May 02, 2017 | ALLIANCE Hockey | 2615 views
2017 OHL Gold Cup Set for Kitchener, May 4-7th
Kitchener, ON - This time next week 160 players from across Ontario will arrive at the Activa Sportsplex in Kitchener, ON for the 2017 edition of the OHL Gold Cup. The 2001-birth year players are the next crop of Minor Midgets to participate in the 8-team, 20-game tournament which is a showcase event for Hockey Canada as they continue their nation-wide recruitment of players for the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence.
The OHL Gold Cup experience begins on Wednesday, May 3rd with pre-event practices for all 8 teams. Competition gets under way Thursday, May 4th and continues through Sunday, May 7th. 2017 marks the fifth year of the event under the OHL Gold Cup moniker. A total of 640 players have participated in the event over the last four years with 68 of those players advancing to the World U17 Challenge, 16 playing at the World U18 Hockey Championships and 5 playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
Team ALLIANCE has been fortunate to host a number of those players who have advanced to the next level of the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence:
2016 Team ALLIANCE (2000 birth year):
Eric Guest (Elgin Middlesex Chiefs) - 2016 World U17
Owen Lalonde (Windsor Jr. Spitfires) - 2016 World U17
2015 Team ALLIANCE (1999 birth year):
Michael DiPietro (Windsor Jr. Spitfires) - 2015 World U17, 2016 World U18
Nicholas Suzuki (London Jr. Knights) - 2015 World U17, 2016 World U18
Isaac Ratcliffe (London Jr. Knights) - 2015 World U17, 2017 World U18
Hayden Davis (Hamilton Huskies) - 2015 World U17
Jack Studnicka - 2015 World U17, 2017 World U18
2014 Team ALLIANCE (1998 birth year):
Nicolas Hague (Kitchener Jr. Rangers) - 2014 World U17, 2015 World U18, 2016 World U18
Logan Stanley (Waterloo Wolves) - 2014 World U17, 2015 World U18, 2016 World U18
Boris Katchouk (Waterloo Wolves) - 2016 World U18
Connor Hall (Cambridge Hawks) - 2016 World U18
Keaton Middleton (Huron Perth Lakers) - 2014 World U17
Anthony Salinitri (Windsor Jr. Spitfires) - 2014 World U17
2013 Team ALLIANCE (1997 birth year):
Lawson Crouse (Elgin Middlesex Chiefs) - 2014 World U17, 2014 World U18, 2015 & 2016 World Juniors
Travis Konecny (Elgin Middlesex Chiefs) - 2014 World U17, 2014 World U18, 2016 World Juniors
Mitchell Vande Sompel (London Jr. Knights) - 2014 World U17, 2014 World U18
The 2017 Team ALLIANCE roster is posted here, along with the OHL Gold Cup Schedule. Fan support will be a crucial factor in the Team's success so we encourage you to come out and cheer on the boys! If you can't make it to Kitchener, all games will be streamed live on HockeyTV.
Good luck to all participants!