Swift Current Broncos

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 beckoning 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 fanbase 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, but three seasons later, allegations arose that he sexually abused former player Sheldon Kennedy during their days together with the Broncos. James was convicted of sexual offenses and sentenced to three years in prison.

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.

On December 30, 1986, the Broncos' bus crashed on the way to a game in Regina. Four players: Trent Kresse, Scott Kruger, Chris Mantyka and Brent Ruff (younger brother of then-player and former Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff) were killed.[1] 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 memorialise the fallen players, the WHL now awards the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy to the League's Player of the Year.

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

Updated February 10, 2020.[2]

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace	Drafted
13		Sergei Alkhimov	LW	L	18	2019	Moscow, Russia	Undrafted
29		Matthew Benson	D	R	19	2019	Vancouver, British Columbia	Undrafted
14		Jordan Borysiuk	C	R	18	2019	Mannville, Alberta	Eligible 2020
34		Kye Buchanan	RW	R	18	2018	Lethbridge, Alberta	Eligible 2020
37		Aiden Bulych	RW	L	18	2019	Yorkton, Saskatchewan	Eligible 2020
37		Kaleb Bulych	D	R	20	2019	Yorkton, Saskatchewan	Undrafted
15		Hendrik De Klerk	D	L	17	2019	Swift Current, Saskatchewan	Eligible 2021
30		Isaiah DiLaura	G	L	20	2020	Elko New Market, Minnesota	Undrafted
36		Bode Hagan	RW	R	18	2020	Alsike, Alberta	Eligible 2020
–		Carter Halamandaris	C	R	17	2020	Portage la Prairie, Manitoba	Eligible 2021
4		Parker Hendren	D	R	19	2020	Regina, Saskatchewan	Undrafted
12		Eric Houk	LW	R	19	2018	Regina, Saskatchewan	Undrafted
28		Sam McGinley	D	L	17	2019	Calgary, Alberta	Eligible 2021
5		Alex Moar	D	L	19	2018	Prince Albert, Saskatchewan	Undrafted
38		Cole Nagy	C	R	18	2019	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	Undrafted
15		Raphael Pelletier	C	R	18	2019	St. Albert, Alberta	Eligible 2020
1		Isaac Poulter	G	R	18	2016	Winnipeg, Manitoba	Undrafted
21		Cohner Saleski	RW	R	18	2019	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	Eligible 2020
27		Garrett Sambrook	D	R	20	2019	Medora, Manitoba	Undrafted
24		Tyler Smithies	LW	L	19	2019	Calgary, Alberta	Undrafted
4		Billy Sowa	D	R	18	2018	Calgary, Alberta	Eligible 2020
20		Justin Svenson	RW	R	19	2019	Île-des-Chênes, Manitoba	Undrafted
39		Matej Toman	LW	L	19	2020	Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic	Undrafted
19		Caleb Wyrostok	RW	R	17	2018	Medicine Hat, Alberta	Eligible 2021

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

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 to 2018
• Dean Brockman 2018–present[3]

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

• Swift Current Broncos official website