Skip to content

Estevan's new U18 AAA Bears team announces first 12 recruits

The Estevan Eclipse Downhole Solutions U18 AAA Bears hockey club has announced their first recruits for their inaugural season. The Bears revealed the commitment of 12 players via their social media channels on Friday and Saturday.
Estevan Bears logo

The Estevan Eclipse Downhole Solutions U18 AAA Bears hockey club has announced their first recruits for their inaugural season.

The Bears revealed the commitment of 12 players via their social media channels on Friday and Saturday. Some of those players already have experience at the U18 (formerly known as midget) level, while others were at the U15 (bantam) level last season.

The Bears were unable to have a spring camp this year because the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the closure of Affinity Place and other arenas across the province, but the club is still pleased with the talent coming in. Players come from throughout the Bears drawing area of southeast Saskatchewan.

The first player they announced was goaltender Jackson Miller, a 2004-born athlete from Estevan. Miller spent last season with the Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins, and posted a 15-3 record with a 2.10 goals against average and a .918 save percentage for the Bruins, who had the best record in the Saskatchewan Midget AA Hockey League.

The other goaltender to commit is Kelton Pyne, a 2005-born netminder from White City, who played for the Prairie Storm bantam AA program. He had a 10-4-1 record with a 2.68 goals against average and .897 save percentage for the Storm, who were the top team in the Saskatchewan Bantam AA Hockey League’s South Division during the regular season.

The club also announced the signing of several defencemen:

  • Cade Bendtsen (born in 2003) of Carlyle who played last season with the midget AA  Bruins, and had six goals and 25 points in 31 games played.
  • Hunter Weber (’03) from Saskatoon who had one assist in 42 games with the midget AAA Yorkton Maulers.
  • Boston Harkins (’05) of White City, who played with the bantam AA Prairie Storm and had four goals and 31 points in 31 games.
  • Brady Bye (‘04) of White City, who played last season with the Prairie Storm midget AA team and had a goal and 17 points in 35 games played.  

The forwards who committed are:

  • Ty Mason (’05) of Weyburn, who spent last season playing bantam AAA hockey with the Notre Dame Hounds, and had 12 goals and 25 points in 30 games. He is the son of Willy Mason, who is an assistant coach with the Bears and was part of the Estevan Bruins junior hockey team that won the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League title in 1999.
  • Carson Birnie (’05) of Arcola, who played with the Regina Monarchs bantam AA team last season, and had 28 goals and 67 points in 29 games played. He played much of his minor hockey in Estevan.
  • Turner McMillen (‘03) of Carievale, who spent last season with the Prince Albert Mintos midget AAA program and had 15 goals and 39 points in 44 games played. He played much of his minor hockey in Estevan as well before going to Prince Albert for two seasons of midget AAA.
  • Zayden Sadlemyer (’05) of Buena Vista, who played last season with the bantam AA Prairie Storm and had 16 goals and 34 points in 31 games.
  • Cooper Chisholm (03), from Weyburn, who played last season with the midget AAA Mintos, and had five goals and 17 points in 40 games.
  • Caden Drury (04) of Carrot River, who played last season with the Prairie Hockey Academy and had six goals and 18 points in 35 games played.

This week’s edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.