Red Deer set to host 2016 Mastercard Memorial Cup | Coach of the Month Memorial Cup prize pack winner

RED DEER - Central Alberta is the place to be for Junior hockey fans the next 10 days, as the 2016 Mastercard Memorial Cup kicks off in Red Deer.

It’s been more than four decades since the annual Canadian Junior Hockey League championship was last hosted in Alberta, the last time in Calgary in 1974.

The host Red Deer Rebels will look to bring the Memorial Cup back to Alberta after the Edmonton Oil Kings won it just two years ago. The Rebels will square off against the Brandon Wheat Kings (Western Hockey League champions), London Knights (Ontario Hockey League champions), and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champions).

The Rebels open the tournament Friday (May 20) at 6:00 p.m. against the Knights. Round-robin play will continue until May 25, with the tournament wrapping up May 29. All games will be played at the Enmax Centrium.

Full Schedule > | Memorial Cup Website >

Fanfest/Special Events

Westerner Park in Red Deer will also be buzzing with activity for the duration of the Memorial Cup. Alongside the on-ice action, Fan Fest will have plenty of activities to entertain the whole family throughout the day. Hockey Alberta will be present at Fanfest every day, offering free activities and giveaways for fans. Fanfest kicks off Friday (May 20) and runs every day during the Memorial Cup.

Fanfest Activities > | Memorial Cup Special Events >

­­­­Hockey Alberta Coach of the Month Memorial Cup prize pack winner

Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce Sean Jamieson of Fort Saskatchewan as the winner of the Coach of the Month Memorial Cup prize pack. Sean spent the 2015-16 hockey season as the Head Coach of the Fort Sask Novice C2 Rangers.

"I believe the best part of coaching is the mentorship you provide to all participates involved in the activity you are coaching," said Sean. " Whether it is the young players or the assistant coaches, everyone has to be developed. Having the opportunity to share positive experiences and seeing the development of skill sets has always inspired me to continue to coach."

As a Coach of the Month nominee, Sean was one of more than 150 coaches entered in the draw to win the Memorial Cup prize pack, which includes game tickets, dinner and accommodations.

2015-16 Coach of the Month winners >

Former Hockey Alberta President Terry Ledingham was one of three recipients of the Hockey Canada Order of Merit Award, presented during Hockey Canada’s Spring Congress in Moncton, NB on the weekend. The Order of Merit is presented to individuals who have “served amateur hockey faithfully”.

Ledingham, from Bon Accord, has devoted his life to making a difference in the game of hockey, beginning in 1967. He’s held numerous roles - ranging from equipment manager, vice-president of a hockey league, and president of a minor hockey association to Zone director, vice president and eventually president of Hockey Alberta in 2007. He also served five years on Hockey Canada’s Board of Directors.

The following is a full overview of Ledingham’s hockey involvement. A summary of all award winners recognized by Hockey Canada is available here.

Also receiving Order of Merit Awards were Tom Donovan (Quispamsis, NB) and Judy Bain (Kenora, ON).

Terry Ledingham

2016 Hockey Canada Order of Merit Award (West)

Terry Ledingham always wanted to make a difference in the game. In the beginning, that meant the self-described rink rat sold tickets and programs and did security for the Junior A Crosstown Motor City Maple Leafs. Nearly five decades later that meant sitting on the Board of Directors for the sport’s national governing body. For this lifetime of devotion to - and indeed, making a difference in - the game, Hockey Canada is proud to present its Order of Merit to Terry Ledingham.

Since that first foray to the rink in 1967, Terry has created a lifetime of hockey memories not only for himself but for thousands of kids across Alberta. He’s been an equipment manager and a trainer, a road manager and a registrar, a sports director and a coach, the vice-president of a hockey league and the president of a minor hockey association.

In 1997, Terry took his first position with Hockey Alberta. Three years sitting on the Zone 2 Minor Council were followed by three more as the zone’s director. After two-year terms as Hockey Alberta vice-president of operations and vice-president of development, Terry was elected president. Terry went on to serve five years on Hockey Canada’s Board of Directors.

The success stories started early for Terry. He worked with his home community of Bon Accord, as well as neighbouring Gibbons, to form one minor hockey association, ensuring that the residents of the two small populations would have teams to call their own.

By the time he became a zone chairman for Hockey Alberta in the late 1990s, he was overseeing 39 minor hockey associations with teams spread across nine different leagues, handling registration, travel permits, discipline, clinics and provincial tournaments. In this role, Terry helped form a pilot project, Zone Team, to improve how operations are run in each zone.

When it comes to how the game is played, Terry has always understood that it’s not just fun first; it’s fun and safety first. Over the years he’s sat on committees dedicated to body-checking review, discipline and match penalties, he chaired the Risk and Safety Committee and he presently sits on the Second-Stage Appeal Committee for Hockey Alberta.

As Hockey Alberta’s vice-president of development he worked on a project that examined why body-checking should be taken out of lower levels of hockey. His concern and attention to detail extended beyond those who jump over the boards. As Hockey Alberta president, in 2008 he oversaw the mandate that all coaches, trainers, guest coaches and volunteers wear a helmet when on the ice during practice.

In his role as president, Terry accomplished two of his proudest achievements: opening up the first regional development centre in Grande Prairie and setting up an agreement with Hockey North that allowed their kids to come south and play at a higher level in Alberta.

In recent years Terry has taken great pride in working both with players at Hockey Canada’s national events and with national teams at IIHF events. In 2010, he was the board rep with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team, the year the team won its first IIHF Women’s World U18 Championship.

