How the WHL Cup helped paved the way for Sebastian Cossa

To say Sebastian Cossa has been part of some big games would be an understatement.

Cossa, who is now suiting up for the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins, was part of the 2022 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship Gold Medal Game where Team Canada defeated Team Finland 3-2 in overtime.

He also played in multiple Western Hockey League playoff series during his final junior season which concluded with Cossa and his Edmonton Oil Kings teammates hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup after defeating the Seattle Thunderbirds in six games. He then played every minute for the Oil Kings that same spring when Edmonton went to the 2022 Memorial Cup in Saint John, NB.

But before he was backstopping his team to WHL glory or part of the group that helped return the gold medal to Canada, before he was drafted with the 15^th overall selection in the 2021 NHL draft by the Detroit Red Wings, Cossa was part of the goaltending tandem for Team Alberta at the 2017 WHL Cup.

“Ah, the high stick goal that got us a silver medal,” said Cossa, when asked about what he remembers from that tournament.

Team Alberta went undefeated through the round robin, with Cossa splitting the netminding duties with Washington Capitals prospect Garin Bjorklund. Team Alberta earned a spot in the gold medal final against Team British Columbia, but lost 4-3 when BC’s Ben King deflected a high shot past Cossa. Team Alberta immediately called for the goal to be disallowed due to a high stick, but there wasn’t a review process so the call on the ice stood.

While the result of the tournament didn’t fall in the favour of Cossa and his teammates, it was an unbelievable experience.

“It was really fun and really competitive,” Cossa said. “Obviously the best players from BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta all gathering at Winsport in Calgary. I have a lot of good memories from that tournament.”

“We had a strong round robin, fell a little bit short there in overtime against BC, but looking back at the rosters, there’s a lot of guys on both teams that are now playing professional hockey. That tournament overall over the years has had a lot of players get drafted to the NHL, a lot of first-round picks as well so playing with and against a lot of those guys was really good for me and my development.”

Cossa, who was originally born in Hamilton, ON, moved to Alberta at a young age. He played his minor hockey with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons as well as the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers, where he helped the U15 AAA Rangers win the provincial title in the 2016-17 season.

He said playing in the WHL Cup with so many other elite prospects really gave him the confidence that he could compete at the Western Hockey League level.

“That’s the highest level of competition I had played at to that date. It’s the best of the best from each province and there’s a couple of steps you have to go through in order to make Team Alberta,” Cossa said.

Cossa also had accolades for the volunteer coaches and Hockey Alberta staff for creating a solid program that ensures a positive experience for the participants.

“They’ve been doing it for a long time and have had a lot of players go through their program and make the NHL. They know what they’re doing, and it was a lot of fun to go through that process,” said Cossa.

The 2023 edition of the WHL Cup is set to get underway on Wednesday, October 18 when Team Alberta takes on Team Manitoba. Alberta will then take on Saskatchewan on Thursday and British Columbia on Friday. Semi-finals are Saturday, with the finals on Sunday.

RED DEER – After a hard-fought gold medal game against Team Manitoba, Team Alberta came away from the 2023 WHL Cup with a silver medal after a 6-5 shootout loss on Sunday, October 22.

The Albertans got off on the right note early in the contest when Patrick Sopiarz (Edmonton) opened the scoring with his third marker of the tournament 2:21 into the first period. The remainder of the period was a back-and-forth affair, as the two teams would trade off goals with Caelan Joudrey (Airdrie) potting Alberta’s second goal of the game to level the playing field at 2-2 after one.

The deadlock would only last 56 seconds into the second as Cruz Pavao (Calgary) found the back of the net with his third of the event to make it 3-2 in favour of Team Alberta. Midway through the second stanza, Manitoba broke the game open with three consecutive goals to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead heading into the final period.

Jordan Duguay (Edmonton) made it 5-4 six minutes into the third and Sopiarz tied the game at 5-5 with his second goal of the afternoon and fourth of the tournament. The game headed into a 10-minute overtime period, and while there were chances at both ends, neither team found the back of the net which pushed the championship game to a shootout.

The shootout went six rounds and while Pavao found the net on Alberta’s fifth attempt, Manitoba scored on their fifth and sixth tries to take a 6-5 victory and the gold medal.

Joudrey wrapped up his strong tournament with a goal and three assists in the final game, while Ty Meunier (St. Albert) chipped in with three assists. Goaltender Ryley Budd (Calgary) turned aside 29 of the 34 shots he faced throughout the game. Joudrey was tied for the team lead in points (8) with Meunier and Jordan Duguay, and goals (4) with Patrick Sopiarz. The trio of Joudrey, Duguay and Meunier were tied for third overall in tournament point leaders.

Alberta’s path to the gold medal game began on Wednesday, October 18 when they defeated Manitoba 4-2. The group followed up that performance with 3-2 loss to Saskatchewan and a convincing 8-1 victory over British Columbia to close out round robin play with a 2-1 record. Alberta would exact a measure of revenge on Team Saskatchewan in the semi-finals with a 7-3 victory that pushed them to the final against Manitoba.

Hockey Alberta, including Alberta Female Hockey League (AFHL) and Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL), has picked Hudl as its exclusive video exchange platform and analytics provider.

Hockey Alberta is a leading organization in exceptional service, experience, and innovation for its members. This partnership equips teams with industry-leading technology for performance analysis, scouting and recruiting tools.

“We aim to improve the experience for athletes and coaches in youth hockey by delivering data and video analysis. Hockey Alberta’s strong team values for both the AEHL and AFHL align with our goals to elevate hockey on and off the ice,” said Rachel Krasnow, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Hudl. “This partnership with Hockey Alberta allows us to further our mission of giving every athlete the shot they deserve.”

