Undoubtedly the most successful Junior A team of the last decade, the Kodiaks will get the chance to welcome the hockey world to central Alberta when they host this season’s National Junior A Championship from April 30 to May 8.

On October 22, the Kodiaks officially kicked off the seven-month journey to the national championship, unveiling the host team banner prior to their home game against the Calgary Canucks and announcing their goal to break the all-time tournament attendance record. The current mark is 35,953, set at the 2004 event in Grande Prairie, Alta.

To date, more than 1,300 ticket packages have been sold. Packages are available for just $199 for all 13 games, and can be purchased by calling the Kodiaks at 780-679-2603.

Since 2001, the Kodiaks have qualified five times for the RBC Cup, including four appearances in the championship game (2001, 2003, 2005, 2008), more than any other Junior A team in Canada. The only time they didn’t make the final? 2007, when they lost a five-overtime semifinal to the Prince George Spruce Kings in the longest game in tournament history.

The 2011 tournament is a special one for the Kodiaks. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Camrose’s only RBC Cup championship; it beat the host Flin Flon Bombers 5-0 in the final, completing one of the most dominant runs ever at the tournament – the ’01 Kodiaks were a perfect 6-0, outscoring the opposition 29-9.