Red Deer to host 2021 WHL Cup

CALGARY - The Western Hockey League, in partnership with BC Hockey, Hockey Alberta, Hockey Saskatchewan, Hockey Manitoba and Hockey Canada, announced on Tuesday that the City of Red Deer will serve as the host for the 2021 WHL Cup.

Scheduled to be held October 20-24, the 2021 WHL Cup will be played at the Peavey Mart Centrium – home of the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels – as well as at Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre at Red Deer Polytechnic, and will feature teams from the four Western Canadian provinces competing in a round robin tournament format followed by playoffs.

The 2021 WHL Cup will feature the top 2006-born players from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, each of whom is eligible for the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. The 2021 WHL Prospects Draft is scheduled to be conducted online on Thursday, December 9.

Rosters and ticketing information for the 2021 WHL Cup will be announced at a later date.

The WHL Cup, established in 2009, is held every season except in years when the Canada Winter Games are held, and is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence for players.

2021 WHL Cup – Event Schedule

Wednesday, October 20
Game 1 – British Columbia at Saskatchewan – 4 p.m. MT
Game 2 – Manitoba at Alberta – 7 p.m. MT

Thursday, October 21
Game 3 – British Columbia at Manitoba – 4 p.m. MT
Game 4 – Alberta at Saskatchewan – 7 p.m. MT

Friday, October 22
Game 5 – Alberta at British Columbia – 12:30 p.m. MT
Game 6 – Saskatchewan at Manitoba – 3:15 p.m. MT (Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre at Red Deer Polytechnic)

Saturday, October 23
Semifinal 1 – 12:30 p.m. MT
Semifinal 2 – 3:15 p.m. MT (Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre at Red Deer Polytechnic)

Sunday, October 24
Bronze Medal Game – 10 a.m. MT
Gold Medal Game – 1 p.m. MT

* all games at Peavey Mart Centrium unless otherwise indicated

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About the WHL Cup

The majority of players participating in the event will be selected in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, or will go on to be listed by WHL Clubs. The WHL Cup, formerly known as the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup, has been sponsored since 2009 by the Western Hockey League.

This year will mark the ninth year of the event. The first ever WHL Cup was held in Blackfalds, Alta., in 2009 and featured four of the top eight players selected in the 2012 NHL Draft. In 2011, the Moose Jaw Warriors and Hockey Saskatchewan hosted the event at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw, Sask. In 2012 and 2013, the tournament was hosted in Calgary at Father David Bauer Arena, the home of the WHL. From 2015 through 2019, the WHL Cup was hosted in Calgary at the Markin MacPhail Centre.

In 2010, 2014, and 2018, the WHL Cup was not contested due to the Canada Winter Games.

Team Alberta is a five-time champion of the WHL Cup, hoisting the trophy in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016, while Team British Columbia won the event in 2012 and 2017. Team Saskatchewan is the defending champion of the WHL Cup, having won the tournament in 2019, beating Team Manitoba 4-2 in the Gold Medal game.

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About the Western Hockey League

Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.

Today marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, as declared in June by the Government of Canada.

According to the Government of Canada website, the day honours the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.

“For me, the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, it’s important for Indigenous people as it honours the stolen children that never came home and survivors of residential schools,” said Jordan Courtepatte, President of Enoch Cree Hockey Association. “It also uncovers the dark history of the Canadian government’s treatment of Indigenous people and the atrocities the kids faced while attending the residential schools.”

In May, 215 unmarked graves of Indigenous children were recovered in Kamloops, BC, at the site of a residential school. Since then, hundreds more have been uncovered across Canada. The National Truth and Reconciliation Commission estimates there are thousands yet to be found.

According to a CBC article more than 150,000 First Nation, Metis and Inuit children were forced to attend church-run, government-funded schools between the 1870s and 1997. Children were removed from their families and culture and forced to learn English, embrace Christianity and adopt the customs of the country’s white majority. Survivors often do not talk about their experience at the residential schools due to the physical, emotional, psychological and sexual abuse they suffered during their time at the schools.

“My Kookum, which is my grandmother, she was in residential school and that had a negative impact on my family. My Dad and all my uncles and aunties, they grew up in day school, foster care and eventually a lot of them were incarcerated, and that played a big impact in my life,” said Courtepatte. “We struggled coming up, but luckily my mother is a great mother and she helped break the cycle for my brother and I. Now we’ve broken the cycle for our kids and we hope to continue that and try to help build a better place for our kids to live in.”

First Nations Elders call September “the crying month” as that was when children would be taken from their homes. Orange Shirt Day – recognized on September 30 each year - is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake, BC in May 2013. As part of the event, Phyllis Webstad told her story about being given a beautiful orange shirt by her grandmother for her first day of residential school. That shirt was taken away from her on her first day and never returned.

Through the power of social media, Orange Shirt Day has grown to be a national movement. This year, it will coincide with National Truth and Reconciliation Day.

“The National Truth and Reconciliation Day is important for everyone. It shows that action is taking place, the building of trust between Indigenous people. It also helps build the relationship between Indigenous people by bringing the dark history to light and creating an open dialogue of conversations that need to happen,” said Courtepatte. “I feel I have an obligation to my kids, and one day their kids, to help create a positive environment for them to live in. We all live in this country together and it’s going to take a collective effort to help make this place better for the present and future for all of us.”

