The Boissevain Border Kings will be the 16th team in the Tiger Hills Hockey League this upcoming season.

The Border Kings, who took a one-year leave of absence because of a lack of players in 2022-23, have a commitment from 25 players this season.

"We've been talking about it for a while and finally to see it all come together with lots of help from the community, lots of help with players in the community, it's good,” said goaltender Jay Pringle who along with a number of Border Kings went out and recruited players for the upcoming season.”

“Everyone's excited. We've already been trying to organize some fundraisers and stuff like that because it does cost a lot of money to have a team in the league now. It's been really good. Everyone in the community is thrilled and can't wait to have it back."

Pringle played last season with the Deloraine Royals along with Tanner Clyne and Bailey Robertson while Skylar Canada, David Robertson, Jordan Foote and Dakota Scheirlinck joined the Hartney Blues.

"We made it priority when we finished with the other teams that we all played with last year to try and get it back,” Pringle said. “We talked about how much fun we had and how we need to get this back going in town. How we missed it, not being able to walk to the rink and for everyone to come and watch. It was something everyone missed, and we wanted to get it back for everyone.”

“We started to try and find who we thought could help us out and would be interested. For the first while we basically got nowhere with a lot of guys saying no and made other commitments. Finally, as soon as you start to get one it feels like the gate just opened and you get a few more. We had some luck and got a few guys that will come to town and help us out and a few locals that decided to come back and play and get it going again. It kind of fell into place a couple of weeks before the meeting. We knew going to that meeting we needed to know for sure whether we were in or out and it just worked out that we were in, so it was perfect."

The THHL passed a new import rule after the 2021-22 season. Imports are designated as level A or level B. Level A imports are players who competed in the Western Hockey League or played semi-pro. Level B is considered players with Manitoba Junior Hockey League experience. Teams are allowed to sign up to six imports and that total may include a maximum of two level A imports.

Tyler Dittmer will return to Boissevain as the team’s A import and Jackson Stephens, Jordan Boyechko, Nathan Flodell, Von Mullin and Phil Parisian are the B imports.

Darryl Albrecht will be behind the Border Kings bench.

With players and a coach in place, Pringle says there are still game day and behind the scenes jobs that need to be looked after.

"Peter Neufeld used to look after our gate and he's going to do that again. Betty Brake and Al Husmann are coming back to look after the time box. Little jobs like that always takes some thinking because when you're just trying to find enough players for a team, that doesn't come up. Now we have to figure all that stuff out. As for fundraisers there are ample volunteers for that as well. We're going to do a social and I know the new rink committee is looking at our home opener to raise some money. Everything takes time and takes more volunteers. Everyone has been really helpful and even others in the town are willing and offering their help. We're thrilled with how much support we have."

League president Rodney White chaired the THHL’s fall meeting earlier this month in Wawanesa and Pringle noted that the reaction from the other team's representatives around the table when they heard the news that Boissevain was returning to the league was positive.

"They still remember the old Border Kings and we're doing our best just to have a team in the league and compete night in and night out. When Cartwright had likely backed out before we got our chance to speak, everyone was looking around at 15 being a tough number to make work so when it got back to 16 with us coming back it simplified things a little bit. No one wants to see a small town lose a team for a year and hopefully in Cartwright's case, they get their team back as well. Smaller towns, if you lose it, it's hard to get back."

The Cartwright Clippers have officially taken a one-year leave of absence.

The Border Kings will return to the West with the Virden Oilers, Melita Bisons, Rivers Jets, Deloraine Royals, Hartney Blues, Souris Elks and defending champion Miniota/Elkhorn C-Hawks.

The Killarney Shamrocks will take the Clippers place in the East which includes the Gladstone Lakers, Neepawa Farmers, Minnedosa Bombers, Pilot Mound Pilots, Wawanesa Jets, MacGregor Wild and Carberry Plainsmen.

For the second year in a row the league will operate with four divisions and play an 18-game regular season schedule. The four teams in each division will play a home-and-home and also play the other 12 teams once. 

The four divisions include Minnedosa, Neepawa, Gladstone & MacGregor; Carberry, Wawanesa, Pilot Mound & Killarney; Boissevain, Deloraine, Melita & Hartney and Souris, Miniota/Elkhorn, Virden & Rivers.

The 2023-24 season is expected to begin the third weekend of October.