During the 2012-14 Capital Budget deliberations Council approved a $5.0 million contribution from the City toward the $17.5 million South Central/Bonnie Doon Arenas project. This project will contribute funds to design and construction of a new South Central Twin Arena that will replace two old single pad arenas (Oliver and George S Hughes) as outlined in the 10-Year Arena Capital Development Strategy. The City and partners are currently planning for construction of a twin arena facility to be located on the Bonnie Doon Campus Park located at 90 Avenue and 83 Street. In keeping with the principles in the Recreation Facility Master Plan, this facility will integrate with future plans to make Bonnie Doon Leisure Centre a fully integrated multi-purpose recreation facility.

Recognizing the demand for indoor ice use and taking into account future arena development plans, the Edmonton public School Board, the Academic and Athletic Institute of Edmonton (AAD), Kinsmen Club of Edmonton, Hockey Canada, Clark Builders are proposing to partner in the development of a twin arena with the City of Edmonton.

Partnership funding will be required and the City is anticipating a proposal from the partner group this fall. The total project is anticipated to cost $17.5 million, the City currently allocated $5 million to contribute, therefore in order to complete the project an additional $12.5 will be required. The partner funding amounts and the City's contributions will be updated once the proposal has been submitted. Partner funds will include the demolition of Idwylde School to allow for additional park space and the construction of the twin arena.

This is a huge announcement for AAD, The Hockey Program and the citizens of Edmonton and Area. It is a major leap in the plans to initiate construction of a twin arena that could be steps away from Vimy Ridge Academy. Stay tuned for further updates on the Arena project.

November 15th, 2011

TWO VIMY HOCKEY ATHLETES CALLED ON BY TEAM PACIFIC

Two more Vimy Hockey student-athletes, Greg Chase (left) and Jaedon Descheneau (right) have been called on by Hockey Canada to represent Canada; in this case specifically Team Pacific which represents BC, Alberta, NWT and the Yukon. Both players will play at the World Under 17 Hockey Challenge which will be played December 29th until January 4th, 2012 in Windsor, Ontario.

Jaedon Deschenau is a former Midget AAA standout who played for the Leduc Oil Kings and scored 35 points in 31 games as a 15 year old. This year with the Kootenay Ice of the WHL, Jaedon has 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points in his 16 year old season.

Greg Chase was also impressive with the Sherwood Park J.Ennis Kings in his Midget AAA 15 year old season. Coached by Donnan Hockey Associate Director Sean Beissel, Greg finished the season 17th in league scoring, with 39 points in 30 games played. He was drafted by the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL where he currently has 3 assists in 16 games played and is a +3 player.

Some notable graduates of Team Pacific include Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Joe Sakic, Jarome Iginla, Brent Seabrook, Dion Phaneuf, Mike Green and Evander Kane. Other Vimy Hockey student athletes that have been a part of Team Pacific include Shawn Belle (2002-2003) and Brandon Magee (2010-2011).

November 14th, 2011

VIMY HOCKEY STUDENT ATHLETE WINS GOLD FOR CANADA

Peter Quenneville (pictured top left) and Team Canada West have captured the Gold in the World Junior A Challenge. Quenneville, who plays for the Sherwood Park Crusdaders, was named to the team after starting the season as the AJHL's top scorer through the first 20 games.

The tournament had been dominated by Team USA, as they have won the last three tournaments, but it was an all-Canada final, as Team West faced off against Team East on Sunday night in Langley, BC. The game actually broke a pair of WJAC records, as there was only one minor penalty in the whole game, it broke the lowest PIM's for one team (0) and lowest combined PIM's in a game (2). Team West's winning goal was scored 40 seconds into the third, and they went on to win the game by a 4-2 margin. This is Team West's Third Gold medal in the tournament's six year history.

There is some prior history with Vimy Hockey and the WJAC, as alumnus Cody Kunyk, another Sherwood Park Crusader who lead the AJHL in scoring, also played for team west in 2009, and was tied for the tournament lead in scoring. Kunyk now plays for the Alaska Nanooks (NCAA div 1), a team he led in scoring last year.

The Hockey Program would like to congratulate Peter and Team Canada West on their Gold Medal effort.

November 10th, 2011

ROCK SOLID/STUDENT ATHLETE TERM 1 AWARDS

Front Row (left to right): Kevin Minnoch, Phoenix Moravec, Cole Dubinsky.
Back Row (left to right): Noah Brisebois, Jordan Sagert, Nicholas Estephan.

