Making the Cut: April 28, 2018 by HockeyNow

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11 PAGES OF PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONS ESSO CUP & TELUS CUP GET UNDERWAY TOP MIDGET TALENT CONVERGE IN BRIDGEWATER AND SUDBURY FOR NATIONAL TITLES

A NEW REALITY LOGAN BARLAGE REFLECTS ON GROWING UP IN HUMBOLDT AND HIS NEW HOME WITH THE LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES

BORN LEADER MEET MACKENNA PARKER, THE EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG WOMAN WHO WON HOCKEY CANADA’S ISOBEL GATHORNE-HARDY AWARD

MAKING THE CUT

WE SIT DOWN WITH SOME OF THE RECENTLY SELECTED AND SOON TO BE DRAFTED CHL PROSPECTS – INCLUDING #1 OHL DRAFT PICK QUINTON BYFIELD – ALSO SHORTLISTED FOR OUR 2018 PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

April 28, 2018

TOP 31 NHL PROSPECTS RASMUS DAHLIN

VASTRA FROLUNDA (SweE)

ANDREI SVECHNIKOV BARRIE (OHL)

FILIP ZADINA

HALIFAX (QMJHL)

BRADY TKACHUK

BOSTON UNIVERSITY (H.E.)

OLIVER WAHLSTROM

USA U18 (NTDP)

+ Full List Inside

HockeyNow.ca

2 | HOCKEYNOW â&#x20AC;&#x201C; April 28, 2018

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

BRONCO

STRONG L

IFE. IT’S PRECIOUS. THE HOCKEY family was rocked a few weeks ago with the Humboldt Broncos bus accident. The way everyone came together and still are and will is what makes the hockey world special. It’s always one thing when one person dies in an accident but it seems so much more impactful when suddenly that many lives were lost. And because the history of bus travel in junior hockey resonates with so many people who have done it themselves, the incident hit even closer to home. A good buddy of mine, Wade, played some Jr A hockey in the AJHL with the head coach of the Broncos, Darcy Haugan, who passed away. My friend organized a fundraiser in Darcy’s honour. Like I said, it hits home when a good friend loses a good friend and former teammate. We were honoured to ship him a couple sticks for prizing for the fundraiser and they wound up watching some playoff hockey and (Wade’s words) “had a couple pops” and raised just over $3,000. Pretty cool effort. And there are so many great stories like this in the wake of this tragedy. It’ll take a long long time for the survivors and those who lost friends, family and teammates to move forward. Let’s all not forget this and remember as we head into the spring hockey to stay focused on what’s important in life – friends, family, being a good teammate and all the good things that the game gives us. Because life is precious and hockey careers come and go but friends, family and the life skills learned through our hockey experiences last a lifetime.

LARRY FEIST, Publisher On Twitter: @HockeyNow

NEXT EDITION: April 28, 2018 CONTACT THE EDITOR: larry@hockeynow.ca

NATIONAL EDITION Vol. 20, No. 4, Issue 687 - April 28, 2018

PUBLISHER Larry Feist larry@hockeynow.ca

Celebrate the 2017/18 MINOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS with our annual PARADE OF CHAMPIONS! Find it in this issue and online at: hockeynow.ca/issues

CONTENT MANAGER Emily Whitemarsh emily@hockeynow.ca

ART + PRODUCTION Stacey Rourke stacey@hockeynow.ca

DISTRIBUTION office@hockeynow.ca

Find the next tournament for you or your team in our TOURNAMENT GUIDE! Available in print at online at hockeynow.ca/tournaments

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Larry Feist larry@hockeynow.ca

WRITERS Mike Beasley Iain Colpitts Astra Groskaufmanis Neil Hilts Ryan McCracken Kristi Patton

SERIES

We're excited to be releasing the 20th EDITION of our HOCKEY SCHOOLS SERIES. Find it in this issue and online at: hockeynow.ca/hockey-schools

With NEW CONTESTS every month and GREAT HOCKEY PRIZES on the line, why wouldn’t you enter? Entry is EASY, and FUN, so drop by our website for your chance to win apparel, equipment, training devices and so much more: hockeynow.ca/contests

COVER PHOTO Quinton Byfield Kevin Sousa Photography/Ontario Minor Hockey Association

HockeyNow Box 714 Lethbridge, AB, T1J 3Z4 Telephone: 1-877-990-0520 Contents copyright 2018 by HockeyNow. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or duplicated in print or online without the written permission of HockeyNow. The opinions conveyed by contributors to HockeyNow may not be indicative of the views of HockeyNow. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, HockeyNow does not assume any responsibility or liability for errors or omissions.

April 28, 2018 – HOCKEYNOW | 3

NDMHA Rep A Team Head Coach Positions 2018-2019 North Delta Minor Hockey is now accepting applications for Rep ‘A’ Team Head Coaches for the 2018-19 season. Opportunities are available in all divisions and at both the A1 and A2 levels. If you are passionate about development, are qualified and committed, apply now -a competitive honorarium will be given to successful non-parent candidates based on experience and division. Coaching applications and more information can be found on our web site: www.ndhockey.com Please forward your resume & application to: vp1@ndhockey.com Application Deadline Friday May 20th, 2018

ALBERTA CHAMPIONS CUP

2004 GOLD MEDAL GAME Sunday April 29th 12:15pm (mT)

STREAMED LIVE AT HOCKEYNOW.CA 4 | HOCKEYNOW – April 28, 2018

CONTENTS

APRIL 28, 2018

18 | ON THE COVER

CHL NEXT GENERATION: SPOTLIGHT ON SOME OF TOP PROSPECTS (AND HN POY FINALISTS) IN 2018 MAJOR JUNIOR DRAFTS

plus...

PARADE of CHAMPIONS 1O BC 14 ON

27 AB

17 ISS

ISS HOCKEY RELEASES APRIL LIST OF TOP 31 NHL PROSPECTS

22 MOMS CORNER

A LETTER FROM ONE HOCKEY MOM TO OUR HOCKEY SISTERS IN HUMBOLDT

23 POY

FINALISTS MAKING THEIR MARK AT OHL DRAFT; GEARING UP FOR WHL DRAFT

in this issue... 6 WHL

HUMBOLDT NATIVE LOGAN BARLAGE INSPIRED BY HOCKEY COMMUNITY

9 FEMALE

HOCKEY CANADA HANDS OUT ANNUAL PRIZE FOR LEADERSHIP

7 OHL

24 MINOR

8 QMJHL

26 CJHL

FINAL FOUR NO SURPRISE; SET UP PARITY IN CONFERENCE FINALS

PLAYOFF FEVER HITS UNDERDOG ISLANDERS FACING GOLIATH ARMADA

TOP MIDGET TEAMS FACING OFF AT ESSO CUP & TELUS CUP

JUNIOR A TEAMS LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT SEASON AT SPRING CAMPS

7 April 28, 2018 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; HOCKEYNOW | 5

WHL

CINDY ADACHI/LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES

MAJOR JUNIOR

Seventeen-year-old Logan Barlage was drafted fourth overall in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft by Swift Current, where he made his official WHL debut this season before being traded to Lethbridge this past January.

A NEW REALITY Humboldt native Logan Barlage opens up about his new home in Lethbridge and playing in the wake of the tragedy STORY Ryan McCracken

OGAN BARLAGE IS MAKING THE MOST OF HIS minutes. The 17-year-old Lethbridge Hurricanes centre has been thriving since getting shipped away from the Swift Current Broncos at the trade deadline and now has the chance to snuff out his former squad in the Western Hockey League’s Eastern Conference final. “You’ve just got to treat it like any other series or any other game,” said Barlage, who recorded four goals and three assists through the first two rounds of the playoffs. “You can’t think about it too much or it’ll get into your head. We’re just going to try to keep playing the way we are. We’ve been playing really good lately so that’s the plan.” Barlage —a product of Humboldt, Sask. — had his world turned upside down when a bus carrying the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Humboldt Broncos was struck by a semi-trailer north of Tisdale on April 6, killing 16 and severely injuring 13 more.

It was a waking nightmare for Barlage and the rest of Humboldt, but he says it’s been truly inspiring to see the hockey community come together in support of the Broncos over the past few weeks. A GoFundMe page raised more than $15 million for the survivors and families of those affected over a 12-day span, while many high profile hockey names like Connor McDavid have made a trip to visit some of the surviving players in hospital. “It’s been tough for the community and for me also, but there’s been a ton of support. It’s been awesome,” said Barlage. “A lot of people are pretty happy with how it’s going. Lots of cool visitors are coming to Humboldt, the sport has just been unbelievable and we couldn’t be more thankful for that.” Barlage spent his formative years playing in Humboldt’s minor hockey system and says the Broncos are an integral part of the community’s history and culture. Barlage put himself on the national hockey map while playing with his hometown’s peewee AA squad, and says all young

players in Humboldt dream of wearing Broncos green. “It’s huge there. They nourish the love of the game for most young players,” he said. “For me especially, I went to a lot of games as a young guy and I always wanted to be a Bronco. They’re big role models in our community and they’re going to continue to be. It’s just such a great organization.” At the ripe age of 13, Barlage racked up an astonishing 175 goals and 99 assists in just 56 peewee contests. The big-bodied centre went on to produce two points per game in his rookie bantam season, then doubled that production the following year. After racking up 60 goals and 65 helpers for 125 points in just 30 bantam AA games, Barlage heard his name called by Swift Current at fourth overall in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. While Barlage earned a full-time spot on Swift Current’s roster to start his 16-year-old season this year, the Broncos opted to part ways with the 6-foot-4, 201-pound lefty in order to load up for the playoffs. Barlage made his way to Lethbridge, along with Logan Flodell, Owen Blocker, Matthew Stanley and three draft picks, while Giorgio Estephan, Stuart Skinner and Tanner Nagel went back the other way. Despite moving away from one of the most high-powered WHL teams in recent memory, Barlage says he immediately felt at home in Lethbridge. “I was pretty excited when I got traded. The opportunities are unbelievable here and I’ve been so happy this happened and how it worked it,” said Barlage. “It’s just been really good for me, I love being a Hurricane.” After recording a goal and six assists in 38 games with the Broncos through the first half of the season, Barlage made the most of his added ice time in Lethbridge and flipped his figures to six goals and seven assists through the last 33 games of the year. Barlage has put the pedal to the floor since the puck dropped on the postseason as well. Playing on a line with Zane Franklin and Egor Zudilov, Barlage has upped his production to nearly a point per game with four goals and three assists during Lethbridge’s back-to-back fivegame series victories over the Red Deer Rebels and Brandon Wheat Kings. His line has combined for 14 points in the 10-game span. “I think we just have some good chemistry. It took us a little bit but we’ve really found our way as a line. We’ve been passing the puck well and getting open for each other, we work on things in practice and stuff like that, it’s all been helping us,” said Barlage, adding he hopes to continue the upward trend in the Eastern Conference final. “I think we’re all pretty excited to get up and it’s going to be an exciting crowd back home and in Swift Current.”

