A senior women’s hockey league launched in Saskatchewan last year is setting its sights on Manitoba after a surge of interest from players across the Prairies.
The Canadian Senior Women’s Hockey League, founded in 2025, brought together 11 teams of women aged 18 and older in its inaugural season, offering a new competitive outlet for athletes beyond junior and university levels.
Jenna Merk, the league’s co-president and co-founder, said the idea began with a simple goal: finding a way to keep playing competitive hockey.
“We just wanted to play again,” Merk said in an interview. “We didn’t know if that meant four teams or six teams, but we quickly realized the interest was much bigger than we imagined.”
Merk and a longtime friend launched an online survey in March 2025 to gauge interest across Saskatchewan. Within days, more than 200 people had responded from communities stretching from Lloydminster to La Ronge and as far south as Estevan.
“That was the moment we realized this was bigger than us,” she said. “There were so many people who wanted the same opportunity.”
Organizers mapped respondents by location and began contacting players to help form teams. By October, the league’s first season was underway with 11 teams across the province.
Merk said the response exceeded expectations, both on and off the ice.
“We had packed barns,” she said. “Our home opener had about 250 fans, and some games raised thousands of dollars. The community buy-in was incredible.”
The league was created in part to address a gap for female players after their competitive careers end. Merk, who has coached at the U15 and university levels, said many athletes face a sudden drop-off in opportunities.
“There’s this moment where players think hockey is done when they’re only in their early 20s,” she said. “We wanted to create something where it doesn’t have to end, where you can keep competing, keep training, and stay connected to the game.”
That demand is now extending beyond Saskatchewan. Merk said teams near the Manitoba border have already expressed interest in joining, while a recent outreach effort in Manitoba drew more than 230 responses.
Based on that interest, organizers are planning a Manitoba division for the upcoming season, likely consisting of seven to eight teams.
“We’re probably looking at two divisions, east and west,” Merk said. “The east would be closer to Winnipeg, and the west would be more towards Brandon and the border.”
She said the league is taking a measured approach to expansion to ensure it can support teams and maintain a high level of organization.
Interest has also emerged from Alberta and British Columbia, with discussions underway about future interprovincial competition. Merk said the league is already exploring the possibility of a western Canadian championship tournament.
“A year ago, it might have sounded unrealistic,” she said. “Now it feels like a real possibility that we could have teams from multiple provinces competing.”
While the league’s rapid growth has required significant coordination, Merk said the motivation remains rooted in the players themselves.
“I don’t need to be running this in five years,” she said. “But I want there to be a league where every player knows there’s somewhere to go after they graduate, that hockey doesn’t just end.”
Organizers are expected to spend the coming months identifying team locations and finalizing logistics for a Manitoba launch, with hopes of building on the same level of community support seen in Saskatchewan.
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Mar 25, 2026 at 09:58
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