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Swift Current Broncos facts for kids

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This page is about the current Western Hockey League team. For the defunct Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team, see Swift Current Broncos (SJHL).
Quick facts for kids
Swift Current Broncos
Swift Current Broncos.svg
City Swift Current, Saskatchewan
League Western Hockey League
Conference Eastern
Division East
Founded 1967 (1967)
Home arena InnovationPlex
Colours Blue, green, white, black
                   
General manager Chad Leslie
Head coach Taras McEwen
Championships
  • Ed Chynoweth Cup
    3 (1989, 1993, 2018)
  • Memorial Cup
    1 (1989)
Franchise history
1967–1974 Swift Current Broncos
1974–1986 Lethbridge Broncos
1986–present Swift Current Broncos

The Swift Current Broncos are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1967, the Broncos relocated to Lethbridge, Alberta in 1974, and were known as the Lethbridge Broncos, before returning to Swift Current in 1986. The team plays in the East Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, and hosts games at Innovation Credit Union iPlex. Swift Current is the smallest city with a team in the WHL, and the second smallest across the entire Canadian Hockey League. The Broncos are three-time WHL playoff champions, and won the 1989 Memorial Cup. Before any of their championships, the Broncos were known for a 1986 team bus crash that resulted in the deaths of four players.

History

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 looking 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 fan base 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.

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.

Logo and jerseys

The Broncos' original logo featured a bucking bronco and horseshoe design with a blue and green colour scheme. The team minimized and then dropped green starting in 1995, before updating and adopting their original designs full-time in 2014.

In November 2018, a jersey honouring both the Swift Current Broncos and the Humboldt Broncos—another Saskatchewan junior team deeply affected by a fatal bus crash that occurred in April of that year—was unveiled and worn by both teams.

Like many junior teams, the Broncos frequently adopt limited-edition and special-event jerseys. In 2023, the team temporarily re-branded as the Lake Diefenbaker Slough Sharks, unveiling a new jersey featuring a northern pike logo.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

First Broncos (1967–1974)
Season GP W L T — GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1967–68 60 16 38 6 – 242 343 38 9th Overall Did not qualify
1968–69 60 14 44 2 – 186 329 30 4th West Lost quarterfinal
1969–70 60 27 31 2 – 240 265 56 3rd West Lost quarterfinal
1970–71 66 24 40 2 – 229 290 50 4th West Lost quarterfinal
1971–72 68 25 42 1 – 242 311 51 5th East Did not qualify
1972–73 68 27 35 6 – 300 359 60 5th East Did not qualify
1973–74 68 35 24 9 – 240 306 79 3rd East Lost semifinal
Second Broncos (1986–present)
Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1986–87 72 28 40 4 – 331 393 60 6th East Lost East Division quarterfinal
1987–88 72 44 26 2 – 388 312 90 4th East Lost East Division semifinal
1988–89 72 55 16 1 – 447 319 111 1st East Won Championship and Memorial Cup
1989–90 72 29 39 4 – 323 351 62 6th East Lost in first round
1990–91 72 40 29 3 – 369 351 83 3rd East Lost in first round
1991–92 72 35 33 4 – 296 313 74 5th East Lost East Division semifinal
1992–93 72 49 21 2 – 384 267 100 1st East Won Championship
1993–94 72 35 33 4 – 284 258 74 4th East Lost East Division semifinal
1994–95 72 31 34 7 – 274 284 69 6th East Lost in first round
1995–96 72 36 31 5 – 285 271 77 1st Central Lost in first round
1996–97 72 44 23 5 – 336 243 93 2nd East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
1997–98 72 44 19 9 – 276 220 97 2nd East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
1998–99 72 34 32 6 – 232 211 74 4th East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
1999–2000 72 47 18 4 3 257 170 101 1st East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2000–01 72 43 20 7 2 275 215 95 1st East Lost Eastern Conference final
2001–02 72 42 17 6 7 274 218 97 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2002–03 72 38 24 7 3 240 215 86 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2003–04 72 36 29 7 0 234 209 79 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2004–05 72 22 41 6 3 135 218 53 5th Central Did not qualify
Season GP W L OTL SOL GF GA Pts Finish Playoffs
2005–06 72 24 34 6 8 175 242 62 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2006–07 72 33 36 1 2 199 241 69 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2007–08 72 41 24 1 6 244 205 89 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2008–09 72 42 28 1 1 258 220 86 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2009–10 72 37 30 1 4 231 232 79 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2010–11 72 26 44 0 2 181 260 54 6th East Did not qualify
2011–12 72 27 37 2 6 216 272 62 5th East Did not qualify
2012–13 72 36 29 3 4 206 193 79 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2013–14 72 38 25 3 6 248 229 85 2nd East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2014–15 72 34 33 1 4 221 245 73 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2015–16 72 24 38 7 3 189 249 58 5th East Did not qualify
2016–17 72 39 23 4 6 247 239 88 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2017–18 72 48 17 5 2 284 213 103 2nd East Won Championship
2018–19 68 11 51 4 2 135 301 28 6th East Did not qualify
2019–20 63 10 48 2 3 129 298 25 6th Central Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 24 6 16 2 0 72 108 14 7th East No playoffs were held due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22 68 26 35 5 2 181 246 59 4th Central Did not qualify
2022–23 68 31 33 1 3 227 242 66 5th Central Did not qualify
2023–24 68 40 22 4 2 286 239 86 1st Central Lost Eastern Conference semifinal

Championship history

  • Memorial Cup: 1989
  • Ed Chynoweth Cup (3): 1988–89, 1992–93, 2017–18
  • Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy (2): 1988–89, 1992–93
  • Regular Season Division Champions (6): 1988–89, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2023–24

