Saskatoon Blind Hockey League (SBHL) coordinator Glen Bowie knows the chance to skate alongside the Huskies is about much more than the game itself.

For the kids participating it's about building relationships, confidence and pride – to them the Huskies are stars.

"They're like celebrities," Bowie said. "We could do it on our own every year without teaming up with the Huskies, but it just wouldn't be the same."

It was 2022 when the Huskies and SBHL first partnered up, running a Try Blind Hockey event.

Inspired by the response, Bowie decided to build something permanent, launching what has since grown into the SBHL.

In 2024, former Huskie Men's Hockey player and USask College of Medicine student Quinton Ong learned about the program, quickly becoming an involved and beloved leader, mentor and role model on and off the ice.

"Everyone loves Quinton. It's not always about skill development and hockey. It's the way Quinton and the other players interact with them as well. That's what they love," Bowie said. "He takes an interest in learning about them and what they're interested in. It's not just let's go out there and I'll teach you how to skate. A lot of them think of him as a big brother."


Ong and an SBHL player at Merlis Belsher Place (Dec. 2025/Huskie Athletics)

For children with visual impairments, those relationships and mentorship have a lasting impact.

"They don't have a lot of opportunities that sighted kids have. When they have the opportunity to get that time from someone who cares about them, it's huge for them," Bowie said.

Ong first got involved with the SBHL when he returned from completing his undergraduate degree at Yale.

A friend who was already connected with the organization invited a group of hockey players to come skate with the kids at a local rink.

After chatting with one of the player's mothers, Ong said he saw an opportunity to help.

"I was really drawn to her story. I don't know what it's like to raise a kid with visual impairment. I don't know the challenges they face. To hear from her… that's why I wanted to do it."

At the time Ong was playing for the Huskies and taking classes at the university but had not yet entered medical school.

Knowing he was going to have a lighter class load and some time on his hands to help out with the program, Ong arranged an afternoon skate every Sunday at Merlis Belsher Place (MBP).

"It's tough to find ice. They can't go to public skates because other kids aren't aware of their disability, so it needs to be a safe space." Ong said. "It started with about four or five kids, and then slowly as the year went on there was just more and more and more."


Huskie Men's Hockey player Ashton Ferster and an SBHL player at Merlis Belsher Place (Dec. 2025/Huskie Athletics)

Ong said a Saskatoon Blades event he helped with drew more kids from the blind community to the skate at MBP.

"Next thing you know, there's 10 kids at the skate. Essentially, it's just a public skate for them. We have pucks, but everyone's at a different level. Some are just skating, some of them are learning to balance. Others play with sticks and the puck. There's a variety of skill levels."

The game itself is the same, with some logistical modifications, including lower nets and a larger puck that rattles, so players can hear it.

"It's pretty remarkable. Their sense of the boards or how fast they're going. And of other people in general," Ong said. "They love the game like I used to when I as a kid and you can see the passion that they have. They're just like any other kid really when it comes to hockey."

Ong says he remembers that excitement as a kid being at the rink, but for kids who are visually impaired it's not as simple.

"There's a ton of barriers. If I can help them out and help these kids out however I can, I knew that was something that I wanted to do."

Though Ong finished his eligibility with the Huskies in 2025-26, he will continue to be involved with the program this upcoming season as he enters the second year of his Medical Doctor (M.D.) degree.

For Ong, medicine, hockey and giving back go hand in hand - he remembers how much he looked up to the Huskies players and wants to be someone these kids can look up to.

"I'm supposed to be a role model and someone in their life that, you know, they can look up to you. I've made it a priority to build a relationship with each of the kids and their parents so that they're excited to be here."

One of many kids Ong's had an impact on includes Liza, who first arrived in Canada just over two years ago, via Ukraine.

When she first arrived in Saskatoon, she couldn't stand on skates.


Huskie Men's Hockey alumni Ethan Regnier with Liza at Merlis Belsher Place (Dec. 2025/Huskie Athletics)

Today, she's one of the program's brightest examples of what's possible.

"She loves Quinton. He taught her to skate," Bowie said.

And that's just one example – there are multiple success stories from the league.

"From 2022 until now, we've come a long way," Bowie said. "We've gone from kids not even being able to skate at all to kids that skate better than their parents."

The biggest challenge, Bowie said, isn't keeping kids engaged, it's finding them in the first place.

The organization serves a small community, with a maximum capacity of about 16 players and around 11 children attending regularly.

As an entirely self-funded, non-profit organization, the SBHL has made remarkable strides in just a few years, partnering with Kinsmen and Al Anderson's Source for Sports to provide equipment for families who need it.

New players can borrow gear to try the sport and if they choose to continue, the organization helps secure donated equipment or financial assistance.

The program also relies on dedicated volunteer coaches, supported by both the Huskies and the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).

The Huskie Men's Hockey team also offers their time throughout the year.

In December 2025, Ong hosted a tour, skate and lunch at MBP for the league with help from seven Huskie Men's Hockey players.


Ong with SBHL Try Blind Hockey attendees at Smukers Lounge in Merlis Belsher Place (Dec. 2025/Huskie Athletics)

It was a huge success, with kids and their families getting to see the Zamboni, broadcast booth and locker rooms before heading out onto the ice with the players.

Bowie said the organization's ultimate goal reaches beyond local practices.

"Our ultimate goal is to get the kids to a level where we can get as many of them to the national tournament as we can," Bowie said. "Our goal is also to help fund them so they can go."

The Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament takes place annually in Toronto and is largest blind hockey event in the world.

Free to attend, it has been key to growing and developing the parasport over the past decade.

For Bowie, that's where the greatest reward lies.

"It's always amazing when you take someone visually impaired and put them in a community full of other people who have their same lived experience," he said. "When you put them in a room with a hundred other kids, they make friends all over Canada."

With the support of Canadian Blind Hockey, Saskatoon is currently the only active blind hockey program in the province, something parent and SBHL board member Renelle Gauthier said they are hoping to change.

While the league does charge a nominal fee to participate, they are continuously looking to reduce cost as a barrier through community support and fundraisers.

For Gauthier, whose son Isaiah is a passionate participant in the league and a big fan of Ong, the growth kids experience form participating is the best part.

"We're just striving to create a safe place for blind and low vision kids," she said. "It's about more than hockey. There's just so much growth in the kids from the beginning to the end of the year and that really fills the heart."

As Huskie Men's Hockey prepares for another season, their partnership with the SBHL remains strong, with the two organizations hosting another Try Blind Hockey event September 28^th at MBP.

Anyone interested in attending or anyone looking for more information on the league, can reach out to blindhockeysaskatoon@gmail.com.