Changes are coming to the female minor hockey system in Saskatchewan for the 2019-20 season.

Saskatchewan Hockey Association's Board of Directors met over the long weekend, and have approved several recommendations to the growth model for the sport.

Shifting to a Pyramid model, with Female Midget AAA perched at the top, SHA voted to trim down the number of AAA franchises from eight teams to seven.

"What was expected is all eight franchises had to reapply, and we've known for quite a while that they were going to cut down on the numbers," said Diamond Energy Wildcats head coach Terry Pavely. "They want to make sure that the AAA level, which is their highest level, is really competitive. Unfortunately, if you look over our league, there's often a number of kids scattered throughout the league each year that maybe aren't quite AAA material. We want to make this an elite league."

Pavely said he and the team were elated that they weren't chosen as the team to dip down to the Midget AA level - the team doing so is the Melville Prairie Fire.

"There's some good players on that Melville team that'll be dispersed throughout our league, which will make our league a little bit stronger - you never want to see a town lose their franchise, but the reality of it is, SHA is trying to do what's best for female hockey," Pavely noted. "I think sometimes everybody gets caught up that you have to have teams at the highest level. There's no shame in running good AA programs, and AA is still competitive hockey. I think that's what people have to realize - to grow the game it doesn't mean you have the most teams at the highest level, you need to have good feeder systems."

Those so-called feeder system comes in the form of another approved change - the implementation of a seven-team Female Bantam AA league.

Bantam-aged players (13 and 14 year-olds) will now be required, for the most part, to stay at the Bantam level for both seasons. SHA had noted that each year there are roughly 17 to 22 Bantam-aged female players registered in the SFMAAAHL.

The exception to the rule is for players granted 'Exceptional Player' status - a designation granted to individuals who apply, and meet criteria enforced by SHA.

However, with the designation new to the province Pavely admits it might be a status that SHA is hesitant to gift too frequently.

"I think next year might be a unique year because, when it's the first year of having a Bantam AA league, they're not going to want to let too many kids leave that league," he said.

Right now there are nine players currently on the Wildcats roster who logged between a half and entire season at the Female Midget AAA level as a 14-year-old, or second-year Bantam player:

Taylor Lind
Baylee Kirwan
Ashlee Wolfe (with the Battlefords Sharks)
Maddy McCleary
Ryleigh White (with the Battlefords Sharks)
Trista Labarowski
Kenedee Klevgaard
Shelby Rublee (currently second-year Bantam age)
Amaya Giraudier

Though, with no prior rule or Bantam AA league in place, their head coach notes the majority, if not all, of those players would have gained 'Exceptional' status. Nevertheless, Pavely says making sure players are prepped for the Midget AA and AAA level is essential province-wide.

"We want kids to play Bantam AA as a Bantam kid, develop their skills, their confidence, and move up," explained Pavely. "Then, if they play a year of Midget AA, there's a chance that they could move onto AAA, and right now you see a lot of the kids that make our league from Midget AA are underage - they played as a Bantam. What we want is kids to play a year of Midget at 15, and then hone their skills."

"You don't win in our league when you're young. At the end of the day, you've got to be 16, 17 years old to win. Having the Midget AA league will hopefully allow us and other teams to be a little bit more competitive with maybe the areas like Saskatoon."

The approved distribution of Midget AAA, Midget AA, and Bantam AA franchises for the 2019-20 season and beyond are as follows, via the SHA website:

Female Midget AAA (7 teams)

North Battleford
Notre Dame
Prince Albert
Regina
Saskatoon
Swift Current
Weyburn

Female Midget AA (11 teams - down from the current 13)

Melville
North Battleford
Northeast (Star City)
Notre Dame
Prince Albert
Regina
Saskatoon
Swift Current
Warman
Western Prairie (Rosetown)
Weyburn

Female Bantam AA (7 Teams)

North Battleford
Prince Albert
Regina
Saskatoon
Swift Current
Warman
Weyburn

It looks to be an exciting time for female hockey in the province, with the chance to create depth that rivals that of other provinces nation-wide.

"It's really important that people realize that the whole purpose of this is if kids play with their peers, they have a chance to be captains, they have a chance to be leaders - that's how they develop better," said Pavely. "I think that's the nice thing about this... other leagues have that - out in the Ontario league they have it, I know the Maritime AAA Midget girls have the same thing. It's nothing new, it's just new to our league."

SHA's Minor/Female Development Committee said it will review the pyramid growth system on a yearly basis.

This includes the addition or subtraction of teams at these three levels, as well as seeing if and when a Pee Wee AA is feasible.