Sports stats



WHL Western Hockey League

2017 WHL Cup Media Accreditation & Media Availability

October 16, 2017 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Calgary, Alta. - The 2017 WHL Cup will officially open Tuesday, October 17 at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary, Alta., as teams and participants representing BC Hockey, Hockey Alberta, Saskatchewan Hockey Association and Hockey Manitoba will take part in WHL Combines testing in advance of the tournament.

In advance of the event, media opportunities will be available Tuesday from 12:30 - 1:15 p.m. MT at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary. Photo and media opportunities will also be available throughout the duration of the event. All media request can be direct to WHL Manager, Communications Taylor Rocca (roccat@whl.ca) (mailto:roccat@whl.ca)) .

Media accreditation for the event is available upon request. All accreditation requests can be directed to Taylor Rocca (roccat@whl.ca) (mailto:roccat@whl.ca)) and should include media member's full name, media outlet and planned days for attendance.

WHL Combines On-Ice Testing Schedule - Tuesday, October 17 (all times MT) 2:00-3:00 p.m. - Team Alberta 3:15-4:15 p.m. - Team British Columbia 4:30-5:30 p.m. - Team Saskatchewan 5:45-6:45 p.m. - Team Manitoba *Photo opportunities are available during on-ice testing

Event Schedule (all times MT) Upon request, players and coaches will be available following game-day skates All events in the Markin MacPhail Centre

Wednesday, October 18 10:00-10:45 a.m. - Team Saskatchewan Pre-game Skate 11:00-11:45 a.m. - Team Alberta Pre-game Skate 3:00-5:30 p.m. - Game 1: Team Manitoba vs. Team British Columbia 6:30-9:00 p.m. - Game 2: Team Saskatchewan vs. Team Alberta

Thursday, October 19 10:00-10:45 a.m. - Team Alberta Pre-game Skate 11:00-11:45 a.m. - Team British Columbia Pre-game Skate 3:00-5:30 p.m. - Game 3: Team Saskatchewan vs. Team Manitoba 6:30-9:00 p.m. - Game 4: Team Alberta vs. Team British Columbia

Friday, October 20 10:00-10:45 a.m. - Team Manitoba Pre-game Skate 11:00-11:45 a.m. - Team Alberta Pre-game Skate 3:00-5:30 p.m. - Game 5: Team British Columbia vs. Team Saskatchewan 6:30-9:00 p.m. - Game 6: Team Manitoba vs. Team Alberta

Saturday, October 21 1:00-3:30 p.m. - Semifinal #1 4:30-7:00 p.m. - Semifinal #2

Sunday, October 22 9:30-12:30 p.m. - Bronze Medal Game 1:30-3:30 p.m. - Gold Medal Game

Team Alberta The five-time champion Albertans once again boast a star-studded lineup that includes 11 first round selections from the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft. The roster includes the top two selections from the May draft, with Sherwood Park product Kaiden Guhle (first overall, Prince Albert Raiders) and Wainwright native Connor McClennon (second overall, Kootenay ICE) leading the charge. Grande Prairie native Garin Bjorklund (21^st overall, Medicine Hat Tigers) was the top goaltender selected in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft and will guard the crease for Alberta.

Team British Columbia Having last won the event in 2012, Team BC enters another strong roster, which features Surrey product Justin Sourdif (third overall, Vancouver Giants) among six first round selections from the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft. Defenceman Aiden De La Gorgendiere (fifth overall, Saskatoon Blades), a native of Langley, holds down the blueline, while Jack Finley (Kelowna / Spokane Chiefs), Ben King (Vernon / Swift Current Broncos), Tyson Phare (Maple Ridge / Prince George Cougars) and Payton Mount (Victoria / Seattle Thunderbirds) join Sourdif up front.

Team Manitoba Coming off a bronze-medal effort last year, Team Manitoba remains in search of its first tournament title. First-rounders Seth Jarvis (Winnipeg / Portland Winterhawks) and Daemon Hunt (Brandon / Moose Jaw Warriors) will lead the way, with Prince Albert Raiders prospects Jakob Brook (Roblin) and Evan Herman (The Pas) providing additional depth at forward.

Team Saskatchewan After falling in the bronze medal game last year, Team Saskatchewan will look to rebound in 2017 as it also seeks out its first title. Tri-City Americans prospect Kaden Kohle (Humboldt), Kamloops Blazers prospect Josh Pillar (Allan) and Calgary Hitmen prospect Ryder Korczak (Yorkton) lead a highly-talented group of Saskatchewan forwards. Further information on the event can be found at prospects.whl.ca (http://prospects.whl.ca/) .

