A provincial medal is already in the bag, but the season is not over just yet for many of Airdrie's U15 AAA boys' hockey players.
Ten members of the provincial-winning Airdrie Xtreme have been selected to play in the upcoming Alberta Cup – a post-season tournament put on by Hockey Alberta each spring that features selected players from the north and south regions of the province. The selected players are divided into six teams (three from each region).
After a final round of tryouts from March 31 to April 2, Airdrie's 2008-born players selected for the tournament's three south teams include Griffin Horne, Caelan Joudrey, Ryan Schrock, Will McLaughlin, Finn Bagley, Braeden Bohach-Murray, Riley Boychuk, Isaac Davies, Benett Kelly, Aaron Sawatsky, and Keegan Bailey.
Apart from Keegan Bailey, who plays for the Okanagan Hockey Academy, the rest of the players featured for the Xtreme this past season.
Their selections come after a dominant season for the Xtreme, who ended the 2022-23 campaign with their first provincial championship since 2018.
Red Deer will host the Alberta Cup at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre from April 26 to 30. According to Hockey Alberta, players participating in the tournament will be evaluated to represent Team Alberta at the WHL Cup in October.
“Year after year we see talented kids from across the province try out, and this was no exception,” said Mike Kraichy, Hockey Alberta’s Manager of Elite Male Hockey, in a press release. “This is the next step in the Team Alberta program, but my focus is on player development and that they use this opportunity to reach their next level as hockey players and people.”
