Warman Wolverines receive approval to join SJHL, make franchise's first draft picks

Global News

11-06-2025

Over his minor hockey career, 15-year-old Camryn Aebig has scored plenty of goals in four years at the Warman Home Centre Communiplex.
Now the Warman U15 Double-A Wildcats star will get the chance to return to the city at the junior level, becoming the first SJHL draft pick in the history of the Warman Wolverines franchise on Tuesday.
'It felt good getting drafted to somewhere I've been playing for in the last four years,' Aebig said. 'It's a special moment because it's the first time it's ever happened. That Warman has a Junior A team, it just feels good.'
Aebig was selected first overall by the Wolverines in the 2010-born portion of the 2025 SJHL Draft after posting 44 goals and 78 points in 29 games with the Wildcats this season.
Set to join the Tisdale U18 Triple-A Trojans next season, the Rosthern product will be a key piece of the Wolverines' future, according to head coach and general manager Brett Pilkington.
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'Any time you get the opportunity to add a player to your program of Camryn Aebig's skill and competitive edge is a great day,' Pilkington said. 'He's played in the Warman minor hockey program and he's close to the community, so it makes a lot of sense for us.'
The Wolverines coincidentally have enjoyed a lot of great days this week, after the Warman franchise was formally approved by the SJHL's board of governors to begin operations ahead of the 2025-26 season.
This comes after the organization gained approval by city council and completed a successful season ticket drive, fulfilling conditions set out as part of the former Notre Dame Hounds' relocation from Wilcox.
'My specialty is behind the bench and recruiting players,' Pilkington said. 'For it to finally come to fruition here, that in September we'll be dropping the puck and have the support of the community, is unbelievable.'
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The move from Notre Dame to Wilcox came in February following a decision by Athol Murray College of Notre Dame to end its nearly four decades of involvement with the SJHL and focus its efforts on its high school athletic programming.
Co-founded by locals Cole Kachur and Jonathan Abrametz, the Warman franchise will be bringing all of the Notre Dame assets north and will be financed by the pair for a period of up to five years before transitioning to a community ownership model.
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'Now that we know that we're playing in the fall, now that everything is finalized and crystalized, it's very exciting,' said Abrametz, who will also be assuming the role of team president. '(Monday) we were walking through the arena and we were looking at where the video board is going to go, we were planning about where our players are going to come out. It's just a really exciting time.'
In total, the Wolverines introduced five of their new prospects to fans and sponsors on Tuesday at The Cork & Kettle restaurant and bar in Warman, including the first overall pick in the SJHL's 2009-born draft, Rafael Ramazanov.
'It was an awesome feeling to get drafted by this organization, it's just awesome,' Ramazanov said.
Committed to joining the Saskatoon U18 Triple-A Blazers in the fall, Ramazanov is fresh off an 18-goal and 51-point campaign with the Saskatoon U18 Double-A Riverkings.
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'He's a smaller-statured player,' Pilkington said. 'But his willingness to compete, his willingness to score, his vision on the ice and just his character as a human being is just fantastic.'
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Focus will now shift to training camp in a few months' time for the Wolverines, as they prepare for their inaugural season in the SJHL.
Forward Sawyer Scheidt will be aiming to make the jump to the big club in the fall, as the prospect was acquired from the Weyburn Red Wings by Pilkington after his first season with the Saskatoon U18 Triple-A Contacts.
A Warman product himself, with his father Tyler playing three seasons with the SJHL's Melfort Mustangs between 1989 and 1992, Sawyer said it is a perfect fit for both him and the community.
'Growing up here, it's really cool to have a SJHL team,' Scheidt said. 'My dad played in the SJHL, so it's an important league I guess to our family and it's really cool to have a team here in Warman.'
Warman's inaugural 2009-born draft class also included Prince Albert forward Brady Keith, Saskatoon blue liner Easton Bley, Saskatoon forward Luc Smith and Martensville product Dade Wotherspoon, who is a top prospect of the WHL's Prince George Cougars.
For Pilkington, there was an added emphasis this year on picking players with ties to Warman and the surrounding communities to give fans something to latch onto in the years to come.
'To be able to add players that are close to the community or within reason, it was a huge opportunity for us today and moving forward,' Pilkington said. 'If you got local players, the fans are going to support. It comes down to results, but I think with the mix we have, we'll be there.'
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As part of new rules for the draft, the Wolverines were allowed to auto-protect two players in their zone, compared with a previous rule that allowed SJHL teams to protect as many players as they liked, given they fit on their 50-player list.
The Wolverines' two choices on Tuesday were Warman U15 Double-A Wildcats teammates Logan Olsen and Maclain Ethier.