NORTH VANCOUVER MINOR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION NVMHA is the largest hockey association on the North Shore with over fifty years of history. We are currently seeking enthusiastic and passionate people to fill roles of Head coach and assistant coach for our Rep and C teams. We offer a great opportunity for both experienced coaches and new coaches to teach, lead and mentor the youth of our community and will provide training and support including reimbursement of any required coaching certifications. Come join a community sports organization which supports its athletes and the people that are a part of it. For more information, please contact operations@nvmha.com or visit www.nvmha.com and click on our “TEAM” button and complete the coach application. Applicants will then be notified by email about the coach selection process. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN NVMHA. 6 | HOCKEYNOW – April 28, 2018

OHL

MAJOR JUNIOR

TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES

Do Boris Katchouk and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds have enough gas in the tank after going through a gruelling seven-game OHL Western Conference semifinal series against the Owen Sound Attack?

series before Kitchener rallied back with three straight wins, including a 6-2 series clincher. Kitchener started the playoffs with a six-game win over the Guelph Storm. Brown is the league’s leading scorer through the first two rounds with 21 points in 12 games. Prediction: Greyhounds in six

HAMILTON VS. KINGSTON

CLOSING IN

Greyhounds, Bulldogs, Rangers and Frontenacs make up OHL’s final four STORY Iain Colpitts

HE FINAL FOUR IS NOW SET IN THE OHL AND IT isn’t much of a surprise who’s there. The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Hamilton Bulldogs, top seeds in the Western and Eastern Conferences respectively, have advanced to their conference finals. Accompanying them are the second-ranked Kitchener Rangers in the West and the third-seeded Kingston Frontenacs in the East. Here’s what you need to know about those matchups.

SAULT STE. MARIE VS. KITCHENER It’s a 1 vs. 2 matchup in the Western Conference as the top-ranked Greyhounds get set to take on the second-seeded Rangers. As one can expect, the playoffs got harder for both teams as they moved on, and they can expect to be tested even further as both pursue a spot in the final. Through the regular season, the Soo’s dominance cannot be overstated. Let’s remember their 23-game winning streak was before they added two-time Canadian World Junior team member Taylor Raddysh and defenceman Jordan Sambrook in a blockbuster trade deadline deal. With a deep squad led by Morgan Frost, Boris Katchouk, Conor Timmins and Matthew Villalta in goal, the Greyhounds led the league in both goals for (317) and against

(186) by a wide margin. They were atop the CHL weekly rankings for most of the season. The Rangers have been quite the formidable opponent themselves this year. Kitchener improved substantially in January by adding 2017 Memorial Cup champion and U.S. World Junior team member Logan Brown and Detroit Red Wings prospect Givani Smith ahead of the trade deadline. Although the Greyhounds swept their four-game regular series against Kitchener, three of those matches were one-goal victories.

HOW SAULT STE. MARIE GOT HERE The Greyhounds got past the Owen Sound Attack, but were pushed to the limit in the process. The series went through the maximum seven games and the final two were absolute barn burners. Owen Sound forced game seven with a 7-1 win, and just when it looked like the Greyhounds were cruising with a 7-2 third period lead in the series decider, the Attack stormed back, but the Soo held on to win 9-7. It was night and day compared to the Greyhounds first-series sweep over the Saginaw Spirit. Katchouk has led the Soo in playoff scoring and had a 10-point series against Owen Sound. In Game 7, he had a hat trick, along with an assist.

HOW KITCHENER GOT HERE The Rangers gradually wore the Sarnia Sting down through their series, and when it was time to deliver the final blow, they did so in convincing fashion. Kitchener finished second in the Western Conference even though they were seven points behind the Sting in the standings. Winning the Midwest Division gave them the edge, but the Rangers proved they were stronger in their playoff series. The Sting, owners of a 46-17-4-1 record that only the Greyhounds were able to exceed, had a 2-1 lead in the

The Bulldogs and Frontenacs have gotten the most out of their investments and are in the Eastern Conference final as a result. Two of the league’s biggest buyers at the trade deadline, Hamilton and Kingston will duke it out in what looks to be a dandy of a matchup. For those who need a refresher, the Bulldogs loaded up with World Junior gold medalist Robert Thomas, speedy forwards Ryan Moore and Nicholas Caamano and veteran defencemen Riley Stillman and Nicolas Mattinen before the trade deadline. Kingston kept up in the arms race by acquiring four Memorial Cup winners: Gabriel Vilardi and Sean Day from the 2017 champion Windsor Spitfires and Cliff Pu and Max Jones from the 2016 champion London Knights. The series will be a rematch of one of the conference quarterfinals last year, a series Kingston won in seven games, with game seven going through overtime. In the regular season, the East Division rivals met six times, and although Hamilton won four of them, five of those six matches were decided by one goal and four games went to overtime or shootout. They were also the top two teams in terms of goals against average in the Eastern Conference through the regular season.

HOW HAMILTON GOT HERE The Bulldogs steamrolled their way past the Ottawa 67’s in the first round, but encountered a tougher test against the Niagara IceDogs in their five-game second-round series. That was the same number of games they needed to dispose of the 67’s, but Niagara made it a tougher ordeal for Hamilton by making the first three games go through overtime. If it weren’t for Stephon Dhillon’s efforts while facing more than 40 shots a game in net for Niagara in the series, Hamilton might not have had nearly as hard of a time advancing onto round three. Thomas and Moore tied for the Bulldogs’ lead in scoring through the first two rounds of the playoffs.

HOW KINGSTON GOT HERE The Frontenacs have gotten into the habit of going on runs after falling behind in each of their first two series. After trailing 1-0 in the first round against the North Bay Battalion and 2-0 in round two against the Barrie Colts, Kingston stormed back with four straight wins to close out each season. Against Barrie, overage goalie Jeremy Helving and the Kingston defence silenced the Colts’ high-power attack, allowing just six goals against in their four wins games. Vilardi has been hampered by injuries the past two seasons, but has found his stride with the Fronts, coming in at just a few ticks shy of the two-points-per-game mark in both the regular season and playoffs. Prediction: Hamilton in six April 28, 2018 – HOCKEYNOW | 7

MAJOR JUNIOR

QMJHL

PLAYOFF FEVER The Charlottetown Islanders are making waves after a surprise sweep against Halifax put them face to face with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada STORY Mike Beasley

A more recent duel has been brewing between two complete opposites, the Charlottetown Islanders and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Separated by close to 2,000 kilometres and a 12-hour bus ride, the two franchises play in different divisions and meet up during the regular season on just two occasions. But for the second straight QMJHL post season, Charlottetown and Blainville-Boisbriand will face each other in the semifinals with a chance to advance to the President’s Cup final on the line. The Armada finished the regular season in top spot with 107 points (50-11-4-3) and were expected to do well in the postseason so it’s no surprise they are still standing. On the other hand, the Islanders had a decent year with a 37-24-7-0 record which was good enough for third place in the Maritimes Division and ninth overall in league standings. DARRELL THERIAULT/CHARLOTTETOWN ISLANDERS

T’S FASCINATING TO SEE HOW HISTORY OR IN THIS case, QMJHL playoff pairings, repeat themselves. Very often, hockey rivalries are born through geographic proximities like the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Val d’Or Foreurs who are separated by a mere 106 kilometres. It takes less an hour for the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Victoriaville Tigres to face off against each other. Both of those scenarios have been around for decades

Pierre-Olivier Joseph and the Charlottetown Islanders get ready for battle against the Q's #1 team with 50 wins in the regular season – the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

8 | HOCKEYNOW – April 28, 2018

Who knows if the Islanders were holding back during back during their 68-game schedule but they sure have been impressive in their first two playoff rounds. In mid to late March, Charlottetown knocked off the #8 Quebec Remparts in an exciting seven-game series that had more twists and turns than a ride along Nova Scotia’s Cabot Trail. Jim Hulton Islanders GM and head coach readily admits that his squad had a lukewarm beginning but progressed with each game starting with the Quebec series. “Our game has grown and improved with each game,” said Hulton who is in his third year with the club. “Special teams and discipline have become much better.” After taking a 3-2 series lead on home ice, Charlottetown headed to Quebec City for Game 6 in which the Remparts prevailed to tie things up at three games apiece setting up a one-match showdown. The Islanders ended up silencing a crowd of 8,121 spectators at Quebec’s Centre Videotron with a one-sided 8-3 victory and series win to earn a spot in the second round against the #4 Halifax Mooseheads. “Winning Game 7 against the Remparts was a huge confidence builder for our team,” Hulton said. “We carried the momentum from that game and the series right through to Halifax.” Hulton and his coaching staff did their best to prepare his players to compete and ultimately defeat the Mooseheads which featured a talent laden line-up with five NHL draft picks and four pro prospects who are expected to be selected at this summer’s Entry Draft. But the unexpected happened with the underdog Islanders sweeping Halifax in four straight games. The series was pretty one-sided in the Islanders favour with one contest going to overtime. “We anticipated a long, gruelling series against an excellent Halifax team, we were very pleasantly surprised to win four straight,” said Hulton, who has also served as a head coach in the OHL and NHL assistant. It’s obvious the Islanders have not been able to get this far without the strong play and leadership of several players. Team captain and 2017 Arizona Coyotes first round pick (23rd overall) Pierre-Olivier Joseph has been logging tons of ice time for a team that has nine rookies. Hulton has also relied on quality goaltending from third year netminder, Matt Welsh who is tied for most wins (8) by postseason puck stoppers. “Joseph has been rock solid on D while overager Pascal Aquin and Keith Getson have provided key leadership and offence. German born rookie Nikita Alexandrov has been our biggest surprise as his offensive game has gone to a new level.” In Round 3, Charlottetown will sail back into shark infested water when they meet Blainville. The Armada defeated the Islanders last spring in five games with Hulton and company looking for a much better result this time around. “Blainville poses a very difficult challenge for us. They have a high octane offence and were the best team during the regular season. We will need to play our best hockey to compete in the series.” In his team’s case, Hulton is hoping that history does not repeat itself and the outcome will be different this time around. “We have much respect for their work ethic, structure and attention to detail. In order for us to be successful, we must be extremely disciplined to negate their potent power play and contain their top line of Alex Barré-Boulet, Alexandre Alain and Drake Batherson.”

