The True Hockey Franchise Cup tournament is underway at West Edmonton Mall and four St. Albert players are repping the Brick Alberta jersey.
Walker Filewich, Chase Huberdeau, Ryan Quintilio, and Ty Moreland all made the cut and are aiming to take home the gold at the tournament.
The event replaced the Brick Invitational hockey tournament, which would usually be the mall’s big-ticket summer event, but it has been canceled due to COVID concerns. Instead, the Franchise Cup will look to fill the void.
Six teams from across the country are competing in the event, including provincial rivals Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
It is an exciting opportunity for these kids, as they not only look to make their province proud, but their hometown as well.
“It’s really cool, it’s different from some of the other teams I played for,” said Quintilio. “It’s more pressure but it’s fun.”
“It feels good, I’m proud of myself,” said Filewich.
Moreland, who will be the team’s goaltender, said his immediate reaction to hearing he made the team was excitement to meet his new teammates.
“[My family and I] were very happy and I couldn’t wait to meet all the people,” said Moreland.
The players are looking to bring their own unique skill set to the table. While Moreland is holding the fort between the pipes, the other three will be tasked with doing a good job in front of him.
“I wanna bring a lot of effort,” said Quintilio.
“I’m a big power-forward, I wanna say,” said Huberdeau.
“My friends like to describe me as more of a play-maker and goal-scorer,” said Filewich.
Joining a new team, especially one as big as the Brick Alberta team, can be daunting no matter how old you are. Luckily, these kids are all friends and are going to help each other succeed while also making new friends along the way.
“I was at my cabin with one of my best friends and once we found out that we were both on the team it was pretty cool,” said Filewich.
“It’s really nice [to have friends on the team] because you have people to support you,” said Huberdeau.
As for hockey, things are looking good. The team has gone through a few bonding exercises and the mood from the St. Albert gang is that they can do some damage in this tournament.
“Our team is really good this year,” said Filewich. “We got a strong back-end and goalie, really strong defence, and our forwards are really good.
“We have great coaches and just a great team overall.”
The tournament will run until Aug. 22. The Brick Alberta team will be in action against Saskatchewan on Wednesday, Aug. 18, and will then take on Manitoba on Thursday, Aug. 19, and finish up round-robin play with a game against Everest on Friday, Aug. 20. The playoff round will be played on the weekend.
For the full schedule and more information on the tournament, visit their website at https://franchise-cup.kreezee-sports.com
