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Two Red Deer players named to Team Alberta U16 for WHL Cup

A pair of local hockey products have earned the opportunity to represent the province in a national competition later this month.
Byron Hackett
Byron Hackett
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A pair of local hockey products have earned the opportunity to represent the province in a national competition later this month.

Forwards Nate Danielson and Tyler MacKenzie were named to Team Alberta’s U16 Male roster for the 2019 WHL Cup in Calgary from Oct. 23-27.

Danielson and MacKenzie were selected to a shortlist based on their play throughout the Team Alberta scouting process this spring and summer. Eighty players were in Red Deer at summer camp and a shortlist was established to monitor them during the early parts of the 2019-20 campaign.

“The selection process was very competitive, which made for some very difficult decisions,” said Head Coach Brandin Cotem, who also has Red Deer ties.

“Our staff is extremely excited to work with this talented group of players moving forward to compete at the 2019 WHL Cup.”

Danielson is a highly-touted prospect, after being selected fifth overall by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.

The six-foot, 165-pound forward is playing for Northern Alberta X-Treme Midget Prep in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. Through three games this year, he has four goals and eight assists for 12 points.

MacKenzie, 15, was drafted in the sixth round, 122nd overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers. Listed at just five-foot-six, 139-pounds, MacKenzie had a strong season last year with the Red Deer Rebels Bantam AAA program and is also on the Optimist Chiefs roster for the upcoming campaign.

Sylvan Lake’s Cody Reynolds, who is an assistant coach for the RDC Kings hockey team, will be an assistant at the WHL Cup for Alberta.

The WHL Cup features players in the under-16 age category from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The four-team round robin tournament is also the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence for players.


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Byron Hackett

About the Author: Byron Hackett

Byron has been the sports reporter at the advocate since December of 2016. He likes to spend his time in cold hockey arenas accompanied by luke warm, watered down coffee.
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