Lethbridge midget AAA now includes Med. Hat
I want to start this article by congratulating the Lethbridge Hurricanes on their run to the WHL Eastern Conference Final. I said a few weeks ago in my column that I don’t root — but I lied. I rooted for the Hurricanes, not just because they were my hometown junior hockey team but because they were impossible not to root for.
They were the underdog, they were exciting and they were a team that a city could be proud of. Even as they lost, I found it difficult to leave the building after Game 6 on Sunday night. That team deserved a round of applause and to see the admiration that this city had for Tyler Wong and he in turn for our city was a special moment indeed for hockey in our community.
I feel in this article it is important to touch on another news story that has been circulating lately. Hockey Alberta has done an extensive review of the Male Alberta Development Model (ADM) especially relating to Midget AAA in southern Alberta. After extensive review and consultation, the Male ADM committee has implemented changes to the Medicine Hat and Lethbridge Elite Draw Zones for the 2017-18 season.
The Medicine Hat and Lethbridge Draw Zones will officially be merged into one new South Draw Zone.
The South Draw Zone will be split into East (Medicine Hat and area) and West (Lethbridge and area) subzones for certain levels of hockey.
The South Draw Zone will contain five Elite teams (one Midget AAA, two Minor Midget AAA and two Bantam AAA).
The changes keep teams in smaller geographic areas for the Bantam and Minor Midget levels, providing opportunities for players to continue to develop closer to home. It also allows Medicine Hat and Lethbridge to continue working on coach and player development plans. Moving to one Midget AAA team gives the South Draw Zone the ability to be on an equal playing field with the rest of the province.
In summary, Lethbridge will maintain a Midget AAA team but that team will now include players from Medicine Hat. The reality is Hockey Alberta has a responsibility to make changes based on the growth and development that occurs in our province — especially relating to changing demographics.
The preparations for next season have already begun and the anticipation of having Mike Dyck and Doug Paisley lead the charge for a AAA midget team that will now include players from Medicine Hat will be exciting. The expectations will be high and a team capable of championship calibre hockey will be exciting in southern Alberta.
Another change based on the ADM committee’s review involved the Airdrie Draw Zone, where a new Okotoks Draw Zone was created. Each of the Airdrie and Okotoks draw zones will now have a team at the Bantam AAA, Minor Midget AAA and Midget AAA levels.
The reasons are most simply related to numbers. Even in the economic downturn the population base in and around the city of Calgary has exploded. For example, according to the federal census the city of Calgary has grown from a city of 878,000 people in 2001 to a city of 1.23 million people today. Airdrie has grown from a city of 20,000 people in 2001 to a city of 61,000 people today. This population boom has ultimately led to more hockey players.