The Western Provinces Hockey Association (WPHA) is building steam in Alberta, with the City of Cold Lake jumping on the opportunity to snatch up a team.
Representatives of the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) invited the public to the Cold Lake Energy Centre on Thursday, Feb. 8, to announce the possible expansion.
So far, six municipalities, including Cold Lake ,have committed to hosting a team, and others have shown interest.
“This is an exciting day. There's major hockey coming to Cold Lake. It's going to be a great opportunity for not only local kids, but youth across Canada to play high-level hockey right here, or in any of the other communities the league expands to,” detailed Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland.
The league has also attracted a number of potential owners in recent weeks, but none have officially bought into a WPHA franchise. According to league commissioner Ron White, the WSHL is currently talking with a possible owner for the Cold Lake team.
“Has there been interest from Cold Lake? Yes. I can tell you one candidate is having dinner with my son at Disneyland as we speak,” said White.
If the WPHA successfully takes off, it will be the first and only pay-to-play Jr. A hockey league in Alberta. Players are on the ice up to four times per week for practice, with games being played on weekends.
When they're not honing their craft on ice, they'll be studying it in the video room. Coaches are brought in to give players their best chance at taking their game to the next level.
“The league is a weekend-only league. That allows players to have Monday to Thursday for ice time, which they'll be using every day. Not unlike other top junior leagues, there will be video work, and nutrition to follow,” explained Derek Prue, WPHA international expansion coordinator.
Because the league would have looser age and nationality restrictions than the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), providing those demographics with an extended opportunity to develop.
In the AJHL, the age limit is set at 19, and each team is only allowed to sign four international players. Under WPHA rules, players are eligible until they turn 21. Those born in Canada or the United States aren't considered international, regardless of where they sign.
The effect an extra year could have was on display recently, after five players from White's Long Beach Bombers franchise earned their way onto college teams.
“We wanted to improve our league's level of play and compete for college spots, so we made our own rules. Last year on my team in Long Beach, we had five Canadian 20-year-olds that were aged out and wanted to keep playing. All five continue to play hockey for the University of Arkansas,” explained White.
The WPHA's safety policy, however, takes a much harsher approach. Players will be held accountable for their actions on and off the ice. Misconduct, depending on its severity, can potentially get a player permanently removed from the league.
“We had a guy that brushed a referee, and pretended to give him a face wash. He skated away, and then did another lap and did it again. He was kicked out of the league immediately after the game,” detailed White.
Ideally, league officials would like to see WPHA kick-off in accordance with the 2018 WSHL season. If they want to meet their goal, they'll have to obtain an owner for each team, and hire coaching staff in time for the offseason in mid-April.
While he acknowledges there's work to be done, White is confident residents could see WPHA action in Cold Lake in 2018.
“Just in the last 24-hours, the level of interest we've seen from communities is right on-target,” expressed White. “We're looking to add six to eight teams, maybe even more within the province. In a community like this, I bet every seat will be filled.”
