Twenty Albertans listed in NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings

RED DEER - Many of the top 2004-born male hockey players from around the province have converged on Red Deer this week for the 2019 Alberta Cup.

Six teams are taking to the ice at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre from Thursday to Sunday: Alberta Black, Alberta Blue, Alberta Green, Alberta Grey, Alberta Red and Alberta Yellow.

The teams will play in a four-day, tournament-format competition. The event also features an education seminar hosted by the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Full tournament results will be displayed on the score ticker at the top of both abcup.ca and hockeyalberta.ca. Schedules, stats and standings can also be found at abcup.ca.

Tournament passes are still available online at abcup.ca or at the door for $42 (includes GST and service fee), and children 12 and under will be free of charge. Day Passes will also be available at the door for $10 each.

Friday and Saturday will also feature a "Kids Zone" in the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre, free of charge for all families to enjoy.

All 2019 Alberta Cup games will be streamed live on hnlive.ca. You can also follow along with the action on Twitter. Hockey Alberta has also unveiled a new Alberta Cup Snapchat filter for all attendees to use.

The Alberta Cup is the premier event in the province that helps identify the top male players in Alberta. It is well attended by scouts as they prepare for the Western Hockey League’s bantam draft. In addition to player evaluations, the competition is also an opportunity for administrators, coaches, trainers and referees to be evaluated for future positions with the Team Alberta Program.

Alberta Cup graduates include Matt Dumba, Braden Holtby, Jay Bouwmeester, Brayden Point, Scott Hartnell, Jordan Eberle, Devan Dubnyk, and Jake DeBrusk.

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce the nine Officials selected to work the 2019 Alberta Cup.

Stephen Doane (Calgary), Quinn Dunnigan (St. Albert), Nick Fedori (Edmonton), Aidan Forester (Okotoks), Kent Hanna (Medicine Hat), Mike Knoblauch (St. Albert), Chris Lopes (Calgary), Kael Maltais (Spruce Grove) and Tyson Phillips (Lethbridge) will all take the next step in their officiating careers.

The Alberta Cup is the first step in the Hockey Alberta Official’s Development Program. The nine Officials were selected based on their performance at the three Alberta Cup Regional Camps recently held in Blackfalds, Calgary and Spruce Grove.

The 2019 Alberta Cup runs April 25-28 at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre in Red Deer.

RED DEER -The hunt for a National title is underway for a pair of Alberta’s Midget AAA teams, as the 2019 Esso Cup and Telus Cup are both set to begin.

The journey for a three-peat begins on Sunday for the St. Albert Slash, as the 2019 Esso Cup gets underway in Sudbury, ON.

The Slash are representing the Pacific region at the tournament for the third straight year, and are the two-time reigning Esso Cup champions.

The Slash kick off their tournament Sunday afternoon at 1:30pm MST against the As de Quebec.

Schedule > | Stats > | Standings >

Meanwhile, the Calgary Buffaloes look to bring a Telus Cup title back to Alberta since the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.

The 2019 Telus Cup kicks off Monday in Thunder Bay, ON. Calgary opens the tournament against the host Thunder Bay Kings at 5:30pm.

Schedule > | Stats > | Standings >

Sunday March 23, 2019
by Jamie Langley
Player/Coach Development
Brooks Minor Hockey Association
Jamie Langley organized a four-team half-ice Novice jamboree to wrap up the 2018-19 season in Brooks. Here are his thoughts about a fantastic day for all the participants.

BROOKS - The day began with excitement and uncertainty as all four teams prepared for the four games in six hours journey. The goal was to host an event to celebrate the half-ice hockey game and reward the players with something fun, challenging and exciting.

All teams received a complimentary gift basket of Gatorade, fruit, energy bars, a hockey bracelet and helmet sticker to mark the event.

Setting the tone was announcer extraordinaire Devin Campbell as he energized and welcomed everyone to the “IT’S A GREAT DAY FOR HOCKEY” Novice Jamboree.

Team and player introductions followed and all four teams took their place on the two blue lines. Pre game festivities concluded with the singing of O’ Canada.

Four teams participated in the event; Lacombe Red Rockets, Bow Island Rebels, Brooks Jr. Bandits Novice Red and Brooks Jr. Bandits Novice Blue.

The excitement in the kids’ eyes was contagious as they heard their names over the sound system as they skated to their respective blue lines. This really set the tone for the day. To round things out all games were played with music being played through the sound system truly making it a fun and exciting day for the kids playing the game.

