The Interlake region is well represented at the professional hockey level once again this season.
Whether through growing up in the area or previously playing for local minor hockey teams, five players with ties to the region have appeared in professional games this season across North America and Europe.
James Reimer is the longest-standing Interlake local on the list and the third-oldest current netminder in the National Hockey League.
At 38, the Morweena native carries 16 seasons and 535 games of NHL experience since being drafted 99th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2006.
Reimer joined the Ottawa Senators for the 2025-26 season after signing a one-year contract with the club on Jan. 12, making Ottawa the eighth NHL team he has played for.
In 10 games with the Senators, Reimer has provided steady backup goaltending with a 6-3-1 record, a 2.32 goals-against average and a .884 save percentage.
He also recorded his first shutout with the club — and the 32nd of his NHL career — in a 2-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on March 9 at Rogers Arena.
His play has helped Ottawa remain in the playoff hunt, sitting two points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 12 games remaining.
Reimer previously spent the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons with the U18 AAA Interlake Lightning.
Joel Hofer is the second of two active NHLers on the list.
Now in his third full NHL season, the 25-year-old — who has family ties to the New Haven and Keystone colonies in the Interlake — has been a bright spot for the struggling St. Louis Blues.
He has surpassed career bests in games played, wins and shutouts in 2025-26, helping him move from a backup role into a more even split of the net with longtime starter Jordan Binnington.
Despite the Blues sitting seventh in the Central Division, Hofer has found success in the second half of the season, posting a 17-11-5 record with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage in 37 games.
He also ranks second league-wide with five shutouts, his most recent coming in a 4-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks on March 8 at the Honda Center.
Before turning pro, Hofer played for the Pursuit of Excellence program, the Swift Current Broncos and the Portland Winterhawks, leading to his selection 107th overall by the Blues in 2018.
His younger brother, Ryan Hofer, also appears on the list as a third-year pro within the Washington Capitals organization.
He has spent the majority of the 2025-26 season with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL, recording one goal and 12 assists in 35 games.
A sixth-round pick by Washington in 2022, Hofer has spent his entire professional career in the Capitals system, earning multiple call-ups to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.
He previously played locally for the Winnipeg Hawks U14 AAA before moving to Kelowna to join the Pursuit of Excellence program at the U16 and U18 levels.
Point-per-game seasons there helped him earn a spot in the Western Hockey League with the Everett Silvertips, where he played more than 100 games before finishing his junior career in 2022-23 with the Kamloops Blazers.
Now in his third professional season, Hofer is aiming for a long playoff run with South Carolina, which sits third in the ECHL’s Eastern Conference with a 40-19-1-2 record for 83 points through 62 games.
He has also appeared in 11 games with Hershey this season, recording one assist in a depth role.
Gimli’s Carter Johnson, meanwhile, took his talents to the Alps Hockey League this season, where he produced near point-per-game numbers for Italy-based HC Asiago.
The 30-year-old forward recorded five goals and 12 assists in 19 regular-season games to help Asiago finish fourth, before adding two goals and two assists in a first-round playoff series loss to HC Merano.
Earlier in the season, Johnson helped Asiago capture the franchise’s ninth Italian Ice Hockey Championship with an 8-3 win over Rittner Buam at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which also served as a test venue for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The 2025-26 campaign marks the fifth season of Johnson’s professional career, which began in 2021-22 with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder.
He has since played more than 200 professional games, including stops in Wheeling and Maine (ECHL), Dundee (EIHL) and Esbjerg (Denmark), before joining Asiago this season.
Johnson previously played for the U18 AAA Interlake Lightning, Swan Valley Stampeders (MJHL), Corpus Christi Ice Rays (NAHL) and Miami University (NCAA).
Fellow Lightning alum Leif Mattson is also enjoying a strong professional season with the Quad City Storm of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
The 26-year-old winger sits second in league scoring with 20 goals and 37 assists in 54 games.
His performance has helped Quad City remain in the playoff race, currently holding the final postseason spot with a 24-25-4-1 record.
A native of Thompson, Mattson became the Storm’s all-time leading scorer on Jan. 9 with his 172nd career point in a 7-5 win over the Pensacola Ice Flyers at Vibrant Arena at The MARK, surpassing Tommy Tsicos.
He has since increased his totals to 87 goals and 114 assists for 201 points in 173 games over four seasons with the club.
Before turning pro, Mattson played junior hockey with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets and Spokane Chiefs, then began his professional career in 2021-22 with Tours in France.
He returned to North America the following season, joining Quad City while also seeing time in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades and Kalamazoo Wings.
The Storm are looking to secure their third consecutive playoff appearance after back-to-back quarterfinal exits.
