The 2025-26 season was one of ups and downs for the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Selkirk Steelers.
The club had stretches where it sat first in the league, saw players selected to all-star and Team Canada events, and secured various commitments to college hockey programs.
The low point, however, was missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season — a surprising outcome after opening the year on an eight-game winning streak.
Selkirk faced its share of mid-season adversity, including the departure of top scorer Rohan Guevarra, who headed west to finish the season with the Blackfalds Bulldogs of the British Columbia Hockey League.
Illness around the holidays also resulted in a stretch of shortened lineups and even a game postponement.
Selkirk ultimately finished 20-35-2-1, placing fifth in the seven-team MGEU East Division, 29 points back of Winkler, which claimed the fourth and final Eastern playoff spot.
“Falling short of the playoffs was definitely disappointing for us and how everything kind of finished up in the second half was not how we kind of first saw our season going,” said head coach Hudson Friesen on Friday. “We had a really good start, and we ran into some injury issues later in the first half which kind of affected our group and just our ability to put a full roster on the ice. After Christmas, we were really excited that we were getting fully healthy. For whatever reason, in the second half we just had a really hard time scoring and lost a lot of one-goal games. I think it was up to 15 games we lost by a goal. We competed, we were in the mix, and we just weren’t able to get over the hump in a lot of those big games, especially early on in January. Unfortunately, that put us behind the eight ball where we were chasing and it put us in a spot where the mountain was too big to climb near the end.”
The MJHL has since carried on without the Steelers, with the start of the 2026 Turnbull Cup playoffs.
Friesen and staff, meanwhile, are spending their time reflecting on the season and what comes next.
The club will be without forwards Evan Mayer, Carter Zalischuk, Dawson Madden, Owen Branson, Wyatt Witham, and defencemen Jules Delepoulle and Nolan Wytrykusz next season as part of its 2025-26 graduating class.
Their departures leave a hole, particularly on offence, where players like Witham, Branson and Madden paced the club this season.
“They’re definitely going to be missed and all those guys — all seven of our graduating players — have helped lay a foundation in the room and on the ice as well, with just the habits and the detail that we want our guys to play with. They definitely embody what it means and what it takes to be a Steeler,” said Friesen.
Their absence, however, creates opportunities for younger players to step up. Forwards Carter Haney and Landon Pue, who both surpassed the 30-point mark as rookies in 2025-26, will look to help fill the offensive gap.
Rookies Isaac Sousa, Jayton Frederick, Madden Simard and Dylan Line will also have opportunity knocking as they enter their sophomore campaigns.
“Those guys are going to be relied upon to take a big step next year,” said Friesen. “The baton’s going to be passed from the 20-year-olds — the guys vacating — and those are going to be the players we are going to really lean on to take big steps to help push this program forward and help the team have more success.”
They will also be joined by newcomers brought in over the off-season.
With more than five months before the 2026-27 season, Friesen said the team is already evaluating potential players, some of whom may be skating in Steeltown as early as May’s spring camp.
The coming months will also provide clarity on which graduating players will move on to the college level.
Senior commitments so far include Branson (Niagara Univ., ACHA), Delepoulle (SUNY-Plattsburgh, NCAA III) and Wytrykusz (Anna Maria College, NCAA III).
Friesen expects that number to grow.
“It’s looking like a few of our other 20-year-olds will also have some commitments that we’re not ready to announce quite yet, but it looks like most of them will have an opportunity to continue playing next year,” said Friesen. “All of them deserve that opportunity and we’re excited for them to keep playing, and obviously having an opportunity to get their education at the same time. At the end of the day we’re very happy with that, and it’s great to see success and for these guys to get that opportunity here for next season.”
Selkirk officially put a bow on the 2025-26 season at its annual awards banquet on March 17, where nine awards were handed out.
Major award winners included goaltender Ethan Sawyer (Most Valuable Player), Witham (Top Forward) and Delepoulle (Top Defenceman).
Award winners:
• Most Valuable Player (MVP): G Ethan Sawyer, 40 GP, 14-23-1, .909 SV%, 3.34 GAA, 1 SO
• Top Forward: F Wyatt Witham, 54 GP, 25-34-59
• Top Defenceman: D Jules Delepoulle, 46 GP, 8-17-25
• Rookie of the Year: F Carter Haney, 53 GP, 12-21-33
• Most Improved: F Kayden Turner, 58 GP, 10-24-34
• Top Defensive Player: F Owen Branson, 55 GP, 20-33-53
• Unsung Player of the Year: D Ayden Collins, 45 GP, 2-14-16
• Most Inspirational: F Dawson Madden, 43 GP, 18-19-37, and D Jules Delepoulle
• Leading Scorer: F Wyatt Witham
