One of the newest Swift Current Innovation Credit Union U18 Female AAA Wildcats will be joining a current teammate next year at school after a recent commitment.

The AAA team announced just two days before Christmas that Wildcats forward Kiana McNinch had committed to the Mount Royal University Cougars program for next season.

"It's a good feeling knowing I have somewhere to go after this," she said late last week. "Kind of excited to see what the next level is like, and how the jump is from this to that, and I'm really excited to get into that."

The potential opportunity for the Turtleford product arose after an exhibition tournament when the Cougars Head Coach Scott Rivett reached out.

"Then I started looking into it," she said. "My fellow teammate Ava [Metzger] was going there so that also played a role in it. As he was talking to me I got more familiar with the program and thought it would be someplace I would like to go."

Aside from building a solid rapport with Metzger and now Rivett, the third-year Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League player is excited for the move to Calgary.

"Calgary I've been told is going to be a really good place to be, it's close to the mountains," she said. "I think the team seemed like a good environment just knowing some other players that went there."

She's going to be entering the Physical Literacy program with hopes of taking Physiotherapy afterwards.

McNinch spent her two previous seasons with the Battlefords Sharks before joining Swift Current this year.

In 20 regular-season games with the Wildcats, she's racked up five goals and 12 assists.