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Swift Current Broncos facts for kids

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This page is about the current Western Hockey League team. For the defunct Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team, see Swift Current Broncos (SJHL).
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Swift Current Broncos
Swift Current Broncos.svg
City Swift Current, Saskatchewan
League Western Hockey League
Conference Eastern
Division Central
Founded 1967 (1967)
Home arena Innovation Credit Union iPlex
Colours Blue, green, white, black
                   
General manager Chad Leslie
Head coach Taras McEwen (interim)
Championships Ed Chynoweth Cup
3 (1989, 1993, 2018)
Conference Championships
1 (2017–18)
Memorial Cup
1 (1989)
Website
www.scbroncos.com
Franchise history
1967–1974 Swift Current Broncos
1974–1986 Lethbridge Broncos
1986–present Swift Current Broncos

The Swift Current Broncos are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. Founded during 1967 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, the Broncos played seven seasons before relocating to Lethbridge from 1974 to 1986 as the Lethbridge Broncos. The Broncos then returned to Swift Current, and have played there since 1986, at the Innovation Credit Union iPlex.

History

The Broncos started out as the Swift Current Broncos in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, but moved to Lethbridge in 1974. The team had been losing money in tiny Swift Current and the new Lethbridge Sportsplex was looking for a team. The Broncos played in Lethbridge for twelve seasons, winning the President's Cup in 1982–83. In the mid-1980s, the team came up for sale, and despite a large and loyal fan base in Lethbridge, the Broncos were bought by local interests in Swift Current and moved back to their original home. After a year without WHL hockey in Lethbridge, the Calgary Wranglers moved to the city and became the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

The Broncos won its only Memorial Cup championship two years later at the 1989 Memorial Cup. In the 1993 Memorial Cup, the Broncos were eliminated in a tie-breaker. Afterwards, head coach Graham James resigned to coach the Calgary Hitmen.

The Broncos play in the second smallest market in the Canadian Hockey League. The only market smaller than Swift Current is Bathurst, New Brunswick, home of the QMJHL's Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

1986 team bus crash

Main article: Swift Current Broncos bus crash

On December 30, 1986, the Broncos' bus crashed on the way to a game in Regina. Four players were killed: Trent Kresse, Scott Kruger, Chris Mantyka and Brent Ruff (younger brother of Lindy Ruff). The team still wears a commemorative patch in remembrance of the four players. The rest of the team, led by future NHL star Joe Sakic, who recorded 60 goals, played out the season despite the loss. In a move to memorialize the fallen players, the WHL now awards the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy to the League's Player of the Year.

Season-by-season record

First Broncos (1967–74)

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L T GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1967–68 60 16 38 6 242 343 38 9th Overall Out of playoffs
1968–69 60 14 44 2 186 329 30 4th West Lost quarter-final
1969–70 60 27 31 2 240 265 56 3rd West Lost quarter-final
1970–71 66 24 40 2 229 290 50 4th West Lost quarter-final
1971–72 68 25 42 1 242 311 51 5th East Out of playoffs
1972–73 68 27 35 6 300 359 60 5th East Out of playoffs
1973–74 68 35 24 9 240 306 79 3rd East Lost semi-final

Second Broncos (1986–present)