The Hockey Program and Lacrosse Program are proud to announce the "Rock Solid Performer" and "Student Athlete" award winners for the 1st term of the School year. A deserving student from each group within the program receives the award every term and at the end of the school year there is an overall award given to the year's best representative of the awards.

Rock Solid Performers are recognized because of their dedication, attitude and work ethic that they bring to their sport every day they train, this can be in the fitness center, during fitness testing or on the ice or field. Student Athlete award winners are recognized for improvement and effort in regards to their academic standing.

The Rock Solid Performers of the 1st term at Donnan are Jordan Sagert, Phoenix Moravec and Cole Dubinsky. The Student Athlete award winners of the 1st term from Donnan are Kevin Minnoch, Noah Brisebois and Nicholas Estephan.

Front Row (left to right): Darien Penner, Molly Sharp, Reid Young
Middle Row (left to right): Noah Kallichuk, Cayle Dillon, Ryan Mostowich, Brendan Donnelly
Back Row (left to right): Nick Smith, Ty Machado, Connor Munday
Missing from photo: Nolan Volcan, Eden Sharp, Mabel Sauve, Mackenzie Wemyss, Darrion Buhry, Zach Tuttle

The Rock Solid Performers for the 1st term at Vimy Ridge are Darien Penner, Nick Hritzuk, Noah Kallichuk, Cayle Dillon, Ryan Mostowich, Ty Machado, Connor Munday and Nolan Volcan.

The Student Athlete award winners for the 1st term at Vimy Ridge are Molly Sharp, Reid Young, Brendan Donnelly, Nick Smith, Eden Sharp, Mabel Sauve, Mackenzie Wemyss, Darrion Buhry and Zach Tuttle.

Congratulations to all of our award winners on their achievements in the 1st term.

November 4th, 2011

AAD STAFF PARTICIPATE IN MOVEMBER

Many Members of the AAD staff, including Hockey Program staff, will be participating in "Movember" this year.

Movember is an annual tradition that was started in Australia and New Zealand in 2004, where members grow moustaches in November in support of Men's Health issues, specifically Prostate Cancer Research. Since 2007, Movember was adopted in other countries, including Canada, where it has flourished and help the total money raised by Movember grow to 177 million dollars in 7 years.

To donate to our team, please CLICK HERE.

This is the main page for the AAD team. If you would like to donate to a specific member of the AAD team, click on their name on the right hand side of the page. Please leave comments on pages, as we struggle through the awkward beginning of the month and work extra hard to grow our moustaches .

Help the AAD Movember team raise funds and awareness in support of Prostate Cancer Research.

Another way to help the cause is to buy the Movember Under Armour Storm Hoody from the AAD store. 10 dollars from every purchase will go to the AAD Movember team fund. AND if you use the promo code "AAD2011" you will receive an 15% off of your purchase.

To view the Hoody, CLICK HERE.

Thank you for your support.

November 2nd, 2011

ANOTHER VIMY HOCKEY STUDENT ATHLETE TO REPRESENT CANADA

Peter Quenneville, Vimy Hockey student athlete and member of the Sherwood Park Crusaders Junior A hockey team, has been named to the roster of "Canada West" for the World Junior A Challenge, that will be held in Langley, BC from November 7-13th, 2011.

Full rosters can be found by clicking HERE.

The World Junior A Challenge is an international hockey tournament that showcases the best players in the world at the Junior "A" level. The tournament is sponsored by Hockey Canada, the CJHL and the IIHF and was created in 2006 as a recruiting opportunity for the next level of hockey for the players involved.

Quenneville , currently a Grade twelve student at Vimy Ridge, is the scoring leader in the AJHL with 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points in only 18 games played. Last year, Peter committed to Quinnipiac University, a rarity for a 16 year old player.

The United States has won the tournament three years in a row, a streak that Quenneville and Canada West will strive to end as they open the tournament prelims against Sweden on November 8th.

October 21st, 2011

AAD ONLINE STORE IS NOW OPEN

We are excited to announce the opening of AAD's online store. The store is located at the following website:

AAD Online Store

Through the store you will be able to purchase program shirts and shorts as well as other apparel that we have in stock. We have an abundance of Under Armour products available for sale. If you are uncertain about sizing you can always visit us at the AAD office at Vimy Ridge to check out sizes. You will need to see Paul Rai when you visit the office for sizing.

Please keep checking the store as we continue to add inventory to the shop on a daily basis.

To celebrate the opening of the store we are providing you with a 15% discount on all products. To get the 15% discount please use the following discount code AAD2011 when you in the checkout page of the online store. The discount code will be in effect for one month until November 20, 2011.

