Sea Bears pluck local talent on signing day

The Winnipeg Sea Bears plucked from the local talent pool on the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s inaugural Signing Day.

On Wednesday, the pro hoops club inked University of Manitoba guard Mason Kraus and University of Winnipeg guard Kato Jaro to U Sports contracts for the 2026 season.

The CEBL’s Signing Day replaced the league’s previous draft format in which teams would take turns selecting university-level players. The Sea Bears had success through the draft in the franchise’s first two seasons, in particular, selecting former Bisons forward Simon Hildebrandt, who won back-to-back Developmental Player of the Year honours.

“Obviously Simon and his success in that role, I think in the short time, it’s been pretty pivotal for us, and we’re looking forward to having a couple of the young guys that we announced today in training camp and see how things shake down,” said first-year head coach and general manager Mike Raimbault, whose close ties to U Sports have made him a trusted voice during the selection process the last three years.

This year, the Sea Bears selected two players with whom Raimbault is very familiar, having coached Kraus — a 2025 second-round draft pick — on the Sea Bears in the summer and currently coaching Jaro with the Winnipeg Wesmen.

The 6-3 Kraus closed his Bisons career this season with a third-team Canada West conference all-star nod after averaging 15.7 points, 6.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds while averaging 32.8 minutes per contest.

Also named to the Canada West all-rookie team in 2022, third team in 2023 and first team in 2025, Kraus enjoyed a decorated university career, becoming the eighth player in Bisons’ program history to receive conference all-star nods in four different seasons.

He left the Sea Bears before the season ended in the summer to represent Canada at the 2025 FIBA U23 3×3 Nations League in Chile and in three-on-three at the Junior Pan Am Games in Paraguay.

“I think he’s proven that he can guard multiple positions, he can be really disruptive defensively,” said Raimbault. “He’s had a pretty illustrious U Sports career with recognitions, in particular, on the defensive end of the floor. I think he proved that he can do that in the short spurts that he got last summer.”

Jaro, who checks in at an even 6-feet, is coming off a standout junior season with the Wesmen in which he was named a conference first-team all-star and a second-team all-Canadian.

After coming off the bench in his first two seasons, Jaro took over the starting role and quickly became a workhorse for the Wesmen, averaging 14.9 points, 5.6 assists and 1.8 steals while averaging 33.6 minutes per game.

“Obviously, it’s a big jump and an exciting opportunity for him,” said Raimbault. “I think my familiarity with his work habits and the way that he approaches challenges certainly gives me the confidence that he’ll take the opportunity and make the most of it.”

The league’s first Signing Day saw 20 U Sports student-athletes ink deals. Five players, including Kraus, were returnees, while 15, including Jaro, joined a CEBL roster for the first time.

With Kraus and Jaro signed, the Sea Bears now have 10 players on the roster with a few weeks to go until training camp opens on April 30. The club can roster up to 14 players, and Raimbault confirmed he still has some work to do.

“We certainly have some guys that we either still need to announce or have some spots to fill, for sure.”

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