Every player, coach, parent and fan had a tremendous day either playing or watching the action which featured two games back-to-back, a pizza break for teams to meet and mingle while enjoying free pizza from Domino’s, followed by two more games.

Highlighting the “IT’S A GREAT DAY FOR HOCKEY” Jamboree was the focus on team work and sportsmanship, which was evident as the Jamboree signed off after the last two games with a giant handshake line and group picture with all four teams at centre ice, celebrating the parents and the excitement of the day.

As for the teams, they all had an extraordinary day of hockey, fun, excitement and a little exhaustion. They were thrilled to be taking part and are excited to be invited back next year for “IT’S A GREAT DAY FOR HOCKEY” Jamboree, part two.

The future of hockey lies with today’s youth. Because of this, Hockey Canada and Hockey Alberta have developed age appropriate programming to encourage the growth of foundational skills for young players in hockey. Minor hockey associations and coaches lead the implementation of the Initiation and Novice programs with the assistance of volunteers, parents and others associated with hockey.

The programming must provide opportunities for a wide range of people to get involved to improve the quality of the hockey experience through sound instruction and enjoyable play.

Effective for the 2019-20 season, Initiation and Novice hockey in Alberta will run under the title Intro to Hockey. The goals and objectives of Intro to Hockey programming are to:

• Teach the basic skills of hockey so players can enjoy the game,
• Assist in the development and enhancement of physical literacy and basic motor patterns,
• Deliver a program that is age appropriate for the size, skill and age of the players,
• Encourage the aspects of fitness, fair play and co-operation while having fun playing the game.

RED DEER - The 120 players competing in the 2019 Alberta Challenge in Leduc, May 1-5, have been selected by Hockey Alberta.

The Alberta Challenge is the top Bantam female hockey tournament in Alberta, featuring many of the players who could be playing for various teams in the Alberta Female Hockey League (AFHL) for years to come. The tournament also serves as a major step in Hockey Alberta’s Alberta Built Program of Excellence for players, coaches, officials and support staff.

The players are divided into the six teams who will take to the ice at Sobeys Arena in the Leduc Recreation Centre. Twenty 2004 and 2005-born players comprise each roster, along with volunteers serving as head coach, assistant coaches, trainer, and director of operations.

Alberta Challenge Rosters > | Alberta Challenge Schedule >

Rosters were selected following two regional camps held April 5-7 in Cochrane and Fort Saskatchewan, with two teams formed from each camp.

"It was very exciting to see the talent level displayed at each of the regional camps over the weekend," said Taryn Baumgardt, Hockey Alberta’s Coordinator of Female Hockey. "And now with the rosters in place, we are looking forward to watching these athletes show their skills at the competition in Leduc."

The Alberta Challenge is a four-day, tournament-format competition. Round-robin action begins on Thursday, May 2 with three games. There are six games on Friday and three on Saturday, with finals set for Sunday.

Tournament Passes

Tournament passes for the 2019 Alberta Challenge are now on sale. An adult tournament pass is $30 (plus service charge), a youth tournament pass (10-17 years) is $15 (plus service charge), a family tournament pass (two adults and two youth) is $70 (plus service charge), and children 9 and under will be free of charge. Day Passes will also be available at the door.

Tournament Passes >

NOTE: Tournament passes will only be available online. Day passes will be available at the door.

Alberta Challenge Apparel

Alberta Challenge apparel is now available for pre-purchase.

Alberta Challenge Apparel >

For more information on the 2019 Alberta Challenge, please contact Taryn Baumgardt at [email protected]

RED DEER - Two of Alberta’s Senior AAA teams have a chance to win a national championship in their home province this year, as the 2019 Allan Cup kicks off in Lacombe on Monday.

The host Lacombe Generals look to hoist the Allan Cup for a fourth time, having previously won in 2009, 2013 and 2016 (as the Bentley Generals). Meanwhile, the Innisfail Eagles earned their first crack at the national title after defeating the Stony Plain Eagles in Allan Cup West league playoffs.

Innisfail takes on the Rosetown Redwings in the tournament-opening game on Monday at 4:00pm, while the host Generals kick off tournament play at 8:00pm against the South East Prairie Thunder. All games take place at the Gary Moe Sportsplex in Lacombe. A full schedule can be found at allancup.ca.

