Samletzki re-elected Hockey Alberta Board chair

RED DEER - Len Samletzki of St. Albert was re-elected as chair of the Hockey Alberta Board of Directors during the 115th Annual General Meeting held virtually on December 1.

Also re-elected to the Board of Directors for a three-year term is Calgary’s Allan Mowbray. Joining the Board for her first term is Danielle Paradis of Edmonton after being elected as a new Director.

Paradis will step into a new elected Director position created through the approval of two Bylaw amendments during the AGM. In part, the amendments remove the position of Past Chair, and replace that with an elected director.

Biographies and short videos for Samletzki, Mowbray and Paradis can be found on the Hockey Alberta website. They join returning directors Al-Amin Vira, Karen Lee, Bill Gourlay, Kirstan Jewell and Francois Gagnon.

In his opening remarks, Samletzki thanked everyone who worked hard during the 2021-22 season as hockey returned after the COVID-19 pandemic. He also cited the work undertaken by the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee in working to ensure that hockey is free from maltreatment and discrimination.

Samletzki also recognized the recent announcement of a new Hockey Alberta Life Member - Loren Krukowski (Warburg). A video tribute on Krukowski’s career as a hockey volunteer can be found by clicking the link below or going to Hockey Alberta’s YouTube channel.

To conclude the meeting, it was announced that Fran Zinger is stepping down from the Board of Directors. Samletzki thanked Fran for her 16 years of service, and introduced a special tribute video that includes memories and reflections from Zinger, fellow board members and staff at Hockey Alberta.

In addition to the elections, two Notices of Motion were passed by the Members pertaining to amendments of Hockey Alberta’s Bylaws. The Notices of Motion pertain to Article 5 - Nominations, and Articles 1, 5, 7 - Board Positions.

Following the completion of the formal AGM agenda, operational updates were provided to the Members. Dennis Zukiwsky, chair of the Hockey Alberta Foundation, recapped a very busy year for the Foundation. Mike Klass, Director of Business Operations for Hockey Alberta, provided a financial update. And Hockey Alberta’s CEO Rob Litwinski provided a review of the 2021-22 and an update on work undertaken in 2021-22 towards achieving the Objectives and Key Results that are shaping the organization’s strategic priorities between now and 2025.

RED DEER – Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce the host communities for the 2023 Provincial Championships, presented by ATB.

A total of 34 provincial champions are slated to be crowned during March and April, including 30 weekend championship tournaments. The remaining four provincial champions are determined through league playoffs.

Championship tournaments are being hosted in locations across the province – from La Crete in the northwest, to Cold Lake in the east, and Lethbridge in the south.

2023 Provincial Hosts >

ATB is returning as the presenting sponsor of the 2023 Provincial Sponsorships.

“The Provincial Championships are an exciting time and opportunity that each team strives for from the beginning of the season,” said Kris Noble, Senior Manager, Sponsorship and Community Investment. "We are excited to be back as the Presenting Sponsor of the Hockey Alberta Provincial Championships and look forward to making these events a special experience for everyone involved.”

Participating teams for the provincial championship tournaments are determined through league playoffs.

Most Minor Tiered and Minor Female events will feature eight teams – the host, a wild card, and the champions from each division’s respective leagues: Hockey Calgary, Edmonton Federation Hockey League, Central Alberta Hockey League, Northern Alberta Interlock, All Peace Hockey League, North Eastern Alberta Hockey League, Rocky Mountain Female Hockey League, and East Central Female Hockey League.

Week one (March 23-26) is the busiest weekend, with the following tournaments on the schedule: U18 Female AAA, U16 AA, U15 AAA, U15 AA, U15 Female AA, U15 Tier 1, U15 Tier 2, U15 Tier 3, U15 Tier 4, U15 Female A, U15 Female B, U13 Tier 1, U13 Tier 2, U13 Tier 3, U13 Tier 4, and U13 Female B.

Week two (March 30-April 2) features: Junior C, U18 Female AA, U18 AA, U18 Tier 1, U18 Tier 2, U18 Tier 3, U18 Female A, U18 Female B, and U13 AA.

The final weekend of 2023 provincial play wraps up April 6-9, as the tournaments showcase Senior AA, Junior B, and U17 AAA.

Senior AAA, Junior A, Junior Female, and U18 AAA provincial champions are decided through league playoffs.

