Tournament cancelled earlier this spring due to COVID-19 pandemic
Although he won’t be able to represent his country this summer, Prince Albert Raiders blueliner Nolan Allan was still recognized for his work over the 2019-20 campaign.
The 17-year-old from Davidson was among the 46 players that had earned invited to Hockey Canada’s summer camp for the 2020 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
The event, which was to have taken place in Edmonton and Red Deer in August, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s important for Hockey Canada to recognize the work the players and coaching staff already put in to prepare for the summer and a chance to compete for gold on home ice,” Scott Salmond, the Senior Vice-President of National Teams for Hockey Canada, said in a press release on Thursday.
“It was a difficult decision to cancel the tournament, as it provides the opportunity to showcase the top under-18 players in a best-on-best international showcase. We want to recognize the 46 players and three coaches for this tremendous accomplishment, and we look forward to watching all the players continue to develop as they look ahead to next season and a chance to compete at the IIHF U18 World Championship.”
Allan, who was the third overall pick in the 2018 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft, had two goals and six assists in 58 games during his first full season in the Western Hockey League.
He also had one assist for Canada Red at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in November.
In addition to Allan, 11 other players from the WHL were also invited to the camp:
Goaltenders
- Tyler Brennan (Prince George Cougars)
- Thomas Milic (Seattle Thunderbirds – Played with the Burnaby Winter Club last season)
Defencemen
- Carson Lambos (Winnipeg Ice)
- Kyle Masters (Red Deer Rebels)
- Graham Sward (Spokane Chiefs)
- Olen Zellweger (Everett Silvertips)
Forwards
- Dylan Guenther (Edmonton Oil Kings)
- Conner Roulette (Seattle Thunderbirds)
- Cole Sillinger (Medicine Hat Tigers)
- Logan Stankoven (Kamloops Blazers)
- Zack Stringer (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Moose Jaw Warriors draft pick Carson Ceulemans, who suited up for the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits this past season and is currently committed to the NCAA’s Wisconsin Badgers, was invited to the camp.
Louis Robitaille of the Gatineau Olympiques was to have been the team’s head coach, with Alan Letang of the Owen Sound Attack and Dennis Williams of the Everett Silvertips serving as assistants.
Although the Hlinka Gretzky Cup won’t be taking place, Allan could still suit up for Canada’s Under-18 program next spring at the IIHF World Under-18 Championships if the Raiders’ campaign ends early.
A location for that event has yet to be announced.
Raiders unveil 50th season logo
As the club prepares for their 50th season of play, the Raiders revealed a special logo for the 2020-21 campaign on Wednesday.
In addition to a banner with the number 50 being incorporated into the team’s current logo, seven stars are located at the bottom to represent the Raiders’ championships, which something that has been done by major soccer clubs in the past.
Four white stars represent the four Centennial Cups the team won during their time in the SJHL and two gold stars represent their WHL titles in 1985 and 2019, with a large green star representing the club’s 1985 Memorial Cup triumph.
In other news, the club has extended its early bird deadline on season tickets to Friday, July 31.
For more information, contact the Raiders office at 306-764-5348.
Lafreniere named CHL Player of the Year
Rimouski Oceanic forward Alexis Lafreniere made a bit of history on Wednesday.
The presumptive top pick for the 2020 NHL Draft joined former Oceanic star Sidney Crosby as the only back-back-to-back recipients of the Canadian Hockey League’s Player of the Year award.
Lafreniere, who beat out Adam Beckman of the Spokane Chiefs and Marco Rossi of the Ottawa 67’s for the honour, led the QMJHL in scoring this past season with 112 points in 52 games.
He also had 10 points in five games for Canada at the World Juniors, where he was named the tournament MVP.
Meanwhile, 67’s blueliner Noel Hoefenmayer earned the CHL’s Defenceman of the Year trophy on Tuesday over Ty Smith of the Chiefs and Jordan Spencer of the Moncton Wildcats.
Hoefenmayer led all CHL defenceman in scoring this season with 82 points in 58 games on his way to earning a pro contract with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