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1986–87 72 28 40 4 – 331 393 60 6th East Lost East quarter-final
1987–88 72 44 26 2 – 388 312 90 4th East Lost East semi-final
1988–89 72 55 16 1 – 447 319 111 1st East Won championship and Memorial Cup
1989–90 72 29 39 4 – 323 351 62 6th East Lost in first round
1990–91 72 40 29 3 – 369 351 83 3rd East Lost in first round
1991–92 72 35 33 4 – 296 313 74 5th East Lost East semi-final
1992–93 72 49 21 2 – 384 267 100 1st East Won championship
Lost Memorial Cup tie-breaker
1993–94 72 35 33 4 – 284 258 74 4th East Lost East semi-final
1994–95 72 31 34 7 – 274 284 69 6th East Lost in first round
1995–96 72 36 31 5 – 285 271 77 1st Central Lost in first round
1996–97 72 44 23 5 – 336 243 93 2nd East Lost Eastern Conference semi-final
1997–98 72 44 19 9 – 276 220 97 2nd East Lost Eastern Conference semi-final
1998–99 72 34 32 6 – 232 211 74 4th East Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
1999–2000 72 47 18 4 3 257 170 101 1st East Lost Eastern Conference semi-final
2000–01 72 43 20 7 2 275 215 95 1st East Lost Eastern Conference final
2001–02 72 42 17 6 7 274 218 97 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference semi-final
2002–03 72 38 24 7 3 240 215 86 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2003–04 72 36 29 7 0 234 209 79 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2004–05 72 22 41 6 3 135 218 53 5th Central Out of playoffs
Season GP W L OTL SOL GF GA Pts Finish Playoffs
2005–06 72 24 34 6 8 175 242 62 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2006–07 72 33 36 1 2 199 241 69 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2007–08 72 41 24 1 6 244 205 89 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference semi-final
2008–09 72 42 28 1 1 258 220 86 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2009–10 72 37 30 1 4 231 232 79 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2010–11 72 26 44 0 2 181 260 54 6th East Out of playoffs
2011–12 72 27 37 2 6 216 272 62 5th East Out of playoffs
2012–13 72 36 29 3 4 206 193 79 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2013–14 72 38 25 3 6 248 229 85 2nd East Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2014–15 72 34 33 1 4 221 245 73 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2015–16 72 24 38 7 3 189 249 58 5th East Out of playoffs
2016–17 72 39 23 4 6 247 239 88 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference semi-final
2017–18 72 48 17 5 2 284 213 103 2nd East Won championship
2018–19 68 11 51 4 2 135 301 28 6th East Out of playoffs
2019–20 63 10 48 2 3 129 298 25 6th Central Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 24 6 16 2 0 72 108 14 7th East No playoffs were held
2021–22 68 26 35 5 2 181 246 59 4th Central Out of playoffs
2022–23 68 31 33 1 3 227 242 66 5th Central Out of playoffs
2023–24 68 40 22 4 2 286 239 86 1st Central TBD

WHL Championship history

  • 1988–89: Win, 4–0 vs Portland
  • 1992–93: Win, 4–3 vs Portland
  • 2017–18: Win, 4–2 vs Everett

Current roster

Updated March 29, 2024.

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Drafted
16 Canada Birnie, BradyBrady Birnie C L 19 2020 Regina, Saskatchewan Undrafted
38 Canada Burzynski, GraysonGrayson Burzynski D L 19 2020 Winnipeg, Manitoba Undrafted
25 Canada Caswell, ClarkeClarke Caswell LW L 18 2021 Brandon, Manitoba Eligible 2024
15 Canada Coupland, TyTy Coupland RW R 17 2022 North Vancouver, British Columbia Eligible 2025
20 Czech Republic Dvorak, JakubJakub Dvorak D L 19 2022 Liberec, Czech Republic 2023, 54th Overall, LAK
30 Canada Dyck, ReidReid Dyck G L 20 2019 Winkler, Manitoba 2022, 183rd Overall, BOS
29 Canada Eger, VanVan Eger RW R 19 2020 Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan Undrafted
24 Canada Filmon, JoshJosh Filmon (A) C L 20 2019 Winnipeg, Manitoba 2022, 166th Overall, NJD
14 Canada Gabriel, ConnorConnor Gabriel C L 19 2020 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Undrafted
7 Canada Galloway, TysonTyson Galloway (C) D L 21 2024 Kamloops, British Columbia 2021, 145th Overall, STL
96 Canada Geekie, ConorConor Geekie (A) C L 20 2024 Strathclair, Manitoba 2022, 11th Overall, ARI
18 Canada Gerwing, DawsonDawson Gerwing LW L 18 2021 Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan Eligible 2024
12 Canada Gould, RylanRylan Gould C L 19 2020 Headingley, Manitoba Undrafted
21 Canada Hvidston, ConnorConnor Hvidston RW R 20 2019 Tisdale, Saskatchewan 2022, 139th Overall, ANA
4 Canada Kettles, PeytonPeyton Kettles D R 17 2022 Winnipeg, Manitoba Eligible 2025
6 Canada McCleary, RyanRyan McCleary D R 21 2023 Swift Current, Saskatchewan 2021, 192nd Overall, PIT
3 Canada McFaul, JaceJace McFaul D R 17 2022 Edmonton, Alberta Eligible 2025
13 Canada Mistelbacher, LukeLuke Mistelbacher LW R 19 2021 Steinbach, Manitoba Eligible 2024
34 Czech Republic Pavelec, PetrPetr Pavelec LW L 19 2023 Ostrava, Czech Republic Undrafted
27 Canada Pickering, OwenOwen Pickering D L 20 2019 St. Adolphe, Manitoba 2022, 21st Overall, PIT
35 Canada Rocha, JoeyJoey Rocha G L 19 2020 Nanaimo, British Columbia Undrafted
2 Canada Turner, ZachZach Turner D L 20 2023 Boissevain, Manitoba Undrafted
10 Canada Ward, MathewMathew Ward (A) RW R 20 2019 Kamloops, British Columbia Undrafted
19 Canada Wyrostok, CalebCaleb Wyrostok (A) RW R 21 2018 Medicine Hat, Alberta Undrafted