BRINGING OUT THE BEST

FEMALE

DENNIS PAJOT/HOCKEY CANADA

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Saskatoon forward Mackenna Parker honoured with prestigious Hockey Canada award, leads Stars to Esso Cup STORY Kristi Patton

T COMES AS NO SURPRISE TO SASKATOON STARS head coach Greg Slobodzian that Mackenna Parker was chosen for the Hockey Canada Isobel GathorneHardy award. “Mackenna is a girl that is not your typical, average teenager. She is always very focused … she takes hockey very seriously and is very passionate about the game. In everything she does, she is passionate. She is a very involved strong leader and role model,” said Slobodzian. The annual award, which has previously gone to players like four-time Olympic gold medallist Caroline Ouellette, is given to the player who best demonstrates leadership and dedication in women’s hockey. Those two characteristics, along with a team first mentality, are what Parker lives for. Her coach says you can see it in her eyes whenever she is around her teammates. “I just try and put myself out there with my attitude on the ice and by working hard. The alternate captain Jordyn Holmes, she is pretty vocal in the dressing room before games. But, once the game starts and we hit that ice, I turn into a different person. I get really loud and try to support everyone,” said Parker. “Now, in my last year with the team, I try and put the younger girls under my wing and share the experiences I have had just like - Mackenna Parker some of the older players did

for me when I was a young girl on the team.” Off the ice, Parker tries to make an impact promoting women’s hockey and volunteering her time with the rest of her team by reading to children in elementary schools and volunteering at soup kitchens. Parker didn’t have to look far for a hockey role model. Fellow Saskatchewan native Emily Clark, a 2018 Olympic silver medal winner with the Canadian women’s national team, is someone she patterns herself after. “She played for the Stars and I want to follow in her footsteps. By making it to the Olympic team, she showed all of us girls from Saskatchewan that you can follow your dreams and realize them by working hard,” said Parker, who suited up for the U18 Canadian team at the 2017 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship last year in Russia, winning a bronze medal. Slobodzian has known Parker since she was 11 years old, when she first started playing alongside his own daughter Willow. The hockey players grew up on and off the ice together and Slobodzian has become like family for Parker. “She still reminds me of one of the first times I skated with her and she was struggling to pick up passes. She reminds me how I made some sort of comment on how she wasn’t doing very well, I’m sure I didn’t use those words exactly. I definitely can’t say the same thing

“I TRY AND PUT THE

YOUNGER GIRLS UNDER MY WING AND SHARE THE EXPERIENCES I HAVE HAD JUST LIKE SOME OF THE OLDER PLAYERS DID FOR ME WHEN I WAS A YOUNG GIRL ON THE TEAM.”

Mackenna Parker, captain of the Saskatoon Stars, was honoured with the Hockey Canada Isobel Gathorne-Hardy award given annually to a player who best demonstrates leadership and dedication in women's hockey.

anymore. She shoots better than most players her age and what has really developed is her vision on the ice,” said Slobodzian. Parker is quick to point out that her family and having Slobodzian as her coach has made her not only a better hockey player, but a better leader and person. In her third crack at vying for a gold medal at the Esso Cup national midget championship (she has previously won bronze with the Stars), Parker helped lead her team to a perfect 3-0 record through the first half of the preliminary round (which was still ongoing by press deadline). She also has represented her province at the Canadian championship and will head to Boston University next year. Through it all, Parker knows that it always comes down to one thing — truly being a team player. “I think so. If the chemistry is not there, then it is not there on the ice either. All the great experiences I have had are because of the team, not just me. The teams I have been on, we make time for each other off the ice too. The Stars are the tightest group I have been a part of. I love being with them and it is nice to know when you go to the rink, you have your hockey family too.”

April 28, 2018 – HOCKEYNOW | 9

As the book closes on another great season of B.C. minor hockey, HockeyNow celebrates the provincial champions in each division. Our Parade of Champions is also available online at: hockeynow.ca/issues

PEEWEE TIER 1

PEEWEE TIER 2

PEEWEE TIER 3

BURNABY WINTER CLUB

GREATER VERNON MUSTANGS

TERRACE KERMODE

PEEWEE TIER 4

PEEWEE FEMALE

BANTAM TIER 1

KIMBERLEY DYNAMITERS

SURREY FALCONS

SEAFAIR ISLANDERS

BANTAM TIER 2

BANTAM TIER 3

BANTAM TIER 4

HOLLYBURN HUSKIES

MISSION STARS

PRINCE RUPERT SEAWOLVES

BANTAM FEMALE

MAJOR MIDGET

MIDGET TIER 1

LANGLEY LIGHTNING

FRASER VALLEY THUNDERBIRDS

VANCOUVER THUNDERBIRDS

MIDGET TIER 2

MIDGET TIER 3

MIDGET TIER 4

QUESNEL THUNDER

POWELL RIVER PEAK

HOUSTON FLYERS

MIDGET FEMALE

FEMALE MIDGET AAA

JUVENILE

WILLIAMS LAKE TIMBERWOLVES

GREATER VANCOUVER COMETS

NORTH VANCOUVER STORM

SENIOR MALE AA (COY CUP)

JUNIOR B

JUNIOR A

DAWSON CREEK CANUCKS

RICHMOND SOCKEYES

WENATCHEE WILD 11

PACIFIC JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE

SOCKEYES TRIUMPH OVER DELTA IN CYCLONE TAYLOR CUP Brett Reusch didn’t have to dig too far back into history to form the blueprint the Richmond Sockeyes utilized on their way to claiming the Cyclone Taylor Cup.

coaching staff had to do something to prepare the team as they were eliminated in the PJHL semifinals 29 days before hosting the Cyclone Taylor Cup.

The head coach took a look at last year’s Windsor Spitfires, who won the Memorial Cup as tournament hosts despite going through a 44-day hiatus after they were eliminated in the first round of the OHL playoffs.

“It’s hard to do, but we tried to imitate (the Spitfires) as much as possible given these kids still go to school and have jobs unlike the OHL,” said Reusch, who took over as head coach in December after starting the season as an assistant coach.

It wasn’t quite as long of a layoff for the Sockeyes, but Reusch knew he and his

“I was missing six key players, so I just gave

them 10 days off, no hockey, just letting them digest what happened.” The Sockeyes won the title on April 15 with a 5-1 win over the Delta Ice Hawks, who eliminated Richmond from the PJHL playoffs on their way to the league title. Prior to the championship game, the Sockeyes were motivated by a pre-game speech by legendary junior coach Ernie “Punch” McLean, who coached the New Westminster Bruins to back-to-back Memorial Cups in 1977 and 1978. Following the PJHL playoff defeat on March 11, Reusch and the Sockeyes began a “29-day training camp” broken down into three phases: Rest, conditioning and team building. An emphasis was put on conditioning with a lot of bag skating, stair running and tough inter-squad games, but everyone bought in. “It was 29 gruelling days, but I’m glad it paid off in the end,” Reusch said. “It couldn’t have happened to a better group of kids. It’s the best team I coached and it’ll go down in history for sure.” During that training camp, the team still

The host Richmond Sockeyes celebrate after winning the Cyclone Taylor Cup. (Doug Abbott photo)

PACIFIC JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE

managed to fit in some fun events like a Vancouver Canucks game among other activities. Sockeyes captain Tyler Andrews, who Reusch describes as the heart and soul of the team, was named tournament MVP after leading the tournament in scoring with eight points, including five goals, in four games. Included in that total was two goals and an assist in the championship game. Goalie Hardarshan Hoonjan and defenceman Jacob Keremidschieff were also tournament all-stars, along with James Farmer from the Kimberley Dynamiters and defenceman Aiden Hansen-Bukata from Delta. Hoonjan was first star of championship game after making 31 saves while Keremidschieff had three assists in the tournament. Richmond took on hosting duties on short notice around Labour Day. When he became aware there was an opening for a team in the PJHL to step up and host it, co-owner Doug Paterson remembers making two phone calls, first to his brother and fellow co-owner Ron and then to the city of Richmond to make sure they could secure the ice. ’t have a full year to plan and it seemed like a long time from September to April, but we made it happen,” Paterson said. “We were almost sold out in the last game. It was just a great atmosphere.” Paterson said it was also motivating seeing a Twitter poll where 915 voters gave the Sockeyes a five per cent chance of winning the tournament. The Dynamiters were voted heavy favourites at 49 per cent, followed by

The host Richmond Sockeyes defeated the Delta Ice Hawks 5-1 in the Cyclone Taylor Cup championship game. (Doug Abbott photo)

the Campbell River Storm at 30 per cent and the Ice Hawks at 16 per cent. In their other games at the tournament, the Sockeyes defeated the Storm 4-1 and the Ice Hawks 5-3. Their lone defeat was a 6-1 decision against the Dynamiters. Richmond had the PJHL’s second best record (33-8-1-2) through the regular season, finishing eight points behind the Ice Hawks. During the season, the Sockeyes were propelled by a 14-game winning streak from mid-November to mid-January. Richmond won its sixth Cyclone Taylor Cup in franchise history and the fourth title since 2004 when the tournament adopted its current four-team format. The last time the Sockeyes won was in 2013 when Danton Heinen was part of a squad that

went on to win the BC Jr. B hockey triple crown, a league title, followed by the Cyclone Taylor Cup, followed by the Keystone Cup Western Canada championship. Following a few years with the University of Denver and the AHL’s Providence Bruins, Heinen completed a strong rookie season with the Boston Bruins and is with them through the Stanley Cup playoffs. Reusch has experience winning the Cyclone Taylor Cup as well, so he knows firsthand it’s an experience the players will never forget. “I won this same tournament in 2006 and it’s just something you never forget,” said Reusch, a member of the 2006 Ice Hawks that defeated the Abbotsford Pilots in the final. “Anytime you run into a player years down the road, you always say 'remember the time we won it all?'”

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

HockeyNow celebrates a stellar season of Ontario minor hockey with the 2018 Parade of Champions. Congratulations to all the OWHA, OHF, All-Ontario, Central Region, HEO and HNO winners. The Parade of Champions is also available online at hockeynow.ca/issues

CENTRAL REGION CHAMPION:

HEO MINOR AA/A CHAMPIONS:

MIDGET AAA

Major Novice A - GLOUCESTER RANGERS Minor Atom A - OTTAWA STING Major Atom A - OTTAWA VALLEY SILVER SEVEN Minor Peewee A - OTTAWA VALLEY SILVER SEVEN Major Atom AA - KANATA BLAZERS Minor Peewee AA - NEPEAN RAIDERS Major Peewee AA - NEPEAN RAIDERS Minor Bantam AA - EASTERN ONTARIO COBRAS Major Bantam AA - OTTAWA VALLEY SILVER SEVEN Minor Midget AA - EASTERN ONTARIO COBRAS Major Midget AA - OTTAWA STING

TORONTO NATIONALS

OHF CHAMPIONS:

ATOM A

ATOM AA

WILLOWDALE BLACKHAWKS

PETERBOROUGH PETES

BANTAM A

BANTAM AA

CAMBRIDGE HAWKS

VAUGHAN PANTHERS

ALL-ONTARIO CHAMPIONS:

ALL-ONTARIO PEEWEE AAA

ALL-ONTARIO BANTAM AAA

SUN COUNTRY PANTHERS

DON MILLS FLYERS

HNO CHAMPIONS: Peewee AAA - THUNDER BAY KINGS Bantam AAA - THUNDER BAY KINGS Midget AAA - THUNDER BAY KINGS Atom AA - NORTHERN SELECTS Peewee AA - FORT FRANCES CANADIANS Bantam AA - FORT FRANCES CANADIANS Midget AA - CURRENT RIVER COMETS

