The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins have become a force to be reckoned with in the SJHL. Finishing off their previous season in 2017 with a defeat to the league topping Battlefords North Stars in the semi finals, the Bruins quickly climbed the ladder again in the fall, to once again sit at the head of the Viterra division at 20-12-1.

"Last year's playoffs was a really good experience for us. At the end of the day, we were a little bit over matched by Battleford, but to win the round against Yorkton and gain the experience of playing the league champion, and knowing that we were right there with everyone else in the league with the exception of Battleford was a good learning opportunity for our group," stated Head Coach and General Manager Chris Lewgood, adding that there were lessons learned that were applied at the start of the new season.

"As a whole, we sort of developed a mindset of building from within the group. To add players from outside is something that we're willing to do, but we focus more on building within our program. I feel like, in doing so, we've been able to protect the culture of the group and add an element of high character that we've seen. I think last year was a key part of our success, so we've stuck with that and brought that into this season, and we use it to continue to foster growth."

Sitting where they are in the league at the end of 2017, Lewgood isn't fully satisfied with their position.

"From an actual, tangible hockey standpoint, our record is a little bit behind where we'd like it to be. We had a tough November and December as far as wins and losses. It was okay, we were still above .500, but the hockey just wasn't to the level of our expectations for various reasons. Our penalty killing needs a little bit of work with some different factors there, but that leads me to one of the more exciting elements and that's the quality of group that we have in the dressing room and on the bench. As far as individual characters go, and even throughout some adversity, the guys seem to have a positive outlook on things, continue to push forward, work hard and get better every day, all towards the goal of becoming SJHL champions this year. You don't always see that in times of adversity with young groups. This team is high character, and to me, that's our biggest asset."

The team added several new faces to the lineup as the fall progressed, including defencemen Jake Tesarowski and Austin King-Cunningham, left winger Arthur Miller and goaltender Bo Didur, and they've added variety and power to the bench.

"All four guys have had extremely different, probably as different as you can get, impacts on our team because of their type of play. With King Cunningham, he's an up and comer. You look at him on the ice and it's easy to forget that he's the youngest player on the team, and one of the least experienced. He has brought us an element of player that embraces a defensive mindset. He's proud to establish himself as a hard to play against, hard nosed defenceman that compliments the game with some offensive upside and quality skill," Lewgood noted, adding that that was something lacking beforehand.

"Tesarowski is a smaller bodied, puck moving, good skating defenceman. His experience and travels in Junior A has added a level of maturity to our team, and a competitiveness that we weren't missing, but something that you can never have enough of."

"Bo Didur is a fifth year junior, so it's my first time working with a fifth year Junior A player, and his level of experience is second to none in our group. He's brought a calming influence on the goal position. I don't think having an experienced guy like him is going to do anything but help Matt Lukacs, who's been real good for us. He's a tremendous teammate as well."

"With Arthur Miller, he's a guy that comes from a very good Swift Current Bronco program. He's been in and out of our system for many years, and as a player he's improved and matured his game a lot. He comes back a much better player than he was when he was coming to camp as a youngster. One of the best elements of Miller is that he's a great teammate, the players love him, and he's added a bit of grit and maturity to our dressing room that, again, we didn't lack but you can't have enough of."

Heading into the new year, Lewgood said that they will need to find the next level of consistency in order to stack up the win column.

"At some point, teams gel to a point where their innate desire is to succeed for one another, and when that hits, that's when you find another level and we become a top tier team in the SJHL."

"I think it's only a matter of time before we find that next level and go from a good hockey team to a great hockey team. When that happens, it's going to be a lot of fun for everybody and gives us an opportunity to get into the playoffs, make some noise and hopefully win that SJHL title," he concluded.

The Bruins return to action on December 30th, when they hit the road to Weyburn to play the Red Wings for first time in the regular season which, according to Lewgood, is an anomaly.