Red Deer to host 2021 WHL Cup
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League, in partnership with BC Hockey, Hockey Alberta, Hockey Saskatchewan, Hockey Manitoba and Hockey Canada, announced today that the City of Red Deer will serve as the host for the 2021 WHL Cup.
Scheduled to be held October 20-24, the 2021 WHL Cup will be played at the Peavey Mart Centrium – home of the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels – as well as at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre at Red Deer College and will feature teams from the four Western Canadian provinces competing in a round robin tournament format followed by playoffs.
The 2021 WHL Cup will feature the top 2006-born players from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, each of whom is eligible for the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. The 2021 WHL Prospects Draft is scheduled to be conducted online on Thursday, December 9.
Rosters and ticketing information for the 2021 WHL Cup will be announced at a later date.
The WHL Cup, established in 2009, is held every season except in years when the Canada Winter Games are held, and is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence for players.
2021 WHL Cup – Event Schedule
Wednesday, October 20
Game 1 – British Columbia at Saskatchewan – 4 p.m. MT
Game 2 – Manitoba at Alberta – 7 p.m. MT
Thursday, October 21
Game 3 – British Columbia at Manitoba – 4 p.m. MT
Game 4 – Alberta at Saskatchewan – 7 p.m. MT
Friday, October 22
Game 5 – Alberta at British Columbia – 12:30 p.m. MT
Game 6 – Saskatchewan at Manitoba – 3:15 p.m. MT (Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre at Red Deer College)
Saturday, October 23
Semifinal 1 – 12:30 p.m. MT
Semifinal 2 – 3:15 p.m. MT (Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre at Red Deer College)
Sunday, October 24
Bronze Medal Game – 10 a.m. MT
Gold Medal Game – 1 p.m. MT
* all games at Peavey Mart Centrium unless otherwise indicated
Past Participants
[Player (Branch), WHL Club, NHL Draft Club (NHL Draft Year)]
2009
Matt Dumba (Alberta), Portland Winterhawks, Minnesota Wild (2012)
Derrick Pouliot (Saskatchewan), Portland Winterhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins (2012)
Griffin Reinhart (British Columbia), Edmonton Oil Kings, New York Islanders (2012)
Morgan Reilly (British Columbia), Moose Jaw Warriors, Toronto Maple Leafs (2012)
2011
Jake Virtanen (British Columbia), Calgary Hitmen, Vancouver Canucks (2014)
Jayce Hawryluk (Manitoba), Brandon Wheat Kings, Florida Panthers (2014)
Conner Bleackley (Alberta), Red Deer Rebels, St. Louis Blues (2016)
Brayden Point (Alberta), Moose Jaw Warriors, Tampa Bay Lightning (2014)
Ryan Gropp (British Columbia), Seattle Thunderbirds, New York Rangers (2015)
Haydn Fleury (Saskatchewan) Red Deer Rebels, Carolina Hurricanes (2014)
2012
Mathew Barzal (British Columbia), Seattle Thunderbirds, New York Islanders (2015)
Nick Merkley (Alberta), Kelowna Rockets, Arizona Coyotes (2015)
Jansen Harkins (British Columbia), Prince George Cougars, Winnipeg Jets (2015)
Brendan Guhle (Alberta), Prince George Cougars, Buffalo Sabres (2015)
Ethan Bear (Saskatchewan), Seattle Thunderbirds, Edmonton Oilers (2015)
2013
Tyler Benson (Alberta), Vancouver Giants, Edmonton Oilers (2016)
Brett Howden (Manitoba), Moose Jaw Warriors, Tampa Bay Lightning (2016)
Sam Steel (Alberta), Regina Pats, Anaheim Ducks (2016)
Kale Clague (Alberta), Moose Jaw Warriors, Los Angeles Kings (2016)
Nolan Patrick (Manitoba), Brandon Wheat Kings, Philadelphia Flyers (2017)
2015 WHL Cup All-Star Team
G – Matthew Thiessen (Manitoba), Tri-City Americans, Vancouver Canucks (2018)
D – Ty Smith (Alberta), Spokane Chiefs, New Jersey Devils (2018)
D – Jett Woo (Manitoba), Calgary Hitmen, Vancouver Canucks (2018)
F – Carson Focht (Saskatchewan), Calgary Hitmen, Vancouver Canucks (2019)
F – Eric Florchuk (Alberta), Saskatoon Blades, Washington Capitals (2018)
F – Eli Zummack (British Columbia), Spokane Chiefs
2016 WHL Cup All-Star Team
G – Byron Fancy (Alberta), Red Deer Rebels
D – Kaeden Korczak (Saskatchewan), Kelowna Rockets, Vegas Golden Knights (2019)
D – Braden Schneider (Saskatchewan), Brandon Wheat Kings, New York Rangers (2020)
F – Logan Barlage (Saskatchewan), Lethbridge Hurricanes
F – Peyton Krebs (Alberta), Winnipeg ICE, Vegas Golden Knights (2019)
F – Josh Williams (British Columbia), Edmonton Oil Kings
2017 WHL Cup All-Stars
G – Bryan Thomson (Saskatchewan), Lethbridge Hurricanes
D – Kaiden Guhle (Alberta), Prince Albert Raiders, Montreal Canadiens (2020)
D – Daemon Hunt (Manitoba), Moose Jaw Warriors, Minnesota Wild (2020)
F – Justin Sourdif (British Columbia), Vancouver Giants, Florida Panthers (2020)
F – Kyle Crnkovic (Alberta), Saskatoon Blades
F – Connor McClennon (Alberta), Winnipeg ICE, Philadelphia Flyers (2020)
2019 WHL Cup All-Stars
G – Dylan Ernst (Saskatchewan), Kamloops Blazers
D – Denton Mateychuk (Manitoba), Moose Jaw Warriors
D – Graydon Gotaas (Alberta), Prince Albert Raiders
F – Conor Geekie (Manitoba), Winnipeg ICE
F – Carter Dereniwsky (Saskatchewan), Victoria Royals
F – Brandon Lisowsky (British Columbia), Saskatoon Blades
About the WHL Cup
The majority of players participating in the event will be selected in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, or will go on to be listed by WHL Clubs. The WHL Cup, formerly known as the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup, has been sponsored since 2009 by the Western Hockey League.
This year will mark the ninth year of the event. The first ever WHL Cup was held in Blackfalds, Alta., in 2009 and featured four of the top eight players selected in the 2012 NHL Draft. In 2011, the Moose Jaw Warriors and Hockey Saskatchewan hosted the event at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw, Sask. In 2012 and 2013, the tournament was hosted in Calgary at Father David Bauer Arena, the home of the WHL. From 2015 through 2019, the WHL Cup was hosted in Calgary at the Markin MacPhail Centre.
In 2010, 2014, and 2018, the WHL Cup was not contested due to the Canada Winter Games.
Team Alberta is a five-time champion of the WHL Cup, hoisting the trophy in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016, while Team British Columbia won the event in 2012 and 2017. Team Saskatchewan is the defending champion of the WHL Cup, having won the tournament in 2019, beating Team Manitoba 4-2 in the Gold Medal game.
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 375 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.