For any questions about the store, please contact Paul Rai at paul.rai@epsb.ca

October 4th, 2011

THE HOCKEY PROGRAM IS NOW ON FACEBOOK

The Hockey Program has created a facebook page so that everyone can stay up to date with The Hockey Program at Donnan and Vimy Ridge. The page will be regularly updated with photos, videos and news from both campuses. To visit the page, please Click HERE.

Also, The Hockey Program is running a "Like Raffle", where everyone who has "Liked" the Hockey Program facebook page will be entered into a draw to win a Hockey Program Under Armour "Hundo" fleece jacket, which retails at 105 dollars. The contest closes on October 17th, so make sure you Like the page before then to get entered into the contest.

If facebook is not your preferred social media platform, remember that the Hockey Program as well as all other AAD programs, are on Twitter as well. To visit the Hockey Program twitter account, click HERE.

September 20th, 2011

FRIEND OF THE HOCKEY PROGRAM NEEDS YOUR VOTE!

Todd Simpson has turned in his hockey skates for figure skates for CBC's Battle of the Blades.

Friend of the The Hockey Program Todd Simpson has been chosen to compete on CBC's Battle of the Blade's third season. Todd was a hard-nosed defensemen who played his bantam and midget hockey with the Southside Athletic Club in Edmonton. He went on to play in the NHL for 10 seasons and is now currently a Real Estate Agent for Royal Lepage in Kelowna, BC.

During his playing days, Todd made occasional stops by The Hockey Program when in Edmonton to the play the Oilers. During a few of his off days, he made the effort to get out on the ice with Hockey Program groups for on ice sessions.

In May of 2011, The Vimy Ridge Junior High Varsity Team travelled to Kelowna to play the Pursuit of Excellence. Todd took some time out of his busy schedule to share some stories of his past and talked of his path to the NHL which had many bumps along the way.

As a school and program we would like to give back and support Todd during his quest to win the Third Season of Battle of The Blades. He has a streak going of wearing a different t-shirt each day for training. Check out some of Todd's other antics by following him on Twitter @toddsimpson27 and at the CBC's Battle of the blades website: http://www.cbc.ca/battle/index.html as well as Todd's full bio at http://www.cbc.ca/battle/2011/09/todd-simpson.html.

Let's get behind Todd and give him The Hockey Program Vote!!! Watch the first LIVE one-hour episodes on CBC: Sunday, September 25th and Monday, September 26th at 8 p.m.

September 14th, 2011

VIMY HOCKEY ATHLETES MAKING DEBUTS AT JUNIOR CAMPS

Several Vimy Hockey student athletes and alumni have made their junior debuts this summer, continuing in the tradition of Hockey Program athletes moving on to the next level in their playing careers.

In the WHL, Linden Penner played in exhibition games for the Saskatoon Blades, after being drafted by them in the 2010 bantam draft. Tyler Santos, a goalie in the high school group, also made his WHL debut, playing for the Prince George Cougars in games against Red Deer, Calgary and Edmonton. After getting drafted in the 1st round by the Edmonton Oil Kings, defenceman Aaron Irving has seen action in 3 preseason games, posting a +2 rating over that time.

The AJHL has also seen many Vimy Hockey Program student athletes make their junior debuts. The Sherwood Park Crusaders have used four Vimy Hockey athletes, Cole Grekul, Ryan D'amore, Ryan Mork and Mikolas Mykietyshyn all saw action with the Cru, who are led by Vimy high school director and Head Coach and GM of the Crusaders, Tim Fragle. The Spruce Grove Saints with Mr.Ringrose, Mr.Marsh, Mr.Schwartz and Mr.Mckee all on the staff, are coming off another AJHL championship season, and they took a look at Mitch Wheaton and Brandon Hickey in the preseason. Also the Drayton Valley Thunder, who are looking to bounce back from a tough year last year in the North Division, used Cole Porter in the exhibition season.

The Hockey Program at Vimy Ridge is a leader in developing Junior hockey players and has programs for working with athletes who will be away for the hockey season, with checks and balances to ensure that our student athletes are fulfilling both their athletic and most importantly, their academic duties.

If you know of any other student athletes who have made their junior debuts this fall, please email travis.bouchard@epsb.ca.

June 27th, 2011

FIVE THP ATHLETES DRAFTED INTO THE NHL

On Friday June 24th and Saturday June 25th, at the NHL Entry Draft in St.Paul, Minnesota, five Vimy Ridge Academy Hockey student athlete and alumni were drafted by NHL clubs.

