Girls hockey teams in Regina, Saskatoon to be off-limits to non-city residents

Starting in the fall of 2018, girls who live outside of Regina and Saskatoon will not be allowed to play on a hockey team in those cities, and city residents won't be able to play on teams outside the cities.

Kelly McClintock, general manager of the Saskatchewan Hockey Association, said the group is extending a rule that is already in effect on the male side and which applies to four urban areas in Saskatchewan.

"To try and stimulate the development of female hockey in the communities just outside of Regina and Saskatoon, our board made the decision to close the borders off to female hockey as well."

"There's been some opposition to it," around Regina, he told CBC Radio's Morning Edition, but there's been no pushback so far in Saskatoon.

He said the aim is to get more girls playing hockey. Five years ago, Prairie Storm Minor Hockey had about 120 female players, he said, then girls began to be encouraged to go play in Regina.

"In the last year, for example, if you take into account some of the young girls that were playing in coed teams within their association and the girls that were playing in Regina, there was only around 55, 56 girls playing hockey.

"A lot of girls don't want to come into Regina to play, they want to play with their friends."

Minor hockey groups are at risk of losing those girls to other sports, like ringette, which McClintock says has grown significantly in Prairie Storm's area in the past few years.

Tiered teams better for player development?

Regina leagues are tiered, with players grouped by ability. In outlying areas, though, if 10 children want to play, those 10 children are on the team regardless of differences in ability.

McClintock said most of the opposition stems from a culture "that if you don't play in a tiered hockey environment, then you're not going to develop as a hockey player, which we feel isn't true."

He cited the example of Nick Schultz, who grew up playing in Strasbourg, Sask., and went on to play in the NHL.

"He was able to develop in his hometown and play with kids that were a variety of levels of hockey, and he still developed," McClintock said.

Once girls reach the ages of 14-17, they can play midget triple AAA anywhere in the province, he said.

The changes take effect in the 2018-2019 season. The Saskatchewan Hockey Association says 16 months is enough time for local teams to get ready.