The Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League's season has begun, and the Stonewall Jets are looking to make their presence felt this season.

With a 1-1 record thus far, President of the club Dale McClintock says they are basically starting fresh this season.

"Last year, we didn't have the greatest result in our season. We finished in ninth place overall, with nine wins on the season in a 45-game schedule. So, we knew we needed to make some changes and just needed to be better," McClintock continues. "We had 47 kids show up to training camp to try out for our team, and we have a whole new coaching staff, so no jobs were secure. Everybody was fighting for a position this year, and you can tell from the intensity since the start of camp and right through."

The Jets kicked off their season with a 3-2 victory over the Pembina Valley Twisters, who made the league final last season. The Team President says it was a great way to start the year.

"Guys are getting used to and adapting to the speed of our league. In our second game, we didn't get the result we wanted but we outshot River East 53-37 and outplayed them right through but just couldn't get the puck to go into the back of the net for us," McClintock explains. "I'm happy with what we're seeing so far. We've had a high level of intensity, and there's a high ceiling with the skillset of our guys. I believe it's just a comfort thing now, getting reps in the league and understanding the level of play."

McClintock notes many of their players are coming right from AAA or high school programs and adds it can take a few games for the new guys to get fully adjusted. With the U18 AAA Central Plains Capitals folding this season, McClintock says they have a couple of surprising additions from the Portage area.

"It was unfortunate what happened with the Central Plains program but it was a blessing in disguise for us. Ty (Hogue) is a big kid, big body, he's extremely athletic, battles hard, has a great attitude in the room, and we're very happy to have him. Watching him in his first game on Sunday, he was right with it and competed very hard," says McClintock. "We've got another individual from the Portage area in Kye Parker, he'll be on our backend this year. He'll be an asset for a lot of years to come if he sticks with us."

Parker spent last season with the Interlake Lightning's U18 AAA program and put up seven points while also playing in one game for the MJHL's Winnipeg Freeze. Ty Hogue also spent last season with the Lightning, where he notched two shutouts. The local goaltender was also on the preseason roster for the Portage Terriers this year.

McClintock says the MMJHL can be quite comparable to the MJHL.

"The top six on any team in our league could likely transfer to the bottom end of the MJHL. Most of our league is all about school and working but being able to provide a high level of hockey for these kids that are also moving forward with whatever their career they're going to pursue. There's a pretty significant schedule in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League but we play a 45-game schedule, and we cater to the kids that want to carry on with post-secondary or get their career going right out of school."

The Jets will be looking to get back above 0.500 this weekend as they welcome the Charleswood Hawks to Stonewall on Friday.