Lethbridge, Alta.  – The top 1997 born hockey players in the province are ready to hit the ice for the 2012 Alberta Cup April 26-29 at the Nicholas Sheran Arena in Lethbridge. 

“These young men have worked very hard to earn a position on their zone teams and we’re excited to see them take to the ice for the competition,” said Hockey Alberta’s Manager of Hockey Development, Justin Fesyk. “This is a great opportunity for these players to get noticed by scouts and get a step closer to playing for Team Alberta at the 2012 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup in October.”

The teams are made up of 20 players, three Coaches, one Trainer, one Director of Operations and one Coach Mentor.  Team Calgary South is the defending Alberta Cup champion after defeating Team Northwest in last year’s championship game. This will be the second consecutive year the Alberta Cup has been hosted in Lethbridge.

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Tickets for the Alberta Cup are available at the event for the following prices:

Tournament Pass (20 Games) - $40.00
Day Pass (4-6 Games) - $15.00
Last Game of the Day - $5.00
Kids Under 12 Years Old - FREE

For the first time, Hockey Alberta will be broadcasting all games at the 2012 Alberta Cup live on the internet through a partnership with FASTHockey. All games can be accessed through the Hockey Alberta website (www.hockeyalberta.ca/albertacup). 

Follow the Alberta Cup on FACEBOOK and TWITTER or stay connected online at www.hockeyalberta.ca/albertacup.  

The 2012 Alberta Cup Host Committee is comprised of three groups; Lethbridge Minor Hockey Association, Lethbridge Hurricanes and University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Alumni Association. Hockey Alberta is also proud to have the Western Hockey League, Reebok/CCM, Source for Sports and Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation as event sponsors.

The Alberta Cup Program begins in March each year with close to 1000 players trying out at their respective zone camps. Each of the 160 athletes playing in the Alberta Cup is competing for one of eighty invites to the U16 Male Provincial Camp in July. The U16 Male Provincial Camp is the final stage in the first year of the Team Alberta Program.

The Alberta Cup is the premier event in the province that helps identify the top bantam-aged male players in Alberta.  It is well attended by scouts as they prepare for the Western Hockey League’s bantam draft. In addition to player evaluations, the competition is also an opportunity for administrators, coaches, trainers and referees to be evaluated for future positions with the Team Alberta Program.

Former Alberta Cup graduates include such players as Jordan Eberle, Devan Dubnyk, Dany Heatley, Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf, Scott Hartnell and Devin Setoguchi.