There is a new look and a renewed sense of optimism surrounding the Yorkton Kinsmen Maulers as they prepare to open their preseason schedule.
After a difficult 2025-26 campaign that saw Yorkton finish 6-34-and-4 and 11th in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League, the Maulers have spent the off-season making significant changes throughout the organization.
Head coach Josh Garbutt says the work has gone well beyond simply putting together a new roster.
“Us as a collective have put a pile of work into basically every corner of the organization,” Garbutt said. “From a whole new logo to all-new team gear, home and away equipment, just top-to-bottom professionalism. Then obviously the cherry on top is a completely state-of-the-art renovated dressing room for the organization for years to come.”
There have also been changes to the hockey operations staff, with Warren Shymko returning to the organization in a new role and Brett Breitkreuz joining the Maulers as an assistant coach.
Garbutt believes bringing in that level of hockey experience will be invaluable for a young roster.
“There’s so much hockey experience for these kids to lean on that it really is exciting,” Garbutt said. “When you can have guys like Warren and Brett around these kids and have that experience for them to lean on, it’s something that we think is going to be a huge benefit to our program.”
The Maulers have also taken a deliberate approach to building their roster, bringing back players who experienced the challenges of last season while adding a large group of younger players.
The majority of the newcomers are 15- and 16-year-olds, creating a roster that Garbutt believes has plenty of room to grow.
“There’s certainly going to be growing pains and a learning curve for them,” he said. “But they’re all extremely talented with lots of opportunity ahead of them.”
That development-first approach is central to the new direction in Yorkton.
The Maulers have several players with Western Hockey League connections, including Bridger Unchulenko, Luke Trann and Dylan Veroba, while Kaden Kohle attended a WHL camp and Jackson Bray is another player who has received major junior exposure.
Garbutt says the organization wants to become a place where young players can take the next step in their hockey careers.
“We wanted to turn the corner as an organization where Junior B is no longer a standard for us,” Garbutt said. “We’re trying to move kids on to Major Junior. That’s the goal of the organization, and that’s what we want for our kids.”
The Maulers will get their first opportunity to put that philosophy into action during a four-game preseason schedule against Manitoba competition.
Yorkton will play the Parkland Rangers twice starting on Wednesday and the Brandon Wheat Kings twice before opening the 2026-27 SMU18AAAHL regular season on September 26th at home against the Swift Current Legionnaires.
The preseason will also provide the coaching staff with an important opportunity to establish its identity, particularly with so many young players still learning how to play within the team’s systems.
“We’ve only really had two practices as a full group,” Garbutt said. “With that being said, the next couple weeks are just going to be really hammering down exactly how we play and the expectations of every individual.”
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