By TERRY PUGH
Several players with connections to Warman will represent Saskatchewan at the 2026 National Aboriginal Hockey Championship (NAHC) tournament in Regina May 3-9.
The Team Sask Female squad includes Ellie Graham-Wuttunee and Jacee Oblander, who both play for the Warman U18AA Female Wildcats.
Six members of the Warman U18AAA Wildcats are on the Team Sask Male team, including Cash Arcand-Vandale, Nixxon Arcand-Vandale, Cruz Bear, Seth Gutenberg, Dawson Gamble and James Norman.
Tatum Fouquette (Saskatoon U18AAA Blazers) and Maclain Ethier (Moose Jaw U18AAA Warriors), both of Warman, are also on the roster.
The NAHC was established by the Aboriginal Sport Circle in 2002, and the upcoming 23rd annual edition of the tournament features the top U18 players with Indigenous ancestry from across the country.
The tournament is officially sanctioned by Hockey Canada, with all games taking place at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.
Hosted by the Ochapowce Nation in cooperation with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, the event will see 16 teams (eight male and eight female teams) competing for male and female national championship trophies.
Preston Henry of Ochapowace Nation said First Nations in Treaty 4 Territory have traditionally viewed sports as an imoprtant part of their culture.
“The national hockey championships recalls this long tradition of our peoples,” said Henry, “And we’ve got a large home crowd for hockey. We’re honoured that Regina was chosen as the host venue, and we are committed to making the 2026 Championships a huge success.”
The last time the NAHC was held in Saskatchewan was in 2012. The event is held in a different city each year, offering hosts an opportunity to foster cultural pride, reconciliation, and unity among Indigenous peoples.