Impressive lineup bolstered by new Huskie hockey recruits

The University of Saskatchewan is adding some firepower and a potential brick wall to their men’s hockey team for the upcoming season.

On Tuesday, the Huskies announced their class of recruits from the Western Hockey League in a series of tweets, adding four forwards and a goaltender to their roster.

Saskatoon Blades centre Jesse Shynkaruk will be staying in his hometown to don the green and white, joining the Huskies after putting up 31 goals and 25 assists in 58 games last season.

Kamloops Blazers captain Collin Shirley also joins the pack, after scoring at a point-per-game pace over the past two seasons in the WHL.

The Huskies also added 2015 WHL goalie of the year Taran Kozun, who hails from Nipawin, Sask.

Kozun played for the Seattle Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers from 2011 to 2015, posting a 2.73 GAA and .912 save percentage.

He joins the Huskies after spending time in the ECHL, where he struggled with the Utah Grizzlies.

Taylor Sanheim, a former Calgary Hitmen forward, and Carter Folk from the Victoria Royals also committed to the green and white Tuesday.

The new recruits join an intact Huskies roster, which reached the Canada West finals in the 2016-17 season.

Kozun will have a tough job cracking the goalie roster, battling with former Regina Pats’ netminder Daniel Wapple and last year’s Huskie starter Jordon Cooke.

Cooke returns to the Huskies after claiming the CIS goalie of the year award for the second straight season. He led the U of S to a Canada West title in 2015-16, and has posted a combined 38-9-1 record between 2015 and 2017.

The forwards also join a deep front end, which already includes top 10 conference scorers Logan McVeigh, Jesse Forsberg, Michael Sofillas and Josh Roach.

Second year forward Alex Forsberg is also expected to rejoin the team after missing last season with a concussion.

Forsberg, from Waldheim, Sask., dazzled WHL audiences in his last junior season, posting 91 points in 71 games for the Victoria Royals.