A pair of AAA hockey players from Rocky View County have carved a roadway to the 2023 Canada Winter Games.
Okotoks Bow Mark Oilers forwards Kyle McDonough and Lochlan Tetarenko, who hail from Langdon and Bragg Creek, were named to Team Alberta’s 20-player roster for the 2023 Canada Winter Games.
“They’re both skilled, hard workers, they want to learn every day, they want to get better,” said Bow Mark Oilers head coach Chris Beston. “They’re both well deserving of that honour of making Team Alberta.
“They compete every day and want to move on to the next level, that’s for sure.”
The 2023 Canada Winter Games run Feb. 18 to March 5 in Summerside and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The hockey competition will feature the top U16 athletes from each province.
The Alberta roster was selected after team management considered the players’ overall play throughout the scouting process, including past Team Alberta events as well as a U16 summer camp held in Red Deer in July. The selection camp had 80 invitees and from there, a shortlist was crafted featuring the top 33 athletes.
"It's a lot of nerves just waiting for those dates and you're also just anxious," Tetarenko said. "I've heard about Team Alberta for a while and finally getting a chance to make it, and those dates were for from when everyone played, so everyone is waiting and your scrolling on the website just refreshing it when it was the day.
"It will be so much fun and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone that I've played against and going to P.E.I. with my family is going to be super fun. Playing that really high-level hockey will be really good for me and my future."
McDonough, a second-round draft pick of the Portland Winterhawks from Langdon, is tied for second on the Oilers' scoring chart with 19 points as of writing.
The centre captained the Okotoks U15 AAA Oilers to a silver medal finish at provincials in 2022, where he led the Alberta Elite Hockey League with 36 goals and was named the top forward and a first-team all star.
“Kyle’s hockey IQ is off the charts. He’s super smart,” Beston said. “We have him on the quarterback on the power play, that’s what we think of him.
“With those 15-year-olds, it can be a little bit intimidating playing against guys that are two or three years older, but they don’t hesitate.”
Tetarenko, a dynamic winger with enviable puck skills, is fourth on the Oilers' scoring chart with 13 points. The 2007-born forward was the Saskatoon Blades’ third-round selection in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft in May.
“He’s got a ton of speed, great skills with the puck, he’s physical and not afraid and that’s the biggest thing for him,” Beston said. “He has confidence with the puck at 15 that’s mature beyond his years.”
After moving to the Bragg Creek area three years ago from Ontario, Tetarenko said it's been a thrill to get a chance to make an impact with the Team Alberta program.
"I moved here from Toronto and I was this scrawny five-foot-one kid, not thinking I would be playing AAA or anything," Tetarenko said. "And I just worked my way up to Team Alberta and when I heard that I made it, I was just ecstatic and I'm super excited to go."
Both forwards have helped the Bow Mark Oilers ice the most productive offence in the 16-team AEHL's U18 AAA division.
As of writing, Okotoks was fifth in the south division with an 8-9-1 record, but top of the league offensively with 73 goals in 18 games, led by the likes of McDonough, Tetarenko, Conner Radke, and Luc Trevors.
“They’re young in age, but the way they play the game is very mature,” Beston said. “That’s how we knew they were the right fit for us. They play beyond their years, for sure. Their hockey knowledge and hockey IQ is further along than the average person.”
