Hockey Alberta honours 2026 Life Members and membership award recipients

RED DEER – Hockey Alberta celebrated outstanding service, leadership and dedication to the game on Saturday during the 2026 Hockey Alberta Membership Awards presented by ATB and Life Member Reception.

Held at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre in Red Deer, the annual celebration recognized volunteers, officials, coaches, administrators, associations and community leaders whose contributions continue to strengthen hockey across the province.

Life Member

A special highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of Hockey Alberta Life Membership to Len Samletzki, while also recognizing his years of service as a past Chair of the Hockey Alberta Board of Directors.

Len is a visionary leader whose service on the Hockey Alberta Board helped shape the organization’s modern era. He joined the Board in 2010, and played a key role in securing Hockey Alberta’s partnership with Red Deer College (now Red Deer Polytechnic) and later guided the organization through governance reform, increased accountability and the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. As Chair of the Board from 2019 to 2025, his steady leadership, commitment to positive change and passion for preserving Hockey Alberta’s history left a lasting legacy across the province.

Life Membership is the highest honour Hockey Alberta can bestow and is reserved for individuals whose lifetime of service, leadership and commitment have made a lasting impact on the game throughout Alberta.

WATCH LEN’S LIFE MEMBERSHIP TRIBUTE >

2026 Hockey Alberta Membership Awards

Also recognized during Saturday’s ceremony were the recipients of the 2026 Hockey Alberta Membership Awards, honouring excellence across the Hockey Alberta membership.

Order of Merit

• Ernie Boruk Award: Josh Smith (Lacombe)
• Dave Ganley Award: Dave MacPherson (Grande Prairie)
• Excellence in Administration: Daryl Pickering (Sylvan Lake)
• Excellence in Administration: James Parks (Calgary)
• Excellence in Development: Damon Jeffs (Peace River)

Official of the Year: Ben Solomon (Calgary)

Provincial Championships Host Site Award: Blackfalds Minor Hockey Association

Volunteer of the Year: Shannon Steil (Battle River)

Minor Hockey Association of the Year: New Sarepta Minor Hockey Association

Coach of the Year: Darcy Preece (KC South/Edmonton)

Congratulations to all of this year’s award recipients and honourees. Your passion, leadership and commitment continue to make hockey stronger in communities across Alberta while inspiring future generations to enjoy the game. Thank you for helping make hockey a sport for life.

From July 6–11, Hockey Alberta welcomed 25 coaches from across the province to Red Deer for the annual High Performance 1 (HP1) Coaching Seminar, providing an opportunity for coaches to continue their development and build the skills needed to lead athletes at the highest levels of hockey.

Coaches are selected through a competitive application process and must meet specific coaching experience requirements, with participants primarily coaching at the U15 AAA, U18 AAA, Sport School, and Junior A levels.

What sets Hockey Alberta’s program apart is its hands on approach to coach education. As the only Hockey Canada Member Branch to deliver the High Performance 1 program in this format, participants receive classroom instruction before immediately applying those concepts on the ice during a simultaneous player development camp. Working alongside experienced mentors, coaches have the opportunity to put theory into practice in a real-time learning environment, receive immediate feedback, and refine their coaching techniques throughout the week.

This unique model bridges the gap between learning and application, giving coaches the confidence and practical experience needed to lead high performance athletes while continuing their journey toward High Performance 1 certification.

Following the in person seminar, coaches will continue working through the certification process, completing post task evaluations and additional requirements. Once certified, coaches will have the qualifications needed to coach at the AAA and Accredited Schools levels.

“The development of coaches is one of the most important parts of growing the game,” said

Stephen Pattison Hockey Alberta’s Manager, Coach Development “by investing in coaching education, we are creating better experiences for players and building stronger hockey communities across Alberta”.

Hockey Alberta’s commitment to coach development ensures that players across the province have access to knowledgeable, passionate, and prepared coaches who are focused on creating positive experiences both on and off the ice.

“High Performance 1 challenged me to think beyond systems and drills. It reinforced that great coaching is about intentionally developing people. The biggest takeaway for me was the importance of creating environments where athletes feel challenged, supported, and empowered to grow. I’m leaving the seminar with new ideas, stronger connections, and an even greater commitment to helping athletes reach their full potential both on and off the ice” expressed Shayla Katrick HP1 participant.

Through programs like the High Performance 1 Seminar, Hockey Alberta continues to invest in the people who make hockey possible and support the continued growth of the game across Alberta.

RED DEER – Hockey Alberta is one step closer to naming the roster for Team Alberta’s Under-16 Male team that is representing the province at the 2027 Canada Winter Games in Quebec City in February.

Thirty-four athletes are in contention to make the final roster, with five goaltenders, 12 defence, and 17 forwards included on the shortlist.

TEAM ALBERTA UNDER-16 MALE SHORTLIST >

Athletes were selected to the shortlist based on their overall play throughout the Team Alberta scouting process, past Team Alberta programs, and at the Under-16 Summer Camp in Red Deer at the beginning of July. Eighty players were invited to Red Deer and worked through high intensity on-ice sessions, as well as off-ice training and classroom sessions.

Hockey Alberta previously announced the coaching staff for the U16 Male squad in February, with head coach James Poole, assistant coaches Ryan Allen and Jack Redlick, video coach Justin Ostertag and goalie coach Theo Zubot running the bench at the Canada Winter Games.

The U16 Male Program is the third stage of the development and identification process to select a roster for Team Alberta to compete at the 2027 Canada Winter Games, beginning with the Alberta Cup. Team Alberta Male are attending the 2027 Canada Winter Games in Quebec City from February 27 to March 6, 2027.

Team Alberta is set to play preliminary games in their pool against Team British Columbia, Team New Brunswick and Team Ontario. The upcoming Canada Winter Games hockey schedule can be found here.