The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs organization held its second annual Education Breakfast on Monday in support of past and present players' pursuit of post-secondary education through the team's education fund.
Proceeds from the breakfast go towards the education fund, which this year, among other things, provided four Community and Education Scholarships for $3,000 each. The recipients include former Pontiacs Tyler Henry, Devon Kalinski, Marc-Antoine Juneau and Julien Laplante.
“We want to make sure when players leave here that they have the foundations to be better people on and off the ice and an education is a large part of that,” said Pontiacs head coach and general manager Chad Mercier.
“The support for the organization has been tremendous,” Mercier added. “Without the support of our community, functions like this breakfast would be near-impossible to do.”
Sponsoring the breakfast for the second straight year was Osum Energy, with additional sponsorship coming in from other organizations and individuals based in and around the community.
“Corporate sponsorship is a big part of events like this and in turn we hope that we give them a morning of entertainment and hopefully their staff can take something out of it also,” Mercier explained.
The breakfast kicked off with an introduction of Pontiacs alumni, including Shawn Bates, Lucas Isley, Mark Letestu, Justin Fontaine, Jean-Marc Beaudoin, Devon Kalinski and Jon Kalinski. The former Pontiacs, all of whom went on to attend a post-secondary institution following their time in Bonnyville, told stories from the past and present.
Letestu said events like this help build a positive culture around the team and in the community and was impressed with the support the Pontiacs receive.
“I've had a chance to develop a relationship with (Chad Mercier) over the last couple years and he has absolutely changed the culture of the organization, providing guys with the instruments to be leaders and you see it more and more each year, especially through events like this.”
Letestu still holds the Pontiacs' career goals lead at 118 in 190 games and now contributes as a forward for the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.
However, prior to arriving in Pittsburgh, Letestu attended the University of Western Michigan for one season, something he takes pride in.
“Hockey doesn't last forever and not everybody is lucky enough to go on and play. So I think the opportunity for guys here to further themselves with hockey and get an education is key to a full life and can be valuable to fall back on after hockey,” explained Letestu.
“The organization is doing a great job promoting that and the community definitely shows a lot of support.”
Mercier said the breakfast is for the young hockey players looking to grow into valuable contributing community members.
“Events like this opens doors for the young people here today,” said Mercier. “We want these guys to feel like a part of this community and take pride in the team and the town so that they want to come back and give back in the future.”
Edmonton Oilers play-by-play voice Jack Michaels was the guest speaker at the breakfast. He spoke about the many personal connections made through hockey and the sense of belonging the sport provides.
“Hockey gives so many people a sense of belonging on a team and in a community. And the connections made opens doors that otherwise would not have been open,” he said during his speech.
Former Pontiac and University of Minnesota-Deluth alumnus Justin Fontaine was honoured at the breakfast after winning the NCAA Division I mens ice hockey championship this past spring. He became the first Bonnyville product to win a national championship at the NCAA level.
The Pontiacs also named Dante Borrelli and Kevin Carthy co-captains for the upcoming season. Mercier said he could not have chosen two harder working players to lead the team in its pursuit of a championship.