OWHA PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONS: Senior AA - OTTAWA ICE CATS Senior A - DURHAM WEST LIGHTNING Senior BB - COBOURG SENIOR LADIES Senior B - KOMOKA BRUINS Senior C - ORILLIA HAWKS Atom AA - NEPEAN WILDCATS Atom A - BELLEVILLE BEARCATS Atom BB - GLOUCESTER CUMBERLAND STARS Atom B - LAKESHORE LIGHTNING Atom C - CORNWALL TYPHOONS Bantam AA - BURLINGTON BARRACUDAS Bantam A - BRAMPTON CANADETTES Bantam BB - STONEY CREEK SABRES Bantam B - TIMMINS FALCONS Bantam C - TEMISKAMING SHORES PUCKHOUNDS Int AA - TORONTO AEROS Int A - SAUGEEN-MAITLAND LIGHTNING Midget AA - BRAMPTON CANADETTES Midget A - OTTAWA VALLEY THUNDER Midget BB - NORFOLK HERICANES Midget B - KEMPTVILLE STORM Midget C - BROCKVILLE ANGELS Novice A - WHITBY WOLVES Novice B - MARKHAM-STOUFFVILLE STARS Novice C - ST. THOMAS PANTHERS Peewee AA - DURHAM WEST LIGHTNING PeeWee A - SAUGEEN-MAITLAND LIGHTNING Peewee BB - WOOLWICH WILD Peewee B - LINDSAY LYNX Peewee C - TEMISKAMING SHORES PUCKHOUNDS

ATOM AAA

PEEWEE A

PEEWEE AA

TORONTO JR. CANADIENS

ERIE NORTH SHORE STORM

NORTH YORK KNIGHTS

MIDGET A

MIDGET AA

JUVENILE

LONDON JR. MUSTANGS

TED REEVE THUNDER

AJAX KNIGHTS 15

SYNT HE T IC ICE S K A T I N G

PART 3 OF 3 - STOPS

ELCOME BACK TO THE SYNTHETIC ICE SKATING Series! In part 3 - HockeyShot Skating Sensei, Jim Vitale and Bench Boss, Jeremy Rupke explain the very important skill of stopping. As every hockey player knows, this frozen sport is very fast and there is a lot of stops and starts. We hope you pick up a few things from this article that will improve your game on the ice and have you spraying the goalie in no time. *Just kidding, please don’t do that. Let’s get started: Vitale believes, “Stopping is more of a state of mind than it is a physical activity”. Players who have trouble stopping, panic when they feel the ice pushing against them. This can send you into a panic with the brain not recognizing what is occurring, but you can learn to master the ice by learning how to stop properly. Getting low as you stop is the most important first step because it allows you to gain control of the natural forces surrounding you. Dropping your weight makes your blades sink into the ice, it’s the pressure you need to counter-balance the force of the ice pushing against your feet. When Vitale is coaching youth how to properly stop, he gets them to stop and then to swivel to maintain proper balance. Pivoting is a great way to train your balance to know how to stop on the ice. The trick is to do both at the same time. Jim stresses the importance of not getting discouraged, because most will not be good at both ways, at least initially. Rupke, being a man of many reviews had to ask: “How much does stopping on Synthetic Ice relate to stopping on real ice?” Vitale response: “You can really come to a

16 | HOCKEYNOW – April 28, 2018

full stop with the same type of resistance. The main difference is getting started again, which is about 15% friction compared to 10% once you get moving” This concludes our 3-Part Synthetic Ice Skating Series! We would like to thank Jim Vitale from Vital Hockey Skills for leading this program. He has been coaching for over 25 years and has run successful hockey camps for years to improve hockey player’s training and skills to develop them for the next level. We hope you enjoyed reading the last three issues, and we look forward to sharing more hockey tips with you next time :)

Remember, for all the best hockey training products, including Synthetic Ice - Revolution Tiles and Extreme Glide Synthetic Ice visit: www.HOCKEYSHOT.com

RANKED 2018 PROSPECTS

PLAYER

POS

BIRTH

HT./WT.

TEAM

RASMUS DAHLIN

4/13/2000

6.02/181

Vastra Frolunda, SweE

ANDREI SVECHNIKOV

3/26/2000

6.02/186

Barrie, OHL

FILIP ZADINA

11/27/1999

6.00/196

Halifax, QMJHL

BRADY TKACHUK

9/16/1999

6.03.25/196

Boston University, H.E.

OLIVER WAHLSTROM

6/13/2000

6.00.75/205

USA U18, NTDP

EVAN BOUCHARD

10/20/1999

6.01.75/193

London, OHL

QUINN HUGHES

10/14/1999

5.09.5/170

University of Michigan, Big Ten

NOAH DOBSON

1/7/2000

6.02.75/180

Acadie-Bathurst, QMJHL

ADAM BOQVIST

8/15/2000

5.11/170

Brynas IF Jr., SweJE

JOSEPH VELENO

1/13/2000

6.01/195

Saint John, QMJHL

TY SMITH

3/24/2000

5.10.25/176

Spokane, WHL

BARRETT HAYTON

6/9/2000

6.00.27/191

Sault Ste. Marie, OHL

GRIGORI DENISENKO

6/24/2000

5.11/163

Yaroslavl Loko, RusJr

RASMUS KUPARI

3/15/2000

6.01.25/183

Karpat Oulu, FinE

ISAC LUNDESTROM

11/6/1999

6.00.5/185

Lulea HF, SweE

JOEL FARABEE

2/25/2000

5.11.5/164

USA U18, NTDP

MARTIN KAUT

10/2/1999

6.01.5/176

Pardubice, CzeE

JESPERI KOTKANIEMI

7/6/2000

6.01.5/188

Assat, FinE

JARED MCISAAC

3/27/2000

6.01/195

Halifax, QMJHL

BODE WILDE

1/24/2000

6.02.25/195

USA U18, NTDP

SERRON NOEL

8/8/2000

6.04.75/200

Oshawa, OHL

ALEXANDER ALEXEYEV

11/15/1999

6.03/200

Red Deer, WHL

JACOB BERNARD-DOCKER

6/30/2000

6.00/181

Okotoks, AJHL

RYAN MCLEOD

9/21/1999

6.02/200

Mississauga, OHL

ADAM GINNING

1/13/2000

6.03/196

Linkoping HC, SweE

AKIL THOMAS

1/2/2000

5.11.5/169

Niagara, OHL

BENOIT-OLIVIER GROULX

2/6/2000

6.00.75/192

Halifax, QMJHL

DOMINIK BOKK

2/3/2000

6.01/178

Vaxjo, SweJE

JONATHAN TYCHONICK

3/3/2000

5.11.25/166

Penticton, BCHL

K’ANDRE MILLER

CRW

1/21/2000

6.03/206

USA U18, NTDP

JACOB OLOFSSON

2/8/2000

6.01.75/192

Timra, SweAl

GOALIE

POS

BIRTH

HT.

TEAM

OLIVIER RODRIGUE

7/6/2000

6.00.25/159

Drummondville, QMJHL

2 JACOB INGHAM Mississauga Steelheads, OHL

BORN June 10, 2000 in Barrie, ON, CAN POSITION Goalie

SHOT HEIGHT WEIGHT Left 6.04 186

TERRY WILSON / OHL IMAGES

SS HOCKEY RELEASES THEIR APRIL TOP 31 RANKINGS FOR THE 2018 NHL DRAFT, with Jacob Ingham listed as one of top two ranked goalies. Despite a tough year for the Mississauga Steelheads, Ingham stood out and has been ranked high by ISS Hockey throughout the latter half of the season. The big, butterfly-style goalie has become known for his athleticism and strong work ethic.

April 28, 2018 – HOCKEYNOW | 17

THE

DYLAN GUENTHER 17-18 NORTHERN ALBERTA BTM PREP (CSSBHL) GP

PIM

30 56 47 103 22 DOB 2003-04-10 BIRTHPLACE EDMONTON, AB AGE 15 POSITION F SHOOTS R HT 5'11" WT 154 lbs

PROSPECT ELIGIBLE FOR THE 2021 NHL ENTRY DRAFT

WE SHINE A SPOTLIGHT ON SOME OF THE YOUNG PLAYERS RECENTLY DRAFTED OR EXPECTED TO BE PICKED UP EARLY IN THEIR RESPECTIVE MAJOR JUNIOR DRAFTS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; WHO ALSO HAPPEN TO BE FINALISTS FOR OUR MINOR HOCKEY PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD STORY NEIL HILTS

2018 POY FINALIST TWO POINT PHOTOGRAPHY

A new crop of talented players is bound to hit the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and major junior hockey, many bound to be stars in hockey for years to come. The draft is the first process as players move on from minor hockey, but the skaters must also weigh their options of going the Major Junior or college route. HockeyNow spoke to a few top players across the country who are considered for the WHL draft or were recently selected in the OHL draft. All of these players are also among the final 10 in their province for our Minor Hockey Player of the Year honour.

BC Out west, Yale Hockey Academy had a talented team of 2003s in the Bantam Prep division of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) that featured seven of our Player of the Year nominees. Two that are expected to be drafted in the top 10 or 15 to the WHL are Logan Stankoven, a skilled forward who can score in bunches, and Graham Sward, a big defenceman with tremendous skating and a fantastic breakout. Stankoven is a smaller forward, something he acknowledges, but points to a few NHL players he liked to emulate.

QUINTON BYFIELD

LOGAN STANKOVEN

17-18 YORK SIMCOE EXPRESS MN MDGT AAA (ETAMMHL)

17-18 YALE HOCKEY ACADEMY BANTAM PREP (CSSBHL)

PIM

34 48 44 92 24

30 57 33 90

DOB 2002-08-24

DOB 2003-02-26

BIRTHPLACE NEWMARKET, ON

BIRTHPLACE KAMLOOPS, BC

AGE 15

POSITION C

POSITION F

SHOOTS L

SHOOTS R

HT 6'4"

HT 5'7"

WT 203 lbs

WT 165 lbs

PROSPECT ELIGIBLE FOR THE 2020 NHL ENTRY DRAFT

PIM

PROSPECT ELIGIBLE FOR THE 2021 NHL ENTRY DRAFT

2018 POY FINALIST

KEVIN SOUSA PHOTOGRAPHY/ONTARIO MINOR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION

TYSON GIURIATO/CSSHL

“Brayden Point or Johnny Gaudreau, I’ve always liked those guys. They’ve both got good work ethics and obviously they can put the puck in the net and they’re skilled, but they’re also smaller like me. I try to kind of model my game after them,” Stankoven said. Last season with Yale, Stankoven led the CSSHL in goals with 57 in just 30 games, and he ranked third in scoring with 90 points. His goal scoring crown came down to the final game, but he said it wasn’t something he was aware of. “I didn’t really know about it until after the game. It was nice to end off the season with a positive remark,” Stankoven said. On May 3, the WHL holds their Bantam Draft, selecting players at 15 years old, one year younger than the OHL and QMJHL. Stankoven, a Kamloops native, is well aware his hometown Blazers hold an early pick. “It should be interesting to see where everyone goes. It’d be nice to get drafted by Kamloops obviously, but if it doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world,” Stankoven said. With the Blazers choosing at five, there’s a chance they draft Stankoven. Online rankings ahead of the draft have Stankoven anywhere from second to sixth. Yale teammate Graham Sward will likely be selected close to Stankoven. Has there been discussions between the two or a bet wagered? Sward said there wasn’t. Playing at Yale makes sense for Sward, a native of Abbotsford where the academy is located.