Team records

Team records for a single season
Statistic Total Season
Most points 111 1988–89
Most wins 55 1988–89
Most goals for 447 1988–89
Fewest goals for 135 2004–05
Fewest goals against 170 1999–2000
Most goals against 393 1986–87
Individual player records for a single season
Statistic Player Total Season
Most goals Jason Krywulak 81 1992–93
Most assists Terry Ruskowski 93 1973–74
Most points Jason Krywulak 162 1992–93
Most points, rookie Joe Sakic 133 1986–87
Most points, defenceman Dan Lambert 102 1988–89
Best GAA (goalie) Bryce Wandler 2.06 1999–2000
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played

NHL alumni

  • Blair Atcheynum
  • Warren Babe
  • Ryan Bast
  • Ken Baumgartner
  • Rollie Boutin
  • Willie Brossart
  • Colby Cave
  • Jakub Cutta
  • Kimbi Daniels
  • Jake DeBrusk
  • Ron Delorme
  • Ed Dyck
  • Gary Emmons
  • Kris Foucault
  • Dallas Gaume
  • Glenn Gawdin
  • Larry Giroux
  • Josh Green
  • Dillon Heatherington
  • Aleksi Heponiemi
  • Ian Herbers
  • Chris Herperger
  • Shane Hnidy
  • Milan Hnilicka
  • Joel Hofer
  • Bill Hogaboam
  • Earl Ingarfield Jr.
  • Jason Jaffray
  • Trent Kaese
  • Sheldon Kennedy
  • Ladislav Kohn
  • Don Kozak
  • Maxime Lajoie
  • Dan Lambert
  • Lane Lambert
  • Brad Larsen
  • Jim Leavins
  • Brett Lernout
  • Adam Lowry
  • Beck Malenstyn
  • Dean Malkoc
  • Dean McAmmond
  • Trent McCleary
  • Ryan McGill
  • Todd McLellan
  • Jim McTaggart
  • Craig Millar
  • John Negrin
  • Lawrence Nycholat
  • Jaroslav Obsut
  • Bill Oleschuk
  • Ben Ondrus
  • Colton Orr
  • Ed Patterson
  • Lane Pederson
  • Paul Postma
  • Kelly Pratt
  • Pokey Reddick
  • Jeremy Reich
  • Michal Rozsival
  • Terry Ruskowski
  • Joe Sakic
  • Geoff Sanderson
  • Andy Schneider
  • Dave Schultz
  • Cam Severson
  • Trevor Sim
  • Nathan Smith
  • Zack Smith
  • Brent Sopel
  • Stuart Skinner
  • Rocky Thompson
  • Ryan Tobler
  • Bryan Trottier
  • Layne Ulmer
  • Sergei Varlamov
  • Dale Weise
  • Ian White
  • Bob Wilkie
  • Jeremy Williams
  • Tiger Williams
  • Dody Wood
  • Tyler Wright
  • Joe Zanussi

Retired numbers: The Swift Current Broncos have retired the jersey numbers of the four players who died in the aforementioned 1986 team bus accident.

  • 8 Trent Kresse
  • 9 Scott Krueger
  • 11 Brent Ruff
  • 22 Chris Mantyka

Coaches

Oldscbroncos
Swift Current Broncos original logo.
  • Graham James 1986–87 to 1993–94
  • Todd McLellan 1994–95 to 1999–2000
  • Brad McEwen 2000–01 to 2002–03
  • Randy Smith 2003–04
  • Dean Chynoweth 2004–05 to 2008–09
  • Mark Lamb 2009–10 to 2015–16
  • Emanuel Viveiros 2016–17 to 2017–18
  • Dean Brockman 2018–19 to 2021
  • Devan Praught 2021 to 2023
  • Taras McEwen 2023-present

See also

  • List of ice hockey teams in Saskatchewan
  • Swift Current Broncos (SJHL)
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