REGINA, Saskatchewan — The Regina Rangers’ history could be traced back to the late 1930s or early 1940s. The old was a senior hockey team based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. They were very successful mainly in the early 1940s and won the Allan Cup in the 1940-41 season. However, the team folded when the second world war broke out, primarily because of the military-based team, which was preferred.

They had a lot of the players from the old Rangers who went on to play in the National Hockey League. Some were later inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame of 1967, 1986 and 2013.

The new Regina Rangers now play in the Saskatchewan AA Hockey League. Before playing in this league, they used to play in the SSMHL U18 but moved to the Saskatchewan AA Hockey League in the 2018-19 season.

In the 2013-2014 season in the SSMHL U18, the Rangers played 36 games, won 16 games and lost 14 games. They were ranked seventh at the end of the season in the regular league.

The 2014-15 season was a bad one in the SSMHL U18. They could only win 12 of the 28 games they played in the league. In addition, the Rangers lost 15 of their games and were ranked 10th in the regular season. Hence, they couldn’t make the playoffs.

The Regina Rangers entered the 2015-16 season with high hopes as well as many adjustments and training. This was evident in their style of play and the results they got in that season. They increased their winning for that season by eight and only lost 14 games. As a result, they were elevated from ranking 10th to fifth and made the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

While they were still taking in the successes of the 2015-16 season, they started losing games in the 2016-17 season. The Rangers went from adding eight more wins to their 2014-15 season wins to winning only eight games out of 36. They lost a record number of 21 games and had their worst ranking of 13th in the SSMHL U18. Of course, they didn’t make the playoffs.

The 2017-18 season was their last season in the SSMHL U18, and they made the best out of it. Out of 36 games played, they won 24 games – three times their previous season’s win. They were ranked second in the regular season after only nine losses. In the playoffs, they made the finals for the first time, and they didn’t disappoint. They became the champions of the playoffs at the end of the season. No one saw this coming.

The Regina Rangers joined the Saskatchewan AA Hockey League in the 2018-19 season with Walker Jerome named the team’s assistant captain. In the next three seasons in the Saskatchewan AA Hockey League, the Regina Rangers seem to be repeating the history of their last four seasons in the SSMHL U18.

They won 14 games and lost 20 out of the 36 games played that season. As a result, they were ranked 10th and didn’t make the playoffs. This result looked similar to the 2014-2015 season. They made the playoffs the following season with only 15 wins and 18 losses to be ranked eighth in the regular league. They lost in the quarterfinals, just like the 2015-2016 season.

“I thought they played well. Both teams played a very fast-paced game that was hard-hitting. It was a good game,” said Ty Valin, the Rangers coach, during one of the playoffs. 

The 2020-21 season was canceled. If the Rangers maintain the trend, they probably won’t make the playoffs, but who knows? We may be wrong.

As Ty Valin puts it, “Overall the boys have been competing well and every day they take a step in the right direction.”

If predictions are correct, this is supposed to be the season the Regina Ranger would do well in the regular season and be champions of the playoffs. But this is just predicting the likely happenings based on trends and no further evidence.

Whatever the outcome, the Regina Rangers are a great hockey team who have done a lot for the game. Only time will tell what next they will bring to the table.

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