He’s had his eye on the WHL for quite some time after his cousin spent time in the league, but Sward wouldn’t tip his hand if there was a preferred draft destination. “It’s an honour to be selected anywhere,” Sward said. “They like your game better than anyone else they saw all season. It’s such a huge compliment. The guys that say no to a bunch of teams, I’m not like that.” Asked about a player comparison, Sward pointed to the bruising Shea Weber – strong with a big shot, but mentioned he tries to stick to his game. “I kind of like to play my own style, because you don’t get too much done when you’re trying to be someone else. I play to my strengths and try to be the best I can for my team,” Sward said Next season, Sward will jump to Major Midget to join the nearby Fraser Valley Thunderbirds.

ALBERTA Hockey academies are on the rise in Alberta, and it’s very evident if you look at some of the best top prospects for the upcoming WHL Draft. Two of them, Dylan Guenther from Northern Alberta Xtreme (NAX) and Sean Tschigerl of Okanagan Hockey Academy Edmonton (OHA), are premier scorers expected to be top 10 choices.

SEAN TSCHIGERL

GRAHAM SWARD

17-18 OHA EDMONTON BANTAM PREP (CSSBHL)

17-18 YALE HOCKEY ACADEMY BANTAM PREP (CSSBHL)

PIM

39 70 26

PIM

DOB 2003-04-11

DOB 2003-09-12

BIRTHPLACE WHITECOURT, AB

BIRTHPLACE ABBOTSFORD, BC

AGE 15

AGE 14

POSITION F

POSITION D

SHOOTS L

HT 5'10"

HT 6'2"

WT 165 lbs

PROSPECT ELIGIBLE FOR THE 2021 NHL ENTRY DRAFT

2018 POY FINALIST

TWO POINT PHOTOGRAPHY

TYSON GIURIATO/CSSHL

With the Oil Kings selecting first, they could continue their recent draft trend of choosing local kids by going with Guenther, a sniper who had 56 goals and 103 points, second and first respectively. Jonathan Toews is a player he looks up to, but noted his heavy shot may draw comparisons to another player. “I think my shooting is my No. 1 skill on the ice, and my ability to find quiet, open ice to make time for my shot and release,” Guenther said. “I think I play like Patrik Laine a little bit, he’s a big winger and has a great shot and I think I’ve got a similar gameplay to him.” Playing alongside uber-talented and 2004-born Matt Savoie was a great opportunity for Guenther as the two had amazing chemistry, demonstrated by their 1-2 finish in the scoring race. They were also the top two scorers (reversed positions) in the prestigious John Reid Memorial Tournament. Earlier in April, Guenther tried out for NAX’s Midget Prep team in hopes of sticking around next year. “We had tryouts so I hope to stay there and join the Midget Prep team. They had a real good team last year so I hope to make that. [Matt and I] are going to try to make that team and stick together again.” Four spots behind Guenther in the scoring race was Tschigerl who had 31 goals and 39 assists for 70 points, first on OHA. The Whitecourt native capped his year with the CSSHL Bantam Prep

Championship, alongside several other accolades, humbly, he noted his teammates made his year so special as “the team we had was full of exceptional kids and great friends.” Like Guenther, Tschigerl looks up to the Blackhawks star. As OHA’s captain and top centre this season, it’s no surprise why. “I try to model my game after Jonathan Toews,” Tschigerl said. “He’s a great leader with great work ethic and someone I aspire to be like.” Looking at the draft, Tschigerl could likely be picked anywhere from first to fifth – some mocks have him going second to Kootenay. However, Tschigerl said there is no teams ranking higher on his list than others. “I’m trying not to focus on it too much. I’m just focusing on my own playing. It’s going to happen and I’ll work hard and hope all goes well. I’m happy just to get drafted. It’s an honour to get drafted and that’s what I look forward to,” he said.

ONTARIO Two players who led their respective Ontario leagues in scoring were chosen at the top of the OHL draft at the beginning of April. Quinton Byfield went first to the Sudbury Wolves, while Cole Perfetti was selected fifth overall by the Saginaw Spirit.

PAST HOCKEYNOW PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: DRAFT STATS RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS [POY: 2008, B.C.]

2008 WHL DRAFT: Round 1 #1 - Red Deer Rebels 2011 NHL DRAFT: Round 1 #1 - Edmonton Oilers TODAY: Assistant Captain, Edmonton Oilers

COLE PERFETTI 17-18 VAUGHAN KINGS MINOR MIDGET AAA (GTMMHL) GP

PIM

64 52 73 125 16

TY SMITH [POY: 2015, Alberta]

2015 WHL DRAFT: Round 1 #1 - Spokane Chiefs 2018 NHL DRAFT: Ranked 11th by ISS Hockey (April Top 31) TODAY: Spokane Chiefs

JACK HUGHES [POY: 2017, Ontario]

2017 OHL DRAFT: Round 1 #8 - Mississauga Steelheads 2019 NHL DRAFT: Eligible TODAY: USDP

DOB 2002-01-01 BIRTHPLACE WHITBY, ON, CAN AGE 16

KARL ALZNER [POY: 2003, B.C]

2003 WHL DRAFT: Round 2 #29 - Calgary Hitmen 2007 NHL DRAFT: Round 1 #5 - Washington Capitals TODAY: Montreal Canadians

POSITION C SHOOTS L HT 5'10"

GABE VILARDI [POY: 2015, Ontario]

WT 170 lbs

2015 OHL DRAFT: Round 1 #2 - Windsor Spitfires 2017 NHL DRAFT: Round 1 #1 - Los Angeles Kings TODAY: Kingston Frontenacs

BOWEN BYRAM [POY: 2016, Alberta]

2016 WHL DRAFT: Round 1 #3 - Vancouver Giants 2019 NHL DRAFT: Eligible TODAY: Vancouver Giants

PROSPECT ELIGIBLE FOR THE 2020 NHL ENTRY DRAFT

MATHEW BARZAL [POY: 2012, B.C.]

2016 WHL DRAFT: Round 1 #1 - Seattle Thunderbirds 2015 NHL DRAFT: Round 1 #16 - New York Islanders TODAY: New York Islanders

2018 POY FINALIST

(Spotlight on just a few of the Players of the Year selected over the past 18 years) ERIN RILEY

After a prolific season where he scored 125 points in 65 games and led the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) minor midget circuit by 12 goals and 36 points, it’s no surprise that Perfetti of the Vaughan Kings was a top OHL pick and on the shortlist for HockeyNow’s Player of the Year honours in Ontario. Perfetti might have gone higher if he hadn’t already committed to the University of Michigan in 2020 The 16-year-old tweeted his commitment in the fall of 2017 and said Michigan has held his interest for a long time. “I’ve always loved the University of Michigan ever since I was little. I’ve always watched the football, hockey and basketball games. My dad was an avid Michigan fan and it kind of stuck on our whole family. The campus in Ann Arbour is beautiful. When I saw it for the first time I fell in love with it and it was awesome,” Perfetti said. From Whitby, Ont., Perfetti played five games with the Junior A Fury and didn’t miss a beat, scoring six points in five games. He noted two elite centres as players he admires. “One is Auston Matthews. He never makes a mistake, plays a 200-foot game, and still puts up big numbers and makes everyone better. Jonathan Toews because he’s a good leader, puts up points even though he’s so good down low and in his own zone. He’s on the ice in any situation.” Next season is still a question mark for Perfetti as he can play Junior A in

Ontario, head to the United States Hockey League (USHL) depending who drafts him, or break a college commitment to head to the Spirit, but don’t bank on the latter. Holding the first overall pick, the Sudbury Wolves had the chance to turn their franchise around, and it sounds like they may have done just that, selecting the hulking 6-4 Byfield. He had 48 goals and 92 points in 34 games, leading the league in both categories as well as assists. Byfield said there was no doubt in his mind to head north and join Sudbury. “That was the main place I really wanted to go. I think it’s a great place and organization for me. They’ll offer me a lot and have great coaching and staff. I met my billets and they seem like great people so it’ll be an awesome opportunity,” Byfield said. Jumping from Midget to the OHL can be a challenge. With his size, power and speed, Byfield should be able to keep up to the physicality, but he did note he’ll work on one essential part of his game. “I really want to work on my face offs. Especially when you move into playing against bigger and stronger guys, taking the draws next year with be tough. I need to work on that so the coach will trust me more for defensive zone draws.” THE HOCKEYNOW MINOR HOCKEY PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS FOR B.C., ALBERTA AND ONTARIO WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN JULY.

My Hockey Sisters in Humboldt Dear hockey sisters, We’ve never met, but I am your sister. We don’t know each other, but we know everything about each other. Our paths have probably never even crossed, but we’ve travelled the same roads. We have drank the same double-doubles, marked up the same calendars for games and practice, scraped the same ice and snow off our vans, shivered in the same bleachers, kissed the same bruises, sewed the same namebars on jerseys, gagged on the same hockey stench, tripped over the same hockey sticks in the garage, reheated the same crockpot dinners, pissed off the same friends and family members for missing an event because of yet another hockey tournament, helped dye the same hair during playoffs, and turned off the same early Saturday morning alarm clocks. But right now, my hockey sisters, we are not the same. Right now, you’re hurting something fierce. You’re hurting beyond any hurt known to most hockey sisters. You now know agony no hockey mom wants ever to know. I’ve never felt the pain and sadness your hearts are feeling right now but wanted you to know that, even though we’ve never met, I am your sister. I can feel your hurt a thousand miles away. I’m sorry for your pain and I am heartbroken over your loss. Our sisterhood is crying. I can’t be there to hug you, so I put on my hockey jersey and go to work. I can’t be there to wipe your tears, so I put out my hockey sticks outside our front door. I can’t come into your kitchen and cook up some supper, so I give a little money to the charities set up for you. I can’t bring your boys back, but I will look upon the faces of my boys, and I will weep for the faces of your boys. And then I will hug mine tightly, for I know you can no longer hug yours. The hockey community worldwide puts their arms around you and hugs you. The hockey community worldwide wraps you in love, its courage, its strength, and hopefully show you hope, for I can only imagine that your hope, courage, strength are nowhere to be found right now. I pray that one day you’ll be able to walk into the same arena, sound that same cowbell, cheer that same cheer, beam again with that same pride, and do that thing that hockey moms do so well. Until then, I’ll do it for you. Hockey moms of Humboldt, we don’t know each other, but you are my sisters. Signed, Your sister, just another hockey mom Note: I am a humour writer, but I needed to take a break from the funny to share my thoughts following this horrible accident. The tragic deaths of the members of the Humboldt Bronco hockey family, the suffering of those still in the hospital, and the pain of those dealing with this tragedy have taken their toll on our hockey community. There is strength and solidarity in our national pasttime’s community. We all feel it and we all hurt.