CALGARY - For the first time since 1993, Albertans have gone 1-2-3 in the WHL Bantam Draft. In total, 73 players from Alberta were selected in the 2016 draft.

2016 Alberta Cup All-Star Peyton Krebs (Okotoks) was the first overall selection, going to the Kootenay Ice. Kirby Dach (Fort Sask) went to the Saskatoon Blades, who traded up one spot to select him second overall, and Bowen Byram (Lethbridge) rounded out the top three, as the Vancouver Giants took him third overall. A total of 10 players from Alberta went in the first round of the draft, the most out of any province.

Thirty-nine of the players taken at the draft from Alberta are forwards, 25 are defencemen selected, and nine are goalies.

A complete list of Albertans taken at the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft can be found below. Players marked with an asterisk (*) were 2016 Alberta Cup All-Stars.

While the Alberta Cup brings together 160 of the top bantam-aged male hockey players in the province every year, the impact of the even goes far beyond the ice.

Team Northeast Trainer Karyn Fanstone, Referee Supervisor Craig DeCoursey, and Edmonton Yellow Coach Mentor Matt Keillor share their Alberta Cup experiences, and the role it plays in the development of trainers, officials, and coaches.

The 2016 Alberta Cup was the second for Fanstone, who will return as the athletic therapist for the 2016 Team Alberta U16 Male program. She’ll be joined by Keiller, who will serve as assistant coach of the U16 team, after working as the team’s video coach in 2015.

Go to abcup.ca >

CANMORE - For the second straight year, Calgary South are the Alberta Cup Champions.

Despite trailing 2-0 and 3-2 at different points in the game, Calgary South used a six goal third period to defeat Northeast 9-3. All-star defenceman Zach Ashton led the way for Calgary South with a goal and two assists, while Ryan Shostak chipped in with a goal and two assists of his own. Taylor Gauthier stood tall for Calgary South, stopping 35 shots, while All-Star goalie Ethan Kruger made 33 saves for Northeast.

Calgary South Captains (from left: Zach Ashton, Nolan Coventry, Matthew Sanders,
and Alex Young) accept the Alberta Cup.

The win is an extra-special one for Calgary South Head Coach Jamie Steer, as he won the first ever Alberta Cup as a player with Calgary South in 1986.

"I want to thank Hockey Alberta for the opportunity to coach (Calgary South) 30 years later," said Steer. "It’s something we set out to do as a team, and as a coaching staff. Obviously every body wanted to win, but to actually come out on top and make it an even 30 years is really exciting."

Team South finished third in the tournament, beating Calgary North 4-1 in the B Final. Earlier in the day, Edmonton Blue erased a 6-1 deficit to defeat Edmonton Blue 9-7 in the C Final, while Central took the D Final over Edmonton Yellow by a score of 5-4.

Alberta Cup All-Stars >

Standings > | Leaders > | Schedule > | Day One Results > | Day Two Results > | Day 3 Results >

As the 2016 Alberta Cup comes to a close, Hockey Alberta is proud to announce the 2017 Alberta Cup will be held in Canmore for the third straight year.

"We couldn’t be more excited to bring the Alberta Cup back to Canmore next year," said Michael Kraichy, Manager of Team Alberta. "This year’s Alberta Cup was even better than the last, and the Host Committee has done an outstanding job once again."

The Alberta Cup is the premier event in the province that helps identify the top male players in Alberta. It is well attended by scouts as they prepare for the Western Hockey League’s bantam draft. In addition to player evaluations, the competition is also an opportunity for administrators, coaches, trainers and referees to be evaluated for future positions with the Team Alberta Program.

Alberta Cup graduates include Matt Dumba, Braden Holtby, Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf, Scott Hartnell, Jordan Eberle, Devan Dubnyk, and Andrew Ference.

A Final

Calgary South 9 - Northeast 3

Players of the Game: Calgary South - #4 Drae Gardiner | Northeast - #4 Jake Lee

Boxscore >

B Final

South 4 - Calgary North 1

Players of the Game: South - #16 Peyton Krebs | Calgary North - #9 Connor Brock

Boxscore >

C Final

Edmonton Blue 9 - Northwest 7

Players of the Game: Edmonton Blue - #19 Mitchell Verenka | Northwest - #8 Cameron Aucoin

Boxscore >

D Final

Central 5 - Edmonton Yellow 4

Players of the Game: Central - #15 Deegan Mofford | Edmonton Yellow - #10 Kirby Dach

Boxscore >

At Saturday night’s Alberta Cup Banquet at the Canmore Golf and Curling Club, the Tournament All-Stars were announced. All-Stars were voted on by WHL scouts and Team Alberta staff.

Goaltender

#31 Ethan Kruger - Northeast

GP: 2 | MP: 128 | W: 2 | L: 0 | OTL: 0 | T: 0 | SO: 1 | SA: 59 | GA: 2 | SVS: 57 | GAA: 0.94 | SV%: .970

Defence

#2 Zach Ashton - Calgary South

GP: 4 | G: 1 | A: 5 | Pts: 6 | PIM: 4

Defence

#6 Matthew Robertson - Northeast

GP: 3 | G: 1 | A: 2 | Pts: 3 | PIM: 0

Forward

#19 Brayden Tracey - Calgary North

GP: 4 | G: 8 | A: 2 | Pts: 10 | PIM: 17

Forward

#16 Peyton Krebs - South

GP: 4 | G: 1 | A: 3 | Pts: 4 | PIM: 0

Forward

#9 Ethan Browne - Northeast

GP: 4 | G: 5 | A: 3 | Pts: 8 | PIM: 0

All-Star Official

Todd Layton (left) - Central Zone