Announced earlier this month, the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is expanding with six teams in Central and Southern Alberta.
There will be three of the teams in our region with new teams in Three Hills, Bassano, Diamond Valley, Stavely, Calgary, and Hanna. The team in Hanna will be the Hanna Havoc and General Manager and Co-Owner BJ Scheelar is excited to bring a new team to Hanna. “I’ve come there with minor hockey a lot in the past, with my coaching, and it is such a hockey driven town. For what we’re looking to do here, I think it is a great opportunity for fans to get out and have something to build around to bring some civic pride to the town in the form of junior hockey. I think it is a great market for junior hockey.”
The reciprocal feeling is being shown to the team by the residents of Hanna and area according to Scheelar. “Before this project started, I knew one person in Hanna. Now I feel like I know half the town. I’ve had an outreach of people who are looking to billet, even before I started reaching out for billets.” Sponsors have been reaching out to Scheelar and he is very encouraged the early support from the community for this team.
As mentioned earlier, there are six teams planned for this Alberta Division. Lisa May is the owner of the Southern Alberta Mustangs based in Stavely and is also the USPHL Premier Alberta Division Coordinator. She shares this new league will provide another outlet for players to work towards both their hockey future and education south of the border. “Players that are looking for college and university. This league is about player development. There are opportunities and exposure to Division One and Division Three (NCAA) schools and teams. It’s just an extra opportunity to build yourself as a younger player and get a great university education.”
The caliber of players is anticipated to be similar to Junior A in Western Canada (BCHL, AJHL, SJHL, MJHL, KIJHL). The six teams held a joint evaluation camp last weekend in Chestermere to help build the rosters. The league is anticipating play to begin in the end of September and for year one the six teams in the Alberta division will play against each other. Next season it is anticipated the teams will then have the opportunity to play other USPHL Premier teams in their National Showcase and have a chance at the USPHL Championship. The USPHL Premier is up to 89 teams now. A number of players have played in the USPHL and have gone on to the NHL like Tage Thompson, Ryan Donato, Joel Farabee, just to name a few.
For more information on the Hanna Havoc, check out their social media page. All of the contact information is there to reach out to Co-owner and General Manager BJ Scheelar. To learn more about the USPHL Premier Division, visit their website.
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