GLENDON – There was a buzz of excitement at the Lakeland Panthers AA season end banquet held on April 5.
The Glendon Community Hall was packed with the organization’s U11, U13, U15 and U18 players, coaches, parents and invited guests to celebrate a season full of achievements and a return to a nearly normal hockey season after two years of disruptions.
“You have and will continue to hear me say the word ‘culture' multiple times tonight,” said Terry Rupp, the standing president for the Bonnyville Minor Hockey Association and the Lakeland Panthers Board.
“Culture is made up of values, beliefs, goals, positive environment, quality of a person, development and behaviours. This is what helps build success, this is what builds communities, and this is what the Panthers program is about.”
Acknowledging that parents always want the greatest experiences for their young athletes and often feel conflicted about which teams they should send their children to play on, Rupp said players these days are being pulled in many directions.
His answer to this dilemma is always the same, “The player needs to focus on the culture or environment that he or she is going to. This is not just a hockey outlook, but also a life outlook.”
Throughout the evening, coaches and invited speakers talked about values learned through the game of hockey and how it can be used to develop leadership and teamwork skills among the next generation.
From the Lakeland to the NHL
Fighting a flurry of nerves, former NHLer and Lakeland Panthers alumnus Jon Kalinski spoke to the large crowd filled with aspiring hockey players.
He shared his own hockey journey starting from his time playing minor hockey in Bonnyville with the Lakeland Panthers, to his time as a Jr. A Pontiac and the difficult decisions he made finding his way into the NCAA division and post-secondary.
Heading to university before getting into professional hockey was a decision, he says he was encouraged to make by the strong role models in his life at the time – role models that he is still thankful for to this day.
Once he reached the NHL, Kalinski would go on to play for the Philadelphia Flyers before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
While faced with a number of unfortunate injuries throughout his hockey career, Kalinski told the next generation of hockey players that his time on the ice was worth all the hard work and time dedicated to the sport.
Making it to the NHL is not impossible, and it has been accomplished by those who have come before.
The end of Kalinski’s speech was met with a standing ovation and before the former NHL player could return to his seat a long queue of young players lined up to shake his hand.
2021-22 Season
This season marked several successes for the four Lakeland AA teams.
The Panthers U11 team won gold at the Spring On Ice Invitational tournament and finished third in the East Division, taking home bronze in the league finals.
The team's record this season was 13 wins, eight losses and three draws. Throughout the season the U11s scored 142 goals and let in 112 goals.
The Panthers U13 team were the winners of the CAC North/South Invitational, going 6-0 over the weekend. They would eventually follow that tournament with a second-place finish in the Black Division where they lost 4-3 in the division’s final tournament to Fort McMurray.
The U13s finished the regular season with 26 wins, three losses and two ties. Over the season, the Panther’s managed to score 242 points while only letting in 78 goals against.
The U15AA Lakeland Panthers finished the season with a first-place finish in the White Division. Through their successes in the Rural Championship, the U15’s earned a berth to Hockey Alberta’s Provincial Tournament. Unfortunately, the Panthers did not find the success they were hoping for, losing 0-4 at the tournament.
The U15s ended their season with 26 wins, four losses and two draws. Overall, the Panthers scored 161 goals allowing for 67 goals against.
This year marked the Panthers U18 team’s highest finish since the 2012-13 season with a second-place finish in the CanAccom Division.
The U18s won 15 games, lost 14 and tied three of their games. During the regular season, the Panthers scored 108 goals and allowed 101 goals against.
Making up the four regional AA teams are 35 players from Bonnyville, 14 players from Cold Lake, two from Elk Point, one player from Ashmont, four from Lac La Biche, three from Myrnam, one from Plamondon as well as three players from St. Paul.
Outgoing Panthers players Carter Marcoux, Noah Dechaine and Cole Andrews were given a special acknowledgement as they have reached their last season with the minor hockey league.
In the next few weeks, prospective Panthers players will be taking part in ID skates.