2012 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup Comes To Calgary

The four Western Provincial Hockey Associations – Hockey Alberta, BC Hockey, Hockey Manitoba and the Saskatchewan Hockey Association – in partnership with the Western Hockey League (WHL) are pleased to announce that the 2012 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup will take place November 1 – 4, 2012 at the Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary, Alberta.

The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup will feature the highest rated players in the Under 16 age category representing the four Western Provinces of Alberta, BC, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The four team round robin tournament format, which will open Thursday, November 1 and conclude on Sunday, November 4, 2012, is the first step in the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence and assists the four Western Provincial Hockey Associations in evaluating these top prospects in this age group for future high performance programs.  The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup is made possible through financial support provided by the WHL.  The majority of the players participating in the event were selected in the WHL Bantam Draft in June 2012 and many of these top young prospects will play major roles on WHL Clubs in the seasons ahead.

The first ever Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup was held in Blackfalds, Alberta in 2009 and featured four of the top eight players selected in the 2012 NHL Draft; Matt Dumba (Red Deer Rebels), Derek Pouliot (Portland Winterhawks), Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton Oil Kings) and Morgan Reilly (Moose Jaw Warriors).  Last year the WHL, along with the Moose Jaw Warriors and Saskatchewan Hockey Association, hosted the 2011 event at Mosaic Place in downtown Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.  The event featured many future stars who are now entering their rookie season in the WHL including 2011 WHL Bantam Draft first round picks; Jake Virtanen (1^st overall, Calgary Hitmen), Brycen Martin (2^nd overall, Swift Current Broncos), Ryan Pilon (3^rd overall, Lethbridge Hurricanes), Jordan Thomson (4^th overall, Kamloops Blazers) and Reid Duke (5^th overall, Lethbridge Hurricanes).

“The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup will showcase the top ranked 15-year-old players from each province and will be one of the most significant hockey events in Western Canada this season,” commented WHL Commissioner Ron Robison.  “This will be the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence for players in this age group and a high level competition such as this will definitely assist with their development as a player.”

The Team Alberta roster will be unveiled at a media conference in Calgary at the Father David Bauer Arena on Tuesday, October 16, more details to follow.

The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup tournament will feature two games each day with the opening games scheduled for Thursday, November 1.  The Gold and Bronze Medal match ups will be featured on Sunday, November 4.  All games will be played in Calgary, Alberta at the Father David Bauer Arena.

Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce 11 Alberta officials who have been selected for regional, national and international assignments during the 2012-13 season.

“The officials are very deserving of these opportunities – they’ve worked hard and dedicated themselves to achieve these selections,” said Hockey Alberta Referee-in-Chief, Curtis Nichols. “Hockey Alberta is thrilled to have these individuals represent Alberta and our branch at these significant events.”

Hockey Canada selected two (2) officials to work IIHF international events:

- Lacey Senuk (St. Albert, AB) – Linesman – IIHF Women’s Group E Olympic Pre-Qualification, November 8, 2012 in Shanghai, China

- Devin Klein (Medicine Hat, AB) – Referee – IIHF Men’s Group J Olympic Pre-Qualification, November 9, 2012 in Nikko, Japan

Hockey Canada selected two (2) officials for national assignments at the National Women’s Under-18 Championship, November 7-11, 2012 in Dawson Creek, British Columbia:

- Erica Holmes (Grande Prairie, AB) – Linesman

- Shannon Kline (Calgary, AB) – Linesman

The Western Hockey League (WHL) selected seven (7) officials for a regional assignment at the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup, November 1-4, 2012 in Calgary, Alberta:

- Steven Cousens (Edmonton, AB) – Referee

- Kyle Brisbois (Fort Saskatchewan, AB) – Linesman

- Deion Foster (Edmonton, AB) – Linesman

- Will Wood (Medicine Hat, AB) – Linesman

- Jason Bil (Calgary, AB) – Linesman

- AJ Nelson (Red Deer, AB) – Linesman

- Cam Penstone (Lacombe, AB) – Linesman

The Hockey Alberta Officiating Program utilizes Hockey Canada’s curriculum to administer and facilitate development clinics and train local officials to the highest standards. Each official must attend an officiating clinic at least once per year.

Hockey Alberta announced on Wednesday the Team Alberta U16 Male roster that will compete at the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup, November 1 - 4, 2012 in Calgary, Alberta.

“We’re really excited about bringing these young athletes together for the tournament,” said Team Alberta Head Coach, Bryce Thoma. “The staff feels these players will make up a highly-skilled team - we’re excited to see them compete with the opportunity to represent Team Alberta.”

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TEAM ALBERTA U16 MALE ROSTER

Team Alberta begins tournament action at 7:00pm on November 1 when they take on Team British Columbia. All games will be played at Father David Bauer Arena.

The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup will feature the highest rated players in the Under 16 age category representing the four Western Provinces of Alberta, BC, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Team Alberta is the two-time defending Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup champions after they won the gold medal at the inaugural event in 2009 in Blackfalds, Alberta. Team Alberta then won gold in 2011, defeating Team Manitoba 10-4 in the gold medal game in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup only occurs in the off years of the Canada Winter Games.

The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup is a partnership between the four Western Provincial Hockey Branches - Hockey Alberta, BC Hockey, Hockey Manitoba and the Saskatchewan Hockey Association - and the Western Hockey League (WHL).

The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup is the final event in the first year of the Team Alberta Male program. Selected players then advance to the second year of the program (U17) where they compete for a roster spot on Team Pacific.

Former Team Alberta players include Mathew Dumba, Jordan Eberle, Jay Boumeester, Devan Dubnyk, Devan Setoguchi and Tyler Myers.

Hockey Alberta is proud to announce four officials have been selected to attend the annual Hockey Canada Officiating Program of Excellence (OPOE) - West Regional Camp taking place October 5 - 7, 2012 in Kamloops, BC.  The OPOE is designed as an officiating talent identification and training program for elite officiating prospects, extending beyond Branch officiating development. The OPOE is a partnership between Hockey Canada and its Member Branches, the National Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League.

The following officials have been selected:

- Kevin Ward – Referee (Edmonton)

- Matt Schoenroth – Referee (Lethbridge)

- Jory Lutzmann – Linesman (Edmonton)

- Tyler Jensen – Linesman (Drumheller)

The selection process to this camp is done in multiple stages. Officials are identified through the provincial branch level by selecting five referees and five linesmen nominees that meet the OPOE criteria.  Nominations are submitted to Hockey Canada where a selection committee (composed of all Regional Branch, Referee-in-Chiefs, the CHL representative, Hockey Canada and the NHL) selects officials from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba..

At the camp, officials go through various developmental sessions, both on-ice and off-ice including skating sessions, fitness testing, fitness education, and interviews.

Congratulations to all officials!