Lloydminster selected as host of 2021 Esso Cup

LLOYDMINSTER – The Esso Cup, Canada’s National Female Midget Championship, is headed back to Alberta in 2021 when the Lloydminster Steelers host the 13th edition of the event, April 18-24.

The 2021 Esso Cup represents a partnership between Hockey Canada, Hockey Alberta, the Lloydminster Steelers and the local host organizing committee, which made the announcement Thursday in the Border City.

The host Steelers will face off against five regional champions – Atlantic, Ontario, Pacific Quebec and West – in their quest to capture a national championship at the 1,700-seat Centennial Civic Centre. The Steelers will look to become the first host team to win the Esso Cup and third host to earn a medal at Canada’s National Female Midget Championship.

“Hosting an event of this scale will provide our community an exciting opportunity to showcase our commitment to volunteerism and sport,” said Gerald Aalbers, mayor of the City of Lloydminster. “The Lloydminster Steelers play a pivotal role in the growth and development of female athletes within Alberta and it will be our shared privilege to stand with them in welcoming the nation’s top-performing female hockey players as they look to achieve personal goals and compete for the 2021 Esso Cup right here in our city.”

Although the Steelers have yet to appear in the Esso Cup, Pacific Region teams have won nine medals since the event’s inception, including three-consecutive national championships from 2017-19, two silver medals and four bronze.

Alberta has hosted Canada’s National Female Midget Championship three times in the event’s 11-year history, with Calgary (2009), St. Albert (2011) and Red Deer (2015) all welcoming the tournament.

“The City of Lloydminster is ecstatic to be selected as the host city for the 2021 Esso Cup, as our community has a proven record of hosting national events in the past and we look forward to once again showcasing hockey in the Border City,” said Ryan Sklapsky, co-chair of the local host organizing committee. “Lloydminster’s support for elite female hockey is widely recognized and we are excited for the athletes that will make up the Lloydminster Steelers roster for the 2020-21 hockey season as they will have the chance to compete for a national championship. Since the inception of the Midget program in 2004, the Steelers have been a premier organization on and off the ice, and the program continues to develop elite players that move on to the ACAC, U SPORTS and NCAA programs."

The 2021 Esso Cup marks the second Hockey Canada event held in Lloydminster, which also hosted the 2016 National Junior A Championship. As with all of Hockey Canada’s national championships, net proceeds from all ticket sales, sponsorship and grants at the event will stay within the host community to help support the growth and development of the game at the grassroots level. Recent editions of the Esso Cup have also resulted in an economic boost of up to $1.5 million to the host regions over the seven-day event.

The official tournament schedule and ticket information for the 2021 Esso Cup will be announced at a later date.

“The Esso brand takes great pride in its support of the Esso Cup,” said Susan Di Giorgio, fuels sponsorship manager for Imperial. “As a premier sponsor of Hockey Canada through the years and in partnership on programs such as Esso Medals of Achievement and Esso Fun Days, the Esso brand is committed to supporting the development of grassroots hockey across Canada.”

For more information on the 2021 Esso Cup, please visit HockeyCanada.ca/EssoCup, or follow along via social media on Facebook and Twitter.

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta is proud to be recognized by Respect Group for our long-time participation and leadership in the Respect in Sport program. Hockey Alberta was the first sport organization to implement Respect in Sport certification for parents and coaches, as well as the first to require mandatory recertification.

Co-founders of Respect Group – Sheldon Kennedy and Wayne McNeil – visited Hockey Alberta on Wednesday to present CEO Rob Litwinski and Director of Business Operations Mike Klass with a specially designed paddle.

The paddle symbolizes the support of organizations such as Hockey Alberta who partnered with Respect Group and adopted Respect in Sport programming before acknowledgement of the importance of preventing bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination was widely recognized.

RED DEER - The Alberta Female Hockey League (AFHL) today announced a new agreement with HeadCheck Health, Inc. (HeadCheck) to supply all teams with mobile and web-based technology to follow the league’s concussion protocol and record and share vital information on suspected concussions with medical professionals.

“We’re very pleased to be teaming up with HeadCheck to help solve some of our biggest challenges in concussion safety,” said Kendall Newell, Manager of the AFHL. “Their tech simplifies what’s normally a complicated process and provides our medical professionals with the information they want to make the most informed decisions possible on the welfare of our players.”

“It shows an incredible commitment to player safety on the part of the AFHL to kick off this agreement by bringing all three levels of play onto HeadCheck,” said Harrison Brown, CEO of HeadCheck Health, Inc. “This is just the first step in providing the league with unparalleled visibility into exactly where they can best allocate resources for concussion safety.”

As part of the agreement, all Bantam Elite, Midget Elite, and Midget AAA teams will be able to use HeadCheck beginning with the upcoming season. Team trainers, athletic therapists, and safety personnel can use HeadCheck’s mobile app to document suspected concussions, perform concussion assessments per what is appropriate for their qualifications and transfer the information collected to medical professionals and partner clinics to safely return players to the ice. The platform allows a player’s concussion history to transfer with them from team-to-team or level-to-level for more informed care.

Additionally, HeadCheck is customized to the league’s concussion protocol and provides administrators governance tools and the ability to monitor compliance in real-time. Where needed, HeadCheck will supply teams within the league with contracted athletic therapists to support team staff. HeadCheck is a secure system that meets all top line health privacy standards in Canada and the United States.

About the AFHL

The Alberta Female Hockey League (AFHL) is home to 30 teams at the Midget AAA, Midget Elite, and Bantam Elite levels, providing a competitive platform for young aspiring female athletes to enhance their skills. A collection of 12 host associations around the province are committed to the growth and development of AAA and Elite female hockey. The member associations include Airdrie, Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Leduc, Lethbridge, Lloydminster, Okotoks, Olds, and Red Deer. Through dedicated staff and volunteers, the AFHL offers opportunities for female athletes to receive mentorship, off-ice education sessions, female specific coaching, post-secondary exposure opportunities, academic & billet programs, and a competitive skill development atmosphere. https://www.afhl.ca

About HeadCheck Health, Inc.
HeadCheck is an innovative mobile and web-based platform that gives medical and non-medical personnel the appropriate tools to follow any concussion protocol, integrates all individuals involved in concussion care, and allows the data collected to be analyzed for health and safety improvements. Hundreds of teams across the world from minor through professional sports have adopted the HeadCheck platform including: the CFL, CJHL, BC Hockey, Trek Factory Racing, Volleyball Canada, UBC Athletics, BC Rugby, Eastern Washington University, Rugby Ontario, Western Lacrosse Association, Rugby Quebec, and more. For more information visit the HeadCheck Health Website

Media Contacts

Kari Kylo - [email protected]
604.889.8057

CALGARY - Four Albertans will suit up for Team Canada this week in Lake Placid, New York, as the National Women’s Team announced its Development Team and Under-18 Team rosters.

Team Alberta alumnus Malia Schneider (Millarville) was named to Canada’s Development Team roster, while 2019 Canada Winter Games gold medalists Jaden Bogden (Edmonton) and Sarah Wozniewicz (Cochrane), along with Taze Thompson (Sherwood Park), will all play for the Under-18 squad.

All three Under-18 players are on Team Alberta’s shortlist roster for the 2019 U18 National Championships in Morden and Winkler, MB.

Both teams will play in a three-game series against the United States, August 14-17.