ASTRA GROSKAUFMANIS

Ottawa mom of three poking fun at motherhood, middle age and minor hockey! Author of Offside by a Mile – Confessions of a Hockey Mom WEBSITE: astragroskaufmanis.com TWITTER: @mydustbunnies 22 | HOCKEYNOW – April 28, 2018

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

MINOR

BRINGING IT HOME W POWERED BY

E COULDN’T BE PROUDER OF THE HOCKEYNOW Minor Hockey Player of the Year Award and what it represents for minor hockey. For the 19th year, we will be presenting the award to a player in each B.C., Alberta, and Ontario who not only shows great hockey ability, but also brings strong sportsmanship and leadership to the table as well as proven participation in their school and community. And how do we select these fine young individuals? We rely on a selection committee—headed by International Scouting Services founder and head scout Dennis MacInnis—who carefully put together monthly regional lists of their top selections. This month’s list features players who are getting noticed

by major junior leagues and who, in one way or another, have shown their leadership abilities on and off the ice. In Ontario, Quinton Byfield has been making the cut on our shortlists all year and was recently selected first overall in the OHL Draft, joining fellow POY finalists Evan Vierling, William Cuylle, Cameron Tolnai, Jamie Drysdale, Ryan O’Rourke and Cole Perfetti who were also picked up in the first round. This year, we are excited to be partnering with HockeyShot, who on top of honouring our winners in each region with a huge prize pack, is also giving out monthly prizes to randomly selected finalists on our Top 10 lists. With only a few short months to go, here are the preliminary lists for April.

PRELIMINARY LIST BC 2003s, APRIL 2018

PRELIMINARY LIST AB 2003s, APRIL 2018

PRELIMINARY LIST ON 2002s, APRIL 2018

BENTHAM, NOLAN - YALE BNTM PREP Rock solid defenseman who is very smart and plays his position well. Excellent edge use. When he gets the puck he has a very accurate outlet pass.

ARMSTRONG, CRAIG - AIRDRIE XTRM One of the best players at CSSHL Bantam Showcase. Had positive impact every game, and made things happen out there. His skating is his greatest asset.

BYFIELD, QUINTON - YORK SIMCOE Big skilled offensive forward Showed great hands with an ability to control the puck. Ability to create plays out of nothing. Top line center at next level with Pro upside.

CARMICHAEL, ELIAS - BWC BNTM PREP Big, all situations defender that continues to improve and is developing a more consistent offensive game. Good size and long body - long powerful skating stride.

CEULEMANS, CORSON - OHA EDM BNTM PREP One of the best players at CSSHL Bantam Showcase. Had positive impact every game, and made things happen out there. His skating is his greatest asset.

CHIASSON, JAKE - YALE BNTM PREP Has a work ethic that is hard to ignore, and looks to make things happen out there. Plays at a high speed and high energy. Has a fantastic shot when he is given time.

GRUBBE, JAYDEN - CAL. BISONS Big power forward that is a handful for defenders to contain in the OZ. Shields the puck very well and was great on the down low OZ cycle.

FUNK, ZACKARY - YALE BNTM PREP Solid forward at both ends who works hard every shift. Very good on the penalty kill - his combination of size and skill is difficult for opposing defenders to contain GALLOWAY, TYSON - YALE BNTM PREP Big, smooth skating defender continues to get better and better and plays a mature game - long reach makes him difficult to get around, good upside for this player. LATIMER, CARSON - DELTA BPREP GREEN Intriguing offensive skill set - breaks into the OZ with speed and is dangerous when give time/space. His speed caused issues for teams defence as they were always on their heels. STANKOVEN, LOGAN - YALE BNTM PREP Had a fantastic showcase including a 7 point game. Very productive forward with pure speed and the ability to consistently create scoring chances. SWARD, GRAHAM - YALE BNTM PREP Plays both ends of the ice very well, and was a consistent presence on the ice. Excellent skating, and uses it to his advantage defensively. VERBICKY, KOBE - YALE BNTM PREP Has a high energy game and pressures the puck hard on the forecheck. Has the ability to force turnovers. Reads the play well and makes good decisions with the puck. WONG, TREVOR - ST. GEORGES 1 Tiny dynamic offensive player who carries his team - tremendous anticipation and hockey sense - very good skater who is shifty and can change direction on a dime.

GUENTHER, DYLAN - N. ALB XTRM BNTM PREP Big goal scoring forward who is dangerous around the net. An opportunistic goal scorer and can really shoot the puck. Backcheck pressure could be stronger. HYLAND, BRETT - CAL. BISONS Just plays the game the right way, makes others around him better - finishes his checks and competes hard in all zones. Good penalty killer and an easy guy to play with. LAJOIE, MARC - N. ALB XTRM BNTM PREP Has a big time shot and can score from way out - plays a confident game and wants the puck on his stick - long reach and body and is tough to get around. OSTAPCHUK, ZACK - N. ALB XTRM BNTM PREP Impressed with his development curve. Excellent set of physical tools and continues to get better and better. Can really skate and is a handful when he drives the net. ROMANCHUK, JACOB - N. ALB XTRM BNTM PREP Smart d-man who is effective at both ends of the ice. Showing better offensive upside and really strong in his own end holds the offensive blueline well and has a good shot. STRINGER, ZACK - LETHBRIDGE Good two-way game, and is effective at both ends of the ice. Very unselfish player - long stride but lacks leg strength. Looks to create screens, and capitalize on rebounds. TSCHIGERL, SEAN - OHA EDM BNTM PREP Fantastic CSSHL Showcase was one of the best players out there consistently. Relentless work ethic, looks to make something happen every time he is on the ice

CUYLLE, WILLIAM - TOR MARLBORO Cuylle is a big bodied goal scoring forward who can take over a game. Utilized his size and strength to gain his ice and put himself in dangerous offensive opportunities. Lightning quick shot was both hard and accurate. Has the tools to be a top line OHL player. DRYSDALE, JAMIE - TOR MARLBORO Dynamic skater with excellent edge use and skating ability. Projects as a top pairing offensive defender with #1 defenceman upside. O'ROURKE, RYAN - VAUGHAN Two-way defenseman with good size. Has the ability to contribute both on offense and defense. OHL top pairing upside. PERFETTI, COLE - VAUGHAN High end two way forward with ability to create on the rush or cycle - Strong playmaking skills. Projects as a first line center at the OHL level. PETERSON, DYLAN - CIH WHITE Dynamic offensive forward. All-around offensive threat, capable of creating offense out of very little. High-end puck skills with good vision. Top line OHL upside POWER, OWEN - MISS. REPS Able to control the game from the backend - Hard to find anything wrong with his game. Has all the tools to be a number one defender at the OHL level. ROBINSON, DYLAN - TOR JR. CANADIENS Well rounded and multitalented centre. Tough to contain with his combination of size, speed and skill. Has shown good progression this season. Lanky offensive forward with a good frame and a lot of room for growth and size. Feet and skating look improved through the season and he has better acceleration and mobility. TOLNAI, CAMERON - OAKVILLE RANGERS Offensive centre. Average size, below average strength. Has shown progression this season in skating and puckhandling. Reads the play well, with tremendous instincts. Smart plays with and without the puck and finds himself in the right position. VIERLING, EVAN - YORK SIMCOE Has shown tremendous improvement this season, one of the best progressions of the year. Consistent offensive threat who possesses great playmaking ability. Cemented himself as one of the top prospects at OHL Cup. High end two way game as well as goal scoring and playmaking abilities offensively.

April 28, 2018 – HOCKEYNOW | 23

CHAMPIONSHIPS

DENNIS PAJOT/HOCKEY CANADA IMAGES

MATTHEW MURNAGHAN/HOCKEY CANADA IMAGES

MINOR

Five regional champions will head to Sudbury to play for the TELUS Cup at the end of April. Several top prospects for the OHL, QMJHL, and WHL will be playing and looking to build on their reputations.

Last year’s defending champs from the Esso Cup, the St. Albert Slash, are back competing this year with several returning players, including last year’s overtime hero Tyra Meropoulis.

CANADA’S TOP MIDGET TEAMS PLAY FOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Nova Scotia hosts AAA women at Esso Cup, men head to Sudbury for TELUS Cup STORY Neil Hilts

HE HOCKEY SEASON CARRIED OVER INTO LATE April for Canada’s top men’s and women’s Midget AAA teams as they headed off to their respective National Championships starting April 23. The TELUS Cup (men) and Esso Cup (women) bring in five regional champions plus a host team at the end of April every year. These teams had to first win in their respective provinces or zones before moving to regionals. Here’s a look at the teams taking part.

TELUS CUP The talent in the TELUS Cup is always abundant, and several top prospects for Canadian Hockey League (CHL) drafts will be under the spotlight this year – some looking to boost draft stock and others hoping to impress their major junior or college teams.

SUDBURY As the host, the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves are no pushover. Years that end in eight have been good to the 24 | HOCKEYNOW – April 28, 2018

team at Midget Nationals. The Wolves won the championship in 2008, and a decade earlier, settled for the silver medal – the last time Sudbury hosted. With 31 wins in 36 league games, the Wolves were the cream of the crop for the league, en route to their 2-1 overtime victory over the North Bay Trappers for the championship. They also made an impressive run at the Ontario regional. Sudbury had six skaters in the top 12 of league scoring, led by Tommy Vlahos with 22 goals and 49 points. Joseph Mazur, second in scoring, and Parker Savard, were both drafted by the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves in 2017.

MONCTON Making their eighth appearance at nationals, the Moncton Flyers are the Atlantic’s representative. However, the best the Flyers have done is fourth at the tournament. It’s always a tough road for the Atlantic, with just five teams medalling since 2000. Moncton can be inspired by watching the Cape Breton Islanders win it all last year. Led by 16-year-old defenceman Lukas Cormier, who is expected to be an early first round pick in the upcoming QMJHL draft, the Flyers also have a formidable goalie duo in Daniel Thompson (.928 SVP) and Brandon McKenna (.927 SVP).

LETHBRIDGE Following a huge turnaround, the Lethbridge Hurricanes are the Pacific representative at the TELUS Cup. They finished at the bottom of their league last year, but jumped to the top to win in 2018 before besting Fraser Valley in the Pacific play-down.

The Hurricanes have plenty of talented players, including last year’s No. 8 pick in the WHL Draft, Ridly Greig, along with fellow first rounder Ronan Seeley, plus second rounders Byron Fancy and Carson Dyck. In addition, Zack Stringer just turned 15 at the start of April and is expected to be a top-10 pick in May’s WHL Draft. He ranked second on the team in goals.

NOTRE DAME Possibly the favourite in the TELUS Cup, the West Champion Notre Dame Hounds won all 13 playoff games and have only lost three games in 2018. The club know success at this tournament – they have four championships in 10 years (back-to-back in 2009, 2010), plus have won 15 straight games at Midget Nationals. The Hounds have several NCAA commits on their roster including Luke Mylymok (University of Minnesota-Duluth) who was seventh in league scoring and third in points-per-game. In net, Riley Kohonick was named top goalie and had the best GAA in the league.

MAGOG The Cantonniers won an all-Quebec final in 2000, the last time they played in the Midget Nationals. This year, Magog was 27-7-6, first in the LHMAAAQ but had to get through a seven-game series in the semifinals before sweeping Provincials. Another top flight QMJHL prospect to watch in the tournament is Patrick Guay from the Cantonniers de Magog. He was second in league scoring, tied for first in goals and is a likely top-five draft choice.

