This year’s high school hockey league will feature plenty of veteran players with experience, which is expected to make competition close on the island.

Here is a preview of the four teams competing in the league this season:

GLACE BAY PANTHERS

The Panthers (13-3-1-1) will enter the season as the league’s defending champions after sweeping Memorial in best-of-five Highland Region championship series last February.

Glace Bay will be returning 10 players from last year’s team including the league’s top defenceman last season Burke Aucoin, who has played games this year with the Sydney Mitsubishi Rush of the Nova Scotia Under-18 Major Hockey League.

Offensively, the club welcomes back Grayson Sheaves and Parker MacKenzie. Sheaves had eight goals and 24 points in 17 games last year, while MacKenzie recorded 10 goals and 23 points in 17 games. Ryan White had five goals and 18 points in 17 games up front.

On the blueline, along with Aucoin’s seven goals and 32 points in 17 games, Josh MacDonald returns to the team for the 2026-27 campaign. He had four goals and 16 points in 17 contests.

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On the backend, Eric Power and Parker Gillam are among the returning blueliners. Power netted five goals and 17 points in 18 games last season, while Gillam recorded two goals and 11 points in 18 games.

In the crease, Levi Hull will be back with the Sydney Mines-based school team. He had a 3-6-0-0 record along with a 5.29 goals-against average and a .800 save percentage last season.

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RIVERVIEW RAVENS

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The Coxheath-based school will look to get back to the championship series this year, but they’ll have to do that with the least number of veterans in the league.

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Riverview (13-5-0-0) will return seven players from last year’s team after losing a large portion of its 2025-26 roster to graduation.

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On the offence, Ryan MacQueen is expected to be among the club’s leaders and is coming off a season where he had nine goals and 19 points in 11 games. Ethan Sheppard had seven goals and 16 points in 17 games, while Jacob Marks chipped in with three goals and 16 points in 17 contests.

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On the backend, the club will be led by returning blueliners in Connor Daye, Nathan Cunningham and Luke Daye. The three finished with eight, seven, and six points respectively last season.

The club will have two new goaltenders this year in Lane Wamback and Daniel Levatte. Wamback played with the Joneljim Cougars of the Nova Scotia Under-15 Major Hockey League last season, while Levatte was with the Cape Breton Jets of the Nova Scotia Under-16 AAA Hockey League.

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SYDNEY ACADEMY WILDCATS

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The Wildcats (0-17-0-0) will look to continue to improve in the league and will do that with eight returning players from the 2025-26 season.

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Led by new coaches Devon Sampson and Logan Shaw, the club will welcome back forwards Jaxon MacNamara, Breslin Marshall and Rylan Jeddore.

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MacNamara and Marshall both had a goal and three points last season, while Jeddore had no points in 16 contests.

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The team will have a veteran blueline with returnees Colby Morrison, Isaac Cubur, Chase Windsor, Jera Shepherd and Jacob Penney.

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In the crease, the team will have two new goaltenders in Owen Cromwell and Caliex Tournidis, who last season suited up for the Cape Breton Jets of the under-16 AAA hockey league.

No information was available on the start of the Cape Breton West High School Hockey League as of publication time.

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HOME OPENERS

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Sydney Academy: Tuesday, 7 p.m., versus Memorial, Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre

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Memorial: Thursday, 7:40 p.m., versus Glace Bay, Emera Centre Northside, North Sydney

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Riverview: Friday, 8 p.m., versus Sydney Academy, Cape Breton County Recreation Centre, Coxheath

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Glace Bay: Sunday, 7 p.m., versus Riverview, Miners Forum, Glace Bay

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TOURNAMENT DATES

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Nov. 5-8: Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament, Emera Centre Northside

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Nov. 19-22: Blue and White Hockey Tournament, Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre

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Dec. 3-6: Panther Classic High School Hockey Tournament, Miners Forum, Glace Bay

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Feb. 4-7: Red Cup Showcase High School Hockey Tournament, Cape Breton County Recreation Centre

Parker MacKenzie scored twice and added two assists, while Carson Hogan and Grayson Sheaves had two goals and an assist. Stephen Mann, Brody Walker, and Burke Aucoin chipped in with single markers for the Panthers.

Jackson Gerrow had two goals and two assists, while Owen Gracie had a goal and three assists. Jackson Devoe and Marcus Rendall also added goals for the Marauders.

Glace Bay’s Brandon MacNeil made 19 saves. Memorial’s Andrew Forrest allowed four goals on 11 shots before being replaced by Linden Howley, who stopped 16 of 21 shots in his 29 minutes of relief.

Along with winning the Highland Region banner, the Panthers also captured the Millennium Cup championship in Antigonish last December as well as the Blue and White Challenge in Membertou last November.

Glace Bay, who finished first overall in the four-team high school league with a 13-3-1-0 record, swept its best-of-five first-round playoff series with the Sydney Academy Wildcats 3-0, before knocking off the Marauders in the league final.

Memorial will still have a chance to participate in the provincial tournament. The team will play a qualifying game against the Metro High School Hockey League runner-up. More information about that game will be released in the near future.

As for the Panthers, they will be on home ice at the Miners Forum on Sunday at 7 p.m., when they battle Riverview.

On the ice for the Panthers, the team will see the return of Cohen McNeil, who finished third in team scoring last season with 14 goals and 20 points in eight games. Goalie Brandon MacNeil will also be among the returning players.

As for the Ravens, the team lost a lot of goal scoring from last season with graduations. Returning defenceman Nick Lawrence was fourth in team scoring with four goals and 17 points. The club will also welcome back starting goaltending Kayden Mollons.

The Marauders, like the Ravens, will be without several key offensive players from last year. However, Jackson Gerrow, who finished fourth in team scoring with seven goals and 16 points in 15 games, will be returning. Goaltender Levi Hull will also be back for the club after a strong 2024-25 campaign.