Newly acquired Chiefs’ forward Jaden Shewchuk, pictured here in his SJHL stripes with Melville, brings size, speed and skill to the Delisle offensive attack. (submitted photo/Jaden Shewchuk)

By Martin Martinson

New face, new place

Delisle Chiefs make splash, land Shewchuk ahead of pre-season opener

Sep 20, 2019 | 5:00 PM

The Delisle Chiefs of the Prairie Junior Hockey League (PJHL) open their pre-season schedule Friday night, but fans don’t have to wait until puck drop for some added buzz around the team.

The Chiefs have acquired 20-year-old forward, Jaden Shewchuk from Fort Knox.

In exchange, Fort Knox will receive the playing rights of 2000-born forwards Landis Haeusler and Matthew McGrath.

Shewchuk, a Saskatoon product, joins the Chiefs with nearly 60 games of Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) experience under his belt.

Having played 57 games with the Melville Millionaires over the last two years, the forward posted nine goals, 18 points with the team during his time with the organization.

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In his most recent PJHL campaign, during the 2017-18 season with Fort Knox, Shewchuk posted 11 goals, 18 points in 21 games with the team. He then added an additional seven goals, 13 points in seven PJHL playoff games.

Head Coach and General Manager with the Chiefs, Eric Ditto said the acquisition provides the team with another strong scoring weapon up front. He said he looks forward to seeing Shewchuk don the Chiefs’ threads and contribute to the team.

“He is a very skilled player, we know that,” Ditto said. “We expect him to play top-end minutes with our team, [in a] top six role for sure. He has a very good shot so hopefully he can help out our power play and add a little bit of offence.”

In addition to his play on the ice, Ditto also said Shewchuk will provide another valuable veteran presence to the fold as a 20-year-old with former SJHL experience.

“We have quite a few younger guys on our team, and we have some guys that are hoping to spend only a season with us and make that jump to the ‘junior A’ level,” he said. “With [Shewchuk’s] experience, hopefully he can help some of these younger guys get to that level and it will be nice to add another leader onto our team.”

The Chiefs open their pre-season tonight against the Carrot River Outback Thunder at Delisle Arena.

The team will also host their regular season home-opener against the Thunder Sept. 28.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1