I spent a some of my weekend at Nicholas Sheran Arena taking in the 2011 Alberta Cup.
From what I could see and the feedback I received from the host committee, the tournament went off without a hitch and was a big success. Hockey Alberta announced on Sunday that the Alberta Cup would be back in Lethbridge again in 2012 for a second straight year at the end of next April. Crowds were very good for the four-day event as well. The Alberta Cup also attracted a large contingent of Western Hockey League scouts. I had a chance to speak to a few of those scouts and WHL General Managers during the tournament. One told me that Nicholas Sheran was the perfect venue for an event like the Alberta Cup. I have to agree. As for the talent, I thought there was plenty of that as well. There was a lot of size on some of those teams and some very talented young men that will certainly make solid WHLers in the next few seasons. Of course the Lethbridge Hurricanes have two picks in the top 5 in the May Bantam Draft in Calgary (3rd & 5th overall). The entire Hurricanes hockey management staff spent the weekend at the Alberta Cup to check out the talent. Of course, the Hurricanes have to wait and see what Calgary and Swift Current do first in the draft, but either way the Canes' are going to be getting two very good players. Another scout even suggested to me that he really likes the direction the Hurricanes are heading in and felt this will be a very good hockey club in the next few years once all these high-end draft choices get into the mix. The Alberta Cup was expected to inject more than $500,000 into the Lethbridge economy. I heard nothing but positive things from the Hockey ALberta folks about the job Lethbridge did putting on the event. That all bodes well going into the 2012 tournament.
The WHL's Eastern Conference final is all set to go. Medicine Hat will host the Kootenay ICE starting this Friday in the Hat. I don't think anyone thought the ICE would get by Saskatoon, let alone take them out in four straight games. Gotta give Kootenay a lot of credit. They played excellent defensively against the Blades and are full value for the win. As for the Tigers, Medicine Hat didn't seem to have a lot of trouble with Red Deer. The Tigers easily won the regular season set between the two teams and they took out the Rebels in 5 in the playoffs too. I thought that series would be a lot closer than it was. I also think the 9-1 win for Medicine Hat in game one really set the tone. The final should be a fun one to watch between Medicine Hat and Kootenay and really it could go either way. It could be the Tigers offence against the ICE defence in this one. Over the in the West, the Portland Winterhawks are off to the Conference final. They took out Kelowna in six games and are now waiting to take on the winner of the Spokane/Tri Cities series. The Chiefs lead 3-2 with game six on Tuesday. It'll be an all-American match-up in the West and an all-Canadian match-up in the East.
The Ticket Centre at the ENMAX Centre has been temporarily closed for the next four months. Tickets for the Lethbridge Hurricanes or other upcoming events this fall came be purchased at the Yates Theatre Ticket Centre, 403-329-SEAT, online at www.enmaxcentre.ca or at www.lethbridgehurricanes.com. The ENMAX Ticket Centre re-opens September 1st.
Thanks,
Pat
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A lot of talent showcased over the past 4 days at NS Arena. Ty Mappen, Reid Duke, John Quennville, Riley Simpson, Braden Jakubowski, Evan Reid, all stood out. Duke and Mappin will likely go in the top 10 of the WHL draft.
ReplyDeletePredictions went out the window with the shocking demise of Saskatoon, Red Deer. Not because they lost but in the way they lost. Medicine Hat out scores Kootenay to win the East. Out West, Portland should prevail over either Spokane or TC.
RJS
Nice to see that Dylan P.finally agrees with me on something. Having watched more than half of the Alberta Cup games, the most dominating forward was Reid Duke. He is big, strong, very smart with the puck,knows where to go when he does not have the puck and his shootout goal along with his one-timer in the an overtime game, certainly indicates this skill.He is a dominating player. I too hope he is one of the Hurricanes' first two picks in the WHL Draft.
ReplyDeleteRJS
Not sure which games you were watching....Quennville and Jakubowski were invisible over the AB Cup. Mappin was the most dominant forward...
ReplyDeleteAn intriguing question for us bloggers... If possible, do the canes trade the 5th pick, a 4th rounder, and a guy such as Moser (or anyone else 18 or 19 excluding a select few) to Regina for Klimchuk? He was the 5th pick in last years draft. And from what I have heard and seen he is a more complete player than Merkley. He also has been Merkley's linemate for the past 2 seasons and they have great chemistry. It basically gives us the 3rd and 5th pick last season, and the 3rd pick this season, essentially making the rebuild a year quicker. Then with the 3rd pick this year grab a D-Man. Who knows if Regina would even do this, but if they would, I would jump on that trade in a heart beat. What do you guys think?
ReplyDeleteAccording to one member of the media, Chad Lang (Pat's GM) has said he would likely be fired for trading off their first round pick.
ReplyDeleteTM
Purcell never said he HOPED the team would take Duke. He said the team WOULD take him.
ReplyDelete