‘I found it’s big for development’: Premier hockey teams playing in regional showcase this weekend

The S3 Southeast Selects U16 hockey team played their first regular season game on home ice at a showcase Friday morning in Irvine.

The PHL model has grown significantly over three seasons, going for three to 60 teams across multiple divisions.

Head Coach Brent McNabb said the biggest difference with this league is the amount of practices.

“We only get four games a month and those four games are all in one weekend,” McNabb said.

“Our weekends are jam packed full of practices,” he added.

“We get Friday ice time for an hour and a half and we get 2.5 hours on Saturday with classroom in between and then we get 2.5 hours on Sunday.”

Weekdays are focused on at home development, allowing players from different areas to play for the team.

Rhett Engel, a goaltender from the Okotoks area, finds the model is a good fit.

“Yeah, that was one of the main deciding factors of why I joined this team is because it was a weekend only thing allowing me to train during the weeks with goalie development programs back in Okotoks or Calgary,” Engel said.

“Then I could come here on the weekends, for practices,” he added.

“It’s a good team, good league and I think there’s opportunities here.”

Houston Friesen travels from Maple Creek to play for the team and has enjoyed the program.

“I found it’s big for development,” Friesen said.

“Any kids wanting to play better hockey that are stuck in house league, I feel like PHL is a good place to go,” he added.

“I just wanted to play some better hockey and go somewhere with it. I though here would be a good place.”

Mcnabb said seeing kids from a variety of communities come together is rewarding.

“Seeing how Maple Creek, Okotoks, Medicine Hat, we even got a couple of kids from Consul, Sask and then Provost and then they all come together and it’s, hockey is universal,” McNabb said.

“It’s great to see the friendships that are built and the chemistry that they can gain from each other is amazing,” he added.

“They get to come here and get a little bit more exposure and that’s a huge asset at this age level.”

The Medicine Hat U9 Badlands Bulls are the other local PHL team.

The Bulls’ showcase in Irvine took place in October.

These young guys now get another chance to take part in a local showcase, playing in a pep rally game with the Selects on Saturday.

More PHL teams are expected to form in the area next season, giving kids another hockey option when they choose to hit the ice.

by Jesse Gill

‘I found it’s big for development’: Premier hockey teams playing in regional showcase this weekend

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