Hockey Alberta is still accepting applications for the U18 Tier 4 and U13 Female A events. Interested hosts should contact Michelle Skilnick, Manager, Member Services ([email protected]) as soon as possible.

RED DEER – Over the weekend, Team Alberta hosted the December Development Camp.

Both the Male U16 and Female U18 teams gathered in Red Deer for three days of preparation ahead of the Canada Winter Games. Sessions included team bonding, on and off ice development sessions and two exhibition games apiece.

The camp was the only time the Team Alberta squads will gather between the roster announcements in November and at the Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island. The male hockey competition runs February 18-25, while the female competitions is February 27-March 5.

On the weekend, Team Alberta U18 Female faced off against Alberta Elite Hockey League’s U15 AAA division teams. On Friday, Team Alberta fell 7-1 to the Okotoks Oilers. On Sunday, Team Alberta skated to a 3-1 over the Leduc Oil Kings. To prepare for tournament conditions, each game featured a five-minute overtime and a shootout.

Team Alberta U16 Male defeated Red Deer U18 AAA Optimus Chiefs 14-3 on Saturday in a modified game that focused on special teams and in-game situations. On Sunday, Team Alberta lost 3-2 to the St. Albert U18 AAA Nektar Raiders.

Team Alberta Male U16 Roster >

Team Alberta Female Roster >

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta has selected the 111 volunteers who will lead teams at the 2023 Spring Showcase.

Each team will consist of a director of operations, coach mentor, head coach and two assistant coaches. Teams at the Alberta Cup and Alberta Challenge will include a trainer. Staff for each Alberta Challenge team also includes an apprentice coach.

Volunteers for each team are listed below. The Prospects Cup is still accepting applications for trainers.

2023 Alberta Cup Team Staff

2023 Alberta Challenge Team Staff

2023 Prospects Cup Team Staff

The Spring Showcase features the Alberta Cup, Alberta Challenge and Prospects Cup in back-to-back-to-back weekend action, beginning with the Alberta Cup on April 26. Events take place at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre at Red Deer Polytechnic.

Registration and details regarding regional camps for each event will be released in the new year.

RED DEER – Twenty female athletes will lace ‘em up for Team Alberta at the Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island.

Two goaltenders, six defence and 12 forwards comprise the Team Alberta lineup playing in the U18 competition in Charlottetown, February 27 – March 5.

Team Alberta Female Roster >

Team Alberta’s roster features:

• Two forwards (McDermid, Smith) who played in the 2022 Alberta Challenge.
• Nine athletes (Brokenshire, Davidson, Devlin, Lawrence, Makokis, Perrier, Rizarri, Trudeau and Walker) who represented Team Alberta at the 2021 Western Regional Championship.
• Eighteen athletes who played in the 2020 Alberta Winter Games.
• Nine athletes (Brokenshire, Davidson, Devlin, Holbein, Lawrence, Makokis, Pearce, Rizarri and Walker) who debuted in short-term competition at the 2019 Alberta Challenge.

“These athletes have worked incredible hard through this process and we are excited to announce the roster of athletes who will be competing for Team Alberta in Charlottetown,” said Kendall Newell, Director of Operations for Team Alberta. “The staff is confident that we’ve selected a strong group of athletes and we are excited to get this group together in the coming weeks to begin our final team preparations heading into the competition in February.”

The selection process for the Canada Winter Games began in the 2021-22 season, where athletes were evaluated with their Hockey Canada sanctioned club team. In July, Hockey Alberta invited 72 female athletes born in 2005-07 to the U18 Summer Camp, in Red Deer. Twenty-eight players were shortlisted and invited back to Red Deer in September for the U18 Fall Selection Camp. Following the selection camp, athletes continued to be scouted with their club teams through the fall.

Round robin action begins on February 27 vs Nova Scotia. Other Team Alberta games include: February 28 vs Manitoba and March 1 vs Ontario. Playoffs start March 2 with medal games on March 5.

Team Alberta are the defending champions, after winning gold in 2019 in Red Deer. Historically, Team Alberta has three golds (2019, 2011, 1991) and two bronze medals (2015, 1999).

Female hockey was added to the Canada Winter Games in 1991. The Winter Games brings together thousands of athletes for the largest amateur multi-sport event in the country. They span over 25 different sports and is held every four years.