Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Awarded Expansion Franchise for 2022-2023!

The Keystone Junior Hockey League (KJHL) Executive and Board of Governors announced today that it has granted an expansion franchise to Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN) that will operate in Creighton, Saskatchewan.

The new KJHL franchise will be known as the PBCN Selects, and will play its inaugural season from the Creighton Sportex in Creighton, Saskatchewan in the 2022-2023 campaign.

“Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation is recognized as one of the fastest growing communities in the province and the KJHL is thrilled to bring a new organization into this community,” said KJHL President, Andrew Arksey.

“We have been in ongoing discussions with this group for close to a year and are very confident that the community owned non-profit organization and Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation will provide an ideal new home market for the KJHL going forward. I would also like to recognize the significant commitment and efforts of Gatlin Church who was instrumental in helping bring a new KJHL franchise to Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation,” Arksey concluded.

Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Councillor and Team Governor Marvin Morin shared his excitement in welcoming Junior B Hockey to the growing First Nation.

“On behalf of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the KJHL to our community and to congratulate the group of local residents for their hard work in making their dream a reality today. We are excited for this news and wish both the KJHL, local resident Gatlin Church, his management team, and all their supporters much success in the years ahead,” shared Marvin Morin, Councillor with Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.

Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Selects Junior B Hockey

The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN) has occupied lands in Northeast Saskatchewan since time immemorial. The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation are called Assin'skowitiniwak which means "people of the rocky area". The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation consists of 8 communities, including Denare Beach, Deschaumbault Lake, Kinoosao, Pelican Narrows, Prince Albert, Sandy Bay, Southend, and Sturgeon Landing and is spread over 51,000 square kilometers.

Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation are both excited and proud to be accepted as the newest franchise entry into the Keystone Junior Hockey League. We are excited to be in the community we are in. We are aware of the many young families that have made PBCN their home and the investment that they have made to our community. We look forward to engaging with many volunteers in the surrounding area as we put the various leadership teams into place in the weeks and months ahead.

For more additional information please contact Gatlin Church at 204-791-2587 or email at gatlinchurch@icloud.com.

The KJHL looks forward to working with the new management and ownership group along with the communities within Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in the days ahead as they begin their journey towards their inaugural 2022-23 season in the KJHL. Be sure to follow our journey on Twitter at @KJHLSelects as we move forward towards icing a competitive roster for the upcoming season. 

Please stay tuned for further exciting announcements to come.