The Sharks' leadership group pictured L-R: Amber Renkas, Danika Dureau, Greir Slabaida, Anneka Aspaas, and Sarah McNabb. (Submitted photo/Ashley Rafuse)

By Martin Martinson

2023-24 hockey season

Battlefords AAA Sharks announce leadership group

Oct 5, 2023 | 11:00 AM

The Battlefords AAA Sharks have announced its leadership group for the 2023-24 hockey season.

The only returnee from last year’s U18 Sharks, Greir Slabaida will serve as captain of the team, while defenseman Amber Renkas and forward Sarah McNabb will be full-time assistant captains, and Danika Dureau and Anneka Aspaas will rotate the third ‘A’, Dureau at home, and Aspaas on the road.

“It’s definitely an honour to be named captain in my third year and especially with my hometown team,” Slabaida said, reflecting on the honour. “It’s a great leadership group this season and everyone on the team is a leader on and off the ice, so that’s been great to see.”

Head coach of the Sharks, Nolan Horbach said with an extremely young group this year, featuring 18 first-year players at the U18 AAA level, Slabaida’s experience and leadership both at the rink and beyond made her a no-brainer as captain of the team.

“Being the returning – and only – veteran on our team, Greir has just been so incredible in taking on that leadership role through her actions on and off the ice,” he said. “She’s definitely someone the girls look up to and they see the effort she puts in, but she’s also been so supportive with all the new girls, just with how to get around town, getting to the gym, and helping out with school; she’s definitely deserving of the captaincy.”

Riderville

Now for the Hard Part

Dec 10, 2025

Grey Cup!!!

Everything you wanted and more

Nov 21, 2025

Ferland earns Grey Cup ring

'A wonderful human being': High school coach thrilled Logan Ferland is a Grey Cup champion

Nov 17, 2025

When it came to determining the assistant captains, with the remainder of the roster heading into their first seasons with the team, Horbach and assistant coach Landry Derdall, gave the players a voice in the leadership group selections, with a chance to nominate their teammates and elaborate on why.

The results, Horbach said, are what every coach dreams of.

“We honestly could’ve gone in 10-12 different directions on who the girls felt were supporting each other and I think we were just so happy to see that,” he said. “It made that recruitment process sort of validate itself as we talked about – good kids, good families – and the leadership group we have and all the girls are really supporting each other.”

That tight bond is an element Horbach believes has played a key role in the team’s success out of the gates this fall.

Since finishing the pre-season with three wins in four games at a tournament showcase in Portage, MB., the Sharks have brought that killer instinct into the regular season as well, currently leading the league with a perfect 2-0-0-0 record through their opening two games, with back-to-back 3-2 and 2-1 wins last weekend in Swift Current.

Renkas, who joined the Sharks this season after playing the last two years with Melville’s Parkland Fire U18 AA team, is the eldest of the assistant captains named, and along with Slabaida the lone other ’06 on the roster. She said it’s been special to see the team come together so quickly to mesh as a group.

“Our team is so full of individual talent and we’ve already – within these past four short weeks – come together so well,” she said.

“We all get along super well and I think it brings a lot of comfort just knowing we’re all going through the same thing being brand new to this team. I’m super excited for this season, we have a great group of girls coming in, and I think we’re going to do really well.”

The AAA Sharks will play their home opener next weekend, with back-to-backs Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 14 and 15, against the Weyburn Gold Wings at Battleford Arena. Saturday’s game will begin at 5 p.m., with Sunday’s game an afternoon start at 1:30 p.m.

—

Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1