Leduc Riggers embark on 2026-2027 CJHL campaign

LEDUC -- The Leduc Riggers will open the CJHL regular season tonight against the Beverley Warriors. 

The Junior-B Club will be hoping to turn the page after a disappointing 2025-2026 campaign that saw them finish dead-last in the league's East Division with a record of 6-30-2. For tonight's opener at the Leduc Recreation Centre, the Riggers will host a Warriors team that finished last season with a sparkling 27-8-3 record, good enough for third place in a tough West Division. 

Heading into this season, the Riggers will once again be leaning on forward Tanner MacKinnon to spearhead the team's offence. After leading the squad with 29 points in 34 games last season, MacKinnon appears ready to take another step forward after scoring a pair of goals in his only preseason appearance on Sept. 6 against the Spruce Grove Regals. Karter Radtke and Noah Becker are also expected to make an impact after both players put up 22 points in 38 games last season. 

During the Riggers' two preseason games against the Regals in early September, goaltenders Elijah Drader and Cohen Burnett split the duties between the pipes, with both putting together solid performances. Burnett will also be looking for a fresh start this season after going 2-21-0 with a 6.96 GAA and a .859 save percentage during the 2025-2026 regular season. 

The Riggers' home opener at the LRC is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. They'll then play their first road game on Sunday against the St. Albert Merchants. Elsewhere, the Beaumont Chiefs will open their regular season tonight at home against the North Edmonton Red Wings. The Chiefs will be looking to build on a season that saw them win their qualifying playoff round before falling to the eventual CJHL champion Sherwood Park Knights in the quarter finals.