In the first round, Mark McNeill was drafted 18th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. The 6'2 , 201 pound center played this year with the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL, and posted 32 goals and 49 assists for 81 points in 70GP this season. Mark is known as a strong two-way player, with the invaluable ability to be on the ice at the end of the game whether his team is trying to hold onto a lead or wrest it from their opponents. Team Canada valued this ability and he was named to the U18 World Championships this spring where he posted 6 points in 7 games.

With the first pick in the second round of the draft, the Edmonton Oilers selected 6'3 198 pound Vimy Ridge Alumni David Musil, son of former Oiler Frank Musil, who played on the blueline for the Vancouver Giants in the WHL this season. David scored 6 goals and 19 assists for 25 points in 62 games played as he helped the Giants to make the playoffs in the WHL. David is known as a steady, stay-at-home defenceman with exceptional gap control.

In the third round, with the 73rd pick overall, the Carolina Hurricanes plucked Keegan Lowe from the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL. Son of former Edmonton Oiler great, Kevin Lowe, Keegan's draft value skyrocketed in the second half of the season and he was highly regarded for his work ethic and defensive play, while having developing offensive instincts. Keegan recorded 2 goals and 22 assists for 24 points in 71 games played.

With the first pick in the fourth round, at 92nd overall, the Edmonton Oilers chose another player with Oiler roots, as they chose Dillon Simpson, underage defenceman at the University of North Dakota, son of former Oiler great Craig Simpson. At 17, the 6'0 192 pound Simpson tallied 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points in 30 games played while maintaining a +11 plus/minus rating. Dillon was recently invited to the Team Canada World Junior Summer Selection camp, which will take place in Edmonton from August 3-7.

At 159th overall, in the 6th round, the New Jersey Devils found themselves a late-round gem in Reece Scarlett, a 6'0 168 pound defenceman for the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL. In a tough year in Swift Current, Scarlett put up 6 goals and 18 assists for 24 points in 72 games played and was named to Team Canada for the U18 Worlds along with McNeill and Colin Smith, another Vimy Ridge Hockey alumni.

The Staff and Students at Donnan and Vimy are extremely proud of these students, and wish them the best of luck as they work toward the dream of an NHL career.

June 16th, 2011

ANOTHER THP STUDENT ATHLETE CALLED ON BY TEAM CANADA

Brandon Magee, member of the new Victoria WHL franchise that was formerly the Chilliwack Bruins, and student athlete at The Hockey Program, is one of 42 players invited to Team Canada's National Men's Summer Under-18 Team selection camp. The Camp will run July 30th until August 2nd at Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary, which is the home of Hockey Canada's teams.

Magee was drafted by the Chilliwack Bruins in the 4th round of the Bantam draft, 84th overall in 2009 after scoring 37G and 37A for 74 points in his final Bantam AAA year with SSAC. Last season in his 16 year old year with the Bruins, the skilled forward tallied 12G and 17A for 29 points in his first WHL season, good for 19th in the Western Conference Rookie scoring race.

The staff and students of The Hockey Program wish Brandon all the best as he tries to add to the list of student athletes from The Hockey Program who have had the honour of wearing the maple leaf in international competition.

June 16th, 2011

HOCKEY PROGRAM SPRING LEAGUE CHAMPIONS ARE CROWNED

Team Orange came out of the gates a little slow and went down 3 games to 1 in the best of seven series, but they regrouped and chipped away at the series lead and fought back to tie the series and forced a game 7.

Game 7 was a classic! The game went to overtime and then it was a beautiful passing play by Landon Flesjer to Phoenix Moravec for the winner 2:30 in OT. Congratulations to Team Orange and congrats to Grey for battling so hard to the end and not giving up. GREAT YEAR RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Hockey Program's Spring League has concluded with the Donnan Championship finishing on Wednesday afternoon.

For Donnan, Team Peters were victorious over a hardworking, shortstaffed Team Knight 6-3 in the final game at Millwoods Arena. In the DSHL the top scorer was Lucas Wynnyk, the top defender was Kyle Dronyk, and the top goaltender was Josh King.

At Vimy, in the Wales Conference, the Penguins, led by Mr.Rai, defeated the Oilers 8-5 in the championship game, led by a stellar goaltending performance by Megan Watson. Liam Perry of the Oilers led the league in scoring with 29pts (23G and 6A) while the Wild's Tyler McInnis led the charge for the goaltenders, sporting a 3.33 GAA in the high scoring league.

In the Campbell Conference at Vimy, the Mr.Marsh led Flyers captured the Boston Pizza Cup by defeating Mr.Ringrose and the Sabres 8-2. Giorgio Estephan of the Northstars captured the Rocket Richard trophy for most goals in the league, while the Flyers' Brenden Klutke was honored with the Mark Messier trophy for leadership.