The league exchange platform delivers a free centralized library where all teams can share video and upload and exchange game film and stats, making it easier than ever to access content.

“Hockey Alberta is pleased to be able to partner with Hudl to provide additional opportunities for our athletes in the Alberta Elite Hockey League and the Alberta Female Hockey League. Working with an industry leader in video stats and analytics such as Hudl not only benefits our AEHL and AFHL teams but also allows our individual athletes to showcase their talents to a broader network of scouts around the world,” said Mike Klass, Director of Corporate Services for Hockey Alberta.

In addition to the video exchange platform for the older age groups, all teams ages U13 and below can take advantage of exclusive partner pricing on Hudl solutions. Plus, all Hockey Alberta members will have educational opportunities and resources provided by Hudl.

For Hockey Alberta teams looking for information on the league exchange platform, please contact your Hudl representative. You can find more info on Hudl package options here.

About Hudl:

As a global leader in performance analysis technology, Hudl helps more than 200K sports teams - from grassroots to the pros - prepare for and stay ahead of the competition. A complete suite of video and data products ensures coaches have the insights they need and athletes get the shot they deserve. 6M users across 40+ sports use Hudl’s best-in-class software, hardware and services, including online coaching tools, mobile and desktop apps, smart cameras, livestreaming, wearables, analytics, professional consultation and more. Learn more at www.hudl.com.

RED DEER – Five communities from Alberta are set to celebrate the 12th annual World Girls Ice Hockey Weekend.

The main purpose of the weekend, that was created by the International Ice Hockey Federation and dates back to 2011, is to have events across Canada that recruit, retain and engage players, coaches, officials and fans – old and new. It aims to celebrate and grow the game while uniting Canadians through grassroots programming led by girls’ hockey associations, minor hockey associations and communities.

The list of events taking place across the province can be found below.

RED DEER – Team Alberta has selected the group of 20 athletes representing Alberta at the 2023 National Women’s Under-18 Championship, November 5-11 in Dawson Creek, BC.

Two goaltenders, six defence and 12 forwards were selected for this year’s squad, which features six players who represented Alberta earlier this year at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. Those players are and forwards Paige Smith (Gibbons), Raedyn Spademan (Cochrane), Rylee Mcleod (Grande Prairie), Emelia McDermid (Airdrie) and Chloe Goofers (Leduc), and defence Makayla Watson (Rockyview County)

The team has representation from 17 different communities across Alberta – Calgary, Edmonton, Medicine Hat, Hythe, Ardrossan, Fort Saskatchewan, Carstairs, Red Deer, Rockyview County, Crossfield, Chestermere, Leduc, Bay Tree, Cochrane, Airdrie, Grande Prairie, and Gibbons.

NATIONAL WOMEN’S U18 ROSTER >

Team Alberta’s selection process included the U18 Summer Camp in July in Red Deer with 72 players involved in on and off-ice sessions and eight scrimmages. A shortlist of 28 took part in the Team Alberta Fall Camp, September 22-24, in Edmonton which included three games against USports women’s teams.

Team staff members are Chris Leeming (Edmonton) Head Coach; Ashley Shrode (Barrhead) and Jessie Olfert (Edmonton) assistant coaches; Erin O’Toole (Lethbridge) Video Coach; Jane Kish (Medicine Hat) Goalie Coach; Erin Gordon (Edmonton) Athletic Therapist; Dave Campbell (Grande Prairie) Equipment Manager; and Kendall Newell (Red Deer) Director of Operations.

“There are so many talented athletes in this province that it made for some extremely difficult decisions,” said Newell. “We are confident that this group has what it takes to compete with the best from the rest of the country.”

Team Alberta, who is powered by Gatorade, will begin its tournament on November 5 against Quebec. The team’s full schedule can be found below:

RED DEER – Hockey Alberta has announced the roster for the Team Alberta U16 Male squad that is representing the province at the 2023 WHL Cup at the Peavey Mart Centrium in Red Deer.

Two goaltenders, six defence and 12 forwards comprise this year’s club - including eight players who were selected in the first round of the 2023 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft. In addition, six players were taken in the second round, three in the third round, two in the fouth round and one in the seventh. This list includes Daxon Rudolph (Lacombe) and Riley Boychuk (Cochrane) who went first and second overall to the Prince Albert Raiders and Keaton Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan) who was taken by the Victoria Royals with the fourth pick.

This year’s squad has players from 13 different communities across Alberta - Calgary, Edmonton, Okotoks, Olds, Didsbury, Lacombe, Fort Saskatchewan, Cochrane, Spruce Grove, Airdrie, Leduc, St. Albert and Brooks. Eight play in the Alberta Elite Hockey League, while the other 12 play in the CSSHL.

TEAM ALBERTA U16 WHL CUP ROSTER >

The selection process saw 80 players attend the Summer Selection Camp in Red Deer in July. A shortlist of 32 was selected from that camp before the roster of 20 players was finalized to represent the province at the tournament.

“We had a lot of tough decisions to make this year,” said Mike Kraichy, Manager, Elite Male Hockey for Hockey Alberta. “But we’re confident that this is a group that can compete with the best from Western Canada.”

The team’s staff includes James Poole (Calgary), Head Coach; Derrick Martin (Edmonton), Associate Coach; Brady Bakke (Red Deer), Video Coach; Derek Purfield (Calgary), Goalie Coach; Paige Shannon (Calgary), Therapist; Dave Campbell (Grande Prairie), Equipment Manager; Bobby Fox (Calgary), Head Scout; Barry Medori (Spruce Grove), Coach Mentor; and Kraichy (Red Deer), Director of Operations.

The 2023 WHL Cup showcases the top-2008 born players from the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The four-team round robin tournament is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence.

Team Alberta, powered by Gatorade, will kick off their tournament against Manitoba on October 18. Full schedule can be found below: