With the start of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) 2024/2025 season just around the corner, the Whitecourt Wolverines are looking to carry the momentum of last year’s playoff run into the first few games of the season.
Wolverines head coach Shawn Martin, says even though the team came up short of the championship last season, the vibe around the team right now is encouragingly positive.
“It’s very optimistic,” says Martin. “Obviously had a good season on the ice last year and came up short in the final. We’ve got a little motivation to get back to that and come out on top next time.”
As is common in the AJHL, the Wolverines team will look a little different this year with some players aging out of the league and a couple of changes being made to the coaching staff.
“The coaching staff itself has kinda stayed the same,” Martin explains. “We’ve added Jaedon Leslie into the fold. He’s an alumni guy so we’re excited for that. We’ve added a new goalie coach as well.”
Although the Wolverines have lost some players due to various reasons, Martin believes the team will be a strong contender again this year.
“When you have a successful team that means guys are going to move on, we had a bunch of guys graduate into university and college and unfortunately lost a handful of players to the BCHL (British Columbia Hockey League) which was not expected but I think we were able to fill a lot of those spots with some pretty good recruits and available players that were out there.”
When it comes to crowd attendance, of which the Wolverines have had some of the lowest numbers in the AJHL, Martin says he thinks the change of owner could encourage residents to come down to more games.
“There’s a very passionate fan base [in Whitecourt] and now having a local owner in Corey Masse, I think should motivate people to get out and support the team for sure,” says Martin. “There’s a lot of positivity around the team with the new ownership and that is a step in the right direction as well.”
The Wolverines’ first game of the season is in Grande Prairie against the Storm on Friday, Sept. 13, and the Wolverines’ home opener is on Saturday, Sept. 14, also against the Grande Prairie Storm.
Get your tickets now on the Whitecourt Wolverines Website.
