CALGARY, AB – HOCKEY CANADA announced the 2004 RBC Financial Group Junior ‘A’ Scholarship winners and Nickerson Family Award recipients. These annual scholarship awards provide financial assistance to Canadian Junior ‘A’ hockey players for post-secondary education.

The 2004 RBC Financial Group Junior ‘A’ Scholarship recipients, one from each of Canadian Junior Hockey’s nine leagues, receive $1,000 toward post-secondary education, with one national winner receiving $5,000. The winner of the national RBC Financial Group Junior ‘A’ Scholarship and the Nickerson Family Awards were selected from a list of finalists by a national panel of HOCKEY CANADA appointed junior hockey representatives.

2004 RBC Financial Group Junior ‘A’ Scholarship winners:

• Alberta Junior ‘A’ Hockey League – Adam Kinnaird, Fort Saskatchewan Traders

• British Columbia Hockey League – Michael Moore, South Surrey Eagles

• Central Junior Hockey League – Sean Roche, Kanata Stallions

• Manitoba Junior Hockey League – Jordan Oakley, Swan Valley Stampeders

• Maritime Junior ‘A’ Hockey League – Chase Gavin, Charlottetown Abbies

• Northern Ontario Junior ‘A’ Hockey League -Daniel Bourgeois, Sudbury Northern Wolves

• Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League – Matthew Currie, Peterborough Bees

• Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League – Yannick Verlaan-Lauzon, Gladiateurs de St-Eustache

• Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League – Chad Haacke, Melville Millionaires

The recipient of the $5,000 national RBC Financial Group Junior ‘A’ Scholarship is Adam Kinnaird of the Fort Saskatchewan Traders.

Adam Kinnaird will be presented with his national scholarship award at the RBC Royal Bank Cup, taking place May 8-16, 2004 in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

Players eligible for the RBC Financial Group Junior ‘A’ Scholarships must be a Canadian citizen, on a Canadian Junior ‘A’ team roster, and registered or applying for full time post-secondary studies. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, hockey achievement and community involvement.

All Junior ‘A’ hockey players in Canada are also eligible for the Nickerson Family Award, which is made possible through the Friends of the RBC Royal Bank Cup Society in Fort McMurray, Alberta, awarding players currently attending a Canadian post-secondary institution.

The 2004 Nickerson Family Award recipients:

• $1,000 Award – Chase Gavin, Charlottetown Abbies

• $500 Award – Matthew Currie, Peterborough Bees