About the 2017 WHL Cup This year's tournament takes place from Wednesday, October 18 through Sunday, October 22. The 2017 WHL Cup features the highest-rated players in the under-16 age category from the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The tournament will be a four-team round-robin format and is the first step in Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence for players.

The majority of players participating in the event will have been selected in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft or have since been listed by WHL Clubs. The WHL Cup, formerly known as the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup, has been sponsored since 2009 by the WHL and has been made possible through financial support provided by the WHL, Hockey Manitoba, BC Hockey, Hockey Alberta, Saskatchewan Hockey Association and Hockey Canada.

This year will mark the seventh year of the event. The first ever WHL Cup was held in Blackfalds, Alta., in 2009 and featured four of the top eight players selected in the 2012 NHL Draft. In 2010, the WHL Cup was not contested due to the Canada Winter Games. In 2011, the Moose Jaw Warriors and Saskatchewan Hockey Association hosted the event at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw, Sask. In 2012, the tournament was hosted in Calgary at Father David Bauer Arena, the home of the WHL. In 2013, the tournament was again hosted in Calgary at Father David Bauer Arena. In 2014, the WHL Cup was not contested due to the Canada Winter Games. Since 2015, the WHL Cup has been hosted in Calgary at the Markin MacPhail Centre.

Team Alberta is a five-time champion of the WHL Cup, hoisting the trophy in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016, while Team British Columbia won the event in 2012.

Past Participants (Player, WHL Club - NHL Draft/Current NHL Club - Branch Team)

2009 Matt Dumba, Red Deer Rebels - Minnesota Wild - Team Alberta Derek Pouliot, Portland Winterhawks - Vancouver Canucks - Team Saskatchewan Griffin Reinhart, Edmonton Oil Kings - Vegas Golden Knights - Team BC Morgan Reilly, Moose Jaw Warriors - Toronto Maple Leafs - Team BC

2011 Jake Virtanen, Calgary Hitmen - Vancouver Canucks - Team BC Jayce Hawryluk, Brandon Wheat Kings - Florida Panthers - Team Manitoba Connor Bleackley, Red Deer Rebels - St. Louis Blues - Team Alberta Brayden Point, Moose Jaw Warriors - Tampa Bay Lightning - Team Alberta Ryan Gropp, Seattle Thunderbirds - New York Rangers - Team BC Haydn Fleury, Red Deer Rebels - Carolina Hurricanes - Team Saskatchewan

2012 Mathew Barzal, Seattle Thunderbirds - New York Islanders - Team BC Nick Merkley, Kelowna Rockets - Arizona Coyotes - Team Alberta Jansen Harkins, Prince George Cougars - Winnipeg Jets - Team BC Brendan Guhle, Prince Albert Raiders - Buffalo Sabres - Team Alberta Ethan Bear, Seattle Thunderbirds - Edmonton Oilers - Team Saskatchewan

2013 Tyler Benson, Vancouver Giants - Edmonton Oilers - Team Alberta Brett Howden, Moose Jaw Warriors - Tampa Bay Lightning - Team Manitoba Sam Steel, Regina Pats - Anaheim Ducks - Team Alberta Kale Clague, Brandon Wheat Kings - Los Angeles Kings - Team Alberta Nolan Patrick, Brandon Wheat Kings - Philadelphia Flyers - Team Manitoba

2015 WHL Cup All-Star Team G - Matthew Thiessen, Tri-City Americans - Altona, MB - Team Manitoba D - Ty Smith, Spokane Chiefs - 2018 NHL Top Prospect - Team Alberta D - Jett Woo, Moose Jaw Warriors - 2018 NHL Top Prospect - Team Manitoba F - Carson Focht, Tri-City Americans - 2018 NHL Top Prospect - Team Saskatchewan F - Eric Florchuk, Victoria Royals - Ft. Saskatchewan, AB - Team Alberta F - Eli Zummack, Spokane Chiefs - 2018 NHL Top Prospect - Team BC

2016 WHL Cup All-Star Team G - Byron Fancy (Team Alberta) - Claresholm, AB - Red Deer Rebels D - Kaeden Korczak (Team Saskatchewan) - Yorkton, SK - Kelowna Rockets D - Braden Schneider (Team Saskatchewan) - Prince Albert, SK - Brandon Wheat Kings F - Logan Barlage (Team Saskatchewan) - Humboldt, SK - Swift Current Broncos F - Peyton Krebs (Team Alberta) - Okotoks, AB - Kootenay ICE F - Joshua Williams (Team British Columbia) - Langley, BC - Medicine Hat Tigers

About the Western Hockey League Regarded as the world's finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 350 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada's National Junior Hockey Team.

Taylor Rocca Manager, Communications Western Hockey League roccat@whl.ca (mailto:roccat@whl.ca)

Check out the Western Hockey League Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from October 16, 2017


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central