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By Chris Brown

Looking for local players

Banff Prep teams to relocate to South Alberta Hockey Academy

May 19, 2020 | 3:08 PM

DUNMORE, AB – They haven’t been on the ice for a couple of months but the South Alberta Hockey Academy still managed to score over the weekend.

Academy officials announced on Saturday that the Banff Hockey Academy’s male and female U18 Prep teams will relocate to southeastern Alberta and play out the local academy beginning in the 2020-21 season.

“It was always one of our intentions, our goals so we’re very excited that this is happening now,” said Darren MacMillan, general manager of South Alberta Hockey Academy. “A lot of how we base our program and our development is around the academy model that’s existed for years in Europe and throughout Canada and North America as well so we’re very excited about it.”

The academy will work with the current Banff players to see if there’s a fit for them down here and also wants to see lots of local kids on the teams as well.

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MacMillan says the season will begin for both teams on the first weekend in October and the girls’ team will host a showcase in February featuring teams from Western Canada and the U.S.

In partnership with Prairie Rose School Division and led by Willie Desjardins, the South Alberta Hockey Academy first hit the ice in September of 2018 and until now has been purely a skills academy.

This past season the academy featured programs at Eagle Butte High School (Grades 10-12), Foremost School (Grades 7-12), Irvine School (Grades 7-9) and Margaret Wooding School and Parkside School in Redcliff (Grades 6-9). Next year the Irvine and Margaret Wooding programs will expand down to Grade 4.

“We get to do everything together with the group all under one roof. So you’ve got your physical training, your on-ice training, your schooling, everything is taken care of so it’s much easier to manage all of it,” said MacMillan.

All student-athletes will attend Eagle Butte High School and the prep teams will play in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

“We are excited for what lies ahead with the South Alberta Hockey Academy,” said Kevin Goodwin, chief operating officer of the league. “The southeast corner of Alberta is a good fit for our League and will assist linking existing programs in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. We are appreciative for all the great memories the Banff Hockey Academy has provided the CSSHL since 2009.”

The relocation has been in the works for about six months. South Alberta Hockey Academy officials reached out in December after hearing rumours that Banff Hockey Academy founder and director Bill Doherty was looking for some sort of succession plan.

“We are very excited about the opportunities that exist for the program in Medicine Hat,” said Doherty “We are confident that the blend of our experience in the accredited school market, coupled with the reputation and leadership of Willie Desjardins and the Prairie Rose School District will prove to be synergistic at every level of the operation.”