, Juca earned nine shutouts, a 1.13 goals against average, and a .937 save percentage in 23 starts. Juca aso appeared on the national stage for Team BC at the 2023 National Women's U18 Championships, helping the team capture bronze.
 

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Tickets to the Huskies home opener on Saturday, October 5 at Merlis Belsher Place are available at huskietickets.com. Fans looking to tune in to the Dogs' season-opener on Friday in Regina can catch all the action live online at CanadaWest.TV.
 

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