Saanichton, BC – BC Hockey, in partnership with the Western Hockey League, Hockey Alberta, Hockey Saskatchewan, Hockey Manitoba and Hockey Canada, are excited to announce that the 2021 WHL Cup will take place in Red Deer from October 20-24, 2021.
The WHL Cup will be played at the Peavey Mart Centrium – home of the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels – as well as at Red Deer College and will feature a round robin tournament format followed by playoffs.
BC Hockey Program of Excellence’s U16 Team BC, led by head coach Jamie Jackson, will compete against other top 2006-born players from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, all of whom are eligible for the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
The 2021 WHL Prospects Draft is scheduled to be conducted online on Thursday, December 9,2021.
2021 WHL Cup – Event Schedule
Wednesday, October 20
Game 1 – British Columbia at Saskatchewan – 3 p.m. PST
Game 2 – Manitoba at Alberta – 6 p.m. PST
Thursday, October 21
Game 3 – British Columbia at Manitoba – 3 p.m. PST
Game 4 – Alberta at Saskatchewan – 6 p.m. PST
Friday, October 22
Game 5 – Alberta at British Columbia – 11:30 a.m. PST
Game 6 – Saskatchewan at Manitoba – 2:15 p.m. PST (Red Deer College)
Saturday, October 23
Semifinals 1 – 11:30 p.m. PST
Semifinals 2 – 2:15 p.m. PST (Red Deer College)
Sunday, October 24
Bronze Medal Game – 11 a.m. PST
Gold Medal Game – 12 p.m. PST
* all games at Peavey Mart Centrium unless otherwise indicated
Most players participating in the event will be selected in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft or will go on to be listed by WHL Clubs. The WHL Cup, formerly known as the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup, has been sponsored since 2009 by the Western Hockey League.
This year will mark the ninth year of the event. The first ever WHL Cup was held in Blackfalds, Alta., in 2009 and featured four of the top eight players selected in the 2012 NHL Draft. In 2011, the Moose Jaw Warriors and Hockey Saskatchewan hosted the event at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw, Sask. In 2012 and 2013, the tournament was hosted in Calgary at Father David Bauer Arena, the home of the WHL. From 2015 through 2019, the WHL Cup was hosted in Calgary at the Markin MacPhail Centre.
Team Alberta is a five-time champion of the WHL Cup, hoisting the trophy in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016, while Team BC won the event in 2012 and 2017. Team Saskatchewan is the defending champion of the WHL Cup, having won the tournament in 2019, beating Team Manitoba 4-2 in the Gold Medal game.
