The hockey season will continue for several members of the Airdrie Xtreme Bantam AAA club, as eight of its players were named on Alberta Cup team rosters by Hockey Alberta on March 30.
Leading scorer Tyler Wong, captain Colby Chartier, Kyle Pauls, Connor Boyd, Ben Kriwokon, Austin Keller, Jake Dube, as well as Chestermere’s Michael Conrad, were all named to the South Senators squad. The Xtreme’s Mackenzie Bauer, who is from Three Hills, was also named to the Central Thrashers team.
The Alberta Cup, featuring eight zone teams: South, Calgary South, Calgary North, Central, Edmonton South, Edmonton North, Northeast and Northwest, comprising the best second-year Bantam players in the province, will take place April 14-17 in Lethbridge.
“That will keep some of the players going,” said Xtreme head coach Terry Keogh. “Out of 15 that were eligible to go to the zone camps, we had eight make the lineups – more than 50 per cent. Congratulations to all of them and they’re all well deserving.”
The nine players from the Rocky View region were selected from an initial field of more than 1,000 players in the eight zones. They will use the tournament as a final showcase for the upcoming WHL Bantam Draft, which will take place at Calgary’s BMO Centre on May 5.
The four-day tournament in Lethbridge will also feature a seminar hosted by the WHL, while each of the 160 athletes playing at Alberta Cup are also competing for one of 80 invites to the U16 Alberta Male Provincial Camp in July.
“This tournament is a tremendous opportunity for these young men to showcase their talents,” said Justin Fesyk, coordinator for Team Alberta Male Programs with Hockey Alberta. “The calibre at the zone tryout camps this year was very high. We feel we have a very strong group of 1996 born athletes.”
The Alberta Cup began back in 1986 as a program for midget hockey players. It was held again in 1987 and 1988, but disappeared until 1993 when it re-emerged as a bantam level competition.
This tournament will provide a final opportunity for the eight Xtreme players to showcase their talents in front of scouts, as they were initially scheduled to play at the Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament, April 6-10.
“It was the intent to go, but just a couple weeks ago, they made a decision we’re not going to be in it, unfortunately,” Keogh said.
“The Alberta Cup is the premier event in the province that helps identify the top male players in Alberta,” Fesyk said. “It is well attended by scouts as they prepare for the Western Hockey League’s bantam draft.”
