WHL, CSSHL Set to Host Vancouver Bantam Prep Showcase

Calgary, Alta. – The Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL), in partnership with the Western Hockey League and the Vancouver Giants, will stage the first of two WHL/CSSHL Showcase this weekend in the Vancouver area. The WHL/CSSHL Showcase, which will be held at Planet Ice in Delta B.C., December 8 – 10, will feature 8 CSSHL Bantam Prep Teams competing in a three-day showcase. Next weekend in Saskatoon, WHL and CSSHL will conduct another Showcase, in conjunction with the Saskatoon Blades, at the Sasktel Centre, December 15 – 17.

“We are pleased to partner with the CSSHL and assist with the staging of the showcases in Saskatoon and Vancouver,” commented WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. “The WHL/CSSHL Showcases will not only provide an opportunity for the WHL to education players and parents to the benefits of playing in the WHL but also allow the CSSHL teams the opportunity to experience everything the WHL has to offer by touring our facilities and attending a WHL game.”

The WHL / CSSHL Vancouver Showcase will feature eight CSSHL Bantam Prep teams from the following sport schools;  Burnaby Winter Club (BDC) Academy (Burnaby, B.C.), Delta Hockey Academy Green (Delta, B.C.), Delta Hockey Academy White (Delta, B.C.), Edge School (Calgary, Alta.), Norther Alberta Xtreme (Edmonton, Alta.) Notre Dame Hounds (Wilcox, Sask.), OHA Edmonton (Edmonton, Alta.), and the Okanagan Hockey Academy (Penticton, B.C.). The WHL/ CSSHL Showcase schedule opens with games on Friday, December 8 at Planet Ice in Delta, home of the Delta Hockey Academy, and concludes on Sunday, December 10.  As part of the WHL / CSSHL Showcase, all CSSHL Bantam Prep teams will attend the WHL game on Saturday, December 9 when the Vancouver Giants host the Kootenay ICE at the Langley Event Centre.

“To partner with the WHL Giants to operate a showcase in Vancouver is very exciting for us,” said Kevin Goodwin, Chief Operating Officer of the CSSHL. “We are very impressed by the WHL’s commitment to academics, which includes their post-secondary education package. These two events allow our student athletes, and their families, to gather information about the WHL and their education package so they can make an informed decision on their academic and athletic future.”

While the focus will be on the ice, the WHL and CSSHL have partnered to provide students and parents with information sessions on the WHL player experience. The WHL will have four special guest speakers, in addition to WHL Commissioner, Ron Robison, participating in the sessions to provide further insight into the hockey development and educational opportunities available through the WHL.

Glen Hanlon will speak on his lifetime career in hockey around the world. Hanlon, a native of Brandon, Man., spent three seasons as a goaltender for his hometown Wheat Kings, winning the Del Wilson Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Top Goaltender in the 1976-77 season. Hanlon also attended the 1976 Mastercard Memorial Cup with the New Westminster Bruins. Hanlon was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the third round, 40^th overall, of the 1977 NHL Draft, making his NHL debut that following season and would go on to play nearly 500 games in the NHL with the Canucks, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings. Following the conclusion of his playing career, Hanlon made the transition behind the bench, eventually coaching the Washington Capitals between the 2003-04 and 2007-08 seasons. Hanlon has also cultivated a coaching career at the international level, working with Canada, Belarus, Slovakia and Switzerland at major international tournaments including the Spengler Cup, IIHF World Junior Championship and World Championship. He returned to North America permanently in 2016, accepting the role of general manager with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants.

Also speaking at the WHL/CSSHL Showcase is Ian Gallagher, who served as the conditioning coach of the Vancouver Giants for 12 seasons starting in 2004-05.  Gallagher has worked with many WHL and NHL players on conditioning programs but is probably best known for his work with his son Brendan who played four seasons with the Giants and made the jump to the NHL, now serving as an alternate captain with the Montreal Canadiens.

Providing insight to the abilities and opportunities offered by the WHL Scholarship is former WHL forward Yashar Farmanara. Farmanara, a product of West Vancouver, B.C., played 310 regular season games in the WHL between the Seattle Thunderbirds, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Medicine Hat Tigers. At the start of the 2008-09 season, he accessed his WHL Scholarship, pursuing a degree at the University of Western Ontario, winning a bronze medal with Canada at the 2011 Winter Universiade. Farmanara now enjoys a career in the hockey world, serving as the founder for the West Van Warriors program.

The fourth guest speaker is WHL Alumni Mike Egener, who brings a wealth of international hockey experience to the table. During his time with the Calgary Hitmen, Egener was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round, 34^th overall, of the 2003 NHL Draft. Following the conclusion of his WHL career, which included representing Canada at the Under-18 World Championships, Egener spent four seasons in the North Americans professional ranks as a steady hand on defence. He would then take his defensive talents internationally, playing in Sweden, Denmark and Great Britain, where he won an EIHL Championship with the Coventry Blaze in 2015. Egener now coaches with the Okanagan Hockey Academy.

WHL / CSSHL Vancouver Showcase Schedule

The end of each game will result in a player of the game being named for both sides. Following the final game of the showcase, the WHL and CSSHL will collectively announce the showcase’s Most Valuable Player to recognize the individual who stood out the most and contributed to his team’s success through the three days.

Sponsoring this year’s MVP Award is the WHL Combine powered by Okanagan Hockey, another developmental tool offered to prospective players by the WHL. With five dates listed on this year’s WHL Prospects Combine Schedule, the events focus on generating a deeper discussion with players, educating them on their physical health and well-being as well as working with them to understand the demands required by competing at the WHL level. All data collected from the five stops on this year’s combine schedule is shared and used by WHL clubs to track and identify players ahead of upcoming WHL Bantam Drafts.

About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 350 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.

About the CSSHL
The CSSHL was established in 2009 and currently features 19 Hockey Canada Sports Schools and 69 teams across Western Canada and Idaho. The league was designed specifically for elite level student athletes, giving them the opportunity to increase their skills off and on the ice, while also providing them with a high level of competition and exposure. Currently, the CSSHL includes seven different divisions at the Bantam, Midget and Female levels.