The local hockey landscape will undergo a change this winter with an expansion of the North Central Bulls program.
Last year, the North Central Bulls were born as a midget AA team in order to allow the area’s best hockey players to compete at a higher level.
The team entered competition in the Northern Alberta Midget Hockey League, and though the local players gave it their all, they were at a disadvantage. Comprised of midget players from Athabasca (with minimal representation from the surrounding area), they were simply unable to be competitive against teams from larger centres that could draw from larger pools.
Rather than abandon the concept, local organizers are strengthening it by emphasizing the regional element and creating two new teams; AA Bantam and AA Peewee squads. In all, three Bulls team will hit the ice this winter, all of them with representation from Athabasca, Boyle, Lac La Biche and Plamondon.
“These teams have a great chance of being competitive as they will have a much more regional makeup due to communities such as Boyle, Lac La Biche and Plamondon putting their support behind the teams,” explained Athabasca midget director Terry Lovelace.
“We have (surrounding communities) signed up and ready to contribute players.”
Lovelace noted that long-standing leagues like Sturgeon Pembina and Elk Island are losing teams each year, and in order for local hockey players to keep up, they must look for new opportunities as well.
With the Midget Bulls playing in the NAMHL (and the other teams playing in similar leagues) they will have the chance to keep playing the game at a high level.
“The addition of AA in the area will also allow kids to play at a more appropriate skill level, and competition at each skill level will improve as a result,” he said.
The teams will be recruiting coaches with experience coaching high-level hockey and a comprehensive knowledge of the game.
The team will emphasize its regional stature this season, with practices and home games being played in all represented communities, and not just in Athabasca.
“We want to start calling this a regional hockey team. No one will really own it. The region will be the owner of it.
“It should be an exciting year for competitive hockey.”
Informal skates and dry land sessions will be held through the summer, including June 22 and July 20 at the Bold Centre in Lac La Biche.
