The Central Plains Capitals will have a new opponent next season in the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League.

The League's officially adding a third Winnipeg team, the Winnipeg Bruins, and they'll be making their debut in the league next season. Central Plains Regional Director John Ferg feels the addition is a win for the entire league.

"It's absolutely excellent. We've wanted Winnipeg to expand for a number of years, and we'd like them to get back to at least two teams on the female midget program as well. So when they take the initiative on their own accord to expand from two to three teams it's going to make for a more competitive league."

The Winnipeg Wild or the Thrashers have won the provincial championship 10 times out of the last 13. Winnipeg will now be split into three areas for each team, and the Bruins will be playing out of East End Arena in Transcona, which has recently been upgraded to handle a larger crowd. The new dividing lines will be grandfathered in to allow players to remain with their current team, but the Bruins look like they'll be made up of the South End of Winnipeg.

"This will help us cut down on bringing in imports as well," says Ferg. "When we look at bringing them in we want them to be impact players, a top six forward or top four defence, and if they're going to ice three teams they'll be keeping more of the top players within the city. That will give more opportunity for the local players to fight for a spot on our team."

The Manitoba AAA Midget season begins in the fall.