Many members of the Alberta hockey community have their own residential school experience and orange shirt story to tell.

Today, we wear orange to remember the lost children and recognize the survivors of residential schools, their families and communities, acknowledge the truth of the dark history associated with residential schools, and begin conversations of reconciliation.

Based on the recent announcements by the Government of Alberta, Hockey Alberta has updated its 2021-2022 Season Plan that outlines the minimum standards for Hockey Alberta’s Members to undertake hockey activities this season.

The updated plan reflects CMOH Public Health Orders 44-2021 and 45-2021, and the implementation of the Restrictions Exemption Program.

The updated 2021-2022 Season Plan (current as of September 29) is enclosed with this Bulletin. The Plan and its appendices, along with other announcements and documents pertaining to COVID-19 and hockey in Alberta can be reviewed on the Hockey Alberta website: Hockeyalberta.ca/return-hockey/

Please note that this updated Season Plan focuses on Minor Hockey (youth sport, 17 years and under). A separate Season Plan document has been created for Junior and Senior Hockey (adult sport, 18 years and over). It is also posted on the Hockey Alberta website.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

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Hockey Alberta,
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 403-342-6777

21:03 - 2021-22 Season Plan - Update

RED DEER – Hockey Alberta is proud to announce that three long-time volunteers have been recognized with Life Membership status for their decades of service to minor hockey.

George Kallay, Terry Ledingham and Annie Orton are the new Life Members.

Life Membership is the highest honour which may be bestowed by Hockey Alberta, recognizing individuals who have dedicated their time and support to making the game of hockey better in Alberta.

"Our three new Life Members are exceptional individuals who have contributed so much to amateur hockey in their communities and across the province,” said Francois Gagnon, a member of the Hockey Alberta Board of Directors, and chair of the Life Member Selection committee. “It is a great honour to recognize their accomplishments and see Annie, Terry and George join such a distinguished group of people who have dedicated their lives to the game of hockey in Alberta and beyond."

George Kallay, of Drumheller, experienced the game of hockey from every level – as a player, parent, referee, volunteer and executive member with Hockey Alberta, the Hockey Alberta Foundation and Hockey Canada. George was inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame twice - in 2015 as a Builder and again in 2018 as Director of Operations of the 1999 Canada Games gold-medal winning Team Alberta U16 Male squad. George passed away in 2020 at the age of 74.

Terry Ledingham, of Bon Accord, has been involved in hockey at the minor hockey, Hockey Alberta and Hockey Canada levels. Terry volunteered with Hockey Alberta in a variety of roles including as President of Hockey Alberta. During his term as President, minor hockey coaches were directed to wear helmets during all on-ice practices and the first Regional Development Centre in Grande Prairie was opened. Terry also served for five years as a Vice Chair at Large for Hockey Canada and was inducted to the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016.

Annie Orton, of Blairmore, dedicated more than 30 years to the sport of hockey beginning with Crowsnest Pass Minor Hockey Association before volunteering with Hockey Alberta and eventually becoming President of Hockey Alberta. Within her two-year term, Hockey Alberta partnered with Respect Group to provide access to the Respect in Sport Parent program and examined non-body contact options for players. Annie was the recipient of Hockey Canada’s Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award in 2013.

The new Life Members bring the list of Hockey Alberta’s Life Members to 25.

To learn more about Hockey Alberta, visit hockeyalberta.ca or follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Hockey Alberta is celebrating coaches at every level of the sport during National Coaches Week.

As associations and teams across the province prepare for the 2021-22 season, one thing is certain - a coach’s development is never finished. In fact, coaches are the lifeblood of the hockey system. A good coach generally equals a great experience for the players.

In Alberta, development opportunities for hockey coaches are coordinated through Hockey Alberta’s Coaching Pathway, which focuses on philosophies appropriate for every level of player - from grassroots through to the elite level.

“Creating a really comprehensive coach development plan is really important. We have focused on a coaching pathway, and within that pathway, first and foremost, coach development does start at the local level,” said Justin Fesyk, Senior Manager of Hockey Development. “So, we want to create an environment where our associations put the amount of emphasis needed and support mechanisms in place to develop their coaches.”

Hockey Alberta’s Regional Managers – who are located around the province - can aid in the creation of an association’s Coach Development Plan. The Regional Managers also lead the implementation of National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) for hockey in Alberta, which is a requirement for all coaches. A full list of coaching requirements is available on the Hockey Alberta website.

Coach certification clinics are ongoing now across the province. For a current list of clinic dates and locations, go to the Hockey Alberta website.

Registration must be done online through HCR, with one of the requirements being that each coach must have an account in the new HCR 3.0 platform.

CREATE AN HCR 3.0 ACCOUNT >

For more information on coach development opportunities available to associations, or for individual coaches, contact a Hockey Alberta Regional Manager.

For more information about Hockey Alberta’s coaching pathway and the opportunities within the province, check out an interview with Justin Fesyk (below), or tune into Episode 14 of the Centre Ice Podcast, which airs on Thursday, Sept. 22.