For our High School student athletes, Team Blue, with Mr. Schwartz at the helm, captured the championship winning the final series against Team Silver 3-0 with an 8-4 win. Brandon Magee led all playoff scorers with 17pts in 6 games played, and Garret Storms led all goalies, only allowing 1 goal against with a Save Percentage of 0.955.

Congratulations to all players on the season, as not only were the games hard-fought, but all Donnan and Vimy Ridge student athletes demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship.

May 30th, 2011

BJJ PROGRAM SUMMER CAMPS

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Program will be running Summer camps over the break, which will be run by Professor Malin.

The camps are designed to teach BJJ techniques for the purpose of Self-Defense, for male and female students aged 8-15.

Sessions will be Monday to Friday August 1st-5th or August 8th-12th in the mornings for 8-12 year old students, and in the afternoon for 13-15 year old students.

For more info on the camps, please view the brochure by clicking the image above, or by clicking HERE.

May 6th, 2011

SEVEN THP STUDENT ATHLETES DRAFTED INTO WHL

Seven Vimy Ridge Hockey Program student athletes were drafted to a WHL team in Thursday's WHL Bantam Draft, which was held in Calgary this year.

Drafted in the first round 9th overall and going to his hometown Edmonton Oilkings was Aaron Irving, 6'0 175lb D man for the Provincial Champion SSAC Bantam AAA Lions.

In the Second round, Vimy was represented by centre Bryar Ortynski, who went 44th overall to the Saskatoon Blades. Ortynski was also a member of the SSAC Lions.

Drafted in the third round, 54th overall to the Brandon Wheatkings and also from the SSAC Lions was left winger John Quenneville.

With the 81st overall selection in the fourth round of the draft, the Tri-city Americans used their selection to choose Brandon Hickey, who played defence for the Leduc Oilkings in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League this year.

The Edmonton Oilkings drafted another hometown prospect in the sixth round, selecting Riley Simpson, son of Oiler great Craig Simpson, with the 123rd overall pick in Thursday's draft. Riley played centre for the SSAC Lions as well this season. Ben Sowa was also selected in the sixth round, going to the Prince George Cougars after having a solid season on the backend with the SSAC Lions.

Rounding out an eventful WHL Bantam Draft for Vimy Ridge athletes was Jake Debrusk, son of former Oiler Toughguy Louie Debrusk and member of the SSAC Lions, who was selected in the seventh round by the Swift Current Broncos 137th overall.

All of the Staff and Students from the Hockey Program would like to congratulate these athletes on this accomplishment and remind those who weren't selected to look at the long list of superstars in the NHL who were passed over at this very draft in their careers, including Jarome Iginla, Shane Doan, and Shea Weber.

April 11th, 2011

THP STUDENTS FILL ALBERTA CUP ROSTERS

The Hockey Program will be well represented this year at the Alberta Cup as many Student Athletes have made their zone teams.

The Alberta Cup is a showcase of the top Bantam-aged Hockey players in the province, and has traditionally been a major scouting event for junior, college and pro scouts.

This year's event will be held in Lethbridge, Alberta at the Nicholas Sheran Arena from April 13-17. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Alberta Cup.

Making the Edmonton South Bruins from the Hockey Program are Brandon Hickey, Aaron Irving, Jake Debrusk, Tyler Olthuizen, Bryar Ortynski, John Quenneville, Riley Simpson and Ben Sowa. The team will be coached by Vimy Campus Director, Ryan Marsh.

Named to the Edmonton North Oilers from the Hockey Program are Simon Goodall, Tyler Mork, and Masen Presisniuk. In addition, from The Lacrosse Program Jordan Wenckowski has also cracked the Oilers' roster.

Representing the Northeast Flyers are Mitch Bodeux, Alex Farquhar, Trayton Cavalieri, Cole Chorney, and Tyler Robertson.

For schedules, updates, statistics and each team's rosters, click HERE.

April 11th, 2011

SEERA ICEMEN WIN PEEWEE AA PROVINCIALS

The South East Edmonton Recreation Association Peewee Icemen won the Peewee AA Major Provincial title over the break with many THP Student Athletes on the team.

Ty Readman, Merritt Oszytko, David Quenneville, Derek Patter, Hunter Lorenson, Noah Stothart, Colin D'Amore and Luca Denardis represented The Hockey Program on the Icemen, and helped lead them to a 6-0 record at the provincials, which were held in Strathcona County from March 24th-27th.

The staff and students of The Hockey Program congratulate these young athletes on their achievement.