CALGARY, AB – Hockey Canada announced on Thursday the 13 minor hockey teams that were chosen as the winners of the “Future Team Canada” recognition program. In November, Hockey Canada partnered with the Wayne Gretzky Foundation and the Canadian Hockey Foundation to launch the second ever ‘Future Team Canada’ program that would reward and recognize thirteen minor hockey teams for the amount of heart they show rather than the amount of games they win.

In total, 231 entries where submitted to Hockey Canada. The entries consisted of a team photo, a team roster, and a short essay outlining their team’s values, special characteristics, community involvement and dedication that could make them a ‘Future Team Canada’.

The following is a listing of the thirteen regional winners that were chosen from across Canada:

Branch/Branche	Team name/Nom de l'equipe	City/Ville
Hockey North / Hockey Nord	Rankin Inlet Bantam	Rankin Inlet
BCAHA	Lillooet Pistons Midget	Lillooet
Hockey Alberta	Eckville Eagles Atom A	Eckville
Saskatchewan Hockey Association / Association de hockey de la Saskatchewan	Pilot Butte Prairie Storm Peewee	Pilot Butte
Hockey Manitoba	Neepawa Hawks Peewee	Neepawa
Hockey Northwestern Ontario / Hockey du Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario	Filane’s Falcons Novice	Schreiber
Ontario Hockey Federation / Fédération de hockey de l’Ontario	Toronto East Enders Ticats Peewee	Toronto
Ottawa District Hockey Association / Association de hockey du District d’Ottawa	Kemptville Novice Ice Cats	Kemptville
Hockey Québec	Montréal Avalanche Peewee	Montréal
Hockey New Brunswick / Hockey Nouveau-Brunswick	Riverview Peewee AA Blues	Riverview
Hockey Nova Scotia / Hockey Nouvelle-Écosse	Dartmouth Whalers Atom	Dartmouth
PEIHA	Charlottetown Abbies Midget A	Charlottetown
Hockey Newfoundland & Labrador / Hockey Terre-Neuve et Labrador	Avalon Celtics Bantam B	St. John’s

Each player on each of the 13 winning teams will receive a Team Canada jersey, gloves, stick and a hockey bag bearing the Wayne Gretzky Foundation and Hockey Canada logos. Along with this comprehensive equipment package, each team will also receive a $1,000 cash award to be used for team development activities.

“Although the thirteen winners can be commended for being selected, all 231 entries merit the recognition to be deemed winners”, said Wayne Gretzky. “The success of this program was evident by the excellent quality of the essays received and the difficulty in selecting the 13 winners. When all was said and done, the thirteen teams that were chosen are deserving of the title ‘Future Team Canada’ for their dedication and commitment to our game.”

The Wayne Gretzky Foundation believes that hockey instills many positive life skills and contributes to the physical, emotional and social growth of young people. Canada’s National Men’s and Women’s hockey teams promote many of these positive life skills such as respect, safety and fun.

The Canadian Hockey Foundation works with Hockey Canada to help ensure Canada remains at the forefront in the development and promotion of amateur hockey.

The outcomes of the ‘Future Team Canada” recognition program and the principles championed by the Wayne Gretzky Foundation, the Canadian Hockey Foundation, and Hockey Canada demonstrate a shared vision for the future of our game.