Jason Stephens To Coach Team Canada Inline

NIHA-Canada has announced that Team Canada will have a change in Team Staff for the 2011 IIHF World Inline Hockey Championships June 19-25 in Pardubice, Czech Republic. Jason Stephens will now step behind the bench as head coach for Team Canada.

Stephens is currently the general manager and head coach of the Sylvan Lake Admirals of the Senior AAA Chinook Hockey League. A long-time inline hockey coach, Jason has also coached Team Alberta programs at State Wars and USA Hockey Inline Junior Festivals.

“We are excited that a guy of Jason’s experience and ability is able to step in and fill the role,” Scott Hill, President NIHA-Canada said, “We’re excited with what Jason can bring to the program and expect great things of him and the Team Staff this year.”

“ It’s tough to step into a situation so late in the planning stages being that the tournament is in 3 weeks, but I’m confident with the roster that we have and the process that the Team Staff went through to make these selections” Stephens outlined, “ We have a job to do when we get over there and I feel that between now and the tournament we can have the conversations and meetings that are required for us to hit the ground running when the players and staff arrive in Pardubice. It’s an honour to be a part of Team Canada and help grow this program and this sport.”

It’s arguably the most prestigious hockey award a volunteer can win. This past weekend Hockey Canada honoured Hockey Alberta Board Member, Terry Engen (Eckville, Alta), as the 2011 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year during the awards banquet held as part of the governing body’s 92nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Westin Calgary.

“Receiving this award has been a very humbling experience,” said Engen, who is a former Hockey Alberta President. “The award itself in my mind is recognition of not only the recipient but it conveys the true meaning of a ‘TEAM’ effort. Without a team very little can be accomplished.”

“Terry has given so much to the game of hockey in Alberta and he is definitely deserving of this honour,” said Hockey Alberta President, Annie Orton. “He has impacted the lives of many children and significantly contributed to the success and growth of hockey in Alberta. We are lucky to have him on our team.” 

Engen has spent more than 25 years volunteering his time to causes in minor hockey and by serving his community, his province and his country. A fifth-generation farmer from Eckville, a town of just over 900 people, Engen has spent a quarter of a century as a director on the Eckville arena board, helping to make minor hockey accessible to as many local children as possible.

“In all my years of volunteering I think the biggest accomplishment has been in the relationships that have been built,” added Engen. “Through those relationships in the Hockey family have come life lasting friendships that are second to none.”

Engen says it’s been a great journey so far but he still has a long road ahead.

“Volunteering in hockey is still so important to me. The game will continue to change and we have to be able to guide that change with the best interests of every participant in mind,” said Engen. “Volunteers are still the foundation of what makes hockey the game of choice for all Canadians.”

Nominations for all awards were submitted by Hockey Canada’s 13 member branches and the winners were chosen by Hockey Canada’s selection committee. The success of minor hockey associations in Canada depends heavily on volunteers and Hockey Canada is pleased to recognize the individuals who contribute greatly to the game of hockey across the country.

Hockey Canada’s 92nd Annual General Meeting (AGM), attended by more than 250 delegates from across the country, wrapped up Saturday at the Westin Calgary after three days of discussion about what will benefit the growth and development of Canada’s game.

On Saturday afternoon, former Hockey Alberta President, Michael Bruni (Calgary, Alta.), was elected chair of the board by acclamation, taking over for Ken Corbett (Carleton Place, Ont.), who concluded a term of over two years as chair of Hockey Canada’s board of directors.

Five officers were also elected to Hockey Canada’s board of directors including former Hockey Alberta President, Terry Ledingham (Bon Accord, Alta.), who will be returning for a second term.

Items approved by Hockey Canada’s board of directors during this year’s AGM include:

Zero tolerance measures for all head contact or checks in minor, female, junior and senior hockey:

o in minor and female hockey, a minor penalty shall be assessed for all accidental hits to the head, while a double minor penalty, or a major and game misconduct at the discretion of the referee based on the degree of violence of impact, shall be assessed for any intentional contact to the head;
o in junior (Junior A, B, C, D) and senior hockey, a minor and a misconduct or a major and a game misconduct shall be assessed for all checks to the head, at the discretion of the referee
o a major penalty and a game misconduct, or match penalty, shall be assessed to any player who injures an opponent under this rule

Approval of action plan to address recruitment and retention in Canada, including:

o membership card;
o partnerships;
o education and communications initiatives;
o reporting strategies;

Update on continuation of planning for an e-learning strategy that will continue to look at opportunities to bring hockey development (coaching, officiating, safety) to Hockey Canada’s membership through on-line platforms

A new strategy was approved to review partnership between Hockey Canada, the Branches and Canlan for the recruitment of Adult Recreational Players into the Hockey Canada / Branch Membership.

Hockey Canada’s 2011 AGM brought together the governing body’s board of directors, officers, life members, partner organizations and representation from all 13 branches, as well as from councils that oversee female hockey, junior hockey, minor hockey, senior hockey and hockey development.

Hockey Alberta’s Annual General Meeting was held on June 10-12, 2011 at the Capri Hotel and Conference Centre in Red Deer.

Hockey Canada recently announced Alberta official, Reid Anderson, as a 2011 Kenneth R. Stiles - Seaman Hotchkiss Hockey Foundation (formerly Flames Project 75) Officiating Scholarship winner. This annual scholarship award provides financial assistance to officials in the Hockey Canada Officiating Program for post-secondary education at Canadian colleges and universities.

The Kenneth R. Stiles Scholarships are awarded annually to young men and women who participate in Hockey Canada’s officiating programs. The goal of the scholarship program is to provide funding to help offset the cost of post-secondary education for Canada’s top young officials, supporting their efforts to complete their university and college goals, become better officials, and to reward their efforts for mentoring younger officials in the game.

In 2011, five promising officials each receive $2,000 in scholarship awards, while one official will receive a $1,000 scholarship through this program. The Kenneth R. Stiles Scholarship selection committee awards the scholarships on the basis of academic achievement, officiating excellence and community involvement.

2011 Kenneth R. Stiles – Seaman Hotchkiss Hockey Foundation Scholarship winners:

•    Hockey Alberta – Reid Anderson, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Polytechnic
•    Hockey Nova Scotia – Donnelly Archibald, St. Francis Xavier University
•    Ottawa District Hockey Association - David Lauer, University of Ottawa
•    Ontario Hockey Federation – Jacob Morassut, University of Windsor
•    Hockey Québec – Raphaelle Morin-Blais, Université de Sherbrooke
•    Ontario Hockey Federation – Ben Wilson, Conestoga College

The Kenneth R. Stiles Officiating Scholarship Awards, first announced in 2007 by the Calgary Flames founding ownership group, were named for the late Ken Stiles, a former president of Flames Project 75. Over the past 30 years, Flames Project 75, an oil and gas legacy from the Flames ownership group, has contributed more than $5,500,000 to minor hockey development initiatives in Canada as well as other charities in Alberta. In 2009, Project 75 became officially known as the Seaman Hotchkiss Foundation as it continues to support grassroots initiative across Canada.

Officials eligible for the Kenneth R. Stiles Scholarships must be Canadian citizens, registered and active Hockey Canada officials, members in good standing with their home branch and registered or applying for full-time post-secondary studies. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, officiating achievement and community involvement. Application packages are distributed annually in January and are available through the Hockey Canada manager of officiating, Todd Anderson, by emailing [email protected].