RED DEER - Registration is now open for Hockey Alberta’s Female Hockey Day on Saturday, January 25 at the ATB Centre in Lethbridge.
The day will feature on and off-ice development sessions for players, goalies, coaches, and officials – all to celebrate female hockey. All ages and skill levels are welcome to join. To help us celebrate, and to conclude a full day of Female Hockey Day activities, the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns will host the Mount Royal Cougars in a U SPORTS Hockey game at Nicholas Sheran Ice Centre.
Player Sessions - Player Development sessions are ongoing throughout Female Hockey Day, including on and off-ice instruction for current female players at all levels, from Intro to Hockey (Initiation and Novice) to Midget.
Goalie Sessions - An on ice goalie development session will be held for female goaltenders of all ages. A variety of skills and fundamentals will be covered by some of Alberta’s best goaltending instructors.
Try Hockey (youth and adult) -There will be Try Hockey sessions offered for both youth and adult females who are looking to play hockey for the first time. Comrie’s Sports Equipment Bank will be on site to outfit all new players with equipment.
Coach Development Session - A Coach Development Session is being hosted for all coaches involved in female hockey, which includes a classroom seminar, and on ice instruction.
Female Officials Clinic - Female officials are invited to take part in Female Hockey Day with an afternoon clinic, that includes classroom and on-ice sessions.
Curtis Glencross, Dennis Zukiwsky (Chair, Hockey Alberta Foundation), Tim Leer (Executive Director, Hockey Alberta Foundation), Jason Evanson (CEO, Ronald McDonald House Alberta), Jennifer Clermont ( Director of Operations, Ronald McDonald House Alberta),
RED DEER - Two central Alberta charitable organizations are the beneficiaries of a contribution $170,000 for 2019 from Curtis Glencross & Friends.
The contribution includes funds raised through the 8th annual Glencross Invitational Charity Roughstock Event, and a new undertaking in 2019 in conjunction with the Roughstock, a Truck Raffle.
Hockey Alberta Foundation, and its Every Kid Every Community program, and Ronald McDonald House Charities® Alberta, share the proceeds from the fundraising endeavours.
As well, one lucky individual is driving home with a new 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 Truck with elevation package, provided by Kipp Scott Motors in Red Deer. Mike Commodore had his ticket drawn and was presented with the truck on Friday.
The 2019 Roughstock event, which was co-sponsored by ATB and Calgary Flames Foundation, was hosted in August in Red Deer, and included a sponsor-only poker tournament and the charity rodeo. The Truck Raffle had 999 tickets available at $100 per ticket.
In total, over the eight years of the Roughstock event, more than $1.7 million has been raised for worthy organizations in Alberta.
Curtis Glencross was joined by event organizers on November 29 at the Hockey Alberta office at Red Deer College to present cheques to the event beneficiaries.
"This year, to celebrate eight years of the Charity Roughstock event, we tried something a little different to benefit Ronald McDonald House and Every Kid Every Community. The addition of the Truck Raffle allowed us an additional opportunity to raise funds to benefit families throughout central Alberta,” said Curtis Glencross. “None of this is possible without our dedicated volunteers, and the generosity of our supporters and sponsors. My thanks to everyone who worked so hard this year because otherwise there are many families across Alberta who would be looking elsewhere for support.”
The funds for Ronald McDonald House® go towards serving families, keeping the House operational, and ensuring that there are rooms available whenever they are needed.
"We want to thank Curtis, his family, and the hard-working committee and volunteers who made this event and raffle such a success. The impact of their donations over nearly a decade has increased our capacity to serve more families from more communities and we are incredibly grateful,” said Jason Evanson, CEO of RMHC Alberta. “Their efforts ensure that families are able to stay together when they need it most - during the serious illness or injury of their child.”
For the Hockey Alberta Foundation and Hockey Alberta, this funding goes to Every Kid Every Community, which has a goal of ensuring a pathway to play hockey for any child in Alberta who is interested in the sport.
“Curtis, his family, and the incredible group of volunteers supporting the Roughstock event and Truck Raffle have done an incredible job again this year raising funds to help families not just in central Alberta, but across the province,” said Tim Leer, Executive Director, Hockey Alberta Foundation. “The goal of Every Kid Every Community is to provide kids with the pathway to experience our great sport for the first time, and more kids now have that opportunity through program and player grants.”
Mike Commodore (centre) is presented with his 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 by Calvin Kokotailo (General Sales Manager) and Mike Samson (General Manager) of Kipp Scott GMC Cadillac Buick. Also on hand were Curtis Glencross and Kelsey Angeltvedt (Glencross and Friends). The winning ticket was number 0036.
RED DEER - Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce the coaching staffs for the 2020 Alberta Winter Games.
The six coaching staffs for the female program are comprised of one director of operations, one coach mentor, one head coach, one assistant coach, and one apprentice coach. The eight coaching staffs for the male program are comprised of one director of operations, one coach mentor, one head coach, and two assistant coaches.
