John MacNeil
There’s nothing like an NHL draft selection to boost a major junior player’s confidence.
A case in point is Prince Albert Raiders sophomore forward Jonah Sivertson, the Regina kid who parlayed a breakout 2025-26 season into last June’s NHL draft, in which the Vegas Golden Knights selected him in the fourth round, 113th overall.
Sivertson, just like the Raiders, made big strides last winter as an effective 17-year-old rookie with the Western Hockey League finalists. Soon after going to the Stanley Cup final, Vegas nabbed the St. Cloud State University commit. The Golden Knights’ general manager, of course, is Kelly McCrimmon, a man deeply rooted and well-versed in the WHL from his years running the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Sivertson won a Telus Cup national championship with the U18 AAA Regina Pat Canadians in 2025, and he came close to capturing another title last spring, before the Raiders lost to the Everett Silvertips in the WHL final.
“Yeah, a big summer for Sivey, getting drafted,” Prince Albert GM Curtis Hunt said as the Raiders kicked off their training camp Friday with fitness testing.
“The year before, he won a championship with the Pat Canadians, and (last spring) got to a final with us. So, he’s sipped from the cup, and he’s watched the cup get sipped from, and I think if you ask him that question where he’d rather be, it certainly would be on the receiving end of that champagne.”
Now, the next chapter for Sivertson is an NHL training camp in September.
“We’re excited for Jonah, because kids learn so much by going to a pro camp — the preparation, the work ethic, the commitment, the speed, the strength and the everyday (routine),” Hunt said. “For him to bring that back (to Prince Albert), and provide a little more leadership, we’re excited for him as a player and certainly for us as a team.”
Sivertson is among six Raiders, including Vancouver Canucks’ forward prospect Braeden Cootes, slated to participate in NHL camps, Hunt reported. “We have five leaving from here to camp, and then Braeden Cootes, who has gone directly to Vancouver, or has been there for a while now.”
Sivertson, who turned 18 this week, put his six-foot-three, 195-pound frame to work last year as he scored 24 goals and 53 points in 66 regular-season games, and added 10 points in 20 playoff contests.
He plans to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at St. Cloud State, beginning in the fall of 2027.
More than 80 players are attending Prince Albert’s camp, which began with a private gym session Friday. They hit the ice Saturday for a weekend of intrasquad competition, followed by the Green-and-White game at 10 a.m. Monday at the Art Hauser Centre.
The Raiders meet the Saskatoon Blades in WHL pre-season action at 2 p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 1) at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon. On Friday (Sept. 4), Prince Albert continues pre-season play with a 7 p.m. home game against the Moose Jaw Warriors at the Art Hauser.
Mintos’ Myhre right at home
A most-familiar face in Prince Albert is back in town, trying to crack the Raiders on a full-time basis. Nipawin product Liam Myhre, a 17-year-old defenceman, captained the U18 AAA Prince Albert Mintos last season, which he finished as part of the Raiders’ playoff roster.
Although he has one more year of U18 AAA eligibility remaining, Myhre is expected to make a strong push for a permanent roster spot with the Raiders, whose dressing room is just across the hallway from the Mintos’ home base.
“Liam did play a couple of games for us, so he understands the language,” Hunt said. “He was around for the post-season, so he got to see how the players really take ownership of your team.
“He’s an elite skater. He’s worked tremendously hard. I’ve seen him around the rinks here, as he gets prepared for his season. We’re excited to see how his development is and where he fits within the group, as well.”
Last weekend, Myhre was a willing participant in the Mintos’ training camp, even though they don’t expect him back in their Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League lineup this season.
Raiders’ scouts the three stars
Conducting the largest Raiders’ camp in Hunt’s 12 years as Prince Albert’s general manager, he credited the scouts who do the legwork in finding prospects from Canada, the U.S. and beyond.
“I’ve got three guys, led by Bruno Zarrillo, those three really do a great job of scouting, putting together our bantam lists, and putting together our camp list,” Hunt said.
It’s an ever-evolving task nowadays. With players changing addresses, and leagues, at an unpredictable rate, it’s most important to bring junior-ready prospects to camp.
“You absolutely nailed it there,” Hunt said. “You’re right, because in this new environment, one (reality) is we’ve got 10 or 12 players that aren’t eligible to make our team, that are listed, that we drafted; and then there’s some 16-year-olds that just aren’t quite ready yet. It’s a big jump to play at 16, so we do have to invite some older players and try to fill some of those spots, or give opportunities for players to take spots.”
For returning and prospective Raiders alike, management wants to practise a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately approach to evaluating talent in camp.
“The summer, in junior hockey, is a differentiator, in terms of how the kids grow so much,” Hunt said. “What you thought you knew who a player was, or wasn’t, before summer, couldn’t be (that same player) when we get to September.
“It’s just about their own personal timeline and growth and development. I think we’ve got a terrific camp. I think we’ve got great depth. We’ve got really good players. We have tremendous roster players here.”