WHL Championship

Memorial Cup Championship

Players

NHL alumni

  • Blair Atcheynum
  • Warren Babe
  • Ryan Bast
  • Ken Baumgartner
  • Rollie Boutin
  • Willie Brossart
  • Colby Cave
  • Jakub Cutta
  • Kimbi Daniels
  • Jake DeBrusk
  • Ron Delorme
  • Ed Dyck
  • Gary Emmons
  • Kris Foucault
  • Dallas Gaume
  • Glenn Gawdin
  • Larry Giroux
  • Josh Green
  • Dillon Heatherington
  • Aleksi Heponiemi
  • Ian Herbers
  • Chris Herperger
  • Shane Hnidy
  • Milan Hnilicka
  • Joel Hofer
  • Bill Hogaboam
  • Earl Ingarfield Jr.
  • Jason Jaffray
  • Trent Kaese
  • Sheldon Kennedy
  • Ladislav Kohn
  • Don Kozak
  • Maxime Lajoie
  • Dan Lambert
  • Lane Lambert
  • Brad Larsen
  • Jim Leavins
  • Brett Lernout
  • Adam Lowry
  • Beck Malenstyn
  • Dean Malkoc
  • Dean McAmmond
  • Trent McCleary
  • Ryan McGill
  • Todd McLellan
  • Jim McTaggart
  • Craig Millar
  • John Negrin
  • Lawrence Nycholat
  • Jaroslav Obsut
  • Bill Oleschuk
  • Ben Ondrus
  • Colton Orr
  • Ed Patterson
  • Lane Pederson
  • Paul Postma
  • Kelly Pratt
  • Pokey Reddick
  • Jeremy Reich
  • Michal Rozsival
  • Terry Ruskowski
  • Joe Sakic
  • Geoff Sanderson
  • Andy Schneider
  • Dave Schultz
  • Cam Severson
  • Trevor Sim
  • Nathan Smith
  • Zack Smith
  • Brent Sopel
  • Stuart Skinner
  • Rocky Thompson
  • Ryan Tobler
  • Bryan Trottier
  • Layne Ulmer
  • Sergei Varlamov
  • Dale Weise
  • Ian White
  • Bob Wilkie
  • Jeremy Williams
  • Tiger Williams
  • Dody Wood
  • Tyler Wright
  • Joe Zanussi

Retired numbers

The Swift Current Broncos retired the jersey numbers of the four players who died in the 1986 team bus crash.

# Player
8 Trent Kresse
9 Scott Krueger
11 Brent Ruff
22 Chris Mantyka

Coaches

# Coach Years
1 Graham James 1986–1994
2 Todd McLellan 1994–2000
3 Brad McEwen 2000–2003
4 Randy Smith 2003–2004
5 Dean Chynoweth 2004–2009
6 Mark Lamb 2009–2016
7 Manny Viveiros 2016–2018
8 Dean Brockman 2018–2021
9 Devan Praught 2021–2023
† Taras McEwen 2023–present
† Interim coach

Team records

Team records for a single season
Statistic Total Season
Most points 111 1988–89
Most wins 55 1988–89
Longest win streak 12 1988–89; 1992–93
Longest loss streak 18 2018–19
Most goals for 447 1988–89
Fewest goals for 135 2004–05
Fewest goals against 170 1999–00
Most goals against 393 1986–87
Individual player records for a single season
Statistic Player Total Season
Most goals Jason Krywulak 81 1992–93
Most assists Terry Ruskowski 93 1973–74
Most points Jason Krywulak 162 1992–93
Most points, rookie Joe Sakic 133 1986–87
Most points, defenceman Dan Lambert 102 1988–89
Best GAA (goalie) Bryce Wandler 2.06 1999–00
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played
Career records
Statistic Player Total Career
Most goals Todd Holt 216 1989–1994
Most assists Dan Lambert 244 1986–1990
Most points Todd Holt 423 1989–1994
Most penalty minutes Tiger Williams 854 1971–1974
Most games played Brent Twordik 342 1997–2002
Most saves (goalie) Kyle Moir 6,126 2002–2007
Most minutes (goalie) Kyle Moir 12,792 2002–2007

Awards

Bob Clarke Trophy (WHL top scorer)

Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (WHL player of the year)

  • Joe Sakic (2): 1986–87 (East Division winner), 1987–88
  • Jason Krywulak: 1992–93
  • Sergei Varlamov: 1997–98
  • Adam Lowry: 2012–13

Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (WHL rookie of the year)

  • Joe Sakic: 1986–87 (East Division winner)
  • Ashley Buckberger: 1991–92
  • Aleksi Heponiemi: 2016–17

Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy (WHL top defenceman)

Del Wilson Trophy (WHL top goaltender)

  • Bryce Wandler: 1999–00

Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy (WHL coach of the year)

  • Stan Dunn: 1973–74
  • Graham James: 1986–87 (East Division winner)
  • Todd McLellan: 1999–00
  • Manny Viveiros: 2017–18

Doc Seaman Trophy (WHL scholastic player of the year)

  • Ashley Buckberger: 1991–92
  • Adam Lowry: 2009–10

Brad Hornung Trophy (WHL most smortsmanship)

  • Rick Girard: 1992–93
  • Ian White: 2001–02
  • Tyler Steenbergen: 2016–17
  • Aleksi Heponiemi: 2017–18

WHL Playoff MVP (Awarded since 1992)

  • Andrew Schneider: 1992–93
  • Glenn Gawdin: 2017–18

Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup MVP)

  • Dan Lambert: 1989 Memorial Cup

See also

  • Ice hockey in Saskatchewan
  • List of ice hockey teams in Saskatchewan
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