The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League earned bragging rights over their Manitoba counterparts at the annual showcase, Monday and Tuesday in Regina. The Estevan Bruins were no small part of the reason why. 

A league-high eight Bruins suited up for three different SJHL teams as Saskatchewan went 4-1-1 over the two-day event. Isaiah Thomas, Kade McMillen, Grant Boldt, Michael McChesney, Will Koop, Turner Ripplinger, Jake Heerspink, and Johnny Witzke all donned SJHL jerseys, while head coach and GM Chris Lewgood was behind the bench.

Thomas's team Schwartz went 1-0-1 on the event, and Thomas picked up an assist in the win over the MJHL on the second day.

"It was a good experience," Thomas said, "a lot of fun. It was a good time playing at that level and seeing what kind of players the MJ had. It was also good to play with other rookies from around the league."

"I didn't really know anybody when I first got there," he added, "but we were a good team and no one thought they were better than anyone else. For just two days we became a pretty close group, it was a lot of fun."

Fellow rookie Kade McMillen logged big minutes in his first showing at the event and, under his usual coach, Chris Lewgood, he was an anchor on the team Schwartz blue line. Though McMillen had his two Bruins teammates with him, he also knew plenty of his SJHL counterparts. 

"I played against quite a few of these guys," he said. "All the guys from the Moose Jaw area and Regina area. Pretty much everyone from Saskatchewan I guess I've played against." 

"It was a great event," said coach Lewgood. "Our players showed very well and I thought they had a good time and did themselves proud."

For Lewgood, coaching a new set of players gave him a chance to learn something about players he had previously only coached against. Certain of his charges left an impression.

"One guy to me that stood out as very mature for his age and who's going to be an excellent hockey player, a real student of the game, is Jaxen Wiebe from Nipawin. Another guy that I've watched for many years being from the same area as I am but who I got a feel for his personality was Riley Kohonick. He'll be a great player as well.

The showcase brought more than just league bragging rights. It was a chance for the eight Bruins to test themselves against the best of a nearby league, and show off in front of an assembled crowd of college scouts. 

"It's good to get the best guys from each league together to play games," said Lewgood. "I think the biggest upside is how well our league showed. I think our veteran players, especially the team with four Bruins players, dominated, they won their two games."

Part of those two wins was Bruins forward Michael McChesney, who starred in the event last year. McChesney felt being part of the showcase for the second time eased his nerves somewhat going in.

"I played with six or seven of the guys last year," he said. "There's a lot of familiar faces and it made it a lot easier to talk to guys. It wasn't so quiet and awkward at the beginning so that was nice. It was fun."

With college eyes on him as a 20-year-old, McChesney knew the showcase would be a chance to show what he could do.

"You always have the nerves," he said, "knowing there's 20 or 30 guys watching you with their clipboards. Sometimes the nerves help you out and sometimes you kind of grip the stick too tight. But overall I had a great event and I tried not to worry about it."

The Bruins resume regular season play on Friday, January 18 in Weyburn. Puck drop is 7:30 on Rock 106.