Female regional selection camps kick off this weekend, November 29 - December 1 in Wetaskiwin (North) and Innisfail (South). Male regional selection camps run the following weekend, December 6-8 in Vegreville (North), Edmonton (Capital), Olds (South) and Calgary.
The Alberta Winter Games are set for February 14-17 in Airdrie.
RED DEER - Alberta Sledge is proud to announce the 17 player roster for the Alberta Sledge Program during the 2019-20 season.
The roster was finalized following a two-day tryout camp at Pason Centennial Arenas in Okotoks, Alberta. The camp included skills evaluations and two Intersquad games. A total of 20 players were in contention for the 17 roster spots.
This program selection is not a reflection of the final team roster that will represent Alberta in the 2020 Canadian Sledge Hockey Championships in Leduc, Alberta this upcoming May. A final Team Alberta roster announcement will be made in the spring of 2020.
Alberta Sledge’s program roster includes two goaltenders, five defensemen and ten forwards. Head Coach Steve Arsenault (Spruce Grove, AB) assembled the roster with support from Assistant Coach Chris Cederstrand (Okotoks, AB), and Team Director Dean Krawec (St. Albert, AB).
For more information on Alberta Sledge, please contact Dean Krawec, Team Director, at [email protected] or 780-991-5507.
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Hockey Alberta Foundation
(L to R) Kent Smith, Todd Thiessen, Dennis Zukiwsky, Jeff Robson and John Windwick
RED DEER – The Hockey Alberta Foundation has a new Chair and Vice Chair of its Board of Directors after the Foundation’s Annual General Meeting on Saturday at Red Deer College.
Dennis Zukiwsky (Red Deer) was acclaimed as the new Chair, taking over from John Windwick. Jeff Robson (Calgary) was acclaimed as the Vice Chair, taking over from Dennis Zukiwsky. Zukiwsky previously served as the Board’s Vice Chair, while Robson was previously a Director on the Board.
Two new Board Members were also voted in. Todd Thiessen, from Red Deer, and Kent Smith, from Medicine Hat. Both bring a wealth of experience and are sure to be an asset to the Board.
Board members continuing to support the HAF are John Windwick (Calgary) as the Past Chair, John Kosolowski (Edmonton) who remains the Board Treasurer, Bob Bartlett (Lethbridge), Graham MacLachlan (Calgary), Lorne Radbourne (Grande Prairie) and Chris Turchansky (Edmonton).
RED DEER - Hockey Alberta has a new Chair and Vice Chair at the helm of its Board of Directors after the organization’s 112th Annual General Meeting on Saturday at Red Deer College.
Len Samletzki was acclaimed as the new Chair, taking over from Terry Engen. Allan Mowbray was acclaimed as the Vice Chair, taking over from Fran Zinger.
Both step into their new positions from previous Director positions. Samletzki, from St. Albert, previously served as the Board’s Finance Director, while Mowbray, from Calgary, was a Director at Large.
Other Board members are Michael Bates of Cochrane, Francois Gagnon (Fort McMurray), Wilson Gemmill (Grande Prairie) and Brock Harrington (Drumheller). Engen remains on the Board as the Past President, taking over for Rob Virgil. Joining the Board, as the new Finance Director, is Donna Gallant of Edmonton. And Zinger is also staying on the Board for an additional year, as she was appointed to the final year of Mowbray’s Director at Large term.
In his inaugural address to the Members, Samletzki highlighted his three key priorities for the Board and Hockey Alberta over the next three years: growing the game, continuing to develop players and coaches, and the ability to be agile.
“We need to be able to react quickly to the changing face of hockey,” said Samletzki. “There is a great opportunity for us in the coming years.”
In his final formal action as Chair, Engen announced the 2019 Chair of the Board Award recipient is Aaron Rawlake. The formal presentation will be made to Rawlake at a future date.
In his closing address as Board chair, Engen reflected on how his work with Hockey Alberta and Hockey Canada has “given me much more than I can ever give to them as a volunteer.”
He also reminded the organization to remember that they have great resources in the Life Members, five of whom attended this year’s AGM.
“It’s very important to be able to go to the Life Members for their input. We should never forget what history has done for us,” Engen said.
Long-time Hockey Alberta Board member, Rob Virgil (centre) was presented with a Hockey Alberta jersey at his final AGM as Past Chair. Rob Litwinski (CEO) and Terry Engen (outgoing Board Chair) made the presentation.
RED DEER – Who is your customer? What does that customer want? What can you do to improve your customer’s experience?
Three key questions involving one common theme – if you don’t know what the problem is that you are trying to solve, your attempts at change will not be successful.
For 90 minutes on Friday night, Matt Symes stated, stressed, discussed and reinforced these questions and themes during the keynote address to open Hockey Alberta’s 112th Annual General Meeting and Hockey Conference at the Cambridge Hotel.
