Earlier this month, 116 Saskatchewan U18 female hockey players attended a provincial training camp in Southey. The camp served as the first round of Hockey Saskatchewan's "Sask First High Performance Program", where 80 of the province's top athletes were selected to advance to the next round in April. 

No less than 10 members of the U18 AAA Weyburn Gold Wings will be advancing to the second round of the program; A tournament to be held in Balgonie from April 12th-14th. 

Aside from the experience of testing one's abilities against their top peers and competitors, there is also the opportunity for athletes to be scouted by an elite league and further advance their careers. Those who shine may even find themselves reaching national levels of competition as the Sask First program is often hailed as a "gateway" to entering Hockey Canada's elite programming. 

At the conclusion of Balgonie's tournament in April, the Sask. roster will be refined to only the top 30 U18 female players in the province. Those 30 players will undoubtedly catch the attention of the many scouts that gather at Sask First events, but they will also be allowed to advance to the final round of the High Performance program.

Camps in the Summer and Fall will further refine the skills of the Top 30 roster before players are named to compete for Team Saskatchewan at the 2024 National Women's Under-18 Championship. 

Pursuing these opportunities from the U18 AAA Weyburn Gold Wings are:

  • Amy Swayze (Goalie) 2007

  • Kiah Shields (Forward) 2007

  • Randell Banga (Defense) 2007

  • Peyton Halayka (Forward) 2007

  • Julia Durr (Forward) 2008

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    Nola Exner (Forward) 2008

  • Maicy Groenwegen (Forward) 2008

  • Jade Olszewski (Forward) 2008

  • Ayla Klus (Forward) 2008

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    Kaitlyn Mah (Defense) 2008

"Our Weyburn Gold Wings are determined, hard working and demonstrate both sportsmanship and class on and off the ice. The opportunity to compete in the tournament in hopes to make a final roster for TeamSask U18 is well earned and well deserved," wrote Leslie Joorisity-Dickie in her account of the Weyburn team's success.