The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) was on with their first round of playoffs when the coronavirus pandemic abruptly ended play on March 13th, but dedicated fans were luckily delivered a conclusion thanks to some innovation. Rosters from the leagues eight playoff teams were created on EA Sports NHL 20, and live simulations were live streamed on twitch.tv. Former Klipper Kyle Bosch and the Melfort Mustangs matched up against the Yorkton Terriers in the Canalta Cup Simulation Finals. The simulations resulted in a massive success and overall enjoyable time for the brand, and was even picked up by local TV for the conclusion.

The Mustangs managed to beat the Flin Flon Bombers, Estevan Bruins, and Yorkton Terriers to take the virtual Canalta Cup, and Bosch managed to come away with the Playoff MVP Award. A strong performance from Bosch in key games throughout the postseason surely put his name in the conversation, and 2 goals in the series finale clinched the award for the Kindersley native.

Bosch and his virtual teammates, including cousin Kenzie Arnold and former Klipper mate Austin Nault, ran the table in this years alternate version of the event. The trophy won't be presented to the victors, as the Mustangs will only be coming away with slight bragging rights instead of a place in SJHL history. The simulation and award was a fun way to close the book on the 2020 season for Bosch, but not getting a chance to do it for real was certainly unfortunate for the former Klipper.

Bosch has stuck to Saskatchewan for most of his hockey career. Captaining the West Central Wheat Kings earned him a draft selection by the WHLs Kamloops Blazers in 2014. He would not make it to the WHL level, instead returning to Kindersley after playing Midget AAA for the Saskatoon Blazers. His AAA career helped him earned a spot on Team Saskatchewan for the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, BC. The tournament featured future NHL prospects such as Maxime Comtois, Noah Dobson, and Nick Suzuki.

The SJHL did an excellent job providing a game-day, playoff atmosphere for these virtual finals, and will look to continue the content when they host the SJHL Draft on June 5. The same broadcast team will host the event, and take a look at the newest Junior A prospects in Saskatchewan. The Kindersley Jr. Klippers hold 6 picks in the upcoming SJHL Draft.