Hurricanes Prospect Estephan Named to Team Alberta

The Lethbridge Hurricanes will have four of their 2012 Bantam Draft picks competing for their respective provincial teams at next month’s 2012 Western Canada Challenge Cup. 

At a media conference in Calgary the rosters were announced for Team Alberta and Team BC. Lethbridge Hurricanes 1st round pick (4th overall) Giorgio Estephan was named to Team Alberta.

With Estephan being named to Team Alberta, the Hurricanes will have four players competing as earlier this month Lethbridge Hurricanes 1st round (18th overall) draft pick Thomas Lenchyshyn and 3rd round (53rd overall) pick Colt Conrad were named to Team Manitoba, and 11th round pick Kody White was named to Team Saskatchewan.

Last year, eight Canes draft picks filled up Team Alberta and Team Saskatchewan rosters. Reid Duke, Tyler Wong, Reid Nemeth and Jonny Hogue all played for Team Alberta, while Ryan Pilon, Kolten Olynek, Carter Amson and Bryton Sayers all played for Team Saskatchewan. Of those eight players, Duke, Wong and Pilon have all made the jump to the Hurricanes this season. Duke scored the game winning goal and added an assist leading Alberta to a 10-4 win over Manitoba to claim the Gold Medal at the 2011 Challenge Cup that was held in Moose Jaw, Sk.

The Western Canada Challenge Cup features the highest rated players in the Under 16 age category and it’s the first step in the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence and assists the four Western Provincial Hockey Associations in evaluating these top prospects in this age group for future high performance programs. The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup will take place at Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary November 1st-4th, 2012.

(From Esther Madziya, Hurricanes Media Relations)

Thanks,
Pat