All games are available to watch online free of charge at HNLive.ca.

Hockey Alberta would like to congratulate the nine Albertan Officials selected to work the 2019 Allan Cup.

Referees Cody Rude (Leduc), Colin Stefanyk (Red Deer), Colin Watt (Edmonton), and Kevin Webinger (Calgary), and linesmen Ethan Cronkhite (Beaumont), Aidan Henderson (Calgary), Cody Huseby (Red Deer), Przemek Iwaniec (Calgary) and Ryan Petryshyn (Edmonton) are among those selected to work the annual national Senior AAA championship.

Referees

Colin Watt - Hometown is Edmonton, Refereeing for 15+ seasons, last 10 in the WHL. Has worked the 2013 Allan Cup, 2015 and 2018 Jr.A Nationals (Royal Bank Cup), and 2017 and 2019 USports Nationals (CIS), and multiple AJHL league finals.

Kevin Webinger - Hometown is Calgary, Refereeing for 18 years, obtained his Level 6 in 2015, has been refereeing in the WHL, AJHL and Usports (CIS) for 9 season and Para-Ice Hockey since 2011, working the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Korea.

Colin Stefanyk - Hometown is Red Deer, been refereeing for 20+ seasons, obtaining his Level 6 in 2017. He’s worked the AJHL finals 6 times, Doyle Cup 3 times and refereed at the Western Canada Cup in 2016, Allan Cup in 2018, and World Jr.A Challenge in 2018. He also worked the USports Canada West Finals in 2018 and CJHL Top Prospects game in 2019, in Okotoks.

Cody Rude - Hometown is Edmonton, been officiating for 24 years. Attended the Allan Cup in 2018, Royal Bank Cup 2015, World Jr.A Challenge in 2015, and has worked 7 AJHL Finals.

Linesmen

Ethan Cronkhite - Hometown is Lloydminster, currently living in Beaumont. Refereeing for 15 years, with 5+ seasons working WHL, CIS, and Jr.A. Notable assignments include the Telus Cup in 2012, World U17 Championship in 2017, and WHL Canada vs Russia series in 2016.

Ryan Petryshyn - Hometown is Edmonton, been an official for 26 years, working the AJHL and Senior AAA for 15+ seasons, working numerous league finals at both levels.

Aidan Henderson - Hometown is Airdrie, been an official for 24 years, 12 in the WHL and 14 in the AJHL, working the AJHL league finals 3 times and the Western Canada Cup in 2015.

Cody Huseby - Hometown is Rocky Mountain House, currently living in Red Deer. He’s been an official for 20+ seasons, working the WHL for 10 season, AJHL and Senior AAA for 13 seasons. On the National and International stage Cody worked the U17 World Championships in 2009, Telus Cup 2009, Royal Bank cup 2011, Allan Cup 2013, Gretzky-Hlinka U17 Tournament 2018 and most recently the 2019 U20 Div II Group A World Championships in Estonia.

Przemek Iwaniec - Hometown is Wroclaw, Poland, currently living in Calgary. He’s been an official for 15 years, currently working Usports, WHL, ACAC, and AJHL as a linesman. Notable assignments include the 2018 AJHL finals, 2018 Doyle Cup, 2018 World Jr.A Challenge, and 2019 Midget AAA Pacific Championships as a Referee.

RED DEER - The fourth and final weekend of the 2019 Hockey Alberta Provincial Championships, presented by ATB Financial, came to a close on Sunday as the Junior B Provincials wrapped up in Wetaskiwin.

The Airdrie Thunder skated away with the 2019 Junior B Provincial banner, de-throning the reigning two-time champion Wainwright Bisons in overtime.

Earlier in the day, the host Wetaskiwin Icemen defeated the Edmonton Beverly Warriors 5-3 to capture bronze.

In Pacific Regional Championship action, both the Calgary Midget AAA Buffaloes and St. Albert Slash punched their tickets to the 2019 Telus Cup and Esso Cup, respectively. The Buffaloes defeated the Caribou Cougars in two straight games to advance to the Telus Cup, while the St. Albert Slash defated the Greater Vancouver Comets for a third straight year, and will aim for a three-peat at the Esso Cup.

The 2019 Allan Cup kicks off in Lacombe on Wednesday, with the Lacombe Generals and Innsifail Eagles both in the hunt for the annual Senior AAA National Championship.

2019 HOCKEY ALBERTA PROVINCIAL TOURNAMENTS

Gold Medal Game

Junior B - Airdie Thunder 4, Wainwright Bisons 3 (OT)

Week One Results > | Week Two Results > | Week Three Results > Champion Photos >

2019 HOCKEY ALBERTA PROVINCIAL PLAYDOWN SERIES

Senior AAA - Stony Plain Eagles VS. Innisfail Eagles
Innisfail wins best-of-seven series 4-2
Innisfail plays Lacombe Generals in two-game, total-goal series to determine Provincial champion

Game One: Stony Plain 5, Innisfail 2
Game Two: Innisfail 4, Stony Plain 3
Game Three: Innisfail 6, Stony 0
Game Four: Stony Plain 5, Innisfail 4 (OT)
Game Five: Innisfail 5, Stony Plain 2
Game Six: Innisfail 5, Stony Plain 4 (OT)

Innisfail Eagles VS. Lacombe Generals
Lacombe wins two-game, total-goal series 7-4

Game One: Lacombe 4, Innisfail 1
Game Two: Lacombe 3, Innisfail 3

Allan Cup - April 8-13 - Lacombe, Alberta

Junior Female - Edmonton Wolves vs Cochrane Chaos
Edmonton wins best-of-five series 3-0

Game One: Edmonton 1, Cochrane 0
Game Two: Edmonton 2, Cochrane 1
Game Three: Edmonton 2, Cochrane 1

Midget AAA - St. Albert Nektar Data Systems Raiders vs Calgary Buffaloes
Calgary wins best-of-five series 3-0

Game One: Calgary 3, St. Albert 2
Game Two: Calgary 4, St. Albert 3
Game Three: Calgary 7, St. Albert 4

Telus Cup - April 22-28 - Thunder Bay, Ontario

Bantam AAA - Fort Saskatchewan Rangers vs Red Deer Rebels
Fort Saskatchewan wins best-of-five series 3-2

Game One: Fort Sask 4, Red Deer 2
Game Two: Fort Sask 4, Red Deer 2
Game Three: Red Deer 5, Fort Sask 2
Game Four: Red Deer 3, Fort Sask 0
Game Five: Fort Sask 5, Red Deer 4 (2OT)

RED DEER - On the one year anniversary of the Humboldt Broncos tragedy, Hockey Alberta and the Alberta hockey community remembers the 29 and the families, friends and communities affected.

In honour of the Humboldt Broncos, Hockey Alberta is encouraging you to give life this April by donating blood, whether it’s with your team, family, friends, or on your own. Visit blood.ca and book your appointment today.

LACOMBE - A new partnership between Hockey Alberta and Lacombe Ford/ Drayton Valley Ford will make Hockey Alberta vehicles much more recognizable when travelling around the province.

The partnership sees Lacombe Ford/Drayton Valley Ford providing Hockey Alberta with a 2018 Ford Flex and Ford Explorer for the next two years.

The vehicles will be easily identifiable as belonging to Hockey Alberta thanks to eye-catching wraps on each vehicle. The wraps feature the Hockey Alberta logo as well as real-life photos captured at Hockey Alberta events that recognize the participants in our sport across the province.

“Hockey Alberta is pleased to be able to partner with Lacombe Ford and Drayton Valley Ford in a way that provides prominent exposure and recognition of our brand and our participants. When you see one of these vehicles at an arena in Alberta, that means there is important programming occurring to help in the development and training of the players and stakeholders in our great game,” said Mike Klass, Director of Business Operations for Hockey Alberta.

The logos for Lacombe Ford and Drayton Valley Ford are prominent on the vehicles, which have already been parked in key locations at Hockey Alberta Provincial Championships the past two weekends. Provincial Championships wrap up this weekend with Junior B in Wetaskiwin. As well, on the Hockey Alberta website, there is a direct link to learn more about the exclusive Free Tires 4 Life program only available through Lacombe Ford and Drayton Valley Ford.

“Lacombe Ford and Drayton Valley Ford are excited to be partnered with Hockey Alberta. Our dealerships have always been involved and supported minor sports in our local communities, so this felt like a natural fit and partnership for us. We believe that getting involved and supporting our young athletes and the organizations that continue to develop and grow their skills in sport, and in life, is a true win-win for everyone involved,” said Andy Kotowich, VP of Fixed Operations for Lacombe Ford and Drayton Valley Ford.

