CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada is pleased to announce the 2009 Kenneth R. Stiles – Seaman Hotchkiss Hockey Foundation (formerly Flames Project 75) Officiating Scholarship winners. These annual scholarship awards provide financial assistance to officials in the Hockey Canada Officiating Program for post-secondary education at Canadian colleges and universities.

The scholarships are awarded annually to young women and men who participate in Hockey Canada’s officiating programs. The goal of the scholarship program is to provide funding to help offset the cost of post-secondary education for Canada’s top young officials, supporting their efforts to complete their post-secondary education, become better officials, and to reward their efforts for mentoring younger officials in the game.

In 2009, 15 promising officials each receive $1,000 in scholarship awards while two officials receive a $5,000 scholarship through this program. The Kenneth R. Stiles Scholarship selection committee awards the scholarships on the basis of academic achievement, officiating excellence and community involvement.

2009 Kenneth R. Stiles – Seaman Hotchkiss Hockey Foundation Scholarship winners:

• Hockey Alberta – Tyler Adair, University of Calgary/Mount Royal College
• Saskatchewan Hockey Association – Jonny Bast, University of Saskatchewan
• Hockey New Brunswick – Celina Blizzard, University of New Brunswick
• BC Hockey – Michal Boisvert, Selkirk College
• Hockey Alberta – Jill Clulow, University of Alberta
• Hockey Nova Scotia – Dustin Conrad, Dalhousie University
• Hockey Quebec – Alexander Cote, University of Quebec in Outaouais
• Hockey Quebec – Francis Deschesnes-Trempe, University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières
• Hockey Nova Scotia – Amy Facey, St. Francis Xavier University
• Hockey Manitoba – Katie Gullett, University of Brandon
• Hockey Manitoba – Erica Holmes, University of Manitoba
• Hockey Quebec – Caroline Laforge, Le Collège Ahuntsic
• Hockey Northwestern Ontario – Nelson Matyasovsky, Lakehead University
• Hockey New Brunswick – Philip McGee, University of New Brunswick
• Hockey Quebec – Renee Paul, Laval University
• Hockey Quebec – Sybil St. Pierre, Laval University
• Hockey Alberta – Cody Rude, University of Lethbridge

The recipient of the $5,000 Kenneth R. Stiles Scholarships are Hockey Alberta’s Tyler Adair – a recent graduate of the University of Calgary who is continuing his studies at Mount Royal College, and Hockey Nova Scotia product Dustin Conrad, who studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

The Kenneth R. Stiles Officiating Scholarships, first announced in 2007 by the Calgary Flames founding ownership group, were named for the late Ken Stiles, a former president of the Flames Project 75 Group. Over the past 30 years, Flames Project 75, an oil and gas legacy from the Flames ownership group, has contributed over $5,000,000 to minor hockey development initiatives in Canada as well as other charities in Alberta. In 2009 the Project 75 Group became officially known as the Seaman Hotchkiss Foundation as it continues to support grassroots initiative across Canada.

Officials eligible for the Kenneth R. Stiles Scholarships must be Canadian citizens, registered and active Hockey Canada officials, members in good standing with their home branch and registered or applying for full-time post-secondary studies. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, officiating achievement and community involvement. Application packages are distributed annually in January and are available through the Hockey Canada manager of officiating.