CHAMPIONSHIPS

TORONTO Winners three years, the Toronto Young Nationals are back at the TELUS Cup for the third time in five years and looking for more hardware. This year’s team didn’t roll over competition on their way in, playing to a 2-3 record at Central qualifiers. After an upset of Rockland in the semis, the Nationals beat Ajax-Pickering 6-2 to earn a berth. Windsor draft choice Austin Brimmer had a strong TELUS Cup Qualifier, leading all players in scoring, and his linemate Cole Burtch, and Ottawa 67’s selection, was right behind him.

ESSO CUP Further east, the best female Midget teams head to Bridgewater, NS, the host of the 2018 Esso Cup. Located just over an hour south of Halifax, the Esso Cup is being held in the Atlantic region for the first time. The defending champ St. Albert Slash are back along with plenty of returning players. The rest of the field features impressive teams, but none with Esso Cup experience.

BRAMPTON In the nine-year history of the Esso Cup, Ontario clubs have won three times, including in 2015 and 2016. Brampton is looking to be the next. They won three straight one-goal games in the Ontario play-ins to earn their spot so they can get in done in high-pressure situations. The Canadettes are led by two impressive college commits in Nicole Mackinnon (Guelph) and Kristina Bahl

(Maine). Mackinnon had 24 points in 37 games to lead the Canadettes.

METRO Hosting the Esso Cup is Metro Boston Pizza, based out of Bridgewater. Metro finished third in their division, going 13-7-4. They were two spots below the Northern Selects who won the Atlantic spot for the Esso Cup. Ellen Laurence is the driving force for the team, having averaged better than one goal per game and two points a game in the season. She’ll be a player to watch.

NORTHERN The Northern Selects don’t have to travel far for the Esso Cup as they’ll stay in the home province and head down from northern Nova Scotia. After a dominating 18-0-2-3 season, the Selects went 4-0 through the Atlantic Regional round robin stage, blowing by teams on the way. In the final, the Selects beat the Northern Lightning 7-1. Six players averaged at least a point-per-game and had double digit goal totals. Northern knows it can play with Atlantic teams, but how will they fare against new competition? No Atlantic team or host has medaled at the Esso Cup.

SASKATOON Out of the West, the Saskatoon Stars are looking like a favourite in the tournament. At their regional play-in, the handedly took down Eastman after sweeping both of their playoff series in Saskatchewan. In the regular season, the Stars were 21-3-3-1 with a +111 goal differential. They were led by MacKenna Parker, Anna

MINOR

Leschyshyn and Grace Shirley, first, second and third, respectively, in league scoring. These three are so lethal, other teams will need a strong game plan to shut them down.

ST. ALBERT Last year’s defending champions are back to defend their title. After the second best record in their league, St. Albert beat Greater Vancouver 2-1 in the Pacific play-in and have plenty of returnees. Tyra Meropoulis scored the championship clinching goal in last year’s 1-0 OT win at the Esso and she’ll be back, available to play hero once more. Camryn Drever, who had a shutout in the win, is also between the pipes for the Slash one final time before she heads to the University of Saskatchewan next year.

LANAUDIERE For the past two years, the Quebec champion has finished second at the Esso Cup, so this year the Pionnières de Lanaudière will be looking to bring gold to La Belle Province for the first time since 2013. The Pionnieres went undefeated through the Dodge Cup playoffs, getting by with a 2-1 win in the final. A Quebec news article said the team had started the year with a goal of a .500 record, so they went above and beyond big time. Notable alumni in past male Midget National Championships include Sidney Crosby (2002), Steve Yzerman (1980), Jordan Eberle (2006), Al MacInnis (1977), Patrick Roy (1982) and Ron Francis (1980). The Esso Cup has seen Olympian Brigette Lacquette (2009) and CWHL forward Brittany Esposito.

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July 31, Aug 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30 10 Sessions - 4:45 PM to 6:45 PM

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July 30, Aug 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29

Including Skill Development using 10 Sessions - 4:45 PM to 6:45 PM the POWER EDGE PRO Training System that engages multiple motor - Cost of this Camp for Midget / Junior skills and small area game which is limited to 22 players is $900.00 performance. Individual Goal Tending Instruction from current Golden Bears Goaltender, and former Under 18 Team Canada and 2X WHL East, Goaltender of the Year Zack Sawchenko Details and Registration

- Cost of Camp for Pee Wee & Bantam which is limited to 22 players is $ 600.00 - Cost of this Camp for Goaltenders which is limited to 3 goaltenders is $300.00 - Each player will also receive a Prepare Like a Bear / PEP Training Jersey.

- Ice Time at Clare Drake Arena

https://www.ualberta.ca/athletics/teams/hockey-m/golden-bears-hockey:camps April 28, 2018 – HOCKEYNOW | 25

JUNIOR A

CJHL

With Junior A seasons finishing or winding down, coaching and scouting efforts go into overdrive as teams look to build for next year at spring camps.

SJHL SEASON MOVES ON FOLLOWING HUMBOLDT TRAGEDY

NEXT SEASON UNDERWAY Junior A teams begin recruitment with hundreds of prospective players flocking to spring camps STORY Neil Hilts

OCKEY IN APRIL IS AN INTERESTING TIME. AT THE younger ranks, seasons are over or winding down and kids may venture into other sports or spring/ summer hockey. At the junior level, championships will be decided this this month, while in most professional ranks, the postseason begins. An often overlooked, yet very important aspect of the spring is the camps that Junior teams run as they look to build their teams for next year. Jessie Leung, an assistant coach for the Trail Smoke Eaters of the BCHL, broke down the relevance of spring camps. “I think they are very important in two regards. One, to see some players you didn’t know about or perhaps some players that have come to you for potentially opportunities with your team that you didn’t know much about. What you find in Junior A, in terms of scouting much of it is done by the coaches,” Leung said. “The other regard is it’s good to get players you’ve made commitments to into your camp to see them compete.” The Trail Smoke Eaters, located in the Interior of B.C., not only have their main spring camp at home in Trail, but then go to Greater Vancouver later on. They also extend their search, holding both development camps and identification (ID) camps in Whitehorse, YK to find untapped talent. Trail is not an easy place to get to, especially if players need flights to get to camps. Leung says other locations are important. “Being in Vancouver makes it easier for kids to get here from across Canada, versus getting to Trail,” he said. “It creates that opportunity where you bring the camp closer to players you want to see. It’s not just about players in that major district, but we’re also hoping to get players from

26 | HOCKEYNOW – April 28, 2018

Vancouver Island, maybe from east if they’re flying in.” “With the camp they were looking to do in Whitehorse, part of it was that Identification Camp for players looking to make the jump to juniors. Having a camp in Whitehorse brings in the players in the Yukon, but also makes it an easier commit from players coming from Yellowknife or even Alaska.” Leung says with the number of players and so few scouts, it’s easy to go overlooked. “There’s players you might unfortunately miss. Our spring camps, the BCHL Exposure Camp, these are opportunities for players we may have missed to go to a place they know we’ll be there and so we know we’ll be able to see them, wherever they’re from,” Dates differ from team to team, with some starting late March and other early May. Spring camps are a main identifying tool for teams looking to secure commitments for the next season, plus find players to invite to the main camp at the start of the season. Sometimes, camps can fall during the playoff run, which is obviously tough for coaches to get away and assess talent, but it also can work as a big recruiting tool. Think about being a sought after player considering joining a team and getting to watch a town go crazy for local playoff hockey. The camps can be in the city the team calls home, but often at other locations to attract different talent. For example, the Wenatchee Wild who are the lone team from Washington in the BCHL, had two April Camps: Anaheim, CA, and Superior, CO. For the second year in BCHL, the league is hosting a camp geared towards high-end, young players. Open for those born in 2003 and 2004 this summer, the camp brings rep players from high performance programs to play in front of representatives from all teams. Last year’s inaugural camp resulted in 13 players jumping to the BCHL, according the the website. In the AJHL, Fort McMurray holds two camps, one in Cochrane and one in Edmonton. Tom Keca, the head coach and GM of the Oil Barons, said being so far north in Alberta requires some creative thinking so see players. “For us when we started out we had one camp, but about three years ago we felt the need that we wanted to address geography so we have an Edmonton camp and one in Calgary as well,” he said.

Nearly one week after the Humboldt Broncos tragedy, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) had a decision to make – would the season continue with the championship round? After consulting with the two teams remaining, the Nipawin Hawks and Estevan Bruins, along with officials from Humboldt, the league resumed. As was said so well by Broncos reps, “the power of healing is in the game.” The two teams did not play the following week on Friday night, but games got underway on Saturday night and they held a tear-jerking ceremony prior to the opening draw. As most have heard by now, the Broncos bus crash claimed the lives of 16 members of the organization while the team was en route to Game 5 of their series with Nipawin. Down 3-1 in the series and faced with an unspeakable, devastating event, Humboldt conceded the season. Nipawin and Estevan were given the week to mourn and get support, with many players returning home to see family. Following a full seven-game series, Nipawin claimed the SJHL crown with a 2-1 win in Game 7 on Tuesday, April 24th. Both teams honoured the Broncos by wearing ribbons on their jerseys throughout the series, with the Hawks also wearing green helmets. The Hawks now move on to the the ANAVET Cup, and potentially the RBC Cup if they can bypass Manitoba’s Steinbach Pistons in the next round.

The Oil Barons spring camp mentality may be different than other teams, focusing more on building a name amongst young players. “Our targeted mandate has been that spring camp is almost for younger kids which gives us an opportunity to showcase the coaching staff or the organization and how we run things,” Keca said. “When these players do develop and they’re either playing AAA or prep hockey, they’ll remember ‘I went to Fort McMurray’s camp and I was impressed with the way they did things’”. There are lots of Junior A options for hockey players, and Keca is well aware of that. “For us nowadays, you understand that you have to stay relevant with a lot of kids. You’re constantly on the phone or your travelling around to meet, whether it’s players or parents, and trying to sell your organization and show why Fort McMurray would be a great destination. We’re now focusing not only on Alberta kids primarily where we draw our roster from but we’re looking to B.C., the east coast, down in the States as well,” Keca said. Scouting and recruiting never ends for the coaches and scouts of Junior A teams. While they have more time in the offseason with no practices or game planning, their time and focus shifts to finding the next impact player for the squad. Spring camps are just a small part of it.