For more information on programs and events offered by Hockey Alberta, go to hockeyalberta.ca. For more information on the Tires 4 Life program through Lacombe Ford and Drayton Valley Ford, go totires4life.ca.

RED DEER - Week Three of the Hockey Alberta Provincial Championships, presented by ATB Financial, wrapped up on Sunday with ten new champions being crowned.

Teams skating away with gold medals were: Lacombe Generals (Senior AAA), Morinville Kings (Senior AA), Edmonton Avalanche (Junior C), Medicine Hat Hounds (Midget AA), Calgary Fire Red (Midget Female Elite), Leduc Roughnecks (Peewee AA), Slave Lake Thunder (Peewee Tier 1), Medicine Hat Hounds (Peewee Tier 2), Fox Creek Bulldogs (Peewee Tier 3), and Loon River Jets (Peewee Tier 4).

The Senior AAA Provincial title was decided in a two-game, total-goal series between the Lacombe Generals and Innisfail Eagles, with Lacombe winning 7-4. Both teams will compete in the Allan Cup, which will be hosted by the Generals.

The Junior A Provincial Championship will be decided through the Alberta Junior Hockey League Playoffs. The North and South Division finals began on March 30. The Brooks Bandits and Okotoks Oilers are tied 1-1 in the South Division Final, while the Sherwood Park Crusaders hold a 2-0 lead over the Spruce Grove Saints in the North Division Final.

One Provincial championship is yet to be decided, as the Junior B Provincials are set for April 4-7 in Wetaskiwin.

2019 HOCKEY ALBERTA PROVINCIAL TOURNAMENTS

Gold Medal Games

Senior AA - Morinville Kings 7, Daysland Northstars 0
Junior C - Edmonton Avalanche 6, Springbank Rockies 4
Midget AA - Medicine Hat Hounds 5, CNHA Canucks 2
Midget Female Elite - Calgary Fire Red 5, St. Albert Sharks 1
Peewee AA - Leduc Roughnecks 3, Glenlake Hawks 1
Peewee Tier 1 - Slave Lake Thunder 4, La Crete Lumberjacks 2
Peewee Tier 2 - Medicine Hat Hounds 3, Westlock Warriors 2
Peewee Tier 3 - Fox Creek Bulldogs 5, Provost Blades 2
Peewee Tier 4 - Loon River Jets 6, Irvine Bulldogs 5 (OT)

Week One Results > | Week Two Results > | Champion Photos >

2019 HOCKEY ALBERTA PROVINCIAL PLAYDOWN SERIES

Senior AAA - Stony Plain Eagles VS. Innisfail Eagles
Innisfail wins best-of-seven series 4-2
Innisfail plays Lacombe Generals in two-game, total-goal series to determine Provincial champion

Game One: Stony Plain 5, Innisfail 2
Game Two: Innisfail 4, Stony Plain 3
Game Three: Innisfail 6, Stony 0
Game Four: Stony Plain 5, Innisfail 4 (OT)
Game Five: Innisfail 5, Stony Plain 2
Game Six: Innisfail 5, Stony Plain 4 (OT)

Innisfail Eagles VS. Lacombe Generals
Lacombe wins two-game, total-goal series 7-4

Game One: Lacombe 4, Innisfail 1
Game Two: Lacombe 3, Innisfail 3

Allan Cup - April 8-13 - Lacombe, Alberta

Junior Female - Edmonton Wolves vs Cochrane Chaos
Edmonton wins best-of-five series 3-0

Game One: Edmonton 1, Cochrane 0
Game Two: Edmonton 2, Cochrane 1
Game Three: Edmonton 2, Cochrane 1

Midget AAA - St. Albert Nektar Data Systems Raiders vs Calgary Buffaloes
Calgary wins best-of-five series 3-0

Game One: Calgary 3, St. Albert 2
Game Two: Calgary 4, St. Albert 3
Game Three: Calgary 7, St. Albert 4

Telus Cup - April 22-28 - Thunder Bay, Ontario

Bantam AAA - Fort Saskatchewan Rangers vs Red Deer Rebels
Fort Saskatchewan wins best-of-five series 3-2

Game One: Fort Sask 4, Red Deer 2
Game Two: Fort Sask 4, Red Deer 2
Game Three: Red Deer 5, Fort Sask 2
Game Four: Red Deer 3, Fort Sask 0
Game Five: Fort Sask 5, Red Deer 4 (2OT)