Hockey Alberta’s 107th Annual General Meeting & Hockey Conference Begins Friday

Hockey Alberta, in part with Hockey Edmonton, will host its 107^th annual general meeting (AGM) Friday, June 6 at the Westin Edmonton and the 2014 Hockey Conference, geared towards building better hockey communities. Hockey Alberta’s AGM will follow the two day Hockey Conference on Saturday, June 7, also at the Westin.

 

 

Representatives from regional hockey associations, Hockey Alberta’s board of directors will be joined by life members, member organizations, as well as councils that oversee female hockey, junior hockey, minor hockey, senior hockey and hockey development to talk about what will benefit the growth of hockey in Alberta.

 

New this year, is the Hockey Conference, which will include guest speakers, presentations, panel discussions and workshops in two streams; a Coach Director Stream and a Hockey Adminstrator Stream.

 

Hockey Administrator Stream

 

This stream will have two points of focus; Player Centred Approach and the building of an Ideal Hockey Community. The player centred approach topic will discuss player fun, development, safety as well as flexibility and cost. The Ideal Hockey Community topic will feature discussion on the sharing of best practices, Long-Term Player Development principles and different hockey options.

 

Coach Director Stream

 

This stream will also focus on the Player Centred Approach but will also include sessions on on Long-Term Player Development, player evaluations, coach mentorship and certification discussions.

 

Major items on the agenda for the AGM weekend include:

 

- Report to Hockey Alberta membership

- Elections of new Director-of-Operations and a Director-at-Large

- Several Notices of Motion for potential bylaw changes

- Awards Announcements

 

The Hockey Alberta Foundation will also be hosting the Hockey Alberta Awards Gala on Saturday at 5:30pm where members of the 1994 Olds Grizzlys, LeRoy Johnson, Jim Fleming, Gord Hira and Billy Moores will be officially recognized and inducted into Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame (AHHF). Hockey Alberta will also be recognizing deserving recipients for their contributions and commitment to hockey in Alberta as part of the Hockey Alberta Awards.

Hockey Alberta would like to congratulate its 15 alumni that were selected in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft this past June 27-28 in Philadelphia.

“It’s always a proud moment for hockey in Alberta,” said Team Alberta’s Senior Manager, Tim Leer. “Obviously, getting drafted into the NHL is a dream come true for the athletes. It’s something they’ve worked their whole lives for and it’s a great accomplishment. Their parents, their Minor Hockey Association, coaches and former teammates should all be proud for helping along the way.”

Of the Hockey Alberta based players drafted, 13 participated in Team Alberta programs. 17 players were selected in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Round	Pick	Name	Team	Hometown	Team Alberta Involvement
1	23	Conner Bleackley	Colorado Avalanche	High River	Alberta Cup/ Western Canada Challenge Cup/ Team Pacific
1	30	John Quenneville	New Jersey Devils	Edmonton	Alberta Cup/ Western Canada Challenge Cup/ Team Pacific
2	45	Brett Pollock	Dallas Stars	Sherwood Park	Alberta Cup
3	62	Justin Kirkland	Nashville Predators	Camrose	Alberta Cup
3	64	Brandon Hickey	Calgary Flames	Edmonton	Alberta Cup/ Team Pacific
3	74	Brycen Martin	Buffalo Sabres	Calgary	Alberta Cup/ Western Canada Challenge Cup
3	79	Brayden Point	Tampa Bay Lightning	Calgary	Alberta Cup/ Western Canada Challenge Cup
4	119	Ben Thomas	Tampa Bay Lightning	Calgary	Alberta Cup
5	124	Jaedon Descheneau	St. Louis Blues	Edmonton	Alberta Cup/ Canada Winter Games
5	125	Nikolas Koberstein	Montreal Canadiens	Barrhead	Alberta Cup
6	161	Brandon Baddock	New Jersey Devils	Vermilion	Alberta Cup
6	162	Aaron Irving	Nashville Predators	Edmonton	Alberta Cup/ Western Canada Challenge Cup
6	169	Reid Duke	Minnesota Wild	Calgary	Alberta Cup/ Western Canada Challenge Cup/ Team Pacific
7	184	Austin Carroll	Calgary Flames	Calgary
7	186	Mackenzie Stewart	Vancouver Canucks	Calgary

Two of the Hockey Alberta picks; Hickey and Koberstein were selected out of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). The other 15 played in the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season.

The 2014 NHL Entry Draft had seven rounds where a total of 210 prospects from all over the world were selected by one of the 30 NHL teams.

Hockey Alberta’s 2014 Hockey Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was attended by over 250 delegates from across the province, concluded Sunday in Edmonton.

The event brought together representatives from regional hockey associations, Hockey Alberta’s board of directors, life members, member organizations, as well as committees that oversee female hockey, junior hockey, minor hockey, senior hockey and hockey development.

Highlights include:

- Hockey Alberta hosted the 2014 Hockey Conference, where the membership was presented information on the ‘Player-Centred Approach’ and ‘Building the Ideal Hockey Community’.

- The membership was presented with an update of Hockey Alberta’s Three Year Business Plan and Operational Structure.

- David Sevalrud was acclaimed as Director at Large.

- Fred Horbay was acclaimed as Director at Large.

2014-15 Board of Directors

Chairman of the Board - Terry Engen (Eckville) Vice Chair of the Board - Fran Zinger (Sherwood Park) Past Chair - Rob Virgil (Sherwood Park)

Director at Large - Fred Horbay (Crowsnest Pass)* Director at Large - David Sevalrud (Calgary)* Director of Finance - Len Samletzki (Edmonton) Director at Large - Laury Schmidt (High River)

*Acclaimed

On Saturday, the Hockey Alberta Foundation hosted the Hockey Alberta Awards Gala. Over 400 people attended and over $4,500 was raised for the Hockey Alberta Foundation through a silent auction.

The following people and organizations were presented with a Hockey Alberta Award for 2013-2014:

President’s Award Winner: Earl Reid - Fort Saskatchewan

Minor Hockey Association Executive of the Year: Erron Steele - Leduc Minor Hockey

Minor Hockey Association of the Year: Stettler Minor Hockey

Meritorious Award winners:

- Sherry Haarstad (Bentley)

- Jannie Bettac (Fort Saskatchewan)

- Kim Marsh (Red Deer)

- Ken Vreeling (Manning)

Hockey Alberta Development Award Winners:

- Jody Ginther (Taber)

- Howie Draper (Edmonton)

- Maureen Medori (Onoway)

Investors Group Exceptional Provincials Host Site Award: La Crete Minor Hockey Association

Future Leader Scholarship Winners (Distinguished Leaders):

- Mark Hall (University of Lethbridge) - $4000

- Jeremy Beirnes (University of Alberta - Augustana) - $4000

Hockey Alberta Officiating Award Winners

Ernie Boruk Award: Curtis Nichols (Red Deer)

Dave Ganley Award:

- Brent Woods (Lethbridge)

- Herman Costa (Edmonton)

Future Leader Officiating Scholarship Winners (Distinguished Leaders):

- Noah Bradley (Kings College University) - $2500

- Cole Feth (University of Alberta - Augustana) - $2500

The 2014 inductees into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame were also recognized at the Hockey Alberta Awards Gala.

Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees:

- 1994 Olds Grizzlys Centennial Cup Winning Hockey Team

- Bill Moores (Edmonton)

- Gord Hira (Carstairs)

- Jim Fleming (Beaumont)

- LeRoy Johnson (Camrose)

CLICK HERE FOR 2014 AHHF INDUCTEE BIOS