The Miramichi Her-Icanes are looking for you.
Yes, a chance to join the reigning Maritime Women’s Basketball Association champions is there for the taking after the ‘Canes received a bit of a player jolt last week.
‘We were in very good shape earlier this month and then some unforeseen circumstances with players we anticipated having in our lineup had to back out,’ said Miramichi general manager, Jim Watters. ‘It has left us scrambling a little bit with the season just over six weeks away. It’s certainly not the position we wanted to be in, but a lot of people are doing their best to help steer players our way.’
The MWBA has a number of roster composition rules.
All teams are allowed to have seven present-day players. That rule means a player who played at the university or collegiate level in 2025-26 is considered current and counts against the seven-player cap. The exception to that rule is a fifth-year graduating player who is out of university/collegiate eligibility.
True redshirts do not count against the present player cap, but a player who has redshirted during a transfer process is considered a present-day player.
The league also introduced a rule this season that allows graduating high school players to play in the MWBA. Each team can have a maximum of three players who will walk across the high school stage in June.
‘We wanted to create a system where young players can graduate to the MWBA, sort of a European model where players graduate from youth clubs to join the main team,’ said league commissioner, Jen Lloyd of Dartmouth, NS. ‘Our league is very strong, but most of those high school graduate age-class players have been recruited and will be playing at the next level in 2026-27.’
The MWBA is set to open its doors for its fifth anniversary season the first week of May.
Watters is adamant he does not want to see Miramichi take a leave of absence after being considered a model franchise since its inception during the 2024 season.
‘Our city has embraced the Miramichi Her-Icanes and we have put a quality product on the floor since we joined the MWBA,’ he said. ‘Our volunteer committee is so committed to women in sport and the Her-Icanes. The players who have worn our jersey will tell you they are treated like gold here. We hope to find players who want to have a remarkable experience for a couple of months.’
A familiar Miramichi face unavailable this season is Abby Miller, the hard-working forward, who signed a professional deal in Portugal and will not return to Canada until past the mid-way point of the season.
If you’re interested in finding out more, reach out to Watters at miramichihericanes@gmail.com
– Playing for Miramichi always means big crowds and enthusiastic followers (Her-Icanes Photo)
