On Thursday the top under-15 male hockey athletes in the province will showcase their talents at the 2024 Alberta Cup.
From April 25-28, 120 players on six teams will compete throughout the four-day tournament at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre in hopes of being crowned Alberta Cup champions on Sunday.
The Alberta Cup, which first began in 1986, is the first taste of tournament-style elite-level competition for some of these players.
They’re also competing in front of hundreds of Western Hockey League scouts and executives in hopes of being selected in the upcoming WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday, May 9.
The tournament is meant to further player development but is also a platform for staff such as coaches and referees for potential positions at high-level tournaments such as the World U17 Hockey Challenge.
The Alberta Cup begins on Thursday at 9 a.m. and continues throughout the next four days until the championship final on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Red Deer athletes competing in the tournament include Brock England, Easton Nafziger, and Lucas Graham.
In addition, athletes from across central Alberta in the tournament include Crew Martinson (Olds), Tayte Hoiland (Rocky Mountain House), Grady Gardiner (Sylvan Lake), Drake Mooney (Blackfalds), and Finn Kelly (Rimbey).
The Alberta Cup is just the beginning of a trio of events for Hockey Alberta’s Spring Showcase. In addition to the Alberta Cup over the next three weeks, Hockey Alberta will welcome hundreds of players to Red Deer to also compete in the Alberta Challenge on May 1-5 and Prospects Cup on May 8-12.