Brandon Wheat Kings goaltender Carson Bjarnason has signed a three-year, entry level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. The 18-year-old Carberry native was selected by Philadelphia in the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft this past June. Bjarnason was the top-ranked North American goaltender entering the draft raft after posting a 21-19-5-1 record with the Wheat Kings during the 2022-23 WHL season. In his 47 appearances, Bjarnason posted a .900 save percentage, while his four shutouts were tied for fourth-most among netminders.


The Virden Oil Capitals picked up their first win of the 2023-2024 Manitoba Junior Hockey League season Tuesday night at the Yellowhead Centre. Naton Miller scored twice and Josh Lehto had a goal and three helpers as the Virden Oil Capitals defeated the Neepawa Titans 7-3. Noel Englot, Luke Mackenzie, Dean Gorchynski and Nolan Chastko also scored for the Caps who opened the season with one-goal losses to the Steinbach Pistons and Portage Terriers last weekend. Eric Reid made 24 saves. Virden's next game is Friday against the Selkirk Steelers at Tundra Oil & Gas Place.


In collaboration with its Members and partner leagues, Hockey Canada has announced a change to its Non-Sanctioned Leagues Policy ahead of the 2023-24 eligibility cutoff date. Effective immediately, any player who participates in a non-sanctioned league after Sept. 30 is ineligible to join, affiliate with or apply for reinstatement to any sanctioned hockey team that competes for a national championship for the remainder of the season, which includes teams in the Canadian Hockey League, Canadian Junior Hockey League and those that vie for spots at Canada’s U18 National Club Championships.


The Winnipeg Jets play their third of six pre-season games tonight when they face the Calgary Flames at Canada Life Centre. The hockey club yesterday released goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis and forwards Jacob Julien and Connor Levis to their junior clubs and also released forward C.J. Suess and defensemen Simon Kubicek and Jimmy Oligny from their professional try-outs. The Jets now have 28 forwards, 17 defencemen, and five goalies remaining at training camp.


The Canadian women's soccer team will defend gold at the Paris Olympics. 10th-ranked Canada beat Jamaica 4-1 on aggregate to earn the last CONCACAF entry in the 12-country field for the Games. Canada won 2-1 on Tuesday at BMO Field in the second leg of the Olympic qualifier after earning a 2-0 victory in Kingston, Jamaica on Friday. Cloe Lacasse and Jordyn Huitema scored for Canada in front of a sold-out crowd of 29,212 which set a new record for a men's or women's national team game in Ontario. The Canadians won gold in Tokyo in 2021 and now head to their fifth straight Olympics, where they've also won bronze twice.


The 2023 PointsBet Invitational begins today at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ontario. Six Manitoba teams are in the field of 32 including Kerri Einarson, Jennifer Jones, Kaitlyn Lawes, Matt Dunstone, Reid Carruthers and Ryan Wiebe. All 32 competing teams received $5,000 to cover travel and accommodation costs. Teams will earn more money for each successive win in the single-knockout tournament — $3,000 for a Sweep 16 win, $6,000 for an Elite 8 win, $12,000 for a Final 4 win and $24,000 for the victorious women’s and men’s teams in the final, meaning the two winning teams will each collect a total of $50,000. Jennifer Jones and Reid Carruthers won the inaugural event in 2022.