Symes is a founding Partner at Symplicity Designs who has helped introduce more than 350 organizations to the principles, methods, and tools of performance excellence. He has worked with numerous organizations in all sectors, including Hockey Nova Scotia and the Francophone education sector in New Brunswick.
The Friday evening presentation set the stage for a workshop session on Saturday morning, which Symes will be leading with Minor Hockey Association representatives and Hockey Alberta volunteers.
“Hockey is a hard game to change,” said Symes.
He talked about the challenges involved with change, being prepared to move fast enough, and making sure that the proposed changes solve the problem. Identifying the problem is the first step.
“You have to define the problem before you work to solve it,” Symes said. “You have to understand your organization from the outside in, not the inside out. Do you know what your customer is saying? Are we making decisions based on what the customer wants?”
The Hockey Conference continues Saturday morning at Red Deer College with the Leading Change workshop led by Symes. That will be followed by a session on Complaint Handling and Policy Development led by Steve Indig of the Sport & Law Strategy Group, and a hot-stove session will be held to discuss some of the sport’s hot topics.
CALGARY – At its Winter Congress this weekend in Montreal, the Hockey Canada membership approved a regulation change proposed by the board of directors to revise the naming of the age divisions used in minor hockey across Canada.
Following the recommendations of a task team, the age divisions will become U7, U9, U11 and up, impacting all minor and female hockey programs under the Hockey Canada umbrella. The change was initiated by Hockey Canada and its 13 provincial and territorial members and will be implemented nationally with their input and support for the 2020-21 season.
Current Division Name
Age Division for 2020-21
Initiation
Under-7 (U7)
Novice
Under-9 (U9)
Atom
Under-11 (U11)
Peewee
Under-13 (U13)
Bantam
Under-15 (U15)
Minor Midget
Under-16 (U16)
Midget
Under-18 (U18)
Age divisions can continue to be subdivided as they currently are in some parts of the country. For example, in the Intro to Hockey model in Alberta, where Major and Minor Novice divisions are used by some Minor Hockey Associations, division names would become U8 for Minor Novice and U9 for Major Novice.
“We believe everyone should feel welcome in the game and in our ongoing effort to make hockey more inclusive, the Members at the Hockey Canada Annual Meeting determined that the names of our age Divisions will change,” said Michael Brind’Amour, chair of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors. “Following a comprehensive review, we believe this change will simplify the system for families who may be new to the game. The new age Division names will be implemented for next season.”
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Hockey Alberta Foundation
Photo Credit: Andy Devlin/ Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club
EDMONTON - As a result of funds raised at the 2019 Hockey Canada Foundation Gala & Golf, hosted in Edmonton last June, two Alberta charities are benefitting. The $371,649 legacy funding will be split evenly between the Oilers Entertainment Group’s 2nd Shift program and the Hockey Alberta Foundation’s Every Kid Every Community programs to help provide children of all backgrounds and circumstances the opportunity to experience hockey.
Yesterday the Hockey Canada Foundation brought together members of the 2019 Hockey Canada Foundation Gala & Golf legacy committee at the Edmonton Oilers Hall of Fame to present the legacy cheques. Event co-chairs Ashif and Zainul Mawji and Hockey Alberta Foundation vice-chair Dennis Zukiwsky were on hand to accept the cheques.
The generous donation by the Hockey Canada Foundation will help ensure that any child in Alberta who wants to will be able to enjoy the game of hockey through the EKEC grant program.
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Photo credit: Matthew Murnaghan/Hockey Canada Images
WINKLER, MB - Team Alberta wrapped up the 2019 National Women’s U18 Championship with a 4-1 loss to BC on Friday, finishing the tournament in sixth place.
Following a two-goal performance on Thursday, Jaden Bogden scored her third goal of the tournament to put Alberta up 1-0 early in the first, but BC would counter just minutes later.
After a scoreless second period, BC scored three unanswered goals in the third period for a 4-1 victory.
It was a 24-24 tie on the shot clock, with Holly Borrett making 20 saves in her second start of the tournament. Dayle Ross earned Player of the Game honours for Alberta.
RED DEER - Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce the leadership group for Team Alberta’s U18 Female team for the 2019 National Women’s U18 Championships in Morden & Winkler, MB.
The 2019 U18 Nationals run November 5-9 at the Access Event Centre in Morden, and Winkler Arena in Winkler, MB. Tickets are available HERE.
Team Alberta kicks off round-robin play in Group A against Team Saskatchewan on Tuesday at noon MST, with games against Ontario Red (4:00pm MST) and Atlantic (noon MST) set for Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Semi-finals will be played on Friday, with the Group B winner and Group A runner up playing at noon MST, and Group A winner and Group B runner up at 4:00pm MST. The bronze medal game is set for Sunday at 11:00am MST, with the gold medal game to follow at 3:00pm MST. FULL SCHEDULE >
