A Manitoba family says they are shocked after learning their 15-year-old son was a victim of a hazing incident in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

"When you hear this, it blows your mind that this is going on -- this happened to your own," said the victim's mother, who spoke to CTV Winnipeg on the condition of anonymity.

Her son was one of several victims of hazing involving the Neepawa Natives, who play in the MJHL.

The league hasn't explained what the hazing ritual involved, but on Tuesday it suspended 18 members of the Natives, including the head coach, an assistant coach and the team's captain and assistant captains. It also issued a $5,000 fine.

The suspensions are from one to five games.

According to a local newspaper report, one of the victims was forced to walk around the dressing room with a set of water bottles tied to his scrotum. The Winnipeg Free Press said four other boys went through the process.

The victim's family that spoke to CTV say they want hazing out of their game, an assertion their boy agreed with.

"He didn't want to see any other players get hurt. He didn't want to see his younger brother going through this situation. It needed to stop," his mother said.

She wasn't sure if the fines and suspensions would be enough to stop the practice.

The league is allowing for a minimum of only three players to be suspended per game, so no games have to be forfeited.

The team says the issue has been addressed.

"I think the league did a pretty responsible job in addressing this problem," Neepawa Natives president Dave McIntosh said.

Hazing has long been associated with sport teams, often used under the guise of team building. But Bob Nicholson, president of Hockey Canada, says hazing has no place in the game.

"Any time that teams are together they want to find ways to have team building. But hazing can't be a part of the game of hockey," he said.

The RCMP is investigating the incident.

The parents of the boy said he's not currently playing hockey as he is looking for a new place to play.

Neepawa, a town of only about 3,000, is 200 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.