The Manitoba Junior Hockey League has announced that the league will expand to 12 teams for the upcoming season, as an expansion franchise has been awarded to operate in Winnipeg.

The new team will be owned by 50 Below Sports & Entertainment, the same group that owns the Winnipeg Ice, of the Western Hockey League.

In a release, the league says added a second team to the Winnipeg market will not only provide further opportunity for Manitoba hockey players to play Junior ‘A’ hockey within the province, but it will also “enhance the flexibility needed to provide a schedule that reduces travel and assists with divisional alignment – both critical components to executing the MJHL-approved Phase II ‘Return To Play’ plan.”

The team’s name has yet to be announced, and their addition makes the MJHL a 12-team league for the first time since the 2002-2003 season.