The Virden Oil Capitals and Steinbach Pistons will begin their Manitoba Junior Hockey League second round series Saturday night at the T.G. Smith Centre. Game one of the best-of-seven semifinal was scheduled for tonight but has been moved to Saturday because of weather and poor driving conditions. Game two will be played Sunday also in Steinbach. The series shifts to Tundra Oil & Gas Place for games three and four next week Wednesday and Thursday.
 

The Winnipeg Jets play their third of six consecutive road games tonight when they face the Atlantic Division leading Florida Panthers. The Jets are coming off a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. Winnipeg’s home game scheduled for Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken was postponed to May 1st due to inclement weather. The Jets have eight games left and are eight points back of the Dallas Stars who hold down the second Wild Card spot in the NHL’s Western Conference.


Hockey Canada has announced that Nolan Baumgartner is the head coach for Canada’s National Hockey team for the 2022 World U18 Championship that begins April 23rd in Landshut and Kaufbeuren, Germany. The 46-year-old Calgary native most recently served as an assistant coach with Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. He also spent parts of four seasons as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks. As a player, Baumgartner had a 16-year professional career in the NHL and AHL. The former Moose captain appeared in 385 games with Manitoba and recorded 41 goals and 144 assists.


The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed receiver Jalen Saunders to a two-year contract. The Elk Grove, California native caught 45 passes for 739 yards and two touchdowns in nine games with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2018 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. In 25 games over two seasons with Hamilton, Sunders had 121 receptions for 1,909 yards and six touchdowns. Saunders signed with Ottawa in 2020, however the season was later cancelled due to COVID-19. He re-signed with the Redblacks in 2021 before suffering season ending injuries in a car accident. Saunders was selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.