DEBRA KABAN, GAME READY PHOTOGRAPHY

SENIOR AAA

SENIOR AA

LACOMBE GENERALS

BONNYVILLE PONTIACS

WON BEST OF SEVEN SERIES

GOLD MEDAL GAME

6 2

JUNIOR A

JUNIOR B

SPRUCE GROVE SAINTS

WAINWRIGHT BISONS

WON BEST OF 7 SERIES

GOLD MEDAL GAME

ROB GANZEVELD, FX PHOTO

DAVE WATLING PHOTOGRAPHY

4 1

5 1 27

JUNIOR C

JUNIOR FEMALE

SHERWOOD PARK RENEGADES

SHERWOOD PARK STEELE

GOLD MEDAL GAME

WON BEST OF FIVE SERIES

9 4

3 0

MIDGET AAA

MINOR MIDGET AAA

LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES

WON BEST OF FIVE SERIES

GOLD MEDAL GAME

3 2

2 1

MIDGET AA

MIDGET A

SPRUCE GROVE PAC SAINTS

LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES

GOLD MEDAL GAME

4 2

MIDGET C

HIGH PRAIRIE LEGIONNAIRES

STETTLER STORM

GOLD MEDAL GAME

4 2

9 4

MIDGET D

MIDGET FEMALE AAA

KITSCOTY PITBULLS

ST. ALBERT SLASH

GOLD MEDAL GAME

GOLD MEDAL GAME (OT)

5 3

3 2

MIDGET FEMALE ELITE

MIDGET FEMALE A

CALGARY FIRE WHITE

SPS FUZION

GOLD MEDAL GAME

DAVE WATLING PHOTOGRAPHY

CARLA LEHMAN AND WILSON MALDANER

ROB WALLATOR

MIDGET B

2 0

2 1 29

MATT DYCK, MPD PHOTOGRAPHY

BANTAM AAA

IRMA ACES

AIRDRIE XTREME

GOLD MEDAL GAME (OT)

WON BEST OF FIVE SERIES

3 2

BANTAM AA

BANTAM A

LAKELAND PANTHERS

SPRINGBANK ROCKIES

GOLD MEDAL GAME

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ARLENE H. NELSON

MIDGET FEMALE B

3 0

BANTAM B

BANTAM C

ATHABASCA HAWKS

WESTLOCK WARRIORS

GOLD MEDAL GAME

5 2

2 0

BROKEN CURFEW PHOTOGRAPHY

4 1

RON POTTS PHOTOGRAPHY

MONA BRISTOW

BANTAM FEMALE ELITE

VALLEYVIEW ICEBEARS

CALGARY FIRE WHITE

GOLD MEDAL GAME (OT)

GOLD MEDAL GAME

3 2

2 o

BANTAM FEMALE A

BANTAM FEMALE B

OKOTOKS OILERS

LLOYDMINSTER BLAZERS

GOLD MEDAL GAME

3 2

3 0

PEEWEE AA

PEEWEE A

MEDICINE HAT HOUNDS

COLD LAKE ICE

GOLD MEDAL GAME (2OT)

GOLD MEDAL GAME

TRACEY HOPE, HIRED GUN PHOTOGRAPHY

SWEETLIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

BANTAM D

2 1

6 4 31

PEEWEE C

PROVOST BLADES

WINFIELD MIGHTY DUCKS

GOLD MEDAL GAME

9 0

7 4

PEEWEE D

PEEWEE FEMALE A

IRVINE BULLDOGS

OKOTOKS OILERS

GOLD MEDAL GAME

TRACEY HOPE, HIRED GUN PHOTOGRAPHY

PEEWEE B

5 2

9 1

PEEWEE FEMALE B

ATOM AA MAJOR

OLDS GRIZZLYS

WHITEMUD WARRIORS

GOLD MEDAL GAME (OT)

GOLD MEDAL GAME

2 1 32

4 2

TRENT ROMANCHUK

CANMORE EAGLES

DRAYTON VALLEY

GOLD MEDAL GAME

4 2

9 3

ATOM B

ATOM C

DIDSBURY RAMBLERS

DRUMHELLER RAPTORS

GOLD MEDAL GAME

ROB GANZEVELD, FX PHOTO

ATOM A

7 3

5 1

ATOM D

ATOM FEMALE

BENTLEY CANUCKS

VERMILION TIGERS

GOLD MEDAL GAME

ONE WOLF CREATIVE

OUTâ&#x20AC;¦ BACK PHOTOGRAPHY SANDRA PETHERBRIDGE

ATOM AA MINOR

10 8

5 1 33

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR

MAY 2018 ATLANTIC CITY, NJ | MAY 4 - 6 ATLANTIC CITY WEEKEND HOCKEY TOURNAMENT. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels, Senior. Contact: info@weekendhockey.com or weekendhockey.com BOSTON, MA | MAY 4 - 6 BOSTON WEEKEND HOCKEY TOURNAMENT. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels, Senior. Contact: info@weekendhockey.com or weekendhockey.com TORONTO, ON | MAY 4 - 6 TORONTO WEEKEND HOCKEY TOURNAMENT. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels, Senior. Contact: info@weekendhockey.com or weekendhockey.com NIAGARA FALLS, ON | MAY 4 - 6 NIAGARA FALLS WEEKEND HOCKEY TOURNAMENT. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels, Senior. Contact: info@weekendhockey.com or weekendhockey.com MONTREAL, QC | MAY 4 - 6 CANADIAN CUP. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels. Contact: goals@chehockey.com or chehockey.com NASHVILLE, TN | MAY 4 - 6 NASHVILLE CUP. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels. Contact: goals@chehockey.com or chehockey.com VANCOUVER, BC | MAY 4 - 6 BC CUP. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com TORONTO, ON | MAY 4 - 6 TORONTO MAY MADNESS. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com OSHAWA, ON | MAY 4 - 6 FATHER SON. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com CALGARY, AB | MAY 4 - 6 GREAT PLAINS SPRING CLASSIC. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com BEDFORD & TYNGSBOROUGH, MA | MAY 3 - 6 ONEHOCKEY EDMONTON. Male. Divisions: Atom, Bantam, Mjor Midget, Midget, Peewee. Levels: AA, AAA. Contact: info@onehockey.com or onehockey.com CALGARY, AB | MAY 11 - 13 BANDIT BATTLE. Male. Divisions: Novice, Minor Atom, Atom, Minor Peewee, Peewee. Levels: AAA, AA. Contact: sean@calgaryhdc.ca or calgaryhdc.ca CHICAGO, IL | MAY 11 - 13 CHICAGO MAY MADNESS. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com VANCOUVER, BC | MAY 11 - 13 BC MAY MADNESS. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com

34 | HOCKEYNOW – April 28, 2018

TORONTO, ON | MAY 11 - 13 TORONTO QUEST FOR THE CUP. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com ATLANTIC CITY, NJ | MAY 18 - 20 ATLANTIC CITY CUP. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels. Contact: goals@chehockey.com or chehockey.com NASHVILLE, TN | MAY 18 - 20 NASHVILLE CUP. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels. Contact: goals@chehockey.com or chehockey.com TORONTO, ON | MAY 18 - 20 GIRLS VICTORIA DAY SPECTACULAR. Female. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com EDMONTON, AB | MAY 18 - 20 ONEHOCKEY EDMONTON. Male. Divisions: Atom, Novie, Peewee. Levels: AAA. Contact: info@onehockey.com or onehockey.com VANCOUVER, BC | MAY 25 - 27 BC MEMORIAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com TORONTO, ON | MAY 25 - 27 TORONTO MEMORIAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com LAS VEGAS, NV | MAY 25 - 28 GAMBLERS CUP. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels. Contact: goals@chehockey.com or chehockey.com

JUNE 2018 ATLANTIC CITY, NJ | JUNE 1 - 3 ATLANTIC CITY WEEKEND HOCKEY TOURNAMENT. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels, Senior. Contact: info@weekendhockey.com or weekendhockey.com VANCOUVER, BC | JUNE 1 - 3 BC QUEST FOR THE CUP. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com TORONTO, ON | JUNE 1 - 3 BRING YOUR BEST. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com TORONTO, ON | JUNE 8 - 9 TORONTO AIRPORT GETAWAY. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com TORONTO, ON | JUNE 8 - 10 GIRLS BATTLE OF NORTH YORK. Female. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com NIAGARA FALLS, ON | JUNE 8 - 10 NIAGARA FALLS CHALLENGE 1. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com TORONTO, ON | JUNE 15 - 17 SUMMER MELTDOWN. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com

NASHVILLE, TN | JUNE 22 - 24 NASHVILLE WEEKEND HOCKEY TOURNAMENT. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels, Senior. Contact: info@weekendhockey.com or weekendhockey.com ATLANTIC CITY, NJ | JUNE 22 - 24 ATLANTIC CITY CUP. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels. Contact: goals@chehockey.com or chehockey.com TORONTO, ON | JUNE 22 - 24 OHC - GIRLS HOCKEY MANIA. Female. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com OAKVILLE, ON | JUNE 22 - 24 CHAMPIONS CUP OF CANADA. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com OSHAWA, ON | JUNE 23 - 24 HOCKEY JERSEY CLASSIC & PUCK & BEACH. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com

JULY 2018 TORONTO, ON | JULY 6 - 8 YOUTH CLASSIC. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com NIAGARA FALLS, ON | JULY 13 - 15 NIAGARA FALLS CHALLENGE 2. Male & Female. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com OSHAWA, ON | JULY 13 - 15 PUCK & BALL CHALLENGE 25+ - COED. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com MONTREAL, QC | JULY 20 - 22 MONTREAL SUMMER BREAKAWAY. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com OSHAWA, ON | JULY 20 - 22 PUCK & BALL CHALLENGE 18+. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com

AUGUST 2018 TORONTO, ON | AUG. 3 - 5 KING OF THE RINGS 1. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com SALMON ARM, BC | AUG. 10 - 12 SHAW CENTRE CHALLENGE |||. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult and Female Rec Levels: Adult 40 & 50, Female Rec Contact: Gord@habs1.ca or salmonarmhockeytournaments.ca TORONTO, ON | AUG. 10 - 12 KING OF THE RINGS 2. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com TORONTO, ON | AUG. 10 - 12 QUEEN OF THE RINGS. Female. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com

MONTREAL, QC | AUG. 17 - 18 MONTREAL SUMMER GETAWAY. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com TORONTO, ON | AUG. 17 - 19 TORONTO PRE-SEASON BLAST. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com SALMON ARM, BC | AUG. 21 - 23 SHAW CENTRE CHALLENGE IV. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: Oldtimers 60, 65 & 70 Contact: Gord@habs1.ca or salmonarmhockeytournaments.ca WHISTLER, BC | AUG. 22 - 24 WHISTLER CUP. Male. Divisions: Adult Rec. Levels: All Levels. Contact: goals@chehockey.com or chehockey.com SALMON ARM, BC | AUG. 24 - 26 SHAW CENTRE CHALLENGE V. Divisions: Mens and Female Levels: Co-ed 19+ Contact: Gord@habs1.ca or salmonarmhockeytournaments.ca

SEPTEMBER 2018 CHICAGO, IL | SEPT. 28 - 30 CHICAGO EARLY BIRD CHALLENGE. Male. Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com

OCTOBER 2018 OSHAWA, ON | OCT. 13 - 14 OCTOBER CLASSIC 1 - MENS. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com LAS VEGAS, NV | OCT. 19 - 21 LAS VEGAS OLD-TIMERS CLASSIC. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com OSHAWA, ON | OCT. 20 - 21 OCTOBER CLASSIC 2 - WOMEN’S & COED. Female. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com

NOVEMBER 2018 OSHAWA, ON | NOV. 10 - 11 NOVEMBER CLASSIC 1 - LADIES/CO-ED - NAQ. Female. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com MONTREAL, QC | NOV. 16 - 18 MONTREAL FALL CLASSIC - NAQ M/W/ COED. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com OSHAWA, ON | NOV. 16 - 18 NOVEMBER CLASSIC 2 - NAQ. Male & Female. Divisions: Adult Rec Levels: AAA, AA, A, B, AE, MD Contact: tournaments@icesports.com or ccthockey.com

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