There will be local representation at every position on the ice at Alberta’s top-Bantam aged hockey showcase.
Okotoks forward Austin LeDuc as well as DeWinton goalie Cody Campbell and blueliner Cameron Shorrock were named to the 20-man roster for Team South’s bid to win the Alberta Cup championship for the second time in three years April 25-28 in Strathmore.
“It’s just going to be a great experience and it’s going to be fun playing in a tournament of that caliber and against the best kids in Alberta,” said LeDuc, a student at Edge School for Athletes in Calgary.
The Alberta Cup features eight regional teams and the top-160 players born in 1998 in a platform for Western Hockey League scouts in advance of the Bantam Entry Draft.
“It’s mostly about the results,” LeDuc said. “You see them all year, but still know in the back of your head that (the scouts) are there.”
The 15-year-old LeDuc said his considerable toolkit allowed him to standout among the pack of talented peers at the Team South evaluation camp last week.
“I’m quick and good down low at setting guys up and can play gritty,” said LeDuc who also brings a 5-foot-11, 145-pound frame to the ice. “I just left it all on the line at tryouts and let whatever happen, happen.”
LeDuc and Campbell plied their trade with the Edge Bantam Mountaineers in 2012-13. The rangy left-winger finished fifth on the team with 52 points in 45 games, while Campbell posted an 11-13-1 record between the pipes.
“I’m really glad now I get to show myself in front of a bigger audience,” Campbell said. “I feel really confident about the team and how I’ll be able to perform. If I keep training the way I am, I’m definitely on route to have a really strong showing.”
The 15-year-old netminder has seen his game improve this year due to his on ice training at the Edge and sessions with World Pro Goaltending.
The seven to 10 on ice sessions per week allowed Campbell to make a seamless leap from Bantam Tier 1 with Okotoks to Bantam AAA with the Edge.
“I was really happy for that,” Campbell said. “My reactions have improved ten-fold since the beginning of the season. Some of my post work I had some struggles with weaker angled shots. I’ve been able to weed those out.”
Former teammate and fellow DeWinton native Cameron Shorrock shared Campbell’s ascension within the Bantam ranks.
“I thought I had done well and had worked pretty hard for that, but there was a lot of good kids there so I was feeling a little nervous,” Shorrock said of Alberta Cup evaluation camp. “I’m pretty thrilled to be a part of Team South.”
The five-foot-10, 155-pound Shorrock made the jump from Bantam Tier 1 to AAA in one season and by season’s end was the Oilers’ top player on the backend.
“Our coaching was there helping us build for later seasons like next year,” said Shorrock, who chipped in with six points for the Oilers. “Making the team this year we had our coaches that pushed me more.”
The DeWinton blueliner was something of a pleasant surprise to the Bantam AAA Oilers this season after impressing with his overall game at pre-season training camp.
“He was a borderline guy coming through minor hockey in Okotoks. He was never at AA and was always that guy right at the cusp,” said Bantam AAA Oilers head coach Mike Bara. “We took a shot on him this year and it turned out fantastic.
“His work ethic is second to none, he’s a fantastic kid and he has some real good tools.”
Bara coached Team South to a gold medal at the 2011 Alberta Cup and said the event serves a dual function as a reward for a challenging season and a platform for Western Hockey League scouts.
“Alberta Cup gives you that sigh of relief to say the work I’ve put in is paying off,” he said. “Everybody playing at Alberta Cup is a top-160 athlete in the province. Every scout in the Western league will be at the AB Cup so it’s an opportunity to showcase yourself.”
The top 80 players from Alberta Cup are invited to a summer development camp for the Team Alberta program. The top players go on to represent Alberta on Team Pacific the Western Canada U-16 Challenge Cup in the fall.
The Alberta Cup runs from April 25-28 at the Strathmore Family Centre. For tickets and schedule information go to www.hockeyalberta.ca.
