The road to the 2023 Telus Cup runs through Warman.
The Warman U18AAA Wildcats are hosting the Telus Cup West Regional Championship April 6-9.
The hometown squad will be one of four teams competing for a berth at the national U18AAA Telus Cup championship tournament in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec later that month. As host team for the West Regionals, the Wildcats will face off against the playoff champions from Northern Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. (If the Wildcats win the Saskatchewan crown prior to the West Regionals, the second-place team from Saskatchewan will suit up.)
“People will see some amazing hockey,” said Dave Dyck, who along with Cam Kayter is co-chairing the Warman Telus West Bid Committee, the volunteer group responsible for landing the tournament.
“Not only will they see the top U18AAA teams in the region go head-to-head, there is also a celebration of Indigenous culture interwoven throughout the whole tournament.”
Dyck said Friday, April 7 has been earmarked as ‘Indigenous Celebration Day’, with the National Anthem for the games performed in Cree by singer Falynn Baptiste (evening game) and singer-drummer Mark Okicitaw (5 p.m. game).
A special guest at the April 7 event is former Philadelphia Flyers legend Reggie Leach, who will be signing autographs beside a tipi set up in the Warman Home Centre Communiplex concourse prior to the games.
The keynote speaker at the tournament banquet on Saturday evening, April 8, is Warman’s own Carlin Nordstrom.
Nordstrom is of Indigenous ancestry. He was adopted by the Nordstrom family and grew up in Warman, where he played minor hockey. He was a star player in the SJHL’s North Battleford North Stars, Humboldt Broncos and Lebret Eagles in the early 1990s before going on to play NCAA hockey at the University of Western Michigan. He also played four seasons of professional hockey in the IHL, AHL, ECHL and WCHL in the late 1990s and had a try-out with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. He is an inspiring motivational speaker who has a great passion for inspiring people with his story of overcoming adversity and achieving success.
Dyck said the organizing committee began working on a bid to host the Telus Cup West Regionals shortly after the U18AAA Wildcats finished the 2021-22 season with a narrow loss to Notre Dame in the championship final.
Dyck and Kayter agreed to head up the bid effort, and worked with a group of about ten dedicated volunteers to make it happen.
“When we found out Saskatchewan would be hosting the event, we only had about two and a half weeks to pull it together,” said Kayter. “We drew in people who had experience and knowledge, and submitted our bid.
“We were pretty confident because even though we’re a relatively new franchise, we have a facility that’s second to none, and also because we’re highlighting and honouring the role of Indigenous players in the development of our AA program.”
Kayter said the U18AAA program in Saskatchewan is well-known for developing players for the Western Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and NCAA Division 1 athletic program.
“This is an opportunity for hockey fans to see the next-level stars,” said Kayter. “It’s incredibly fast-paced, hard-hitting, exciting hockey.”
Kayter said the organizing committee focused on making the event a truly memorable experience for the players and their families.
In addition to Dyck and Kayter, event organizing committee members include: Derrek Fahl, Jennifer Doucette, Heather Chatfield, Paul McGonigal, Paul Brunen, Morley Watson, Milton Tootoosis, KaraLee Hogg, Kim Kroll-Goodwin, Russ Austin, Jill Olynick, Denaye Merz and John Schnurr.
The committee submitted a bid in August, 2022; and Warman was shortlisted with Yorkton and Regina. Warman won the right to host the tournament because of a number of factors, said Dyck, including support from the region, strong sponsorship levels, high-quality facilities, and a community history of hosting major sporting events.
The bid has the backing of the Saskatoon Tribal Council and its Community Development Corporation, as well as the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority. Morley Watson, former FSIN Executive member and Milton Tootoosis, well-known First Nation Hockey promoter, both serve as First Nation and Indigenous Liaison on the organizing committee.
“The inclusion of a strong Indigenous component to the event was huge in terms of us being awarded the bid,” said Dyck, adding that ever since the beginning of Warman’s AA hockey program in the 1980s, Indigenous players from across the region have been an integral part of the program.
“It was an accepted fact,” said Dyck. “We wanted the best players, regardless of ancestry. Of course we tapped into kids from Duck Lake, Beardy’s, Rosthern and area. They strengthened our teams and everyone benefited.”
Kayter noted that Indigenous players have always been a key component in the Warman AA program.
“Before Warman had a AAA franchise a lot of our local players had the opportunity to play U18AAA at Beardy’s,” said Kayter. “We want to honour those ties.”
Dyck said it was a “natural progression” for Warman to qualify for a U18AAA franchise when the provincial league did a realignment a few years ago.
In 2019, the league chose not to renew team franchises for the Beardy’s Blackhawks and the Notre Dame Argos. At that time, the league also endorsed new franchises for Warman and Estevan. The league based its decision on several criteria for evaluating franchises, including: local coaching resources, billeting options for players, an educational consultant, an affiliated local AA team, and a working agreement with a local high school.
“We were fortunate that a franchise became available at that time,” said Dyck. “It was based solely on our ability to qualify.”
The U18AAA Telus Cup West Regional tournament kicks off at the Warman Home Centre Communiplex on Thursday, April 6 with a 5:00 p.m. game between the second Saskatchewan team and the Northern Ontario champion. The opening ceremonies take place at the 8:00 game between the host Warman Wildcats and the Manitoba champion.
Two games are slated for Indigenous Celebration Day on Friday, April 7; with the Manitoba champion facing off against the second Saskatchewan team at 5:00 p.m., and the Wildcats taking on the Northern Ontario champion.
Saturday, April 8 will see Manitoba take on Northern Ontario at noon, while the Wildcats play the other Saskatchewan team at 3:00 p.m.. A tournament banquet featuring guest speaker Carlin Nordstrom is scheduled for Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at the Brian King Centre.
The West Regional championship game takes place at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 4, with closing ceremonies at 4:30 p.m.
Dyck said ticket packages starting at $65 for all seven games will be available in the near future.
There are also VIP Premium packages and individual game tickets available. Purchasers of a Premium VIP package will have an exclusive opportunity to meet and greet Reggie Leach.