The Vancouver Giants are hosting one of two inaugural Canadian Sport School Hockey League/Western Hockey League Bantam Prep Showcases this week in Delta.
The Giants will welcome eight CSSHL Bantam Prep teams to Planet Ice for a full slate of games from Friday until Sunday. The Saskatoon Blades will also be hosting a Showcase weekend, Dec. 14 to 17.
“We are pleased to partner with the CSSHL and assist with the staging of the showcases in Saskatoon and Vancouver,” commented WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. “The WHL/CSSHL Showcases will not only provide an opportunity to elevate the event, but also allow the Sport School students to experience everything the WHL has to offer in these markets.”
The Vancouver Showcase will feature the BWC Academy (Burnaby, B.C.), Edge School (Calgary), Northern Alberta Xtreme (Edmonton) Notre Dame Hounds (Wilcox, Sask.), OHA Edmonton (Edmonton), and the Okanagan Hockey Academy (Penticton), along with two teams from the Delta Hockey Academy. All CSSHL student athletes taking part will receive tickets to attend the Giants’ home game against the Kootenay Ice on Friday night.
“To partner with the WHL, Blades, and Giants to operate events in the Saskatoon and Vancouver markets is very exciting for us,” said Kevin Goodwin, Chief Operating Officer of the CSSHL. “We are very impressed by the WHL’s commitment to academics, which includes their post-secondary education package. These two events allow our student athletes, and their families, to gather information about the WHL and their education package so they can make an informed decision on their academic and athletic future.”
This marks the first season the Delta Hockey Academy (DHA) has entered two teams at the Bantam Prep level. The decision came in the wake of DHA completely dominating the second-tier Bantam Varsity level in recent years, including both teams reaching the championship game a year ago with a combined 44-5-1 record.
So far, Delta teams are holding their own in the top tier with Delta Green continuing its reputation as a powerhouse with a 11-5-1 record to date, while Delta White sits at 5-10-1. The academy continues to ice a team at the Bantam Varsity level which currently owns a 11-3-0 record.
The Elite 15 team sits second in its division with a 16-4-1 record while at the Midget level, both Delta squads are doing well. Midget Prep is second in its division with a 18-3-1 record while the varsity squad is fourth with a 8-8-3 record.
On the female side, the prep squad sits sixth with a 3-7-0 record while the varisty team is fourth with a 2-6-1 record.
