Hockey Alberta is proud to officially announce the City of Leduc, in partnership with the Leduc Jr. Athletic Club and the Leduc Minor Hockey Association, as the host for the 2010 Alberta Cup. The Four day tournament will be held at the Leduc Recreation Centre in the DQ and Ken’s Furniture Arena’s.
The Alberta Cup is the premier hockey event in the province and helps to identify the top male bantam aged players in Alberta.
It is very well attended by scouts as they prepare for the Western Hockey League’s Bantam draft.
“The 2010 Alberta Cup event has the potential to be a ‘Best Ever’ tournament and one that our community will be extremely proud of,” said Jim Jones, Coordinator of Sport and Agricultural Tourism for the City of Leduc. “We have outstanding community support with tremendous volunteers and a long history of hosting major events.”
Former Alberta Cup graduates include such players as Kyle Brodziak, Dany Heatley, Jay Bouwmeester, Scottie Upshall, Dion Phaneuf, Scott Hartnell, Jordin Tootoo, Todd Fedoruk, Andrew Ference, Chris Phillips and Devin Setoguchi.
Come join us in Leduc at the fabulous new Leduc Recreation Centre from April 21-25, 2010.
Alberta Cup Competition
· April 22-25, 2010 Leduc Recreation Centre
· March 26-28th Zone Camps Across Alberta
· April 16-18th Team Training Weekends
Alberta Cup History
The Alberta Cup began in 1986 as a program for midget hockey players. It was held again in 1987 and 1988 but then disappeared until 1993 when it re-emerged as a bantam level competition. The Alberta Cup aids in the preparation, evaluation and identification of potential players for Hockey Alberta’s Team Alberta Program (formerly known as the Program of Excellence.) On an annual basis, there are about 1000 Bantam aged players who compete for a position on one of the eight zone teams.
Over the years, the Alberta Cup has evolved into an event known for its professionalism and grassroots approach. Jerrold Lemko, Vice-Chair, Hockey Development Committee has been involved with the Alberta Cup program for many years. He started out as the Director of Operations for the Northeast Panthers, a position that he held for three years, before being named Provincial Coordinator for the Alberta Cup program in 1999. The Alberta Cup is a very comprehensive and unique program, which is strongly grounded in its philosophies, objectives and guiding principles.
Every Bantam aged player has the opportunity to try out for their zone team. This means that the players are eligible to try out whether they are on a Bantam AAA or a Bantam D level team.
The Alberta Cup goes beyond player evaluation and identification. It is an opportunity for administrators, coaches, referees and trainers to be evaluated. The process identifies top level hockey people for potential positions at higher level events such as the World U17 Challenge and the Canada Winter Games.
The Western Hockey League is a great partner in the Alberta Cup and the U16 program. Without the financial and human resource assistance that is received from partners and sponsors such as the ASRPWF and the great people at CCM/Reebok, Hockey Alberta would not be able to run such high level programs.
Through the Zone camps the hockey players are able to measure themselves against other players of the same age and receive instructions from some of the best coaches in the province. For those selected to the zone teams, the Alberta Cup is a taste of top level completion. The pressure that is felt in the Alberta Cup is said to come close to that of the Western Hockey League. Bantam aged players are getting a taste of the pressure of high performance hockey as well as the opportunity to excel under that pressure.
Regardless of the end results, players are treated fairly and are given the opportunity to excel in the Alberta Cup program in all situations. The focus is on overall personal development, but all athletes who enter the program from the Zone camps to Team Alberta benefit from this professionally run, prestigious program.
Click here for the official Alberta Cup website with Hockey Alberta
Off-Ice Officials - Volunteers needed
The Leduc 2010 Alberta Cup hosting committee looks forward to holding the Alberta Cup Provincial Hockey Tournament April 22-25 2010 at the Leduc Recreation Center.
Hosting an event like this requires a large group of volunteers. I am looking for off-ice officials to work the penalty box.
Each game requires an experienced timekeeper and scorekeeper. Also require a music controller and 2 penalty gate workers.
Volunteers that work a total of 4 slots will receive a complimentary piece of Alberta Cup 2010 apparel.
If you are interested in volunteering as an off-ice official, please contact Harley Tatro at htatro@shaw.ca or call 780-986-1348