Clouston representing Canada at the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championships

RED DEER – Shaun Clouston’s Christmas plans are going to look a little bit different than what he’s accustomed to.

The 55-year-old from Viking will be behind the bench as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championships December 26 to January 5 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Clouston has represented Canada on the international stage three times before - winning gold medals with Canada at the Ivan Hlinka tournament (now Hlinka/ Gretzky) in 2014 and 2015, and bronze at the 2016 U18 World Championships.

“It means a lot. It’s a huge honour for me,” Clouston said about his first trip to the World Juniors. “I’m thankful for the opportunity and I’m looking forward to getting back into the Hockey Canada program…. All of us on the staff have experience in these types of tournaments so it’s our job to help support the players and remove any obstacles they might have so they can play to the best of their abilities.”

Clouston is the General Manager and Head Coach of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers who were last year’s Memorial Cup hosts. He said organization and execution are the two most important keys to success.

“I think the plan heading into a short-term tournament is important. I think Hockey Canada does a really good job of mapping out a plan, making sure everything is taken care of – practices, warmups, cool downs, meals, travel,” Clouston said. “Those things are all incredibly important. The support group from the equipment guys, trainers, mental performance coaches are important as well… so when the tournament starts everyone is on the same page, they know what the vision is and we can all go after the end goal, which is winning a gold medal.”

Clouston grew up in Viking, population 929 (2022 statistics), where he joins an impressive list of players and coaches, including the Sutter family. He takes great pride in representing his hometown on such a big stage.

“It’s pretty cool. You’re proud of where you come from and I sincerely looked up to all the Sutter boys growing up,” Clouston said. “They’re a little bit older than I am, but when you go to a school that’s Kindergarten to Grade 12, you know everybody. They’re all great people, they’ve been extremely supportive and have followed my career as closely as I’ve followed their careers which is pretty amazing to hear. To have those guys set the course for what’s possible, for myself and others is really awesome…. I’m very grateful to be in hockey for this long and have it be a big part of my life and to grow up in Viking and have (the Sutters) lead the way.”

Throughout 2023, teams from across the province have committed good deeds in their communities. This Holiday season, Hockey Alberta is featuring some of those teams who have given back this past year.

U15 SOUTHWEST COUGARS

The Cougars collected donations for the Calgary Food Bank.

U11 SOUTHWEST COUGARS BLUE

The U11 Cougars worked together to sign and decorate nearly 200 Christmas cards for every resident at the AgeCare Midnapore. The team then visited the residents to deliver the cards, help with bingo and run the treat trolly.

U15 PEACE RIVER SABRES

The Sabres U15 squad filled a hockey bag with non-perishable food items for the food bank.

U15 CAMROSE VIKINGS

The Vikings noticed a need for winter clothing and food at the local Family and Community Support Services in Camrose so the team challenged all the other Camrose Minor Hockey teams to see who could gather the most items for donation. Together they gathered over 600 winter jackets, two large boxes of toques, mitts, scarves and snow pants and over 30 boxes of food.

U11 NORTHERN SERVICES NORTHSTARS

The U11 Northstars gave back to their community by visiting the residents in long-term care at the hospital and handing out treats and decorating cookies with the residents.

U15 ROYALS WHITE

The U15 Royals White adopted a family through the North East Calgary Adopt a Family Society and collected over 100 items of presents for a family to have on Christmas morning.

U7 FLAMES AND SAHA U18 PREP

The U7 Flames and SAHA U18 Prep Team joined forces and held a food drive for the Medicine Hat Root Cellar. The Two teams combined to donate over 300 pounds of food and other goods.

U11 DIDSBURY RAMBLERS

The Ramblers went shopping and purchased items for a large food hamper for their own Christmas hamper program called Heart2U.

U9 SOUTHWEST GOLD

The team collected new toys and books to support kids and families staying at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

U11 RED DEER LEGACY BRANDING CHIEFS

All U11 Chiefs teams held food drives over the course of November. The teams then spent an evening at the Red Deer Food Bank preparing food hampers, sorting donations and stocking shelves.

U11 FORT SASKATCHEWAN RANGERS

The U11 Rangers collected toys and non perishable food items for other kids their age who are need over the Holidays.

U13 RMAA RENEGADES

The U13 RMAA Renegades held a food drive in the town of Carstairs and delivered it to the local food bank. The team collected nearly 1,000 pounds of food for people in need this Holiday season.

U7 SOUTHWEST LEAFS

The U7 Leafs donated Christmas gifts to the Made by Momma organization.

U11, U13 AND U15 CENTRAL ALBERTA SELECTS

Three Central Alberta Selects teams partnered up to start their own ’Cold Stoppers’ campaign in support of the Street Ties Youth Outreach program through Vantage Community Services.

U15 LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES

The U15 AA Lethbridge Hurricanes and Taber Golden Suns teamed up to host a food drive during their most recent meeting in order to support the Interfaith Food Bank. The following day Hurricane players and coaches delivered 353 pounds of food and helped make up over 600 care packages for the Holiday season.

RED DEER SUTTER FUND U18 CHIEFS

The Female U18 Sutter Fund Chiefs took a night and went to visit the residents of Crimson Villas. The team brought Christmas treats and had a draw for one of the team’s shirts.

U15 OKOTOKS OILERS AND U15 CHESTERMERE LAKERS

The U15 Okotoks Oilers and Chestermere Lakers came together to raise funds for the food bank.

SOUTHWEST U9 COUGARS BLUE

The U9 Southwest Cougars Blue gave back to their community by bringing donations to the Calgary Children’s Cottage Society.

SOUTHWEST U13 COUGARS BLUE

The Cougars collected non-perishable food items for the food bank. They also collected bottles for their bottle drive.

U9 TO U18 FORT SASKATCHEWAN FURY

The U9 to U18 Fort Saskatchewan Fury teams collectively came together to collect 470 pounds of food for the Fort Saskatchewan food bank.

U11 FORT SASKATCHEWAN HADP RANGERS

The U11 Rangers made Christmas cards for the residents at Turner Lodge in Fort Saskatchewan.

U11 KFC/TACO BELL CHIEFS

The Chiefs visited the Crimson Villas Seniors Complex to play Bingo with the residents.

SOUTHWEST U11 COUGARS

The Cougars collaborated with the Senior Secret Service Program to adopt a senior for their team. The goal of the service is to enhance the quality of life for individuals 60 or older who are alone in the community.

RED DEER U15 RAMADA HOTEL CHIEFS AND OKOTOKS U15 OILERS

The Chiefs and Oilers put their on-ice rivalry aside to come together for a good cause. The two U15 teams partnered up to gather food donations for the Red Deer Food Bank.

STURGEON U18 STING

The Sting, who are based out of Morinville made sure to go the extra mile this past month, decorating their cars with Christmas lights and decorations to give the seniors in their community their very own Christmas parade after the seniors were forced to miss the town’s festivities due to sickness.

LAC LA BICHE U11 CLIPPERS

The Clippers hosted a tournament this year where the teams participating were tasked to fill bins in their dressing rooms for their Santa’s anonymous challenge, collecting toys to donate to children.

BOW RIVER U11 BRUINS GOLD

The U11 Bruins hosted a Holiday donation drive in support of the Calgary Drop in Centre as well as Inn from the Cold. They collected toiletries, mittens, hats, socks and more, bringing over 1300 items to donate to those charities.

SOUTHWEST U7 SR CANUCKS

The Canucks will give back by having their players create art pieces as a way to bring positivity and cheer to those in need of a smile.

To share how your team or association is giving back this season, complete the following form:

SUBMIT HOCKEY GIVES BACK >

For any questions or to send pictures, please contact Troy Durrell, Coordinator, Content Generation.

Happy Holidays from Hockey Alberta!

Staff at Hockey Alberta would like to wish you and your families Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. The Hockey Alberta office is closed on December 25, 26, 27, and January 1. Regular office hours resume Tuesday, January 2.

RED DEER – The teams competing at the 2024 Alberta Winter Games have been announced for the U15 AA Male and U13 AA Female competition.

For the Male competition, U15 AA teams declared their interest in representing their zone by October 12. The team in each zone with the highest win percentage in its respective league, as of December 19, was selected to compete at the Games. Male teams competing at the Alberta Winter Games are:

For the Female competition, U13 AA teams in the Alberta Female Hockey League participated in playdown games from December 3-10 to identify the eight teams participating in the Alberta Winter Games. Female teams competing at the Alberta Winter Games are:

The Alberta Winter Games are scheduled to take place February 16-19 in Grande Prairie.

RED DEER – Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce the host communities for the 2024 Hockey Alberta Provincial Championships, presented by ATB.

Host communities for 25 of the 33 provincial championships have been confirmed. Five events are still in need of hosts (deadline for submissions is today). The remaining three provincial champions are determined through league playoffs.

Championship tournaments are being hosted in locations across the province – from Peace River to Okotoks, and Cold Lake to Grande Cache.

2024 Provincial Hosts >

ATB is returning as the presenting sponsor of the 2024 Provincial Sponsorships.

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

Most Minor tiered provincial championships feature eight teams – the host, the champions from each division’s respective leagues, and one or more wild cards. Most Minor Female events feature six teams. Hockey Alberta’s Tiered and Female leagues include: Hockey Calgary, Edmonton Federation Hockey League, Central Alberta Hockey League, All Peace Hockey League, North Eastern Alberta Hockey League, Rocky Mountain Female Hockey League, and East Central Female Hockey League.

Week one (March 21-24) is the busiest weekend, with the following tournaments on the schedule: U18 Female AAA, U18 Female Tier 1, U16 AA, U15 AAA, U15 AA, U15 Female AA, U15 Tier 1, U15 Tier 1 NBC, U15 Tier 2, U15 Tier 3, U13 Tier 1, U13 Tier 2, U13 Tier 3, U13 Tier 4, and U13 Female Tier 1, and U13 Female Tier 2.

Week two (March 28-31) features: Junior C, U18 Female AA, U18 AA, U18 Tier 1, U18 Tier 2, U18 Tier 3, U15 Female Tier 1, U13 Female AA and U13 AA.

The final weekend (April 3-7) showcases Junior B and U17 AAA.

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

The following events still require a host, and will be cancelled if no bid applications are received: U18 Female Tier 2, U15 Tier 1 NBC and U13 Female Tier 1 (March 21-24); U18 Tier 1 NBC and U15 Female Tier 2 (March 28-31).

For all the details on this year’s Provincial Championship, please visit the new-look Provincials website at www.haprovincials.ca.

RED DEER – Seven individuals are representing the province at the upcoming 2024 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships December 26-January 5 in Gothenberg, Sweden.

Matthew Savoie of St. Albert, Nate Danielson of Red Deer, and Scott Ratzlaff of Irma have been named to the 22-player roster. Shaun Clouston of Viking (Assistant Coach), James Emery of Calgary (Video Coach), Jason Smart of Red Deer (Security Liaison) and Esther Madziya of Lethbridge (Media Relations) are part of the Hockey Canada staff headed to Sweden.

This is the first time any of the three players from the province have suited up for Canada at the World Juniors, but that doesn’t mean they don’t come with a ton of pedigree. Savoie and Danielson were both drafted in the first round of consecutive NHL Drafts. Savoie went ninth overall in 2022 to the Buffalo Sabres, while Danielson went ninth in 2023 to the Detroit Red Wings. Ratzlaff was selected in the fifth round of this most recent draft to Buffalo.

As for international experience, Savoie played for Canada at the World U17 Hockey Challenge in the 2019 season, posting six points in six games. Ratzlaff wore the maple leaf at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, going 4-0 with a 0.50 goals-against-average, .976 save percentage and two shutouts en route to a gold medal. This is the first time donning the red and white for Danielson at an IIHF sanctioned event.

Canada kicks off their tournament against Finland on December 26. Canada’s games throughout the tournament will be broadcasted on TSN. Full schedule can be found below: