Humboldt Broncos to return to the ice for 2018-19 season

The Humboldt Broncos hockey club says a team will be ready to hit the ice in time for the 2018-19 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League season.

The club said in a news release Friday that it’s recruiting a head coach and general manager to replace Darcy Haugan.

Haugan was one of 16 people killed April 6 when the team’s bus and a semi-trailer collided in rural Saskatchewan. Thirteen players were injured.

“Darcy Haugan was selfless, inspirational and motivating, building up his players to be great ambassadors and role models both on the ice and in the community,” said team president Kevin Garinger.

“He took our team to new heights. It will be incredibly difficult to find someone that can rise to his standards.”

As the team recruits the next coach, 80 prospective players will be asked to an invite-only camp from May 25 to May 27 in Saskatoon. It’s not clear whether any of the injured players will return to the team for the upcoming season.

The Broncos said season tickets will also go on sale soon.

Anticipating high demand, team officials will make every effort to ensure current season-ticket holders get first right of refusal on their seats.

The world rallied around the team following the crash. More than $15 million was raised in a GoFundMe campaign for the survivors and the families of those killed.

People also showed support for the Broncos by putting hockey sticks on porches, wearing jerseys and memorial ribbons, and holding other fundraisers.

Meanwhile, one of the players who was injured in the bus crash is taking his first step to getting back on the ice.

Kaleb Dahlgren, 20, has committed to play for the Lions hockey team at York University in Toronto.

“My goal is to attend York in the fall of this year,” he said Friday in a statement on Twitter. “However, the school has assured me I can begin whenever my body is ready.”

Dahlgren has a lengthy recovery ahead after suffering a fractured skull, a puncture wound in his head, a brain injury and six broken vertebrae in his neck and back.

Russ Herrington, head coach of the Lions men’s hockey team, said Dahlgren has been on his radar since former assistant coach Mark Cross recommended him last August.

Cross, who played with the York Lions from 2011 until 2016, was among those killed in the crash.

“Kaleb is a remarkable young man who fits the type of character person we are recruiting here to York. He is a terrific student and very active in his community,” said Herrington.

“Mark’s recommendation and constant campaigning on Kaleb’s behalf were a big reason why we had decided to make Kaleb an offer to become a Lion even before the accident.

“We are honoured that Kaleb has decided to follow in Mark’s footsteps and become a Lion.”

Dahlgren said it’s been his goal since he was nine years old to play university or college hockey.

“Reaching this goal has always driven me on an off ice,” he said. “However, it has taken on a new importance since April 6, 2018: to play hard and live life for my fellow teammates, for my coaches, including Mark Cross.

“I will honour their legacy in all I do as I carve my own path forward at York, on the ice and off.”